Some of you know by now the trials and tribulations we suffered in December in our attempts to prepare our documents for the wedding. Some of you have no idea what we’ve been up to. Well, here’s the long blog post.

When we reserved the St. Francis of Assisi Chapel at Fernwood Gardens, we had to go to the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Project 6, since the chapel was under their care/authority (“Tyranny” would be more appropriate.  But I get ahead of myself.) So we booked the chapel for our date, and the parish office gave us a list of requirements. It was a pretty long list, but it didn’t seem that bad when we first saw it. Hah, unbeknownst to us, we were about to embark on a journey that would take us to many City Halls and churches . (And I just wanted to use the word “unbeknownst”.)

Just so we’re all on the same page, boys and girls, here’s the list of requirements they asked of the bride and the groom:

1. NSO-certified birth certificate
2. NSO-issued CENOMAR
3. Newly-issued baptismal certificate, with the annotation, “For Marriage Purposes”
4. Newly-issued confirmation certificate, with the annotation, “For Marriage Purposes”
5. Wedding banns and permit to marry
6. Marriage license from the municipality where either the groom or the bride reside
7. Latest 2×2 picture with white background
8. Pre-marriage counseling seminar
9. Canonical interview
10. Final interview and confession

All documents must be dated within 6 months of the wedding, and submitted two months before the wedding. Okay, seems easy enough. The birth certificate and CENOMAR could be ordered and paid for online through the NSO website, and would be delivered right to our doorstep, no problem. The baptismal certificates were easy; Oneal was baptized in San Vicente de Paul Church in Manila, right beside Adamson University. I was baptized in Santo Domingo Church in QC. Both were fairly accessible.

The confirmation certificates, we knew, would require some effort. Oneal didn’t remember what year he was confirmed, but he knew where. I, on the other hand, was confirmed on the sly, in the US Embassy in Riyadh, by an Italian bishop from the Vicar Apostolic of Arabia, which was based in Abu Dhabi. I had the original certificate though; surely Mount Carmel would be satisfied with that? After all, they couldn’t possibly expect me to hop on a plane to Riyadh or Abu Dhabi to get my confirmation certificate. Could they?

The wedding banns were easy; these were documents issued by Mount Carmel and posted in our respective parish churches for three consecutive Sundays, to inform our communities of our upcoming marriage. For the uninformed, this is done to give others the chance to present any possible impediment to the wedding before the actual event. Should no objection be raised, the parish churches will give the bride and the groom permission to marry.

The marriage license we thought would be tricky. We decided to file for it in Parañaque, since Oneal had live there all his life, and had many documents attesting to the fact. I, on the other hand, have lived in Saudi Arabia, Kamias, Antipolo and Cubao, so my documents had rather scattered addresses. To our surprise, the requirements for the marriage license were simple enough. Some documents and one hour of forms, photocopying, payments and “counseling” in Parañaque City Hall were all it took, and one week later we had our marriage license! Well, there was a surprise.

The pre-cana seminar proved to be a case of misunderstanding and annoyance. We had wanted to take the pre-cana seminar at the Center for Family Ministries in Ateneo de Manila University, as it came well-recommended by many people. Oneal asked Mount Carmel if this was okay, and a nice lady said it was. So we reserved a slot in a CEFAM’s January schedule, and I deposited a payment of P4,000. That was a bust, but more on that later.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

That weekend, Oneal and I went to Mount Carmel to submit our documents, confident that it would be a breeze. We had everything in order, and we figured we could just explain about my confirmation certificate being rather, ah, inaccessible. Alas, we were very gravely mistaken.

They noticed in my documents–specifically my birth certificate and my baptismal certificate–that my mother’s name was not consistent: one document said only “Marian” while others said “Marian Regina”. This apparently was unacceptable, because there must be NO DISCREPANCIES among any of the documents. They asked me what my mother’s name really was, and I said, “Marian Regina.” The parish office told us, well, you’re going to have to have your birth certificate corrected at city hall. They were willing to proceed with the marriage, but only if I submitted (1) an affidavit stating I would correct my birth certificate and not hold the parish liable for any conflict arising from the discrepancy in names; and (2) a Certificate for Facilitation of Correction of my birth certificate from the Local Civil Registry Office of the City Hall of the municipality in which I was born. Oh, and (3) a copy of my corrected birth certificate, to follow after the wedding.

Did you get all of that? I didn’t, because I was so dismayed by all that the parish office guy was saying that I almost burst into tears right there and then.

Of course, parish office guy wasn’t done. He said he had to consult the Diocese of Cubao about my confirmation certificate. Not content, he also said that Oneal’s baptismal certificate would be a problem, because his name was stated there as “Jose Ronnelo Rosero”; none of his other documents bore the name “Jose.” He would have to go back to San Vicente de Paul, and they would issue a letter so he could bring it to the Office of the Chancery in Intramuros, where an amendment would be made.

And for the big finale: we were required to take the pre-cana seminar in Mount Carmel, and even if we had taken the seminar at CEFAM, it would not be sufficient. So the slot we had reserved and the payment I had made were all in vain.

We went back home, rather dismayed, and wondered what to do next. Well, I knew what I was doing next: lying in bed and moping, tears streaming down my face as I wondered, “What are we supposed to do now?” It was like a giant rock had been dropped in our path, and there was no way around it.

- rej

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Our Lady of Mount Carmel finally said they are accepting our documents and we can proceed with the wedding!
We can finish the pending documents after the wedding so we are not in a stressful rush.
- Oneal

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In case you haven’t seen the news on Facebook, then here’s the announcement: Our rings have been made! *happy dance* Oneal’s Tita Angie recommended a jewelry shop in Meycauayan, Bulacan, where they could make the rings for a low price. We’d looked at wedding rings before, at bridal fairs and in jewelry shops in malls. They always cost upwards of P25,000, for anything from simple bands to elaborate affairs with engraving and diamonds.

All we wanted was a pair of two-tone rings, two outer bands made of yellow gold, with a white gold band in the middle. Matte finish, no diamonds, no engraving. Quotes at bridal fairs placed it at P30,000.

So last Monday, Oneal’s mom came to Yale with Tita Angie, and we all went to Meycauayan to order the rings. Good Lord, what a price difference! We told them what we wanted, and they measured our ring fingers (mine is 5 1/2, and Oneal’s is 11, haha!). After some computation and a bit of consultation with the craftsman, the proprietress quoted it at P21,000. Whoa!

In addition to the rings, we had also brought our arrhae. We decided to use the arrhae from Oneal’s parents’ wedding; it’s our “something borrowed.” It’s a set of gold-plated 1967 50-cent coins. There are supposed to be 13, but two were missing. A few months ago I put out a call for coins, but eventually it was Tita Baby who found them: one among her jewelry boxes, and the other just sitting in a ceramic bowl in the house.  Oneal said, “ It was in that ceramic bowl in the basement, right under the light switches. Mom wouldn’t have looked there if my dad hadn’t changed the light switches in the house, and that particular one stopped working. When he was checking the switch, my mom looked at the coins and found the 1967 50 centavo coin. They said it’s like something was telling them to look there.”

So as you can see, our arrhae is pretty special. We needed the jeweler to repair the crown that held all the coins, clean everything, and gold-plate everything.

We went to the jewelry shop last Monday. This morning, they called me. The rings would cost only P17,200. The arrhae repair and plating? P800. So everything for a total of P18,000! If only we didn’t have so much work to do, I’d drag Oneal to Bulacan tomorrow so we could get the rings na.

I can’t wait to see them!

– rej

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Why is getting married so complicated?? All I want is to be one with my hunny bunny till death do us part. Why is there so much paperwork and fuss????

Right now, we’re working on our marriage license. We need to make a personal appearance at the Parañaque City Hall, and present our CENOMARs, NSO birth certificates and Oneal’s certificate of residency.

We also made reservations to attend the pre-cana seminar at the Center for Family in Ateneo in January. But before we can do that, we need an authorization letter from the church. AND we need to submit our birth, baptismal and confirmation certificates. Egads! Surely getting married was never this complicated before?

On the upside, I think all the suppliers have been booked. The venue is now fully paid, yay! We’ve also finalized the program.

It’s only two months away, and it feels like there’s still so much we need to do. To top it all off, it’s Christmas! But I guess Christmas is just another opportunity to be thankful that I have a wonderful Oneal who wants to marry me.

It’s going to be a Merry Christmas indeed!

– rej

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Typhoon Ondoy has sidetracked many people, and many plans. That weekend, we were supposed to have a family pictorial! Obviously, we had to cancel it.

Since that weekend, and through the other typhoons that have blown through the country, we’ve been busy with relief efforts here and there. Also, Oneal has a new job, and I have two new projects that keep me busy. So you can understand how our wedding planning got sidetracked.

Now we’re gathering our wits again, and going through all our wedding checklists to see what else needs doing. Fortunately, there’s not a lot left. All the major suppliers have been booked:

• Ceremony and reception venue – Fernwood Gardens, QC
• Caterer – Shangri-La Chinese Restaurant
• Florist for the church – 15-58 Flowers and Styles
• Florist for the entourage – Go4Flowers
• Photographer – Pat Mateo
• Videographer – 30fps
• Cake artist – Our friend, Reitch Calabia
• Couturier – Our friend, Jenny Rojales
• Rings maker
• Bridal jewelry – Our ninang, Ruby Bayan

So now, here’s what we need to do next:

1. Book the hair and make-up artist
2. Complete our wedding documents
3. Draft and finalize the missalette
4. Design and finalize the invitations
5. Decide on the music for the ceremony
6. Decide on the music for the reception
7. Decide on the preps hotel
8. Finalize the reception program
9. Attend a pre-cana seminar

There’s more that needs to be done, but these are the most urgent. We’re working on some of them already:

• Some of the documents have been obtained while a few others need to be requested.
• We’ve canvassed 4 hotels in Quezon City already.
• I know which HMUA I want to get.
• Jovan is working on our invitations.

Some things need more work than others, obviously. But we’re getting there. Wish us luck! In the meantime, it’s my birthday on Saturday, and we’re flying to Bora for a much-needed vacation. Yay!

– rej

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Our best men with Oneal at the Eraserheads reunion concert

These are the wonderful people who have agreed to play an important part on our big day:

Our Best Men

Paul Julius Martin Catiang – Our housemate, and my orgmate and friend from college, Paul is a little too enthusiastic about Monty Python. He’s also our C-3PO!

Dante Gagelonia – Our housemate, and my best friend from college, Dante loves many of the geek things we do, and it’s hard to pin down what he likes most.

Our Maid of Honor

Kat Magallona, MD

Kathleen Magallona, MD – My close friend and classmate since fourth grade, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Kat is also active in their church choir.

Our Matron of Honor

Joanna Marie Orena Cemine – My best friend from high school, and classmate since fifth grade, Anna is now married and has one son.

Our Secondary Sponsors

Our Candle Sponsors

Jovan, our Candle Sponsor

Jovan De Ocampo – My college orgmate and our awesome geek friend, Jovan is into Transformers and Harry Potter.

Julius Rivera – Oneal’s barkada since grade school, Physical Therapist and very physical. lives in romantic Sonoma valley and very romantic.

Our Veil Sponsors

Amaris Grace Cabason – My cousin on the mother’s side, Amaris is going to be a brilliant lawyer one day.

Orland Gregorio Axalan - Oneal’s buds  since high school, athletic, one of the other big Star Wars fans in the barkada, has taught his son well about the Galaxy far far away.

Amaris, our Candle Sponsor

Our Cord Sponsors

Celeste Pampolina – Oneal’s cousin is based in the US, and can’t make it to the wedding. Representing her at the wedding will be Oneal’s neice, Danielle Luna.

Mario Madrid - Oneal’s barkada since grade school, the group’s accountant, recently married and soon to be a father.

Oneal's barkada, L-R: Odge, Martin, Mario, Caloy, Oneal, Julius, Nick and Iñaki

Our Groomsmen

Ronaldo Rosero, DDM – Oneal’s brother, and our dentist!

Nick Joseph Santiago - Oneal’s barkada since high school, Chef, restauranteur, matchmaker and asthma inducer.

Martin Luna, MD - Oneal’s barkada since grade school, married into the family, now emergency room doctor on speed dial.

Our Bridesmaids

Nina

Nina Lou Reyes – Awesome geek friend, Nina loves Star Trek and the Lord of the Rings most of all. also the Philippines’ resident Princess Leia.

Mary Ann Marchadesch – My friend from college, Mary Ann is a devoted Doctor Who fan.

Mary Ann Ortiz – Meann is the founder of Star Wars Philippines. She loves Harry Potter as well.

Our Flower Girls

Maxine Enriquez – Dexter’s daughter

Martina Llamas – Iñaki’s daughter

Mary Ann

Our Ring Bearer

Miguel Paca – Caloy’s son

Our Coin Bearer

Joey Torres – Oneal’s inaanak

Matron of honor Anna with our Bible bearer, Gabby

Our Bible Bearer

Gabriel Cemine – Anna’s son, and my inaanak

Thank you, everyone, for being part of our entourage! Soon we’ll post our Principal Sponsors.

– rej and oneal

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Mom found my confirmation certificate! Hooray!

One of the things that’s been bugging us are the church requirements for couples who want to marry. Specifically, we’ve been trying to remember where our confirmation certificates are! I knew I was received the rite of confirmation when we were in Saudi Arabia, but I couldn’t remember exactly when, and where my certificate was.

Our pursuit of Oneal’s confirmation certificate turned into an Intramuros field trip. His mom had said he and his cousins were all confirmed at Manila Cathedral in 1975, so Oneal and I figured our search should start there. This would also be our opportunity to finall explore Intramuros on foot, camera in hand, something we’d been wanting to do for years.

We first headed to Manila Hotel for brunch with Oneal’s mom. Then the driver took us to Manila Cathedral, where we were just in time for the noon Mass. It was Ash Wednesday too, so it was lovely timing. The church was full, and we were able to receive the ash on our foreheads. After the Mass, the office was closed until 2:00, so we decided to go exploring first. We walked around Intramuros and on to San Agustin Church, took pictures of everything, and even found some pretty maritime offices and the Kaisa Filipino-Chinese Community Heritage Museum. One of these days we’ll go back and explore the museums.

At 2:00, we were back in Manila Cathedral, and the office was open. Oneal inquired at the window, and was promptly told that all records for rties performed prior to 1976 were stored in San Agustin. Oops. So we had to trudge back in the afternoon heat and the dust of the city, back to the office at San Agustin.

You can imagine our relief when the girl at the office found the certificate. She was using a slow old computer, and to search their database she used a DOS program, filling in the blanks with the information Oneal provided on the form. It was a slow search, and we had to take a seat while waiting, but at least the records are computerized! The results told her not only that Oneal was confirmed in the Manila Cathedral in 1975, but also told her the ledger and line number where the original record could be found! We were really happy and relieved.

Unfortunately, the certificate would only be valid for 6 months, so if we got a copy then, it would be expired well before our wedding day. Nevertheless, it’s a relief to know exactly where the certificate is, and how to get it when we need it.

Next: my confirmation certificate! Seeing as how I can’t exactly go back to Saudi Arabia and I wasn’t confirmed in an actual church, I’m not sure how the Mount Carmel parish will react to my confirmation story. Still, Mom found my certificate and gave it to me today, so I can at least consult a priest and ask if that’s acceptable, or if I need to be confirmed again.

Wish me luck!

– rej

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Just updated Ceremony and Reception! Check it out!

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One of the first things you think of when you get invited to a wedding is, “What am I going to wear?” This is especially true of our own wedding. In response to the news that ours will be a Star Wars wedding, most people–especially the friends of our parents–say with a small note of worry (or is it panic?) in their voices, “Will we have to wear costumes too?”

Oneal’s answer has been, “If you’re going to wear a costume to our wedding, it must be screen-accurate! It must be 501st quality!” I tend to say, “Well, it would be nice, but you don’t have to!” with a sheepish grin. Let’s face it: Star Wars costumes are not cheap, nor are they easy to make. Imagine having to explain to your seamstress what tabards are!

If you aren’t up to the expense and stress of having a Star Wars costume made, that’s perfectly okay! Standard formal attire is completely acceptable: barong tagalog for men, dresses–cocktail, long, or otherwise formal–for the women. Our motif is white and gold, so I’m sure you can find something appropriate.  But if you are planning to wear a Star Wars costume to our wedding, then YAY!

That said, here’s what you shouldn’t wear, because these costumes have been assigned/claimed:

• Padme’s Wedding Gown from Attack of the Clones

• Mon Mothma – Revenge of the Sith
• Mon Mothma – Return of the Jedi
• Bail Organa – Alderaan

• Bail Organa – Tantive IV
• Breha Organa

• Princess Leia’s awarding ceremony gown from A New Hope

• Imperial Navy Admiral’s uniform

• Gold handmaiden dress

• Sheltay Retrac, Bail Organa’s aide

This list will get longer as we get closer to The Day, so stay tuned!

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Now that the holidays are over, we have a full year of wedding preps to look forward to. Securing the church and the reception venue were the biggest hurdles we had to jump, I think, and we’ve covered those. The ceremony will be held at the St. Francis of Assisi Chapel, and the reception will be at the Coral Tree Garden, both in Fernwood Gardens, QC. So now there’s the rest of the preps to think about!

Our next target is to find a caterer. Having selected Fernwood narrows down our choices, since we’re only allowed to choose from their accredited caterers. While it’s a little disappointing that it limits our choices, it’s also a relief because it limits our choices. We’ve tried a number of caterers (food reviews soon!), and only one of them is accredited at Fernwood. At least now we don’t have to search far and wide for our caterer!

Our criteria: We’re not that picky. We’d like the food to be yummy, of course, but we’re not looking for anything too specific. It would be nice if there were a good balance of meats and seafood, stuff kids will eat, and more importantly, vegetables and soup that Oneal will actually like. A chocolate fountain would be a very happy plus!

We’re also hoping that the caterer we hire can serve the food lauriat-style. We really don’t like buffets, because we want our guests to be seated and enjoying their food, not rushing to the buffet tables for fear of missing out on the good stuff. Besides, it’s awful to have to wait your turn at the buffet line!

Our other big step this month: we want to go to the dress shop! We already know exactly what I’m wearing, and we have a pretty good idea of what Oneal wants for his barong. We’ve also selected designs for the entourage. We’re going to ask our loyal costume maker, Jennevita, to make my dress and the entourage gowns. Should be fun!

Other updates: We’ve already asked some of the ninangs and ninongs, and about half of them are confirmed, yay! We’re also in the process of informing our friends that they’re in the entourage.

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