Sure, we’re stressed, but it doesn’t feel like the end of the world, or like a deadline looming. It feels more like the rest of our life is about to begin, and we really can’t wait.
So what have we been up to? I’ve been trying to tie up loose ends at work so that everything’s okay when I go on leave. Oneal’s been doing the same, I think. Together, we’ve been delivering wedding invitations, getting RSVPs from the guests, and preparing for the despedida de soltera, which is happening this Friday.
Perhaps among the most exciting things we’ve been doing of late are the attire fittings, and the dance lessons. 
I can’t wait to see my finished dress and veil, and Oneal’s really excited about his barong. And last Sunday, we took our first dance lesson!
In the days to come, we’ll be meeting with our ninongs and ninangs, finishing off supplier payments, and pampering ourselves in time for the wedding.
I can’t wait till I’m married to my hunny bunny.
– rej
Even when we knew what we had to do, things seemed hopeless.
The confirmation certificate:
Come Tuesday, December 15, we called Mount Carmel, and the verdict was out on my confirmation certificate: the Diocese said we had to get a copy of the original from Abu Dhabi, or at least some sort of certification stating that the confirmation had indeed taken place on the date and at the place we claimed in the original certificate we presented.
Great. How were we supposed to do that? There was an address for the Vicar Apostolic of Arabia on my certificate, but it was just a PO Box. All seemed bleak. Continue Reading…
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
It seems like every free day or hour we have is spent on the wedding. Or in the car, going somewhere wedding-related. Take Wednesday, for example.
We spent Tuesday night in Roseroland, then woke up bright and early on Wednesday to go to Parañaque City Hall. We applied for the marriage license, which only took an hour. The documents required were the CENOMARs (Certificates of No Previous Marriage, obtained from the NSO), our NSO-certified birth certificates, and Oneal’s barangay clearance, since he’s a resident of Parañaque. Continue Reading…
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. Continue Reading…
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
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:
- Book the hair and make-up artist
- Complete our wedding documents
- Draft and finalize the missalette
- Design and finalize the invitations
- Decide on the music for the ceremony
- Decide on the music for the reception
- Decide on the preps hotel
- Finalize the reception program
- 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
It’s not often you’re happy with the service at government offices, so when it happens, it’s a cause for celebration!
For the wedding, among the documents we need are birth certificates and certificates of no previous marriage (CENOMAR) from the National Statistics Office, dated within six months of the wedding. Since we only have 4 months and three weeks to go, I figured now was a good time to apply.
I went to the website (thanks to Dante for the link!), filled up the forms, and was done! It’s so wonderful when you can be efficient from the comfort of your own home. Even better, I was able to pay for the certificate requests online, through Banco de Oro online banking.
The website says it will take about two weeks for delivery. So not only can you make the request from your own home, and pay online, but your documents will also be delivered right to your doorstep! *happy dance*
– rej
Imperial Palace Suites, at the corner of Timog and Tomas Morato
Since both our families live so far away from the wedding venue, we need a hotel nearby for our preps. There we can all get ready, get made-up, leave our other things, and probably stay for the night before and/or after the wedding.
Since the wedding is in Fernwood, we need a hotel in Quezon City. We were originally considering Sulo Hotel, but naturally we wanted other options too. So today, we checked out rooms and rates at Hotel Rembrandt, the Imperial Palace Suites, and the new Torre Venezia. The only problem with this area, Timog and Tomas Morato, is that you have to cross EDSA to get to Fernwood. But it looks like there are SM Advantage Card perks for the Imperial Palace Suites and Hotel Rembrant! That’s certainly a plus. Stay tuned for our reviews!
We’re also going to visit Sulo Hotel, since we heard it’s been renovated. We’d also like to see PCED, Balay Kalinaw and the University Hotel in UP Diliman. Those hotels would definitely be closer to Fernwood.
Hair and make-up by Ms. Rose of Watercolors salon, Shangri-La Plaza
With my first hair and make-up (HMU) trial session, my hair stayed beautiful until the wee hours of the morning. I was happy with the make-up too, but in retrospect it seemed a little pale.
With my second HMU trial, my make-up was gorgeous! But my hair was only nice for two hours. That wasn’t so great.
My third trial seems to have worked out the best. Grace M recommended Watercolors salon, which her sister Marilyn and their event company, EventLab, patronize frequently. Marilyn recommended Ms. Rose.
So I scheduled an appointment, and got my hair and make-up done. So far, I think I like Ms. Rose best.