love is in the details

when people asked me why i needed a year to prepare for the wedding, i couldn't tell them that i needed the time for my diy and all the details i wanted. truth be told, i enjoyed the diy most and now that the wedding is over, i miss it terribly. anyway, i digress i guess the following pictures can justify why i needed that year right?

all the pretty pictures are courtesy of our wonderful photographers from imaginenation - jasondeg, jamie and lianne with the exception of the closeup of the birdcages which was taken by a dear friend and photographer/choreograper/performer marco esguerra. the pictures of the inspirations for the gowns and shoes were taken from the designers' site.

the invitations were a 100% handmade - from the pink and blue band, the map, even the diecut and embossed tag with our names. i also went crazy with the albemarle swash font for my invites and all the diy's during the wedding.

i did the layout for our invitation, the printing was done by a friend, corner rounding and embossing was done by hand as well. hubby glued the pink and blue heart-shaped gems on the map to indicate the venue. hearts mark the spot!

the arrhae which contains coins to symbolize wealth. this was bought from a local wedding store. i originally wanted to use a wooden basket with coins from all the countries we've visited but i wasn't able to have the coins cleaned to be shiny. and the holes from the basket in the local daiso were too big.

the cord was supplied by my designer. i love the white backdrop.

the candles were also purchased from a local wedding shop. i wanted to alter the embellishments and decorate the candles in our color but i figured it was better this way.

instead, i focused my creative efforts on the unity candle which was also purchased from the same local wedding shop. it was originally plain and bare, just white but i embellished it myself to be in line with our theme - pink and blue with flowers and birds.

our wedding rings. hubby's ring is not the original one from the pair, he lost it one day while cleaning the bathroom. the jeweller we bought it from didn't have any other one on hand. hubby found the exact same ring in his size two days before the wedding.

pillows in pink and blue provided by my designer as well. the blue and pink silk flowers are the same ones used in the entourage's dresses.

rag dolls dressed in pink and blue dresses to adorn the flower girls' baskets. my cousin was playing with her doll during the ceremony.

martha stewart butterfly punch outs used as confetti together with fresh blooms when we had the recessional after the ceremony.

pink and blue jellybeans for our favors. everything was done manually - from the packaging, tying of ribbons, even the tags were handmade!

pink ribbons for blueberry jellybeans. blue ribbons for bubblegum jellybeans

chocolate and vanilla cupcake favors in our colors - pink and blue. the tags were handmade as well, similar to the tags on our invites.

pink and blue icing flowers on our cupcakes.

birdboxes that contained sheets of papers and envelopes where guests can write their messages. birds were purchased from bangkok, all other supplies sourced locally. each one is unique and no two are alike.

placecards with stamped birdcage in the background.

colored pencils to go with the birdboxes doubling as guest books. tags were handmade and similar to tags used in jellybean favors.

wooden monograms on kraft boxes. these are similar to the birdboxes guestbook except for the wooden letters. letters bought from japan.

couples' table, blue glasses matched out motif. centerpiece was reused from the flowers in the altar during the ceremony.

couples table with our monogram bird boxes.

a close-up of the birdcage centerpiece. each birdcage was created by me and each one is unique.

birdcage centerpiece with birdbox guestbook and colored pencils. cage bought from japan, birds from thailand and all other materials sourced locally. flower arrangement was specifically created by florist with centerpiece in mind. even while i was being gussied up by the makeup artist, i was anxiously asking our photographer about the birdcage. as soon as i was beside hubby during the ceremony, the first thing i asked about were the birdcages.

a closeup of the birdcage. most of the guests took home the birdcages - must mean they love it right?

my shoes are custom made in the same shade as the entourage's dresses. this was inspired by aqua manolo blahniks. the bejewelled center was originally a brooch which i got at half off.

my shoes against the stained glass doors of the bed and breakfast we stayed in.

my shoes.

my shoes amidst a sea of jellybeans.

the blahniks that inspired my shoes.

my bouquet. i specifically requested for peonies, the same flower i used as background in my invitation. i fell in love with peonies during the process of making my invitations. i was afraid i couldn't have them because my florist warned me they were hard to come by especially since they were seasonal.

aside from the peonies, i also asked for pink carnations and a mix of blue roses and white liliums.

another lovely sight near our cottage - a victorian inspired statue.

i loved the homey feel of the cottage we stayed in.

my gown. the first time i saw the gown from a simone carvalli ad from martha stewart weddings, i knew this was the gown for me. never mind that more than one designer told me this did not suit my frame. lucky for me, i found a designer that made it work for me.

my gown in the stone path leading up to our cottage. hubby had to close his eyes when he was passing by.

my gown with our cottage as a backdrop. the weather was perfect that day - bright and shiny but cool and breezy. perfect tagaytay weather. the next day, it was overcast with a slight drizzle.

another shot of the gown i found from the designer's site.

the simone carvalli gown i saw in martha stewart. i never had any doubts, the first time i saw it i knew this is my gown
the bejewelled shrug that was a nice addition to the original simone carvalli design. i was supposed to take it off during the reception for a different look from the ceremony. but my makeup artist suggested i use it as a ruffle over my chest. i finally took off the shrug after the program so i can move around as much as i wanted. so instead of two looks, i ended up with three!
the inspiration for the versatile shrug that was the addition to the original simone carvalli design.

more pictures to come with more people. i am just really giddy with all the details so i wanted to share them first. hope you liked what you see!