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!

the ring that got lost

i was supposed to post this last wednesday but i was too busy so i am posting this only now. :)

or why i am blessed with the most wonderful boipren in the world.
as i am writing this, my entire condo is in a mess after i turned it upside down looking for my engagement ring.yes, i lost my ring.
part of my morning routine is putting on lotion and eversince i had the ring, it has been my pet peeve not to be able to put lotion on my left hand ring finger without getting some lotion on the ring. it's a weird oc thing. so every now and then, i would take off the ring when i put on the lotion, this was one of those mornings. after i was done, i started getting dressed for work. when i was putting on my earrings and watch, i realized that the ring wasn't where is should be. so i started moving around the things in my vanity table, rummagging through my bag and finally, down on my knees on the floor peering under the tables and my bed trying to look for it.
after almost 15 minutes of searching, i was already half in tears and in full panic mode. my unit is small and any missing object should be found in 10 minutes. it was a good thing boipren dropped by on his way to work after i told him i lost my ring. as i was trying to retrace my steps, he was assuring me that it would just be there when i get back. i was 90% sure i placed it on my vanity table but 10% was wondering if it slipped while i was going about my bathroom activities or worse, if i accidentally flushed it in the bowl.already i was thinking i was running late so i finally conceded and decided to postpone the search. seeing how disoriented i was, he offers to take me to work but i tell him to drop me off at the mrt station instead.
in the car, while rifling throug my bag, he was telling me to calm down and not to worry so much about it, it's just a ring. i know, i told him, in between my sniffles but i am crying because of its sentimental value. i am sad, i said because you gave it to me and i was careless and lost it. he tells me, it's just a ring, i can buy you a new one. it doesn't change anything between us, i will still marry you. and that made me cry even more. if i had known at that time how much the ring costs, i would've cried even more.
i made a quick stop at the post office to pick up a package that arrived but despite the new scrapbook goodies, i was still too sad, i didn't even open my package immediately like i always do. That’s how sad i was, i couldn’t even be distracted by scrapbook goodies. the 10% bathroom scenario was slowly gaining number on the probability scale. knowing that i would be too distracted at work and worrying myself about the ring, i decided to take my calls at home and asked boipren to take me back to the condo. when i got there, i started moving around everything in the condo in search for the ring - everything i can turn upside down, i flipped.at one point, i was even contemplating uprooting the bowl. after leaving my condo in a mess, i was 50% worried that i lost my ring in the bathroom and i was also 50% insane so, yes, you guessed it, i stuck my hand in the bowl (the water was clean) and tried to check if the ring was there. i even called the lobby guard to ask if there was a way to retrieve the ring i lost in the bowl. he patiently explained the concept of the septic tank, its vastness and why there is no way i can get the ring. boy did the lobby guard get his dose of crazy that day.
so finally when it seemed that i really lost the ring to the bowl, i called up boipren. i was already crying and berating myself for being so careless. i asked him if he was mad and he said there's no point to him getting mad, instead he said, he'd just get me a new one. i told him, he doesn't have to. after all i thought, even if the ring just costs around 20000-50000, i still don't think it's practical to get another one.but out of curiosity, i asked him how much the ring costs and i gasped then almost choked when he told me. that ring could've paid for half of my condo or 2/3's of our big wedding budget! sorry, i still couldn't get over how such a small thing could cost so much. and really, unless you subject it to extreme physical stress test, who can tell the difference between white gold and platinum? i even suggested putting it somewhere safe and letting me wear one of those plastic rings with an edible candy for a stone. at least i can eat that.
see, despite my scrapbook sprees, i still maintain that i am more practical and money-wise than boipren. even up to now, i am 50% convinced about having a big wedding despite what boipren and my friends tell me that this is a once-in-a-lifetime event and i should do it for me. i still think the money would be better used as downpayment for a house. anyway, i digress.
so while i was talking to him, i was setting up my laptop to start working when out of the corner of my eye, i noticed something shiny at the edge of keys. yes, it was the ring. i think when i tucked away my laptop, i didn't realize my ring was in it. i was still crying that time but in a split second, i managed to shriek with tears in my eyes.
so finally i could tell boipren about the lengths i went through to find the ring and he was laughing so hard. he told me to wash my hands with soap, then with alcohol then with lotion and do this 10 more times. even then he tells me, he probably won't hold my hand.
i told him, we don't have such an exciting or outrageous story about our engagement - it was sweet and packed with kilig but it didn't have the usual bloopers or hilarity that has been the trademark of our stories. well, today, this morning, barely halfway through the day, i managed to have a story that we can tell our kids and our friends. the ring is back safe in my finger and yes my hand is thoroughly disinfected.