Wedding - RJ and Peen

I only have good things to say about Peen and RJ's wedding. All their wedding suppliers delivered esp their photo/video (Jorge Portrait Studio) and emcee (I didnt get the name). The food was good and the venue couldn't be better (Plaza Ibarra). The sequencing of church and the reception programs were perfect. Ang ganda ng wedding! It was entertaining, fun, personal, very emotional. Hindi serious and formal. There was pure happiness and love as 100+ of their family and closest friends were there to share the event.

I can say that Peen's family have become close to Kabuki. Madami na din napagdaan throughout the years. Her sister Lorelei wasn't able to attend (she's in the US), but Kabuki was complete, together with our partners, so although 1 was absent, 11 naman took her place.

Dami ako teary-eyed moments like when I first saw her in her wedding gown in the hotel (this is it na talaga) then, her bridal march in the church (i remembered mine) and lastly and pinaka solid teary-eyed moment was during her Dad's speech when he said that Peen is his bestfriend and that tonight was his bestfriend's wedding (hehe), then he segued into the My Bestfriend's Wedding theme song - The Way You Look Tonight. awww super nkka-iyak! Chelle, Gyp and I are super cry babies. The three of us were wiping our tears in my pashmina! It was a surprise song number from her dad. Super cool tlaga ni Tito Rey :)

I am so happy for Peen, she looked really beautiful last night. And despite all the drama before the wedding, everything turned out well last night. I didn't know RJ was iyakin! hehehe Super touching tlaga halatang he is super happy. Haaay, super saya talaga last night. I am very happy for the two of them.

It was definitely a fun night! Walang tatalo sa thank you speech ni Peen - "and thank you to Kabuki... very loyal." Loyal? Ano kame, fans club?! Hahaha! I'm now leaving you with a quote from Ires - "We are all looking forward to the next adorable addition to our growing Kabuki family. Here's to a happy home filled with love and many babies!!! Twins?" hehehe

More pictures here.

My speech in Peen's wedding

Hi everyone! My name is Jovie. Peen and I have been friends for almost 13 years now. When she first asked me to be her Candle Sponsor I felt delighted, but as the big day approached I was informed that I would be doing a speech. Being the shy and retiring type I was trying to think of ways of getting out of it, but have any of you tried saying no to Peen. Then I thought what could I talk about? I searched the internet and came up with some sayings that I would like to share with you -

Others would say that when a man holds a woman's hand before marriage, its love, after marriage it is self-defense.. and, they say that before marriage a man will lay awake thinking about something you said, after marriage he'll fall asleep before you have finished saying it. Now, I'm sure that there are some of you out there that can relate to that.

RJ - Always put her first. Before work, friends, even basketball. Act as if she's the best thing that ever happened to you, because we all know she is. Always listen to her heart; if you're wrong, say you're sorry; if you're right, shut up. The best friend torch has not been passed, but extended to you. You better not drop it or you'll have to answer to Kabuki. Thank you for loving her even though she has her shortcomings. You know she loves you unconditionally and will be loyal until the end (and even after that). You have taken such good care of her so far, and anyone can see how much you love her. We can all say that you are the best thing that ever happened to her.

And Peen - What can I say? I am so grateful that you have found love and happiness in RJ. You are like a sister to me and I love you very much. You've always been there for me and I hope our friendship only flourishes in the years to come. I hope our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will be best friends so they can experience a lifelong friendship like ours.

My greatest wish for the two of you is that through the years your love for each other will deepen and grow. The truth is, married life is no bed of roses. When times are difficult, I want you to look back to this day, your wedding day, and remember what brought the two of you here, and this will help you go through all those difficult times. Put God in the center of your marriage, and you guys will do just fine.

To love, laughter, and happily ever after... Congratulations RJ and Peen! I love you both very much!

Wedding - Edwin & Maggie

Our friends, Edwin and Maggie tied the knot today, after 6 years of being together :) It was held at Paco Church and reception followed at San Agustin Grounds. It was an all-adult affair, and required strictly formal attire. That was our dilemma actually because it is so hot nowadays, and if the weather is really bad it would rain pa in the afternoon. I was torn on wearing a dress or slacks. I opted for a blouse and skirt terno. I was actually concerned about the guys. They needed to be in suit or long-sleeves polo. Ahahay.

We picked up Mark & Dianne and Paul Andrew along the way. We met Mike & Botch at Metrowalk (sporting a new blue Everest) and proceeded to SM Centerpoint, where Tito Boy was waiting. The mass is scheduled at 4pm and we were still in Sta Mesa (patay). When we arrived at the church, the bridal march has started. Here's the real couple:

















I love weddings! :) It's nice to see people dress up and prettify for a day to celebrate love, friendship and romance. I love to see little girls in gowns, and boys in their little suits. I love the flowers, strings and confetti... :)

















Meet the People possè

















We had police escorts from church to reception. We passed one-way streets and beat red lights. One of our friends, Lester (who works at Coke), brought his Coke pick up truck. I was laughing the entire time because he positioned himself right after the bridal car. Hahaha!! Imagine - two police motorcycles, the bridal car, a coke pick up truck, a Ford Lynx and two Ford Everests.. Presidential convoy na sana ehhh.. Hahaha!

It was my first time in San Agustin. I have to say it's a nice place. Tabi tabi sila ng Barbara's, Illustrado, Patio Victoria, etc. I am really fascinated with Old Manila - cobblestone streets and spanish-inspired houses. The reception was an open, garden venue, thank God it did not rain. We had dinner shortly. The food was masarap and warm, catered by Makati Skyline. The bride and groom's parents spoke afterwards. I agree with what they said - Put God in the center of your relationship. Pag-aralan nyo ang tamang pananalita, pero mas importante na pag aralan nyo kung pano makinig.

To Edwin and Maggie, we wish you all the best! :) may God continue to bless the two of you with good health, success and happiness. :) Congrats on the little one who's on the way ;)

More pictures here:
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2613856670080638636OAttQg

Wedding - Jeo & Mau

Today, we witnessed the wedding of my brother, Jeo and his fiance, Mau.

It was officiated by Mayor Domingo at Malolos, Bulacan. The ceremony was in pure Tagalog, but here's the gist (in Taglish hehe)

When you get married, you open a new chapter of your life. Marriage is done with consent from both parties, hindi sapilitan. Gawin mong mabuti ang marriage nyo, sa bayan at sa mata ng Diyos. Pag ang asawa mo ay kinamumuhian ng lahat, anjan ka para i-pagtanggol sha. Nanjan ka for support. Sa mag asawa, kung kinakailangang mag tiis, araw araw, habang buhay, gagawin mo.

Very strong words, but its all true. And, I can relate hehe. Nothing can prepare you for married life. There are new challenges everyday. You and your partner must really be committed to make the marriage work. Other important ingredients are trust, respect and open communication. Prayers help a lot, too!

After the Mayor's message, they exchanged rings. And that's it! They are now husband & wife! :)

















Reception immediately followed at The Legend Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant. The food was good! :)

Of course if its a wedding, there must be a cake. So my mom and I went to Goldilocks, which was conveniently located beside the resto. We got the biggest choco-mocha cake and two toppers - one Minnie and one Mickey. We used our artistic skills to decorate the cake with the candy flowers and placed the toppers in the middle. :)

Congratulations Jeo and Best Wishes Mau! May you stay happy together, forever! :)

Wedding - Jayson and Polly

Kabuki was reunited today at Sanctuario de San Jose for the wedding of our Kabuki sister Polly and her long time beau, Jayson. It happened to be her 29th birthday, too! :)

I was assigned to the Responsorial Psalm, which I willingly agreed to do. But, I had a few problems at the church. In respect to the newlyweds, I will forget about the argument I had with their coordinators. I will not tell that my other friends also had an altercation with the same group. Nope, I will not tell the controversial story. Hahaha!

Here's Kabuki at the altar, with the newlyweds:

Reception followed at Oasis. Food was good.. I especially loved the dessert buffet! :)

Here's wishing Jayson and Polly more wonderful, loving years together. May God continue to shower you with His graces. I love you both, mwah! :)

8 Wedding Tipid Tips and Reminders

1. Start your wedding preparations early. You can canvass for great deals, and remember most suppliers increase their rates every year. Keep your contracts.

2. Make a budget list and stick to it. Include incidental costs like transpo and food, and tips to suppliers come wedding day.

3. Choose the months of December or January, since most venues are already decorated for the holidays. Avoid February because cost of flowers is high.

4. Keep your entourage list short. A long list of entourage means more gowns, more flowers, more HMUA.

5. Enlist the help of friends and relatives, instead of a wedding coordinator.

6. Prepare two matchboxes for the candle ceremony. It will look nice in the photos if your sponsors are coordinated when lighting the candle, instead of borrowing from each other.

7. Get a good professional emcee for the reception, who will take-charge of your program and make sure that you are right on schedule.

8. Bring ziploc bags for left-overs after the reception.

Our Wedding - Supplier Ratings

I am happy to share with you our supplier ratings :) ... [warning: long post]

It has been two weeks since our wedding. We prayed for beautiful weather and God gave it to us. :) All the important people in our lives were there to share our special day. Although we had some trouble/hassle during the wedding preps, everything went well on our wedding day. :)

Church: Christ The King, Greenmeadows (Ms Lily - 6330280)
Rating: 10+

Christ The King was our first choice because of its beautiful altar, and it is close to both our homes. The secretary, Ms Lily, is mabaet and very accomodating. We also learned a lot from our pre-cana seminar. Our ceremony was officiated by Father Thomas. We met him only on the day of our wedding. We started on time, at 3:30PM. I had a closed-door entrance, with my tita dropping white rose petals from the balcony. JJS was singing "The Prayer"... it was super emotional.

I have attended several weddings and ours was really unique. The homily was something different. The priest asked us how we knew that he/she was "the one". We took turns in saying our answers. Very meaningful ung homily nya and most people said na our wedding is unforgettable because of it. Very solemn ung ceremony, and it was special because of the presence of our closest friends and family members. That's what we really wanted.

Reception Venue: The Mango Farm (Mike Santos - 09185377898; 6456993)
Rating: 10+

We had dinner here last Valentine's Day, and we fell in love with the place [and their services]. Mike is super baet, approachable, creative, understanding, caring. He was very supportive of our ideas and did not limit us on the layout we wanted to use. We also had our pre-nup here.

He was very thoughtful when he called Keith on the morning of our wedding and told him that it was drizzling in Antipolo. [He didn't call me coz he knew it will just upset me *:P] He asked him if we wanted to set-up the tents. We observed the weather, and asked the tents to be on stand-by.

Many of our guests found the place enchanting. It has manicured lawns, bricked patios and big mango trees. It has a bridal salon where you can have your retouch. We maximized the place and used the patio w/ the stand-by tents as lobby/smoking area. It's really a perfect garden wedding venue.

Caterer & Bridal Car: Robert Camba Catering Services (Ms. Connie - 09179455107; 4124115)
Rating: 10++

They have exceeded our expectations. Our guests said the food was masarap and nabusog sila [I didn't eat coz my gown was corset-type (masikip), and I was excited *:P] I was also happy that the set-up we requested, including the color-combination of linens, was strictly followed. We also got several freebies from them that surprised me/us :) One of which is Mallory, our emcee. She is really a blessing to us. I met her only a day before the wedding and she did a great job! The program she did was smooth, fun and with taste. Many of our guests admired her, and up to this day I am so thankful to her. The waiters were very maasikaso and they were always "up on their toes". They also gave us signature frame, swan ice carving and butterfly release. :) Our guests thought we hired a coordinator [but we didn't] because according to them, everything was very organized.

Photo/Video: Studio Digital Arts Photography (Mr. Rey Veloira - 09173955047; 7527530-31)
Rating: 10+

We got them when we attended the NBC Bridal Fair. We were working on a budget and they provided very affordable rates, with lots of freebies. :) We are very happy with their services, so far. Rey is down-to-earth, machika, lets you feel at ease. He knows your best angle. Like us, he can be fun. We went to jollibee drive-thru after the wedding ceremony and he took some shots. The jollibee crew were giggling and saying congratulations to us hehehe it was a memorable experience *:P

Our guests loved the photo-AVP that they made. Super cute and very entertaining. We had live-feed and they also showed our pictures at the hotel during the morning preps. They also set up a studio at the bridal salon for those who wished to have their pictures taken. One of my titos wanted to take home our tarpaulin hehehe. SDA is very professional and all our requests have been granted with much satisfaction. :)

Florist & Cake: Freshcut Flowers (Mr. Rey Darroca - 09287710450; 7711088-91)
Rating: 10++

I got Rey from W@W. He made our wedding cake and flowers. I told him my budget was like this lang, and he said "Ok sure no problem :)" I felt he understood my needs as a bride. I gave him the specs and he was able to deliver what I expected and more. On the day of our wedding, I called him and requested a dozen of white roses be sent to Keith's hotel room [my turn to give him flowers. It made his day :)] Our wedding cake was moist chocolate, masarap and perfect with wine toasting.

String Quartet & Sound System: JJS Entertainment (Mr. John Santos - 09185074709; 7766094)
Rating: 2

We got them because of the rave reviews in W@W and John was okay din when we met him. Pero ung actual performance nila was disappointing. We faxed them the songlist pero hindi nasunod. We wanted all-English songs, tapos dun sa ceremony they sang two Tagalog songs. I'm sure hindi naman big deal sa guests coz perfect diction and maganda boses ng singer, impressive pa rin and malinaw ung sound system nila [that's why "2"]. Our first dance song naging instrumental, when we requested it to be sung. We also requested that they record the songs in our wedding. As usual, wala. I texted John abt our frustration, hindi man lang sha nag-reply. I will not recommend JJS to anyone [sori Claudine & Raymart *:P].

HMUA: Ogie Rayel - 09713503463 (hair)/ Angie Cruz - 09163868307 (make-up)
Rating: 10

Ogie was the first to arrive at the hotel. He did my hair in just about 30 mins, ang galing :) He was ma-chika and very maasikaso mula hotel until church. Angie came in next, magaan hands nya and super-project din sha during the pictorials, kkatuwa :) pnaganda nya talaga ako as in everybody commented na I was a "blushing bride". Angie also put light make-up on Keith [grooming of the groom]. They stayed until the end of the wedding ceremony which was a good thing coz hindi naayos ni Keith ung veil ko after the "first kiss as husband and wife", and Ogie was there to fix it.

Hotel: Richmonde Hotel (6387777)
Rating: 10

We used the hotel's staircase for our pictorials. Kahit maingay kameng lahat [laughing and all], hindi kame pinagalitan ng staff hehehe :) Their rooms and baths were clean. Their breakfast buffet was masarap, with many choices. They have very professional and courteous staff. We had no hassle dealing with Richmonde.

Bridal and Ento Gowns: Jun Marcelino (6428152)
Rating: 2

This supplier has been our biggest challenge in our wedding preps. They have been in the business for so long and they are quite established in their area, actually. I have seen their work because they do gowns for Keith's family. First problem, the yellow that we wanted was not the one they used. But eventually, it turned out better in the pictures. My concern was, they should have informed us first before they bought the tela. Second problem, they said the gowns were done na, so we all went for gown-fitting. Yun pala, nakalimutan gawin ung isang gown or nawala ung measurement kaya hindi nagawa ung gown. Hassle talaga coz we have to travel pa all the way to his shop in Taguig. It happened twice. Third, Jun promised a lot of things to me na he'll make like this, like that for me, pero come wedding day, wala naman. Fourth, he told me na he will come to my wedding and help me put on my gown. Hindi sha dumating. Not even a phone call. I had my bridal gown ironed at the hotel and my friends helped me put on my gown. In fairness to Jun, maganda naman ung kinalabasan ng gown ko.

Barongs and Slacks: Onesimus, Megamall (Mr. Henry - 6319871)
Rating: 10

Well, I wanted Keith to wear something special too so we had his barong and slacks custom-made here. We also got the fathers' barongs here.

Bride's Shoes: Cinderella, Glorietta
Rating: 10

It was perfect for the wedding day. Exactly what I wanted: close-toe with strands of diamonds. I said "wedding day" coz after the reception, nasira na ung strands of diamonds hehehe

Groom's Shoes: Traffic, Shangri-La
Rating: 10

Nice ung fit and surprisingly affordable. I think we forgot to remove the price tag on his shoe hehehe *:P kita pa naman yon kapag nka-luhod hehe

Invitations: QP Designs, Megamall (Ms. Bibil - 6338177)
Rating: 10

Our invitations looked elegant, but they were not expensive. I was surprised that it costs cheaper than the ones in Recto and GA Printing. The staff were very efficient and they also delivered early.

Souvenirs: Papemelroti, Megamall (Ms Myra - 6341270)
Rating: 10

We got these memo boxes from Papemelroti which cost P14 each. We inserted our Thank You photocards [courtesy of SDA], and tied yellow and blue ribbons to match our motif.

Souvenirs: Ninong/Ninang [6-pc silk mats and chopsticks set]; Female Entourage [jeweled clips]; Male Entourage [tumbler]
Rating: 10

We bought the chopstick sets and tumblers in 168 Mall, Divisoria. We bought the jeweled clips in St Francis Tiangge. All gifts had personalized notes from us. :)

Wedding Rings: Golden Lady, Megamall (Ms. Dina - 6335531)
Rating: 10

We got these custom-made wedding rings - 14K yellow gold and white gold [matte finish] at 50% off.

Luminaries: Jacque Tan (W@Wie)
Rating: 10+

What can I say? Just look at the pictures :) My ninang said she had goose-bumps when we had our grand entrance. :)

Lechon: Cebu Lechon (Mrs. Genevieve Hing - 09175283874)
Rating: 10

We ordered three days before the wedding and they delivered on time. We had no hassle dealing with them and I heard [again, I wasn't able to eat *:P] the lechon was masarap and malasa inside-out.

DIY: wedding liturgy, matches, offertory candles, gift cards, vicinity maps, sand + votive candles for the luminaries

Honeymoon: Pangloa Island Nature Resort in Bohol - PALakbayan package
Rating: 10++

Super sarap ng seafood nila and ung crispy pata. Perfect sha for honeymooners kse konti tao, tahimik and you can really relax. Nice din ung tours nila. We visited the oldest church, had lunch at the floating resto in Loboc river, visited the tarsiers, the hanging bridge, the man-made rainforest, and the chocolate hills. We are thankful we had that break coz now we are back to our busy selves. :)

Special thanks to our families for helping us in the wedding preps and on the wedding day itself. To our relatives who travelled to Manila to be with us on our special day. To my Kabuki sisters, I know I can always count on you guys! To Keith's LS Bros (perfect attendance). To the W@W community - you've been a great help and a source of inspiration, and super thank you to all our friends who helped us in having the perfect wedding - you know who you are :)

The day I said "I do"

Today, I pose for the last time, as a single laydehhh! :)



More wedding pictures here: http://community.webshots.com/user/keithandjovie