We got married!
The last two weeks have been very expensive and stressful as we prepare for our wedding.
I always say, even with 50 guests, wedding preparations can be crazy, but it was all worth it, tying the knot in front of your closest friends and your family. Hence, here is a blog post encompassing everything we prepared for the wedding, the costs, the planning, the afterparty, and where we are now.
But first...
The Engagement
It was really simple. From the moment we started dating, I was upfront about what I expect from the relationship. I'm in it to get married. I told my now husband that if this is not what he envisioned, then I don't know what I'm supposed to tell him...
We always knew we were going to get married. I always say, it was never a question of "if," it was "when."
With that said, we have two engagement stories.
Gatito's curtain ring
Given my unadorable clumsiness, I broke his curtain rod while I was going out to the balcony. There was a ring that fell down. The one that holds the other end of the rod.
One night, Zorro, our cat, was playing with something randomly from the kitchen. I was folding the clothes in the bedroom when zoomed in and brought the metal ring to me.
My boyfriend, who was watching "The Office" beside me said, "Will you marry me?"
I was caught off guard, and said, "Huh?"
"Gatito had the ring." He said, and I laughed so hard, said yes, and kissed him.
I took the metal ring while on my way bound to Vietnam but it got lost in my backpack :(
The actual engagement story
The actual engagement story happened the morning before I flew back to Southeast Asia.
He bought his favourite alfajor while shopping for souvenirs. I was in bed packing my things and gave me the alfajor. "Will you marry me?" He asked again. I said, "Of course," and cried at the fact that we'll be away from each other for a few months again.
Now...
The Wedding
Without my best friends, Em and Eevan, I wouldn't have been able to do anything.
I told them everything I wanted for my wedding. I wanted a simple civil wedding ceremony with a pool and karaoke where all of my friends can stay overnight. That's exactly what happened.
Here's a rundown of the vendors and products we bought.
The Clothes
I bought my dress in Makati at Karimadon. My shoes from Robinsons Lipa, I forgot the brand. My veil and stockings were from Shopee.
My fiance's barong is from Saya ni Cisa in Calamba. His shoes, pants, and undershirt were all from SM Calamba.
Nails
I got may nails done in Calamba by a very talented artist, Gee, at Althea ! She got the deign that I wanted in a color that would match my skin color! I think I've mentioned how awfully insecure I was with my color growing up, and for the longest time I felt like most colors don't work for me. I was too scared to speak up. When it was painting time, I loved the colors. They looked so natural!
Make-up
I had my make up done by the lovely Ms. Jheremy Marasigan. Up until the last minute, I was convinced I would be doing my own hair and make-up. Then, my dear friend, Nica said, "I think it'd be better if you just relax on your wedding day." I started panicking. I looked at YouTube shorts to see how many brides did their make up, and most of them are all doing civil intimate wedding like mine, but their hair are not as crazy as mine. They're also more experienced at doing make up than I am.
I heed her advice and contacted the person she found for me. It was worth it! I had the make up on from 6 PM till 6 AM the next day. I looked so pretty in my wedding photos and I could not thank her enough for it.
The Catering
We had Team Naji cater and design the venue! The food was superb. They were very communicative and very respective of my requests. If there are any other weddings who'd get them as a supplier, please let me know. I would love to eat their food again!
The Gifts
We had our souvenirs for the ninongs/ninangs from Luv engaving services in Cavite. We had cute lamps a beer mug and a bottle opener with their names engraved on them!
The Cake
We didn't like a multi-tiered cake like in traditional weddings, and we opted for 50 pieces of cupcakes instead by Claire's Sweetcakes! There were 25 cupcakes of the groom and 25 for the bride as well. They taste so good!
The Venue
We had the wedding ceremony at Casa Florida in Bagong Kalsada, Calamba. I purposely chosen a private pool resort as I love the ideas of pool parties an d karaoke. I know my friends do, too.
The icing on the cake is they have a VIP room upstairs, and an events venue upstairs! That's where we had the celebration with everyone!
The Photobooth
The team behind our photobooth is Lumineux Studio lead by Ms. Julia! Even though it was a hot summer's night, it was so fun getting our photos clicked in an onsite studio! I can't wait to have them printed and added to our wedding album!
The Costs
With everything that happened, we spent more than 150,000 PHP for everything. Some people say it's a mindful cost, but looking at everything, I felt like we spent more than we should've. Looking at posts in social media made me confident that I actually spent a justifiable amount for an fun and intimate wedding.
Below is the breakdown.
- Venue: ₱30,000.00
- Cupcakes: ₱5,000.00
- Flower: ₱3,879.00
- Catering: ₱51,000.00
- Officiant: ₱19,000.00
- Rings: ₱6,000.00
- Gifts for Ninong & Ninang: ₱3,660.00
- Photobooth: ₱16,500.00
- HMUA: ₱6,000.00
- Dress: ₱2,600.00
- Shoes (Bride): ₱1,500.00
- Barong: ₱3,500.00
- Shoes (Groom): ₱1,800.00 Total: ₱152,439.00
Total: ₱149,139.00
The Afterparty
There is not much to e said about the afterparty. It was fun, energetic, and noisy. My friends, who I know will eat up the karaoke, did what they were expected of.
There were alcohol, but not as much, luckily. Most of the guests leaned into water and cigarettes for some reasons.
Where We Are Now
I started writing this post on April 25, exactly a week after our wedding. I'm finishing this on May 6. We just got back from our intense mini-moon (would love to write about it next time). Our body hurts from the most recent canyoneering in Cebu that we did, and we literally did not do anything today but rest.
It has been an interesting couple of weeks. I've gotten used to the ring on my finger, but I haven't got used to being called a wife nor me calling him my husband. That's some training for me.
I'm happy to be married to the man who makes me feel calm. Cheers to our future together!
Wedding Photos!
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