Dear Dad

Hi Dad,

Just wanted to leave you a note (yeah, I know you have internet there)... Just like what I posted on my FB status this morning, I'm gonna say it again (just in case you did not check my FB).

You left us 20 years ago, on this very day. And things really went crazy. I guess I dont need to tell you why and how. Just ask them, in case you were busy roaming around with your best friend, just like how you spent weekends before.

I just wanted to say how I miss you... I miss you soo bad. By the way, you missed my wedding. Ninang was there, and she was the only one from famiglia nostra. At some point, I felt I didn't belong to any family, but I know I'm blessed that the Other Guin's famiglia loves me as their own. When I also saw the faces of my friends who had gone out of their way just to attend our wedding, I know they are also mia famiglia. I just felt bad for those who were not able to make it, but who wanted to. And I feel sorry for those who opted not to for what ever reason...

I know you were there somewhere. I know you were watching us when Mum and sis walked with me down the aisle. And I know you wished you would've been there too.

God, I miss you so!

='(

Evidence: The SDE

This is gonna be quickie post. Just got back from the hotel hide-out after the Cosa Nostra, and I must say, we had a blast! The biggest operation was a success. Though some of the operation capos messed up a bit, things still went well. A year of preparation resulted to a day of fab mafia gathering, and perhaps, the best :)

Just wanted to share with you guys our SDE by Daniel Lei and his incredible crew.  And get those hankies handy, you might need it. ;p


Miah and Kiko - The Mafia Penguins from daniel lei studio on Vimeo.

Dear Dad

Dad and I circa 1986

Happy birthday, Dad. You would have been 78 tomorrow.

I am writing to you just to let you know that in 3 days, I will be walking down the aisle, to marry the man I love so dearly. Mom and JV will be waiting for me at the aisle, where you would have held Mom's hand, and walk down with me.

Things have been very busy lately, as the day lingers just around the corner. You know that we have been independent in preparing everything. I feel that somehow you are proud of what we have done, preparing and organizing everything. Well, what can I say, I had probably got that from you. Remember when we put up those parties as home: birthdays, Christmases and New Years, and even Sunday lunches? Somehow, I feel I'm so used to planning gatherings and parties because of those we had when I was kid. There are times that I think of how you would plan this day: What would you have done, your inputs, your vision, how would you have seen the whole thing. And I feel so sorry that you were not here to do what I think would have been one of those special occasions you would plan for months.

Operation: Cinderella

wedding shoes by Badgley Mischka

With almost three weeks to go, I realised I haven't found the perfect pair to go with the gown. Well, I actually found something in the malls, but it's either they are not in the color I want, not the design (but has the color), may have the same design (but still isn't what I'm looking for), too pricey, or simply does not fit my inconveniently small feet. In other words, I guess, I wouldn't have much of a choice but to have my shoes customised. 

A few of the advantages I see in customising shoes are they can be made to your size and fit (high-arched, for example, just like mine) and to your design. Not to mention, Mum would need her shoes customised as well, since she'll be needing an extra inch for one foot.

As usual, my place of refuge when it comes to searching for potential workers would be GT. It has been quite a talk that a certain Abbylynn's Footwear shop in Cubao makes customised shoes.

Almost a month to go

It seems that time flies fast now, and there are still a lot to do. Our to-do list are getting longer now, including our backlogs from the past months. This week: done with license application, about to pick the banns from the church (after I post this, will head to the shower na), then first fitting on Sunday. SS favors are now at hand, kept in the vault, waiting to be boxed. Invites are also done, proofs printed.

Will probably resume doing DIY soon, maybe this weekend. On our list:
 - the toppers
 - invites
 - table number holders
 - fascinators

Hopefully, we can also go back to Divi to to get our covers for the boxes.

just dropping by... now, will prep for church, then gym, then to work. See yah later.

c",)

Let them bloom...

It's been a light day in the office, that it bought me some time to look for some pegs for the bouquets and other flower whatchamacallits for the entourage. I had some idea of these bouquets would look like, even before we booked the florist. It seems that there are only a few people around the globe (well, that's what our good ol' friend Google is showing me) who had made something like what I have in mind. I guess I'll just have to put them together, since I can't all these in one bouquet.

[Disclaimer: pictures may be in different colors, just got them for the arrangement :) ]

Our pegs for the Bridal Bouquet: I'm thinking of sunflower-calla lily combination (like the one at the top left), but with some feathers like the one below it. The ribbon would be black with some details. Another alternative for the arrangement so bouquet wont be too big is the vertical sunflower bouquet, where we will just need to add the calla lily.

22 weeks before the Operation

Tomorrow, it will be exactly 5 months to go before the Cosa Nostra. Time flies so fast, that preps can't keep up with its speed. So far, we have most of the associates positioned, just waiting for their turn to work. Still have a few positions vacant though, and already have a list of possible members.

This week, I have been quite busy looking for our getaway car. I really appreciate bosses from other operation lending a hand, and the offered their resources. The Doctor (Doc Chris from GT) offered to ask his minions to check their black book while La Donne Summer called her contacts about it. I also did my own research (and inquiry), sent off emails, and made some calls. Have some good numbers on my book, so we have quite a number of options.

Operation: Church | Mt Carmel Shrine, New Manila: Update

I thought of posting this onto a separate post, since this is more of a sharing of our experience when we attended a wedding in Mt Carmel. I do not intend to say anything negative about them, but let this serve, in some way, like a heads up if you are thinking of having your ceremony in this popular church.

I then learned that my friend was getting married in the same church and venue as we were about  a week after we visited Mt Carmel last year. That became our deciding factor whether to book them or go for option B. Friend's wedding is on a weekday, and it was a night wedding.  It was just  about in the right time, since I'll be playing reception OTD (glorified receptionist, I must say ☺) and one of her readers, I get to see how things are gonna be, both in the ceremony and the reception.

Rainy Friday

It has been raining for almost a week now. Today, the feel in the office is relatively lax, maybe because of the weather. I came in shorts and flipflop, which is actually the first time I ever did such a thing to work. Since I was able to submit my script conversion yesterday, and nothing on my desk this morning, I spent the whole day putting things on our wedsite.

It's now ten minutes before weekend officially starts. So far, I'm nearly done with the Operation Capos page on the wedsite. I dont have any ideas yet on what I should do next after I'm done with that page, since we haven't given out the WYBs yet to our entourage, nor haven't started with our DIYs yet. And since this is a Guin operation, maybe I'll have to keep the site with a password; the police might hear the buzz - and we don't want that.

But I would have to say that mywedding.com is a lot easier to use vs weddingannouncer.com, not to mention, mywedding has a lot of cool designs and space where you can personalise the page. Kudos to mywedding.com team! They reply fast too. I sent them an email yesterday, and got a reply from their technical expert this morning. Good job!

Four minutes now, and have to prep for home. Still raining outside, so better go early today. Enjoy the cold, wet weather every one. Grab some chips or warm soup and lots of DVDs. ☺ Stay safe.

c",)

Bridal Fairs and Events Galore: June

Here comes the wedding month of June.  For some couples, June is one of the months of the year to get married, and for some, June marks the start of prep period for December operations. Six months before the Cosa Nostra, and we still have the two crew slots vacant. Well, I must admit, May has been an awf'ly busy month for the Guins. Hopefully, we get those slots filled this month. For this month, I'm adding some out of town events, for OOT GT Belles (thanks sis patchi2012 for the request).

An Anecdote of a Mafia Matriarch

I shared this to my GT friends more than a month ago, just like anything and everything that happens through the preps. I have been meaning to share this here, but for some reason I forget it whenever I get the time to post something. Thanks to bro MrBlue from GT, I was able to go through my posts in the archive and finally found this. Copying and pasting straight from GT. Enjoy, kids!

On Wedding Registry

Napped from Today'sBride

Just yesterday, when we got home from Megamall to pay Matus this month's installment, the Other Guin asked me if we are will sign up for a bridal registry, just as we were watching an episode of Friends. I said, of course. I don't think having two gas ranges, 3 electric fans and a lot of chinas would be a good idea. Plus, we already have a few things in the kitchen, and we might not be moving out anytime soon after the Cosa Nostra. Not to mention those we need (and want) are not typically thought of as gifts (such as linens, like lots of bed sheets, pillow cases, baking pans, etc), so having a wish list would definitely help. 

Wedding Trends and Themes for 2011

Photo napped from LoveMyDress

After the Royal Wedding last April, most girls are wishing to be as stunning as the Duchess of Cambridge when she walked down Westminster Abbey's aisle, or when we she was waving to the crowd in the streets of London and everybody else around the world, with her Prince beside. Now everyone wants to have their weddings to be like the Royal Wedding. So, I thought of checking with our good friend Mr Google, and find out if this indeed followed the trends, or have probably set a new one.

Operation: Get-away Car | Update on Fly to Manila

Hello ladies (and gentlemen)...

It's been a while since I last posted something. Been everywhere recently, all weekends in May are booked with different activities. Anyway, just wanted to share this with you guys. Last weekend, I received an email from Ronnie of Fly to Manila, asking me for my bank details so that he can refund my down payment. The last email I got from him was the one I considered, rather rude email, about the additional fee, etc.

I have been researching for other suppliers since then (which I will post as soon as I get my backlogs done) and found that there are other suppliers, maybe costs not as low as what Fly to Manila offers, but give relatively better deals.

Just wanted to say: I have learned something in this ordeal. One, suppliers tend to change their packages/rates when they learn that their services will be used for a special events vs regular affairs. Two, some suppliers may feel to proud of themselves because they are preferred by clients from a certain group, and may take other clients for granted because they are not from that group. And lastly, make sure your supplier clarifies everything. When there is an issue, they need to resolve it. If they don't, or start sounding rude (like you owe them big time), let go... just imagine how they would be come your big day *wooo... scarry*

Thank you to everyone who posted their comments in my last post about our getaway vehicle. It is indeed true that there should be a sound relationship between us and our suppliers. We'd rather spend more with someone who we can trust, than keep one who may compromise our getaway - just imagine: what if the cops learn about the Cosa Nostra - not good!

c",)

Usapang Bride: GT Grand EB at BK Part 2

I'm glad that the ladies of GT enjoyed the first installment of our post about our EB... at dahil hindi sapat ang time when I posted those, here's another round of photos for your enjoyment :)

Huli man daw at magaling, el presidente pa rin: Iba na talaga pag artista, diba sis Ruthie?

Usapang Bride: GT Grand EB at BK

Naks, Grand EB talaga! Well, this is, again, an uber delayed post, as in 2 months na yata since this happened. The 2011 brides of GT made me feel I belong, and made preps more enjoyable, since I can talk and share with not just fellow brides, but those who are tieing the knot the same year as we are. 

I must say that GT could be addicting, especially with the light load we have during day time. It's also in GT that I find, discover, and learn new things. But what I really like about GT - the ladies (and gents) who might have been immune to CTS, and just wont stop (don't get me wrong ladies... umamin na kayo!)

Operation: Get-Away Car | Rant over Car Supplier

This, probably, is our first stressing-inducing issue with a supplier. Honestly, I dont want to make a big fuzz about it, but I just want to weigh things whether we should go forward or back out and dismiss them as part of our crew.

For our get-away car, we were looking at Chrysler 300c, but after searching the web for a provider, we came up with another option: a Fortuner.

Bridal Fair Chronicles: Weddings and Debut Fair 2011 Day 3

We weren't able to visit all the stalls on Saturday, so we went back to the Weddings and Debut Fair in Megamall the next day. It was the last day of the fair, and we have a few more suppliers to look for. Kiko has decided to consider Ms Ven Ocampo to do our gowns. So now, on with our HMUA (Hair and Make Up Artist - for those new to the lingo) and wedding rings hunt. But first, we went to the secretariat's booth to get our raffle ticket from the on-site booking we made the day before.

Venue and Caterer Hunt Guidelines from GT

Photo © iStockPhoto

Last night, I posted our EB with GT girls. As you all know, I have been quite active in the group for a while now, which I am really enjoying. Just wanted to share this with the rest of the world, as I find this very informative. I got this from a reply from one of our sisses (thanks sis mystiqshannen for sharing this to the group), when everyone else was looking for a venue. I just made a few edits for the benefit of our friends outside the Philippines.

Usapang Bride: EB with GT Brides

As usual, it has been another busy weekend for us. At dahil hindi masyadong busy sa office, namantala lang para makapagsulat ng mga keme para sa blog at para sa kung saan saan lang. At dahil jan, mega-research na rin ako ng kung anu-ano pang kaylangan namin. Pero, what made this weekend fun, aside from the gimik we had last Friday, was the EB our GT sisses were sooo looking forward too last week pa.