Supplier's Review: Bridal Car, Hotel Preps, Groom's Car and Crew Meal

BRIDAL CAR: G Luxury Cars

Peso Power: Php 2895 + additional Php 750 for fuel if the location is QC because the car is coming from Makati, for 4 hours with driver, new Mercedes Benz C180

Highly Recommended

the bridal car

I want a vintage car for my bridal car, but the rental fees for 2 or 3 hours only is way beyond my budget. The G.I. in me decided not to splurge on this whose main purpose is for photography/videography purposes (in my humble opinion okay, since you will be inside the car for few minutes or hours only depending where you’re coming from and going to) and besides I hired the best photographers and videographers so they can do without the vintage car.

Bridal car is isn’t in my priority list. I have an option of borrowing a car from a relative or maybe from a friend if I won’t be able to find a car with a reasonable rental fee. Good thing, I saw this voucher ad in Groupon and then after awhile, I saw it trending in the waw yg emails already. That’s when I decided to call and inquire about it. After discussing with Sir G, I texted my coordinator Charisse, and asked her opinion. It’s a good price already so I booked it.

Sir G is nice. He even called me in my mobile phone just to double check the date and to inform me that I need to confirmed with him by evening as there is another one who inquired about the car for the same date and timing. It was easy transacting with him.

On the wedding day, the car arrived on time. The driver is okay, not really talkative, but he is okay, he is by the way a relative of Sir G.

HOTEL PREPS: Discovery Suites

Peso Power: Booked it through my sister who was the Corporate Sales Director then, so we book it using the employee’s rate, 1 3BR suite for 2 nights and 1 2BR Suite for one night

Highly Recommended

Since my sister was employee there, we were kind of “loyal” to Discovery Suites. They have a good service, and with my sister around, it feels like you get faster service too. 

the birdies

We just booked their regular rooms instead of their newly renovated rooms – The Serendipity Suites – because employee’s rate was not applicable for that. And, I’m always in the look-out for affordable, lower rates. I booked 1 2BR suite for my fiancé’s family and 1 3BR suite for two nights for my family and after the wedding for me and in-laws. 

We had the preparation in the living area, the only place with natural light.

Their 3BR suite is spacious, we didn’t feel crowded during the preps time. It’s good also that my eldest sister and her family booked a room also for them. At least papa was able to spend time there while we are all busy prepping up. Something that papa hates.

There’s no problem in bringing in outside food, drinks and even beers. We had our lunch meals care of Amber’s. They delivered the packed-lunch to our suite. The month of May is considered peak season thus they were strict with the check out time. The groom’s family transferred their belongings to my suite around 12 noon which is the check out time with the help of the hotel staff. And my fiancé and his family just spend more time in The Lounge for more photo and video sessions. You can actually use the other hotel facilities for photo & video sessions.

Most of the supplier’s find it a hassle that you require a key card in using the elevator if you have to go up, but this is just for hotel’s security purposes. Somehow we were able to request additional keycards and provided it to the other suppliers. The hotel management was able to provide us rooms that are all in one floor. I especially requested for this one to lessen the hassle for the suppliers in moving back and forth to different floors. 

GROOM’s CAR: John Lord Transport

Contact Person: Mike +6329328439681

Peso Power:  Php 2000 for 10 hours + fuel 500 + driver’s meal

Highly Recommended

Found it thru W@W. I think it was Arlene who mentioned about them. I booked them after canvassing with other car rentals. I actually booked them for 1) airport pick up, 2) during our pre-nup pictorial in Sunvalley Estates at Inarawan, Antipolo after our short trip to the Antipolo Church, 3) on the wedding day, and 4) when we had to dropped my sister and her family to the airport. I requested for the same driver – Kuya Dhong, since I don’t want to transact and chill with a new driver every other day, so I asked Kuya Mike to give the same driver for the rest of our schedule, but on the 4th time, I was surprised that Kuya Mike was the one who came with the van.

with Kuya Mike

my computation

Kuya Mike is a nice person. It was easy transacting with him, and as well as the driver, Kuya Dhong, he was a good driver and is familiar with the roads.

CREW MEAL / LUNCH MEAL: Amber

Highly Recommended

Most of the time, this is one of the most neglected item in the checklist. It seems like a minor detail only, but once you had your total headcount of how many people will be present during your preparation in the hotel and multiply it with the cost of the packed-meal, you will be surprise that it is NOT a small amount at all.

Deciding what meal to serve during the preps is tough. You don’t want to be stingy and at the same time you don’t want to splurge, but definitely you want everyone happy and not hungry and at the same time not too full that it will be tough for some to work with a heavy stomach also, but you want them to last long since you will never know when they will get the chance to eat their next meal for the whole day event.

We ordered the Rice Combination Package 4. The prices are not updated

Czar, a Wawie, recommended Amber packed Meals since she also served the same thing during her preps also. I asked of course the opinion of my photographer friend regarding food also. I know most of the suppliers are tired of fast food meals so I have to serve them something other than the usual.

It was easy to order from them. I selected Rice Combi Package 4 which consist of 1 rice, 2 chicken, buttered veggies and pichi-pichi, asked my coordinator to order it for me since I was stressed out the day before our wedding day and instructed my groom to deposit the downpayment to their bank account, emailed them a copy of the deposit slip, and just paid the balance and the delivery fee when they delivered the packed lunches on the day of the wedding. The meal doesn’t include drinks, so I also asked my groom to buy 40 bottles of 500ml mineral water from the supermarket. My family including my in-laws enjoyed their lunch, and our suppliers were happy with their lunch too - (I hope they did).

As for the dinner time, my caterer gave me 15 free crew-meals so I just ordered additional crew-meal from them too. More info and tips on crew meal, you might want to check this at Joed Shares

Supplier's Review: Reception Venue & Caterer : Oasis - Orchard & RichGold

VENUE: Oasis – Orchard

Peso Power: Php 135,500 for 100pax

AE: Ms. Maan Iglesias

Inclusions: 4 hours use of the venue, cake, photo booth, in-house lights & sounds, LCD & projector, caterer, doves, free use of the oasis compound for pre-nup pictorial, valet parking, bubble machine

I choose this place mainly because of logistics consideration. Some of my guests will be commuting so I want to lessen their hassle by making the church and reception venue near to each other. Also, to avoid the traffic this is already common in Manila.

With our AE, Ms. Maan Iglesias. Photo by Bryan Yap.

I booked the church and the venue at the same time – constantly emailing Ms. Maan while calling up Ms. Carla in order to check the available dates and time. I was half-hearted with the Pavilion then because it’s too pricey for a 100pax event. Luckily, Oasis was building a new wing that time. Yes, I booked Oasis-Orchard base on its 3D images only and my trust to Oasis. And when I went home for my vacation, and saw it in actual, I know I made a right choice in booking the place.

PROS:

•         With their package, my work of scouting other suppliers was cut into half. Something that is helpful for an overseas bride like me who doesn’t have the liberty to meet the suppliers personally.
• With white drapes and hanging crystals, you really don't have to decorate the venue.
•         The AE assigned to me is pro-active, she replies to my queries and emails promptly. And in times that she was on-leave, someone else will reply in behalf of her, making sure that I’m not leave hanging. She was there also on our wedding day, and even came to meet me after our reception.
•        The ballroom is beautiful. AC is cool. Unless you have a “specific theme”, you really don’t have to decorate it anymore because there are lights and white drapes on the ceiling with hanging strings of crystals already.

CONS:

•        The area for the photo booth is in the hallway which is inconvenient because it’s so warm in that area especially if you come out from an AC room. Only few guests notice the photo booth because it was outside.
•        The hallway in-front of the ballroom is narrow. It’s not enough space for a cocktail hour. If I were the architect, I could have provided more space there, instead of the high-ceiling that only the 2^nd floor ballroom can appreciate.

CAKE: Hearts & Bells

From the list of choices, Hearts and Bells is the most recommended by Wawies. So I selected them. I emailed the design peg for the cake design and color to Ms. Maan and she forwarded it to the supplier. I just received a phone call from the supplier a few days before the wedding to confirm the designs and color. It’s a customary in Bangladesh to serve the cake to the guests, and it is considered rude if you will not serve it. For this reason that’s why we decided to have a 40 pieces of assorted flavors cupcake tower and a 6” vanilla flavored satellite cake over the 3-tiered fondant cake where only 1 tier is the real cake, and the rest are Styrofoam. And it’s more practical paying for something that you can actually share and eat than a fake cake, that’s mainly for decoration and pictorial purposes. I wasn’t able to taste all the flavors, but the one that I ate was yummy, I think it’s the carrot walnut cupcake. But from my guests’ feedback, the cupcake is indeed yummy.

PHOTOBOOTH: Pose & Print

Actual lay-out and output, and the Pose & Print guy manning the booth.

The original lay-out that I want is not in their template. I had a tough time communicating what I want to the AE that was assign to me. She was not prompt in replying to my emails that I felt I will not have enough time anymore if I will still insist with my original lay-out in mind. Because I don’t want to stress myself with this small detail, I decided to choose from their template, gave them the quote, the picture and the font design that I want. The package is only for 2 hours with unlimited shots but there were 91 shots in total only. I’m not sure if it is because it’s only for 2 hours or because the location of the photo booth is in the hallway just outside the ballroom. Some guests didn’t know there was a photo booth and maybe because it was warm outside that they don’t want to go back after a few shots in the photo booth. The Oasis provided an industrial fan outside but it’s not enough to cool the place. I noticed they have lesser props and you can’t really choose in that small box on the floor. The location is not their fault but it would have been better if they have newer or more props to choose from and if the props were spread out in a small table like one of the supplier’s during the W@W Christmas party, but again there’s a question about space. For the output, it’s clear and fast but the copy they gave me in CD contains only the actual picture with the lay-out and not with the individual shots which I noticed from other suppliers.

Lights & Sounds: In house L&S LCD & projector

Oasis' actual in-house lights. View from the entrance. Photo by Bryan Yap.

View from the right side. Photo by Bryan Yap.

I’m G.T. or Genuine Ilocana; I didn’t splurge in additional lights and sounds which is another Php 5000 and up. I’ve just use the in-house lights and sounds, and the LCD & Projector provided by Oasis. I know the Lights & Sounds can create different ambience and mood but these are small things that I can and I have to live without. Our wedding reception was still fun, romantic and wonderful even without the mood lights, and other lighting and sound effects. It’s a good thing that our quartet doesn’t require much of the sound system; the basic sound system is good enough for them. And with the ballroom’s ambient lights, I can see all the smiling faces of our guests.

CATERER: Richgold

AE: Jed Ng

I highly recommend RG. I can say that this is a W@W find.

My journey in choosing our caterer was a long way. I want to make sure that the food that we will serve on our wedding day will make us and our guests happy. I went for the known caterers – old, tried and tested, RG was not even in my shortlisted. I’ve been to three food tasting with the known caterers but still couldn’t make up my mind. There is always something missing.  Whenever I attend an event especially in Oasis, it’s always catered by Hizon’s, thus I was half-hearted and having second thoughts in selecting them. I don’t want our event to be just another “Hizon’s Event”. No offense meant there ok. Ms. Maan was telling me to try RG since they are new in the wedding industry but they have been catering to corporate events. But I was scared because I haven’t read any feedback regarding RG until Ms. Benz posted in her wall about them. That’s the only time I decided to try and check RG.

My first AE was Carlo and my first food tasting with them was not a “love at first sight”. It was not successful that I already strike them out from the list. It’s not entirely their fault since it was raining during their FT in an open area. The present state that time messed up the whole experience, and Carlo was so busy that he barely had time to discuss things with me. But maybe, RG is really destined to be our caterer. When I went to Oasis to give another payment, there was a Ft that day and one of them is RG. Ms Maan convinced me to try RG again, and even called Jed Ng, who would be my new AE since carlo left RG already, to assist me. And, good thing I gave them another chance. Better ambience, better environment, better AE and better FT experience, they won my heart that day. Had another 3 food tasting with them because I just want to make sure I’m choosing right. First Ft, it was a one-on-one discussion with Jed at their office and food tasting, I was alone. 2^nd, my sisters and bro-in-law was with me and I have selected our final menu, and 3^rd, was during a wedding exhibit, it was to discuss also the decors with their in-house designer.

Couple's divan and backdrop. Photo by Bryan Yap

VIP Table Basic set up: Spring Theme by RG. Photo by Bryan Yap

Guest's Table Set up. Photo by Bryan Yap

What I liked about RG, aside from the fact that Jed is good-looking and pro-active (did i mention that I had a penchant for suppliers who are good looking or presentable) and the food are delicious, is their basic set-up is already great, you don’t have to shell out again another pesos for an upgraded set up. Their set-up portfolio is awesome that I selected from there. I selected their “Spring Design” as it is the one nearest to what I really want. And it’s a good thing that at the last leg of our preps, they already have a “damask-like pattern backdrop”. I just requested to put violet or lilac fabric behind it since the walls in the Orchard is already white.             

Photo by my brother-in-law.

The food were delicious, obviously it’s all edible. It’s not an “orgasmic food experience” but it’s something that you can be proud of to serve to your guests. I enjoyed the food, and besides I can’t really please everybody, and we have different taste buds too. What is good to me maybe good or not good to others and vice-versa. Like what the saying goes “different strokes to different folks”. Our menu were Nachos with cheesy dip and cheesy crackers for appetizers, Pumpkin soup, green salads with balsamic vinaigrette and/or thousand island dressing, Pasta fettuccine and penne with creamy pesto sauce and/or pomodoro, Medium spiced korean beef stew, pan seared dory fish with white wine mushroom sauce, chicken cacciatore, pork scallopine with tartare sauce, open faced lumpia with deep fried wrapper, steamed rice, bread pudding with nuts and chocolate sauce , and creme brulee, and we had unlimited lemon iced tea.

PROS:

• Jed is very accommodating, he replies to my emails promptly and reminds me also whenever I forget something.
• He gave me us a chocolate fountain for free and a jar of welcome drinks
• Honey loves their blue lemonade
• I loved their Korean beef stew, I heard my guests enjoyed the food too and the open-lumpia was a hit too.
• There were lots of foods. There were lots of left-overs even if I have a total of 85 guests + kids out of the 100pax, and some of them had 2^nd servings too
• The waiters assigned to us at the VIP table were attentive, too much pro-active that it ended up to be a “CON” because they took my platter of desserts when I haven’t eaten them yet nor touch it just because I left the table to greet some guests.
• The waiters served the desserts from Purple Dish’s Dessert Buffet bar to all the guests.

CONS:

• I’m not sure about it but my cousin-in-law who was seated with us at the VIP table said that “not all the food was served to them.
• The waiters are too eager to clean up the table. I just went to see some of my ex-colleagues but when we went back to our table, the desserts platter that they serve us was not there anymore. I just ate a slice of the matcha cheesecake and honey took a bite of the éclair only, while the rest of the desserts on that plate are still un-touch but the waiter took it away already.
• They didn’t pack the left-over foods equally. My instruction to our OTD coordinator was to divide all the left-overs equally into 3 so that we can distribute it to three families. When I asked the waiters if it is divided equally, they told us yes, only to find out later that my family went home with all the pastas and some fish, chicken and beef, while my grandfather went home with all the meats.

Supplier's Review: Church

CHURCH: National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish

Dona Juana Rodriguez (Broadway Ave.) , New Manila, Quzeon City

(02)724-5938 , (02) 752-1508 , fax (02) 724-1489

Peso Power:  Php 15000 + 1000 for the use of electricity if you hire different choir/musicians

Inclusion: commentator, red carpet, altar boys, church flowers

Exterior view of the church. Photo by our wedding photographer  Bryan Yap

After deciding which month to get married, I started hunting for the church and venue. I short-listed the churches base on the location and price. Then I asked my sister to call them one by one to inquire. Among the choices, Mt. Carmel’s staff was the nicest, so my sister told me to book them. I wanted to book a church with AC facilities, but my very practical fiancé decided against it when he saw the huge difference in the price. Mt. Carmel’s fee is half the price of an AC church with the same inclusions in the packages. WE don’t want to splurge on that – it’s just for an hour of sacrifice under the humidity versus to an amount that is good enough to book another supplier.

Yes, wedding is a business matter already in the church especially to the known and popular churches.

The aisle's basic decor and the altar. Photo by our wedding photographer Bryan Yap

View from the entrance. Photo by our wedding photographer Bryan Yap

PROS:

with Ms. Carla of Mt. Carmel Parish Office

• Nice and very accommodating Parish staff. From the beginning of the transaction till the very end, Ms. Carla was so nice in assisting us. She is one jolly person.
• Long aisle, grand façade and altar
• Old church feeling which honey and I both like
• Located in a quiet area of the metropolis
• They allow personal vows but we opted not to
• Very prompt with their timings and schedules

CONS:

•        No AC so it’s warm inside, they provided big industrial fans. It isn’t really a problem unless you have fuzzy guest or babies and toddlers.
•        The sounds of the fans are disturbing in the videos.

The Beginning: Wedding Budget and some thoughts

This will be a series of wedding supplier's review:

Like what Ivy Cervantes wrote before “there is a perfect wedding for every budget and every style”.

Our wedding, which I hash tag “Biye051813”, is like any other weddings that work around a budget. It can be a “big budget” or a “small budget” depends on the comparison but our budget works perfectly for us. I’m proud to say that “wedding wise” we didn’t cross the allotted budget, we even have some few savings.

This was our allotted budget in percentage but we even spend lower than what is stipulated, and I was able to bid for the dessert buffet bar simply because of those savings.

1. Ceremony  3.75%
2. Reception & caterer 31%
3. Photography 8%
4. Videography 4.50%
5. Gowns/ Attire 12%
6. HMUA 5%
7. Flowers 2%
8. Entertainment / Music 5%
9. Stationery / Invitation 2%
10. Jewelry 5%
11. Hotel Preps 3.50%
12. Transportation 3%
13. Gifts / tokens 3%
14. Honeymoon 1.80%
15. Coordinator 4%
16. Host 2%
17. Miscellaneous 4.45%

The wawies (members of the online community Weddings at Work or Waw), who knew me knows half or even my whole wedding preps story – from being an overseas bride to becoming a “stay-at-home-fiancée” – from expat to “PMA” (Pahinga muna anak), and from being an idealist to realist bride. With the sudden changes in my professional career, I have to be stringent and strict with the budget. I can’t overspend and I have to save. We need to be practical because the situation calls for it. I have to prioritize things and disregard the “wants”. God knows me so well, I now understand why He changed my career path, only He and I knew that if I have still a job, I will spend too much to unnecessary things, avail all the “wants” and forget the most important thing in the wedding preps – the life after all the celebrations – the marriage.

Every girl has a dream wedding. I started planning with my dream wedding in my mind. But half-way through the planning and preparations, I started placing my fiancé in the picture & on my shoes. The mission is changed – from my dream wedding to his “once-in-a lifetime wedding,” the wedding that he never dreamt off about. And I am 100% successful in this mission. Even with the changes, I still got my dream wedding after all – it is the perfect wedding with all the dearest people to me, my family, relatives and friends – and my in-laws and my dashing husband. My in-laws were so happy with the whole wedding celebration, from the hotel preps, church ceremony, and wedding reception, up to the time we went home or to the hotel for us. My family and friends enjoyed our not-so-intimate-100- guests only event. My sister enjoyed it so much that she told me it’s the best wedding she ever attended to.  And the cherry on top of the icing was when honey told me “I never thought my own wedding to be like this – awesome and amazing. Thank you so much honey!” and I think, that’s the best thing and compliment I received that day. It compensated the things and the wants that I didn’t book.

If you ask me how I was able to stick to our budget? Aside from my better-half who is more practical than I am, I always have this in my mind “The wedding is just one day. Marriage life is more important, invest on that.”  I don't sweat the small stuff - and this varies from every bride, like,  I'm not really into real flowers, additional Lights & Sounds, upgraded set-up or into vintage cars that you will use for a an hour or so. Being in a tight budget doesn’t mean you can’t book a good, reliable, dependable supplier. You still have to find someone with quality, because even if you were able to get it cheap but the output is bad, it’s still a lost on your part. High caliber supplier doesn’t mean great output all the time, the same way that neophytes or low profile supplier is not great. All suppliers started from first step, there’s no harm if you are their first or nth client as long as you have trust in them and you like their output. And so I quote, yes we will always need someone with great experience. But what counts is not the length of service but the quality of work, mind and spirit.

And let me share again a quote from another bride (sorry can’t remember who) “I will not remember what my wedding looked like. I will remember how it felt. Because at the end of the day, even really cool stuff is just that: stuff. It’s the love you share, the people who hold you up, and those precious moments of bliss and joy that you will remember for the rest of your life. And none of that is for sale.”

Here are the list of our suppliers, you can click it for the review:
Church: National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt Carmel Parish
Venue: Oasis Orchard
Caterer: RichGold
Cake: Hearts & Bells
Photobooth: Pose & Prints
Cake Topper: Kokeshi Dolls by Khristine Borbe
Wedding Rings: Aireen Mistica
Quartet: Manila String Machine
Videographer: Aisle 1401
Photographer: Bryan Yap 
HMUA: Irene Manigo
Couturier: Jef Albea
Flowers: Headbands & Headbands by Mikee Palmera
Wedding Host: Missy Ferrer Litao
Invitations: Wink
Bridal Car: G Luxury Cars
Groom's Transport: JohnLord Transport
Lunch CrewMeal: Amber
Hotel Preps: Discovery Suites
OTD: Events Malditas
On Line Forum: Weddings at Work

Our Growing Up AVP

As we celebrate a milestone in our married life, I want to share the growing up AVP that I created and showed during our wedding reception.

I tried posting a better copy but it's taking too long and my computer at home is not that powerful to upload fast, so sorry for this crappy copy.

Happy anniversary honey! I wanna grow old with you.

Ways to Keep The Music Playing in your Married Life

While bloghopping, saw this article from Lovingly Crafted , and I want to share it here also. It's written 25 Ways but i counted 26 :-)

25 Ways to Keep the Music Playing by Lucy Torres-Gomez

1. Dream together. It is fun, and empowering. Dreaming makes for a happy, positive space in the mind, and propels you, no matter how subliminally, to move forward towards making them come true. Dream small dreams, dream big ones. Just connect and be in synch and dream together. 

2. Make your home a happy home. Let it be a space where your man can retreat to after a busy day, a place where he can just relax and be himself and not have to worry about messing up how picture perfect everything must be. Allow him to put his feet up in the coffee table, to dump stuff on the nice couch, to make a mess in the kitchen. Let it pass when he forgets to put something back in its place. Just do it yourself instead of running after him, nagging about why he forgot for the nth time.

3. Keep yourself attractive. And interesting. We’ve all seen it happen countless times. The cat’s in the bag and you slowly decide to stop putting your best foot forward. Don’t let go of the very things that made him fall for you in the first place, physically and otherwise. This is not shallow, it is essential. Also, pursue interests and passion outside that of your man’s. When you come together at the end of the day you will have much to share with each other. 

4. Smell good. Always. Why do you think we involuntarily close our eyes with a smile the moment we bury our nose in the neck of a sleeping baby? Because the joy is so sheer, but so real. And it’s so good you’ll want to do it over and over again. Think about that. No man would want to kiss a woman who smells of kitchen spices, especially when she was not even slaving in the kitchen in the first place.

5. Never take each other for granted. That applies for things both big and small, but especially small because those are the ones that pile up to potentially become an ominous mountain.

6. Be gentle, especially with criticism. Naturally at some point, because you strive to inspire each other to be better individuals, you will have to tell each other where you have gone wrong. After that, move on. 

7. Do not have a Plan B. Marriage is for keeps. Do not go into it with the mindset that if it does not work, you have many options for a way out. If you start out thinking that way, already you are programming yourself that somewhere in the future, it will fall apart. And when that happens you will not even work so hard at picking up the pieces because you will simply deploy the Plan B you’ve had all along. It is better to go at marriage with a zest and verve that spells “great expectations” because most of the time in this game called life, you really do get what you expect.

8. Argue. Discuss. Fight. By all means, do all that. But do not stop loving each other through it all. It is healthy to disagree, but do so like the loving adult couple that you are. You can rise above any discussion intact and in one piece. When these things happen, give each other space to breathe and process what has been said. You will need a little time apart, even if it is just in different corners in the room. In short, know when to shut up and recognize that moment when all that needs to be said has already been said.

9. Cuddle in bed at night. And don’t forget to smile, and kiss, and hug each other. Do that when you begin your day, and also when you end your night. And every chance you get in between. These random acts will keep the fire burning. Get used to it so that you will miss it when it’s not there. Take advantage of the joy of text messaging. It is like being given the freedom and the chance to constantly write little love notes to each other.

10. Don’t lose yourself in the other person. Stay true to who you are, have a little life outside of his. He did not choose you so that he will have a shadow, a female version of himself. Celebrate your diversities, they will make for entries in that long list of why you love each other.

11. Eat together. Cook together. There is something about food and love that work very well together.

12. Pray over your man while he is sleeping. And love him in a relaxed, happy manner. You are not Bantay, the dog. You have a life to live, things to do, a household to run. You have to trust your man, the sanctity of your marriage vows, and believe that when it comes to temptation, God’s grace begins where his self-control may end. It is useless and disrespectful to yourself when you spend all your energy monitoring his whereabouts. Trust that he knows when he has a good thing going, and believe he will not do anything stupid to jeopardize that. Love is not about being suspicious or paranoid. That is no way to love.

13. Do not make marriage a license for him to always see you at your worst. Do not be so “natural” that you will go down and have dinner with his friends with your facemask on, in your duster, with uncombed hair. Do not pick your nose or let out gas and think it is cute and/or funny, and that he will think it is cute and/or funny. These are things that only kids under eight years old can get away with.

14. Love is an everyday commitment. Yes, it is an everyday decision. You wake up each day reaffirming the fact that nothing can and will take that love away. Make that part of your daily prayer.

15. Feel free to admire others openly. But tell him that he can look only, no touch. You do not have to take offense when your man finds someone else attractive. It just means a) he has good taste (if the woman is indeed pretty) or b) it is a full moon and he will snap out of his delirium soon enough (if the object of admiration is far from, shall we say and for lack of a better word, admirable). He may be having one of those days, similar to our version of PMS. Do not make “a” or “b” a reason to fight, or even so much as argue.

16. Get used to being affectionate. Be vocal about how you feel for each other, too. They are like talismans. A hug always feels good. Words heal. Use both in the best way possible, many, many times, all the time

17. Remember that your man does not have a crystal ball. The silent treatment will bring forth nothing but, you guessed it, silence. Tell him what is on your mind, and get it over with. Then you can move forward instead of steeping in (oftentimes unfounded) negative feelings of rejection, resentment, hurt.

18. Listen to great old love songs. At the risk of sounding like a broken record I highly recommend Rod Stewart’s “Great American Songbook Volumes I-IV.” Tony Bennett, too. And OPM. I can listen to those songs forever and ever. Sadly, the new generation of love songs (the greater lot of them, anyway) suffer from a poverty of thoughts; after the brilliant first stanza and if you’re lucky, a sparkling chorus, too, everything just sort of repeats and gets soggy and sappy towards the end, like they worried more about the words rhyming than they ever did the message). Somehow, they just don’t hold up as well as the old songs do where, long after the last line has been breathlessly sung, you still think about the words, and the thoughts they leave in your mind. And in a strange and unexpected way it makes you understand and appreciate your own love story better, and more. A good song has the power of making you feel all woozy and mushy and grateful to have someone to love and who loves your right back. It is a personal experience always. Don’t ask me how or why, it is just is.

19. Make time for what you choose to have in your life. Nothing comes from nothing. If you want intimacy and close ties with your loved one, spend time with him/her. Lots of time. Talk, and laugh, and build memories together. There are no shortcuts here.

20. Fan an interest in what your man does. You can drift apart if you have nothing in common.

21. Spirituality is important. Do not underestimate that. I will not be preachy here but suffice to say that making God a part of your marriage makes it more than just a little bit great.

22. For those with children: Do not be a great mother at the expense of being a great wife. You should not expend so much energy on the children that you do not have any left for your spouse.

23. Have loving conversations. Always.

24. Be affectionate, encouraging, and warm.
25. Do not be too breathless with life. Watch your pace. Physical exhaustion from all of life’s busyness will zap the romance.

26. Do not sweat the small stuff. Period. Really. It just is not worth it. 

W@W Peer Award Nominee: Most OC

I'm a proud member of this online forum called Weddings at Work or W@W for short. Most of the time, I'm just in the sideline, joining EB if I get invited, answering queries that I can answer, sharing thoughts if I believe my thoughts are worth sharing, I gained some friends but I’m not vying for Ms. Congeniality nor qualified for a Popularity contest as most of the time, I’m just a spectator, follower, observer and a quiet member. So, I was so surprised when I’m nominated for “Most OC” award. Of course, it’s flattering because you can only get nominated if someone notices you, right? And whoever nominated me, made the right choice. I may not agree most of the time that I’m an “OC” person, but deep inside me I know, I have that “OCness” not only as a bride but as a whole person.

I’m done with our wedding, but I will be forever thankful to my fellow wawies, the weddingsatwork community and to the founders Didda Abet and Mimma Benz Rana. I used to be get star struck at Mimma, but now, she is one of my sissies :-)

While the hype is up and high, this is my “campaign speech”

6am Bangladesh time and what good news: I am nominated for "most OC award"! Thank you for nominating me, I’m flattered :-) but really I’m not OC - you can ask my honey! I just want things to be organized, to be in order, I want every detail as much as possible to be in sync, and I want things to be in their proper places. I’m not obsessed with it but it upsets me if things are disarray. I want things to be in groupings because life is easier if things are organize. I'm not an OC bride or person; I only live in "Organized Chaos" :-) please cast your votes now and please vote for "Peachy ni Alvin" for Most OC Award

And you can check my previous post that made my friend realized that I’m “too organized person” http://mpreyes.blogspot.com/2009/10/lp-80-masinop.html

Some pictures that maybe made them think I'm an OC 

On the other hand, I'm campaigning also for my friend for the "People's Choice Award". Please go to the link and "LIKE" their pictures. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151442504117181&set=a.10151442485662181.1073741825.45910402180&type=1&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151442511337181&set=pb.45910402180.-2207520000.1371729421.&type=3&theater