Wedding Invitations

As I unearth my wedding fair haul, I noticed that all invitation companies (those brochures which I have) require a minimum of 100 copies per order. 100 copies. Don't we have companies offering less than that? What about those small weddings? It's like if your guests are below 100, just DIY. Hopefully there are small companies, maybe even freelance artists, who create invitations that cater to small weddings. I'm only having (*hoping*) to have less than a hundred guests so, invitation companies, you're out of my game plan. I plan to DIY our invitations but it would be great if we could also give other individuals/companies a chance to be known by practical couples.

Gown Inspiration II

A Vera Wang gown from Brides.com.

Wheatgrass Juice

Since I'm on a roll looking for ways to be fit and healthy, I found out about wheatgrass juice. Wheatgrass juice is full of chlorophyll which is very nutritious and helpful in keeping the body healthy. It is a super detox juice that neutralizes toxins in the body. Read more here.

Wheatgrass juice is available at the Salcedo Saturday Market from Mr. Arthur Tanco's stall (who hails from the province where I came from!). He sells wheatgrass juice (P60 a shot), the actual wheatgrass (P100 a tray) and wheatgrass juicer (manual and automatic). I'm excited to visit his stall and learn more about wheatgrass juice. I'll go the Market when The Cook returns so we could both enjoy and learn.

If I do go the wheatgrass juice route, I think it would be more cost-effective if I plant the wheatgrass and juice it myself. I found a supplier of wheatgrass seeds and kit from Mr. Seeds.

Anybody who tried wheatgrass juice?

Photo from chlorophyllmanila

First Look

In the Philippines, it is taboo for the couple to see each other before the wedding. It's supposed to be bad luck if the groom sees the bride before the ceremony. In the US, it is different. Couples have what they call a “First Look”. This is where the couple see each other before the wedding. The plan is the groom will wait for his bride while the bride will “sneak” from behind and surprise the groom. The groom should be/act surprised.

I was wondering if we could also do that here, not before the ceremony but after. AFTER. I was thinking of doing this before going to the reception. When we're alone at that supposed-to-be-first-look, we could read our letters to each other. Something private and meaningful before we join our guests and get lost in hugs, chit-chats, etc.

Photo from flickr

Wellness Project

As I plan for our wedding, I also want to include fitness and wellness activities for myself, and later on for The Cook (when he returns).

I plan to enroll in a yoga class. I joined a yoga class for two months in 2007 but stopped when I had to change apartment. My new place is far from the yoga studio and I was lazy to commute. Boo!

I like yoga since it really takes away stress and keeps my mind relax. There are a couple of yoga studios near my office. Yoga Studio A is a bit expensive since I need to consume the package (12 classes or so) for two months only. Yoga Studio B is cheaper than Yoga Studio A, but when I looked at their website, I feel like I'll not fit in with other students since the studio seems to be for upper class only. HeeHee.

Now, I've come full circle. I think that it doesn't matter if my previous yoga studio is far from where I live. I'm comfortable with its shala and co-students and the classes are cheap. :) What's a little sacrifice of commuting a little longer in exchange of a stress-free and peaceful mind, right? I know that I'll be obsessive worrying about all the details as we near our wedding, so I need to keep my head above water (so to speak).

Hair Inspiration

I'm thinking of not having a tight bun at our wedding. I don't want to look like most of the brides with hair pulled back with lots of hair spray (bad for Mother Nature) and tied in a knot or something. It's the typical hair style of Pinay brides and I want something different.

BUT, IF I do have a bun, I want the “bun” to be twisted in a different way.



I also like having a flower in my hair.



I also like to have curls, tendril-like hair falling at the nape. Dramatic huh?



Photo 1 from Lifestyle.MSN

Photos 2 and 3 from The Knot

Baby's breath

Baby's breath (is it the same as Aster?) is used as fillers in flower arrangements. But, it can also be used as the main flower decoration at a wedding. With P60 ($1.25) a big bunch of Baby's breath, you can have a budget-friendly but whimsical flower decors.

Photo 1 from designwithchristine.com

Photo 2 from Bridescafe.com

Gown Inspiration

Photos from Brides.com

The Little Imelda in Me

I thought of creating my own inspiration board for our wedding. Different wedsites (wedding websites) seem to have loads of inspiration boards and I was "inspired" to create one. I'll search for pictures of wedding items that I want to have in our wedding.

First stop, shoes!

I want to reuse my wedding shoes. I don't plan on spending for shoes which I could only use once, as the case with most wedding shoes. It's such a sad plight of wedding shoes that after much photo ops before the wedding and a little glimpse of that shoes during the Toss the Garter, that pair of shoes then goes into the closet after the wedding. Never to be used again. Stored in the closet to be damaged by dust and molds.

I want my shoes to be...pink! Who says wedding shoes must be white/silver/gold? If I have my pink shoes in our wedding, when I walk you could see a teenee bit of pink underneath my gown. Cute noh?

I need my shoes to be low heeled. I'm slightly taller than The Cook (shhh! Don't tell him!) so I'll stay away with high-heeled shoes. I'll just think that if I have high heels, my feet would kill me during the wedding. :0

Browsing the Internet, I found these beautiful pink, low heel shoes!

Shoe 1 from footwearstudio
Shoes 2 and 3 from instyleweddings

Candy buffet

Candy buffet, a selection of different candies laid on a table, ala salad bar.

After seeing the wedding pictures of Budget Savvy Bride, I thought it would be nice to have candies as favors. I have a sweet tooth, so it would be nice to see a table full of candies. Lots of different candies (in our wedding colors of course) in clear jars. Each guest will receive a brown paper bag/loot bag wherein they will put candies of their choice. The bag will have a print of some sorts.

As I was browsing the Internet, I saw this how-to guide in creating a candy buffet. Sweet!

Photo from ohnuts.com

This is my moment

Exactly six months from today, hopefully and God willing, the Cook and I will get married. Finally. I fervently pray that nothing unexpected will befell on the two of us and the people around us that would cause another postponement of our wedding. (*fingers crossed*)

After two months of inactivity in this blog, I finally came to terms that I should now start planning our wedding. I said that I will wait until he returns here and formally make the “pamumulong” before I plan the wedding. But he's not here for another two months and I feel there is not enough time to organize and plan for our wedding then.

I still hurt whenever I think about the cause why our wedding was postponed this year. I don't know when the hurting will stop. It's unfair and we did not deserve such a thing but life must go on.

So, without further ado, let the planning begin!