Your Bridal Shoes

I had a hard time looking for the perfect wedding shoes. I just wanted something simple and elegant. I searched in many different shops, here and abroad, but couldn't find 'IT'. So I told my wedding gown designer about my dilemma and he suggested that I should just have my shoes customized and gave me a number to call.

A few days after I flew to Iloilo for a business trip. On the way out of the hotel where I gave my talk I spotted the Iloilo Producers Association Trade Center. I was also looking for hand-made paper that time for my souvenirs so I thought I'd check the place out. In the shop I instantly fell in love with a pair of shoes made out of hand-woven fabric. It was the perfect wedding shoes! Unfortunately though they only had one pair (not my size) and it cost about PhP7,000 (they only accepted cash too)!

Good thing the shop keepers were very helpful and suggested I might want to buy some hand-woven fabric. They brought out a couple of fabrics and I ended up buying 2 colors - in beige-gold and light blue, both my color motifs. I got the blue one as well because my designer mentioned that it was already a trend to use the entourage color motif as your bridal shoes.

My wedding then was just a few weeks away, so I immediately went to Cubao to have my shoes done. In about two weeks I got my perfect wedding shoes. Here's a close-up of both pairs.

Notice the silver/gold streaks? I really like them. Simple, elegant and uniquely Filipino since they were made with hand-woven fabric from Iloilo. It was the perfect match for the Filipino fabric my designer used for my wedding gown. It didn't cost me a lot too.

I broke in the blue one for a few days, but chickened out just before I left for church and wore the beige one instead. I still wear them when I attend formal occasions (oftentimes as part of an entourage).

Your Wedding Album

One of the things we decided to prioritize in our budget was our photographer. I was bent on getting Mimi and Karl, not only because they are awesome photographers but because we know them already and are good friends with their whole team. Mimi and Karl is one of the most sought after wedding photographers in the country and, of course, quite expensive (hehehe), so we decided to just hire them for photography, minus the trimmings.

Anyway, after almost 18 months I finally had the time to make our wedding album. Here it is:

Here's how I made it:
1. Download the Picture Books application (go here).
2. Layout your wedding album using the application.
3. Save the file into a CD (or USB drive).
4. Bring it to a Picture Books stall (I went to Glorietta).
5. Pick up the book after 2 weeks.
*You can also opt to upload and pay via there website and have it delivered at your doorstep.

Making your own wedding album allows you the freedom at put in as many photos as you like. I ended up with 70 pages and also added our wedding invitation and save-the-date. On the last page I also made a list of our suppliers (minus our bridal car supplier!).

I had so much fun making our album I also made a 20-paged photo album of our first year together.

Price depends on the size, number of pages and whether it's hard bound or soft bound. I'll have to update this post later coz I couldn't find the flyer with the prices hehehe.

Notes for the Bride and Groom

Here's an idea for a wedding reception decoration/wedding stuff. Get a note from wedding guests by providing a small notepad where they  can write short messages for you, and station a jar beside it so they can drop their note in it.

I had a wedding wishing well during my wedding and I have since put all the notes in a scrapbook. Here's a wedding jar from my ninong's wedding -

And the bride and groom can also leave inspirational messages for guests. Make sure though that the jar is big enough to put your hand in.

Nuestra Senora de Gracia Church (Makati City)

When Sweetie and I were scouting for a church we came across the Nuestra Senora de Gracia Church in Makati City. We originally thought we'd hold the wedding in Makati so we considered the beautiful parish in Guadalupe. We were dismayed though on the prices of reception venues in the area, so we dropped the idea of holding the wedding in Makati City.

Last week we got the chance to attend our ninong's wedding at the Nuestra Senora de Gracia Church and I immediately took a liking to the church. The church is just actually 40 years old, but had the look and feel of stately Spanish churches. The altar was also very beautiful and I love how intimate the church was. It also had a lot of parking space.

Nuestra Senora de Gracia Parish (map)
7440 Bernardino St .
Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City
Tel: 896-8444
Fax: 895-9141

Garter and Bouquet, an Alternative Game

When I was single I'd usually disappear to the restroom just before the host would call out "all single girls to the front please", but I was usually caught sneaking out and I'd end up in front joining the "bouquet toss". I abhorred it and I know a lot of single people hate it too. It's just really embarrassing.

I've seen alternatives to the game though. Some weddings lined up single girls and had them pick a flower and the one with the shortest or longest stem would be "it". Some weddings did musical chairs. Some did pass the ball and so on. Any way it was done it was still embarrassing.

Last week I finally sat out the game! Hooray! Sweetie and I were both relieved. The game though was started off oh-so-subtly. The newlyweds were called onstage to do their first dance and eventually other couples were called in. My feet were killing me, so Sweetie and didn't join.

Eventually the couples (married or not) were asked to line up. The men were blindfolded and the women were handed a plate of cake. The men had to find their partner and eat the cake. The women were allowed to call out to their partner to reach them. The losing couple got the garter and bouquet and subjected to a lip-locking contest against the newlyweds.

It was fun! It also relieved singletons the embarrassment of being partnered with someone they didn't know. Here's photos from the game:

And guess who won the lip-lock contest?