Marriage Proposals

I bet every time you remember how your fiance/husband asked for your hand in marriage you still experience that warm, fuzzy kilig feeling. I could just imagine how overwhelming that moment was and that you might have cried.

A few months ago, I did a post about proposals and then I recently bumped into the Wifely Steps blog where Toni initiated a "Marriage Proposal Blog Carnival". The stories are really nakakakilig! Included in the blog carnival are recounts of how Neil Gaiman (the author) helped Jason in his marriage proposal and a scavenger hunt proposal and a whole lot more.

The Sweetie says that the recounts are quite challenging to beat. Methinks if any of those happened to me I would've probably hyperventilated and fainted. LOL. I just noticed though that in marriage proposals, it happens either: (1) just as a spur of the moment (like LadyCess' recount); (2) it just happens as a natural progression of the relationship (like my parents); or (3) the hubby-to-be plans it out and makes a grand fuss about it.

One of my friends who I accompanied in buying the engagement ring did a grand plan. It entailed all of us, his friends, dressing up in white during his GF's birthday dinner, but that didn't push through. So, we waited and waited and waited. It took a couple of weeks and all of us were wondering if he was still going to push through with the proposal. He eventually ended up giving the ring in the car after making a downpayment for the condo they were going to move into after getting married. He said he went for the "no fuss" proposal since he thought everything was in its proper place anyway.

Well, the proposal is just the first step to a pandora's box, este, to a whole lifetime commitment. My married friends keep telling me what really matters is how you make things work after saying "I do". I agree, but I wanna get more kilig, share naman your proposal story.

I'll send a gift on Valentine's day to the one who has the most kilig story. You may either leave a comment here or email me at aileen at twistedweddingplanner.com.

Come now... don't be shy. =)

Fun Wedding Photos

If you attend wedding events you'd notice that there are a LOT of wedding photographers and it would be a dizzying experience to actually choose one for your wedding. I did a post a while back on some tips on how to choose a wedding photographer.

Today, I thought of showcasing the fun side of wedding photography through Cliquebooth's unique service. Cliquebooth works like your usual ID photo machine, but with a twist (and the Twisted Wedding Planner loves twists!). It's quite hard to describe, so I'm just going to show some photos from events I had Cliquebooth in and some photos from Karl de Leon, its owner.

This is me and Sweetie at an event (he's going to kill me for this but one of his good friends gave me the blessing to feature it here, LOL)


You can also check out photos from some of the events I did that Cliquebooth attended here, here and here.

Newlyweds


Wedding Guests


The Cliquebooth photo album


I think it would be great to have Cliquebooth in a wedding. It captures the fun side of it. For bookings inquiries please call Mimi Abesamis at 0917-624-6464.

Finding Suppliers Easily

The easiest way to find suppliers is, of course, to sit in front of your PC and do a search on Google! Aside from going through search results, you can always visit wedding websites, wedding blogs (and these help verify if the supplier is a good one as well because it serves as a testimonial), online wedding directories or whatever online site you can bump into on weddings.

But, of course, one cannot always be online, so we often scramble for hurriedly copied numbers on small pieces of paper or your wedding notebook (if you keep one) - I also don't have the patience of going through tons of flyers I get during wedding events I attend. The solution? Get a wedding directory!

DPC Yellow Pages has finally launched their very own wedding directory! And since they're the official publisher of the Philippines Yellow Pages (for all telcos), you can be assured that the suppliers who advertise on DPC Yellow Pages are legitimate businesses (you cannot just imagine the tons of paperwork that goes before these things get published, I know coz I used to work for them LOL).


Get a copy today!

Choosing a Caterer

The largest chunk of your budget would most probably go to the caterer that's why it's very important to know how many guests you are going to have from the beginning. And -

food = enjoying a wedding
yucky food = bad wedding experience

Believe me, no matter how good you've managed all the other stuff, guests would remember that the food was not good at your wedding. Well, I do remember.

I've been getting a lot of food tasting event invitations in my mail and since my weekend was suddenly freed up, I decided to go attend Hizon's Catering food tasting event at One Esplanade. I have helped my friends choose their caterer, but I've never really gone to a food tasting (left that to the lovebirds teehee). Anyway, from that experience here are some tips that I think would help when you are evaluating a caterer:


1. Menu Composition - there are many parts to a meal. Are you having a breakfast, lunch, merienda or a dinner reception? You'd normally have to choose the soup, appetizers, salad, main meal, dessert and beverage. Choosing a cuisine makes things a whole lot easier. And, don't forget to ask Sweetie if his relatives have any food restrictions (i.e. most of them are diabetic, have high blood etc.). Also, ask the caterer what their specialty is.

2. Cost - the cheapest is not necessarily the best. Find out what the cost includes - food, venue rental, chairs & tables, set-up, flowers/decor, waiters and other services. Does it include freebies like the sound system? LCD projector? Sometimes it's better just to hire a caterer for what they do best - the food - and just get someone else to handle the decor, sounds etc. And what are the payment terms?

3. Service - there were quite a number of things falling down on the floor (thus creating banging sounds) during the event. You don't want plates and stuff falling down on the floor during your wedding reception do you? It was quite annoying, plus the first table we sat down in was see-sawing so requested to be transferred another table. Make sure the waiters and service staff are attentive and are capable of exercising last minute instructions during the reception.

4. Taste - remember, not yummy food = not happy guests. `Nuff said.

*Photos by Jay de Jesus.

Tips for the DIY Wedding Bride

I know there are a lot of couples who do their own weddings. Instead of hiring a wedding planner, they go through all the motions of choosing the caterer, the dressmaker, the church, the venue for the reception, the photographer etc. and the bride handles all the nitty-gritty details. I am all for that since it gives the couple a project to-do (one of the most important projects! next one would be having kids...) and they can also save up a lot by doing things themselves.

BUT!

Sad to say, you really cannot do it on your own. Aside from tying the know, the most important objective you should have for your wedding day is TO HAVE FUN. I've seen a couple of brides give in to anxiety on their wedding day. Bad idea sister! Bad for the photos! You wouldn't want to have a ngiting aso smile on your wedding photos right? Right?

The key elements to having a DIY wedding are: (1) your friends/relatives; (2) delegating properly; (3) forgetting about all the details and just enjoying your wedding day.

(1) your friends/relatives

Your wedding is something you can use as an excuse to hold coffee get-togethers with, perhaps, your bridesmaids. Do not allow them to be mere "decoration" in your wedding! Get them moving and meet-up with them to help you out on wedding day tasks. It's also fun! Do it with your best gal friends (and willing guy friends) or your relatives. I was around 8 years old when I started having wedding tasks for all my Titas and cousins who got married. Imagine the possibilities!

It pays to have many friends!!!

(2) delegate properly

Emailing tasks to friends IS NOT ENOUGH. Make sure your instructions are clear and accurate. Here are just some of the tasks you should assign someone of handle, but make sure you have an "overall coordinator", one who everybody can run to on the day of the wedding so you can just sit back, relax and have fun with your sweetie:

Ceremony Things to Do

1. Physical arrangement of entourage during the ceremony
2. Church & Entourage flower arrangement
3. Distribution of entourage bouquet and corsage (don't forget to bring pins!)
4. Check sound system at the church
5. Distribution of missalette
6. Line-up of readers (readings, responsorial psalm)
7. Choir arrangement (make sure there's someone who'll prompt them to play the wedding march!)
8. Line-up of photo batches and have someone announce this or include it in the missalette

Reception Things to Do

1. Check for physical arrangement, table arrangements
2. Signature frame signing
3. AVP Presentation
4. Arrangements for the program (doves, bouquet throwing etc.)
5. Distribution of souvenirs
6. Background music/orchestra
7. Emcee program/script

These are just things I remember on top of my head and I'm sure there are many more nitty-gritty stuff that need to be cared for during the wedding day itself.

(3) enjoy your wedding day

I have a former colleague who held her wedding in Bali (Indonesia) and she took care of all the details for the wedding. When she came back I asked her how things were and she said that all she did was to forget about all the mishaps and just enjoyed her wedding day. Despite all the loopholes, her photos were awesome because SHE ENJOYED HER WEDDING DAY.

And, don't forget your sense of humor!