The Honeymoon

Whenever I travel I see quite a lot of lovebirds giving each other goo-goo eyes. My thought balloon? "Newlyweds! Accckkk get-me outta here!" You'd easily spot them at airports because they're always touching each other, holding hands, fixing each others hair, it's like they can't get enough of each other.

Honeymooners!

Okay so I'm green with envy since they seem to be wrapped up in a world of their own. I was in Boracay a few weeks ago and saw quite a number of couples walking hand in hand by the sea shore, sipping fruit shakes at D' Mall, shopping for trinkets, getting strangers to take their photos, ahhh... the blissful life of a newlywed.

Not all of my friends who got married went on a honeymoon. Elders say that the honeymoon should come immediately after the wedding - at least 3 days of it. Quite a number of my friends either went to the beach (Palawan, Boracay, Bohol, Bali, the Maldives), others went abroad (Singapore, Hongkong, Bangkok, Cambodia), others just checked-in a hotel here in Metro Manila. Well wherever it is you want to go I guess I can give a couple of tips on how to choose a location where you can spend your honeymoon (since I travel a lot and I maintain a travel blog at Lakwatsera Ako).

1. Budget - plan your trip within your means. A friend of mine didn't plan to have a honeymoon since they were already strapped for cash because of the wedding, but since their wedding dance (the traditional one where money is pinned on the bride and groom) produced 13K they decided to spend a few days in Los Banos and set aside most of the money for their new abode. Budget for airfare/bus fare, land transpo (taxis and tricycles), food, accommodations, tips and pasalubong. Ask around or check Lakwatsera Ako's budget break-downs for vacations. Always keep some emergency money in a pocket or two.

2. Interests - know each other's interests. You might love going to the beach or trekking, but she hates the sun. Or you might like flying and she just wants her feet firmly on the ground. Agree on what you want to do during your honeymoon and make sure that the activities you will be doing are things you will both enjoy.

3. Health - know your fiance's health limits. He/she might be the type that gets hilo (nauseous) when riding boats or the airplane, check for allergies (food, insect etc.) and other health related matters. Bring medicine as well. Better be safe than sorry.

One key thing though (methinks) is to find accommodations that's rated well by past dwellers. You can easily find write-ups and testimonials by searching for it on Google.

I just want to add that if you decide to go to Boracay for your honeymoon, I urge you to stay at Station 1 so you can be in lovey-dovey mood all the time. Sur, a resort in Station 1 is a great place to stay. I would've brought home the pillows, comforter and bed if it was possible! LOL.

Here's a short video I made about Sur -

Beach Weddings

Admit it, the thought of a beach wedding crossed your mind too. You've imagined yourself all garbed-up in a white flowing gown, hair adorned with flowers, the wind gently fanning you while saying I do while the sun is setting. Your silhouette forever etched against the sunset in a photo for your wedding album. A very romantic set-up indeed.

I remember a colleague who had her wedding at a resort in Bali. The advantage, of course, was having very few guests, but she had to coordinate as well all the airline and hotel bookings and transfers of her guests. I could just imagine what a nightmare it must have been to make all arrangements. After the wedding she said that there were a lot of hitches and loopholes, but she said she just let her OC-side go, did not make a fuss and just had fun.

Last weekend, I chanced upon a wedding reception while walking along Boracay's famous seashore and this is how it looked -



The video does not do any justice to the beauty of the set-up. The newlyweds were placed under a special tent (and they looked really gorgeous). Guests were coming back and forth the buffet table which was filled with fresh seafood. The atmosphere was also very festive and romantic at the same time. I'm sure they partied until late that night.

After taking a short video of the set-up I walked on, but kept looking back at the festivities since it looked so charming and exciting. I think I am too OC though to have it at the beach.

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!