Our video wedding invitation

I spent the whole night editing and finalizing the video using windows movie maker. I never realized that the sun has come up already. hehe. It was so fun making it and i never felt so much in love as now. I was near tears already when I viewed the finished video. Hay naku, I guess every bride-to-be is in an emotional rollercoaster when the big day is getting near.

Anyway, I plan on sending this out to our friends and relatives who are based abroad. Some of them may not be present on our wedding day but I don't want them to feel left out just because they won't be here. I will be sending our printed invites also once they're done.

My DIY Projects

I am so proud to share my DIY projects for our wedding. Kahit pala rites-only ceremony lang you need to have secondary sponsors (candle, veil and cord). Since, there would only be a few tasks to do for the wedding, I decided to do most of the minor details myself. Labor of love indeed, since I devoted many sleepless nights and most of my vacation leaves planning and completing all of my projects. Here are my end-products. =)

Our wedding invitation (Front and Inner)

Our Wedding Pillows (Rings and Arrhae)

Our Wedding Cord

Our Church and Reception Venue

At first, Deck just wanted to get married in civil rites. I, on the other hand, was firm that I wanted to get married in church. We agreed not to have the traditional wedding but just to have the marriage rites orchestrated by a priest. And so it began the long search for churches that would provide rites-only marriages.

I know that Malate Church is providing rites-only ceremonies since I already asked a year ago, but when I called to ask for the availability of the date that we wanted, I was informed that they are not doing rites-only ceremonies anymore. After so many calls from different churches, we finally got a confirmation that Nuestra Señora de Guia Parish (Ermita Church) could provide us with the marriage rites only ceremony.

So, a day after the confirmation, off we went to the church to book our date. We filled out the necessary forms and paid the fee. We then asked if they know of a chinese restaurant near the church for our reception. We were told to inquire at the nearby Jade Garden Restaurant. Deck and I went to the restaurant but I didn't like the ambience of the place. There was a saddening feel to it. We then decided to go home and just search the net for restaurants.


As we were driving down the street we passed by a Hap Chan Tea House branch. This is our favorite chinese restaurant and we were glad that they have a branch just across the street from our church. Since our wedding would just be a simple event, we decided to have a simple lunch reception with our guests. We know that they would love the food at Hap Chan as much as we do.


Final Details:
Wedding Date: May 8, 2009, Friday (Our 8th year anniversary)
Time: 10:30 in the morning
Church: Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guia (Ermita Church)

Lunch Reception: Hap Chan Tea House
418A Nuestra Señora de Guia St. Ermita, Manila

Why the simple ceremony?

In my younger days, I wanted to be like what every woman dreamed to be. A bride in a long gown, with a long veil, walking down the long red-carpeted aisle, with every person I know filling all the pews in the church.

Years after, I never knew I would want to get married in a simple ceremony, with just families and closest friends as witnesses.

That's what Deck and I decided upon, we wanted the ceremony to be intimate. We do not want a grand event where you don't know more than half of your guests, where most would have a negative comment on your wedding details. We just wanted to be married and to start our new life together. The long gown, the long veil, the red-carpeted aisle and the hundreds of guests - all of these are just minor details compared to the true essence of getting married - To be married to the one you love, the one you couldn't live without and begin a lifetime of togetherness. Cheers!

Si Isko at Si Iska

Isko and Iska - these are the male and female terms for the students from PLM (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila). We're both Computer Engineering grads from this university in the walled city of Intramuros. We belong from different blocks hence the reason why we only met in the mid of our fourth year in college. Deck, being one of the happy-go-lucky guys, wasn't my type. I, being one of the studious girls, wasn't his type either. We have an inside joke about this, him being the maabilidad (relying on kodikos) and I being the pala-aral. But, as fate would have it, we were formally introduced, we hung out and we fell inlove.

When Deck and I met, I was nursing a broken heart. It has been years since I've broken up with someone but I still haven't found the guy who would make me feel loved again. Deck was a surprise. I never thought our relationship would last this long given the short courtship that we had.

Now, nearly 8 years into the relationship, we decided it's time. We're ready. We're getting married. Finally.