Busy as a bride-to-be

Before anything else, I need to let out one big.... Haaaaayyy....

Why the sigh you ask. Nothing, I just feel so exhausted with work and starting up our business recently. It almost feels like I have no more time for myself. No time to watch tv and marvel on little things, on my interests. Exaggerating much? Well, I go home, take my dinner if I have an appetite, do my routine in the bathroom, pray and dream for a bit, then doze off. The next day I wake up early, no time to make my presence felt with my brothers and sister and even eat my breakfast.

Weekends are packed, because of occulars and wedding fairs and overtimes, and couple errands and service. I don't know if I can even squeeze in some time to watch a movie or read a magazine (that's not related to weddings).

Hey, I'm not complaining. Or maybe I am a little. Its not the wedding preps that's making me antsy. I'm loving it that sometimes I can't stop talking about it. Its not the wedding, its not even the new business. Its the thing that's most unnatural to me - office work. I remember in college, a professor who can see past lives told me that I was once a princess from an exotic land. So maybe that's why I abhor working like a slave. Hahaha. No, its more of an issue with time. You know, I have always believed that life should be spent with the people you love. Your family for instance. And so, I dread leaving for work every morning and coming home at night with no energy at all to have fun with them.

I don't picture myself being a nine to five office girl, running late for the bus, answering calls and emails. Putting in too much time outside the home that when its really time for home, you feel like a lifeless zombie, you don't get to enjoy your time with people who matter.

I pictured a different future for myself; it maybe the same with every girl, I don't know. But this is mine: I want to be able to kid around and stay up late with my husband until we get tired from laughing the entire night. I want to savor the hugging and cuddling and sweet nothings when we wake up in the morning. And to have the time and energy to prepare for him a nice breakfast, fix his tie and his hair, and put colored post its on his books, lunchbox and laptop so he'll think of me throughout the day, and then after work, he'll come home to a fresh-looking sweet smelling wife who has already prepared his dinner.

Of course, I'll still work, but not go to work. I'll write, answer emails, and have everything done at home. Except when I need to be in an event that my company is handling or when visiting and supervising our business in any part of the day. Still I'll have time to talk to my mother on the phone, to watch a movie with my sister, and give advice to my girlfriends. Of course that won't change even when we have our own kids except that I will devote most, if not all of my time for them.

Oh how beautiful life is. But first, I need to claim it, that it will happen. Because for something to be achieved, it should be conceived in the mind. And so it will...

Action is needed of course. Which is why I'm really striving now, to really save up, and prepare for a good future so that I won't have to be struggling by then. So now apart from work, I'm devoting my time to starting up our food cart business in the south. Although I don't know if I have ever worked this hard in my entire life, I could say that I am really motivated, especially since I have set my eyes and my heart on my long-term goals.

Also, although my body's really complaining, its easier than I thought especially because I chose the best company to help me achieve my goals. The Filipino Dream. I was never the entrepreneur-type until I found this company, in the best timing if I may add. Just as I was all set to prepare for my future family. So, not for the purpose of plugging, I really recommend this business to friends who are coupled-up, who have thought of taking the next step and those who just want a better life for their families. Let me tell you, its never too early to start planning and saving up. If you need information on this, let me know and I will help you.

Anyway, I notice my entry is getting longer so I would have to end soon. Yet, like I said, getting married is difficult and stressful at some point, but nothing compares to the anticipation of being with the love of your life, building your dreams together. Haay... this is a kilig-one compared to the stressed sigh I had at the start of this entry. Love... is the reason behind everything. So if I were you, I'd prepare for the big day, and the bigger days to come after that.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post wedding related entries before the end of the week, or rather before the start of another week :)

wedding preps realizations

A few months into the preparations, you might ask: for an event person, what is the hardest part in planning and preparing for your own wedding?

My honest answer: making the decisions!

The coordination and looking for suppliers is a blast, but when it comes to having the final say, I'm finding it really hard to just choose one! Its not like I don't think hard when making the decisions on past weddings that I coordinated, its just that, with that one I make sure to consult the couple or the bride at least, until the day before the wedding for last minute changes or instructions and I just give the go signal on the day itself while keeping their best interest at heart. I don't know why I can't seem to do that for my own wedding. Maybe its because as a young girl and a typical romantic, I've dreamed of that day for a long time and I want it to be nothing short of perfect. So now that it's about to become a reality, I'm scared that if I make a decision and it becomes the decision that will make my wedding a disaster...I might have that shoulda wouldas that I always have at the end of things, and will I regret it afterwards?

And of course its our budget. Never mind my small contribution, its my fiancee's hard-earned money that I'm using! Especially since he has been a real sweetheart with our wedding preps, not being stingy in our budget, not making a big deal on the number of zeros required in cash (he has always been a saver, and very prudent man, not too expensive in lifestyle) just to make sure that we'll have the best on our big day. I need to make sure that everything I spend on is worth every penny. Worth every minute that he has to be apart from me and work abroad. The best groom and husband to be deserves the best wedding. Well I guess I just need to trust myself more when it comes to my wedding. I think I did, and am still doing my research and I'm not deciding on impulse naman, so I shouldn't be too scared, as long as I know I have carefully thought of every decision. And I always consult him naman :)

Next question: What is the thing you're most nervous about when it comes to the wedding?

Well, I'm a planner and I want everything to be ready on my wedding day. And now I'm sure I'll be able to get everything done except for the legal documents.

Its really complicated when your groom is abroad. If I can, I'll do everything, every paper that I need to submit by myself this instant, but of course, both the bride and groom has to make an appearance before the court, and church. So there... adding to my anxiety is the fact that some of these documents has an expiration period and are only valid for a certain number of months. Aaarrgh! Its one of the things I'm really nervous about. What if everything's all set except for the papers, without which, we won't be able to get married...

Sigh... well, Babe's next vacation will be in December so by then, I have to prepare the things that we need to be able to attend the seminars that we need to complete while he's here. Well, mukha lang sigurong mahirap, but I have an aunt naman who went through the same thing because she married a foreigner. Kung nagawa nga niya eh... I'm sure kaya ko rin :) Anyway, my Babe is doing his share of hardwork and sacrifice for this, I just have to do mine :)

For my fellow beautiful brides, try to ponder on the same questions just to give you some insights as you savor the moments that you prepare for the big day... :)

For other friends who are viewing my blog, or will view my blog at one point, mahirap magpakasal. Pero masaya :) You just need to be ready for it I guess...

Cute Blogger Award

I'm not new to blogging, yet in writing about my wedding preps escapades and interacting with fellow blogging brides, you can consider me a newbie. And so as I was tagged by some of my blogging w@wie sisters, I do this enjoyable thingy ;)

1. Each blogger must post these rules
2. Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves
3. Bloggers that are tagged need to write ten facts about themselves. You need to choose ten people to tag and list their names.

so... here goes =) :

1. I love Capiz Shells. Yesterday I was in Manila Penn and I fell in love with their chandelier with Capiz Shells. I own several capiz earrings and necklaces. And staring at a capiz chimes or decor kind of puts me in a daze sometimes. Which is why will still incorporate this capiz in our wedding theme and gifts for our principal sponsors. Buti na lang we know of a very affordable supplier of these native materials :)

2. I like cake more than ice cream. It makes me kind of a lola in that way. I used to like ice cream more when I was a kid, but growing up I saw that ice cream, despite the array of flavors get more boring as compared to cake, which keeps on reinventing itself. Hahaha. I especially love cheesecake, lemon torte from Sugarhouse and Mango Bravo from Contis.

3. I love going to the beach. I'm a summer person kasi. I had a conversation with a friend about places in the Philippines that we often like to visit, and we concluded that we are different with our preference. She is a Baguio person (like she really goes there at least thrice a year) while I'm a Boracay/beach person. I try to go to Boracay at least once or twice a year, and hit the beach at least thrice. I love the beach. The calming yet exciting sound of the waves, the mixture of oranges and purples and blues in the horizon. The feeling of sand on my feet. The laidback bonding with my friends over drinks and walking hand in hand with my babe by the seashore. I could be there forever.

4. I am a bookworm. I prefer reading books or magazines over watching TV. Its the best way to keep me from getting bored.

5. I am a creature of habit. When I like something, I am loyal to it. In food especially. Even in restaurants that I frequent, I order the same course over and over again for years. Like for Cibo its the Venneziana pasta; in TGIFridays its Chicken Fingers, Ceasar Salad and a strawberry iced tea; for Hawaiian Barbeque its baby back ribs and sour cream baked potato. For gerry's grill its sizzling sisig, adobo shreds and crab rice. Tried and tested for years. Ask the waiters. Hahaha.

6. I have more than 20 diaries in my lifetime. I'm only 23 by the way. And I keep cute notbeooks or journals given by friends or by my dad. One of my favorites was a pasalubong by my friend Ann when she went to the States, its a two-sided journal, one cover has a illustration of a heart with flowers and stuff and the other cover has an illustration of a broken heart and flower petals scattered like it has been ruined. I still use it up to now, to write super happily in-love or totally heartbroken moments. Another one of my favorites was given by my dad from his recent US trip, it has a black and white venetian, scrolly-curly theme, I haven't used it yet and I want my wedding vows to be the first entry in that diary.

7. I like to sing, and when I sing, I internalize as if I'm on a music video.. I say that because my sister internalizes like she's have a concert or a gig coz she sings clenching her fist and putting it near her chin like a microphone. I have that 'malayo ang tingin' look when I'm singing. I have major LSS when I start singing, and when I'm using my ipod in public transportation like the shuttle, I always sing along with the song even if other people can hear.

8. I have been so affected by the Chris Brown-Rihanna controversy. Friends even text me and give me updates coz they know I appreciate it. I watched their concert here in Manila and I have always loved Rihanna as a singer. But I won't take sides coz Chris Brown seems like a sweetheart. I hope they make up soon. But both should consider counseling.

9. I am an advocate. I believe that I am a feminist, in a way that I believe that women are as capable as men in any field. And that they have every right to fight back when they are not treated right. Women should be respected and loved. Women are powerful. I'm a big supporter of anti-poverty and education for children of all ages.

10. Writing is my first love. I love to write and although I'm kind of not practicing it as much in my career, I'm thankful for the gift of blog. :)

So... for other blogger brides or just bloggers out there, join the bandwagon, you're tagged!

booked venue and date. Yahoo!

yey! finally after stressing on it for a while, I have finally made the initial reservations for the church!

Ate Josie, the lady in-charge was nice and really helpful. I told her about my situation, my fiancee being out of the country and she made some suggestions about submitting the requirements and getting a schedule for interview with the priest, pre-cana and other stuff.

Can't believe I just need to pay 5,000 to complete my reservation for my dream church. Haha. It includes na raw the use of the electricity, and sound system. I think I got me a pretty good deal. Plus Ate Josie was really an angel so that was like a bonus ;)

I can't believe I have finally done the reservation; I know its one of the most important things that I have to prioritize and now its like we've taken one big step closer to our wedding :) it feels so good and now I know how my fellow w@wies feel after they've put one big check to their list :)

Next: make the pegs for the dresses and for the theme, draft a guestlist and list of entourage and schedule an occular to Portofino.

HAhahahahappy preps!

movie date with my MOHs

I went to watch 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' with my bestest homegirls this afternoon, my sister Kaye and bestfriend Jai.

I was feeling a little exhausted during the day so I took a leave from work. In the afternoon I felt a little better and in the mood for a movie so I invited Kaye and later on texted Kups (that's our nickname for each other, with Jai and I) and she was happy to take a break from dinner with her new boyfriend (which we definitely approved of).

The movie was fun :) just the movie to share with your bestfriend and sister. Especially since they're the two girls who I can expect to get me out in a rut, like Suze for Rebecca in the movie. The part where Suze was getting married and Rebecca showed up and they reconciled was touching.

After that, we drove Jai to her new apartment (saw it for the first time) and then went straight home. Pretty little time to chat, but we did all we can while Kaye was driving. YEt, I had the best time with my Maids of Honor :)

Anyway, tried to make the reservations at the church today, but apparently the parish office was closed on Mondays. Hopefully I get out of the office early one day this week. Its my goal to reserve the church before February ends. :) and my babe and I decided to start drafting or guestlist so that we'll know how many to expect and how much to allot as budget for the food :) wish me luck :)

Best Valentines day gift

my babe never forgets to send me flowers on special occasions. its really thoughtful. but, for this Valentines, I got something even more special from him, when he didn't really give it to me... REad on:

Dear Tito Robert and Tita Ging,

Hello po!

First of all po, gusto kong humingi ng paumanhin sa biglaan namin desisyon ni camille sa kasal at hindi po namin nasabi sa inyo agad ang aming mumunting plano.

Thank you po kasi for all the years sa relationship namin ay pinagkatiwala niyo po sa akin si camille at pasensya na po kayo kung minsan ay di ko po nasusunod yung mga hiling niyo po na ihatid siya at pati na rin po yung di namin maiwasan na arguments (paminsan minsan lang naman po) and pati po hindi po ako nakakpagbonding sa inyo gaano kasi po medyo nahihiya pa po ako eh. Hahaha

Pero siyempre, laking pasasalaamt ko po sa inyo dahil po kung wala kayo most probably wala si camille and she is all I have ever wanted po, for me she is perfect like her parents. Sa pag-invite niyo po sa akin sa mga gatherings niyo, sa pagpapakilala niyo sa akin sa mga kamag-anak niyo and sa lahat lahat na po. Hinding hind ko po malilimutan yun for the rest of my life. J

Alam po namin na hindi po madali ang tatahakin namin landas and I know naman nandiyan lang po kayo to support us and help us about being husband and wife and building a family. And again, muli po akong nagpapasalamat sa inyo, taas po ang kamay ko sa inyo.

Ingats po parati! And God bless!

Yours truly,

Alexis “koko a.k.a. jericho rosales” Eusebio

Well, I secretly wanted a love letter for Valentines, and although this wasn't written for me, I was so touched when I learned that my fiancee sent my parents an email for now reason at all. It really made my day :)

Live, Laugh, Love (Cams first blog post on wedding updates)

Live, Laugh, Love

Camille and Alexis

June 18, 2010

Holy Family Parish/Portofino clubhouse??

lets tackle these things one by one:

Stop! this will be a rather long read. You can pause in between. :)

June 18, 2010

I have always wanted to get married in the summer. It was summer when he proposed to me, it was a Sunny April afternoon. Anyway, I am a summer person. And I have always envisioned my wedding to be in the summer, or May, which is the month of flowers. So, when we sat down to discuss our wedding plans, I requested that we forego the popular 10-10-10, or 9-9-9 dates that people suggest and have the wedding in May. He agreed and the initial date we set was on the 21st of May next year, exactly 2 years, 1 month and 1 day after he proposed.

But as we were starting the preparations for the wedding, we came face to face with the reality that we can't decide on everything without considering the people around us. Because as my mom grew excited and told our close relatives about the date we have set, issues started to arise, since some of my closest uncles and aunts and cousins who live abroad would want to come home and attend my wedding. But they can't in May because the kids have classes. So my mom had to ask me if it was okay to move it in June. At first I didn't want to move it to June because I really wanted to get married in May, and I'm itching to get married already so that I can be with my babe. But I know that marriage is the start of a new life as a family, and I don't want to start that life with disappointed relatives, and I really want to share this moment with them anyway. Plus I'm positive that they will love my husband-to-be. We were just starting out together when they met him. So there... after a lengthy and almost heated discussion with my babe, we finally set the new (and final!) date to June 18, 2010. It falls on a Friday (my request) and the number 18 is his lucky jersey number (babe is an amazing basketball player). Now that we have set a date, the next step is to get a reservation for the church.

Holy Family Parish

There were just two choices for the church. One was the Holy Family Parish in Las Pinas, where we live and the Shrine of St. Therese in Pasay. A brief background of each, Holy Family is the church in the subdivision where babe and I served as members of Youth For Christ. Some of our activities were held there, and its where we go to mass when he was still working here. Its near our house and that of our close friends. Somehow that church felt like home to us and so I have always imagined getting married there. It has a beautiful altar and has an antique, southern feel. The Shrine of St. Therese on the other hand, was something that we just stumbled on. Underneath it was the columbarium where the crypt of a beloved friend and family is. The place below was nice and so we were intrigued by what the church above looked. It didn't fail to amaze us when we got up. It was stunning to say the least. One of the nicest churches I've seen so far. But it was really big, quite expensive and far from where most of our guests will be coming from.

So, we were torn between a church that had our fondest memories, or one which blew us away the first time we saw it, the feeling was almost like falling in love. We're both okay with either of the two so we prayed hard to be able to make that decision. Being the event planner that I am, I decided to look at the big picture and include other elements of the event. Like the nearby venues for reception, the difference in price, the location to guests, its relevance to our budget, and so, the OC girl in me made a table comparing these two churches and presented it to my fiancee. With real and actual figures (yes, I did some research) on ink, we were able to see the relevance of choosing the church to our budget and the whole event. And so, finally, we decided to go with the Holy Family Parish as the church for the ceremony. I secretly hoped that we would end up there, because it was where babe and I went to church even when we were kids (although we didn't know each other then of course). He was an altar boy there, while my family used to live in that subdivision. And I remember clearly what I was wearing, when after a YFC activity, we went to hear mass at the Holy Family, when he looked at me and sweetly whispered to me that he feels like we're already married. So marrying him in that church, makes it all the more romantic, don't you think? :)

Portofino

I came to know of the place when we attended a family reunion. From then on, I found the place to be promising for an elegant and intimate event. Although the next happenings in our lives brought a little melancholy to the venue, and we almost crossed it out of our list. I grew a little depressed about the whole thing for quite some time, since it was the most ideal place to have our reception (considering proximity to the Holy Family church, budget and our concept). Still, at the back of my mind, I kept on praying for it. Then, when I have started looking for other options, I got a go signal to put it back in our list. I was really grateful. Yet despite of that, I needed an insider ( a lot owner, or employee) to be able to book, or even just come in for an ocular. A distant relative works for the owner of the subdivision but I didn't want to use that connection because that means inviting other distant relatives to the event (when what we really want is an intimate gathering). Luckily, Babe's brother used to do sales for the subdivision and they were granted a lifetime membership meaning they can visit the place and have someone book events at the clubhouse. I'm so excited! I'll be a little tied up for the next few weekends, but I promised we'll have our visit on the next available Sunday! I'm still praying to for this... I hope I get prayers from you too. I'll update you when we get it. :)

Live, Laugh, Love

I've dreamed of a beach wedding from the time I started dreaming of marrying my boyfriend, now my fiancee. I love going to the beach, and so does he. Every time he comes to visit (he works abroad) we make it a point to schedule a trip to the beach. I loved the movie Mamma Mia for its unpretentious, laidback summer theme. Months after he proposed, I already looked at catalogues of summer dresses and even downloaded a reggae-inspired version of the Canon in D. So there was just one ultimate theme in mind for our wedding: summer, beach, flowers.

And then the change of date.

Practically and theoretically, I can't have a summer wedding in June. Although I believe in the power of offering eggs to St. Claire, and the trend to push through with the theme despite the season seems to be accepted by most, my being an event manager tells me to do otherwise. I just can't risk it. It's just one day and there will be no ulitan if the rain messes it up. Knowing that June is rainy season, I can insist on having my summer wedding. So...while daydreaming about my pre-nup photo with my babe, I pictured us just laughing and horsing around, and making a fool of ourselves and I can't help but realize that we are not the usual touchy feely couple, instead we are the playful couple who always joke around and laugh, chase and mimmick each other, doing all sorts of fun stuff together yet loves passionately. So, even though the live, love, laugh phrase is getting popular and I see it everywhere, I thought it describes us best as a couple.So I proposed this concept to my babe and he liked it, even more when I started getting all the aspects of the theme out of my head like the design of the venue, the program, etc. I promised to give him pegs/a presentation of how I visualize it in my head coz its hard to describe over the phone and email (and men are visual beings). I'll have to do that bit by bit every night (since I have a full schedule on the next few weekends. Do you know of wedding or bridal related websites that I can get inspiration from?:) Anyway, my babe was pretty much convinced, so we're going with the live,laugh,love theme :) Still, we're using the Pachelbel on the beach music for the processional, I already paid for it and it still applies with our personality as a couple :) (who wants the music? I'll try to load it here so you can here it)

I'm so excited as I begin the wedding preps :) Honestly, I didn't think it was gonna be this easy and this fun, but well, what can I say? I have the best groom and husband-to-be in the universe, a wonderful support-group and peers at W@w, supportive family and friends, and a lot of guts to do events since the previous weddings that I organized.

I'll be attending weddings expos and bridal fairs for the next few weekends, but hopefully I get a lot of things done before the week ends.

Happy preps to all the brides out there!