Love at the right place and at the right time
by Jeni Hernandez- Cruz

Our wedding was I can say, of simple perfection. We had a whole year to plan it slowly but surely. My now husband Edward proposed to me quite early in our relationship. Early is 4 months. But the moment that we saw each other, we already knew. I know it sounds cliché but yes, it was love at first sight and it came at a time that we were both ready to commit. We were, as the saying goes- at the right place and at the right time.

Planning our wedding started in March of 2009 and like any other soon to wed couples, we went to quite a few bridal fairs. We were so excited to meet suppliers as we were the ones who fully decided on everything. Our families were just there to support us on whatever kind of wedding we wanted have. Planning our wedding made us realize more how much we really loved each other. And planning went smoothly with the help of our coordinator Ms. Chinkie Agregado Uy.

We chose Santuario de San Antonio because most of Edward’s relatives were wed there and we wanted to follow that tradition as well. The Blue Leaf was our first choice for our reception because of its location and spacious pavilion, while preparations were done in Manila Peninsula Hotel.

Our wedding colors were lilac and blue- a combination of our favorite colors, while the theme was baroque.

I wore a champagne mermaid bridal gown while he wore a white suit designed by Jerome Salaya Ang. A white suit is not something all guys can pull off but he did so charmingly even if Edward is a really shy guy.

And although we didn’t get to say our own vows. We did the traditional vows in front of 21 priests and as we we’re saying it, felt goosebumps. I was excited at the fact that it was really really happening. That I was committing myself both to Edward and to God. I almost cried. Having our first kiss as husband and wife was really divine, it connoted the beginning of a new journey.

We were so happy and was eager to celebrate already with our friends and family. And since Edward owns a video production company, we had live feed of our wedding reception so that friends and family who couldn`t make it could still be a part of our celebration of love.

Part of our reception design was Edward`s LED walls and plasma screens. Teddy Manuel did an exquisite job with the flowers and styling of our reception. The place was full of different kinds of flowers, mainly roses.

I wanted a big and tall cake, and to me, no one could do it better than Sugarbox by Emily Uy. Wanting our guests to have good food, we got Josiah’s and they as usual,didn’t let us down. Our food was stupendous! A lot of dishes to choose from, and the dessert table was the best. Everyone loved it. We had a mobile bar, photobooth and a DJ to complete the affair. Bob Nicolas did an outstanding onsite video of our wedding. Very heartfelt thanks to Niceprint Photography for capturing the best moments of our wedding. Capturing moments that we want to remember forever. All throughout the reception, Edward and I were busy entertaining our guests and enjoyed every minute of it, especially the speeches given by our parents.

My wedding was not as dramatic like other weddings but to me, it was blissful. It was my perfect wedding. The wedding I’ve always dreamed of, not just because we had the best suppliers, but also because I was marrying the man perfect for me. My Edward.

Tips for soon-to-weds
1. Choose your own suppliers. Go for who you think is best according to your own judgement.

2. Attend reputable bridal fairs.

3. Enjoy the day! Smile!

Even without the help of a fortune teller, (or of a showbiz sibling) WE`re pretty sure that Eli and KY`s wedding would get more votes than our hits on this blog.

With that, and after reading our readers` heart-felt comments, WE`ve decided that Eli and KY should be in this year`s Beautiful Weddings issue as a `chosen by the WE staff` entry.

We know we said in the guidelines page that we`ll be choosing five more of our favorites from the submisssions at the end of the promo, but we honestly don`t think anyone would file an electoral protest (we hope not!) over this decision so we`re declaring them not just winners in our hearts, but also winners in the contest.

So to Eli and KY- Congratulations! Wedding Essentials is privileged to feature your beautiful story on our pages this October. WE hope that each bride-to-be who reads your story will not only be touched and be inspired, but also be thankful of their own love story. Because though God may not always give us what we want. He surely gives us what we need.

Cheers!

P.S. Will post this weekend`s finalists tomorrow and on Saturday. Voting starts Sunday morning, and end on Monday at midnight. Good luck to our couples this week, you`ll know who you are starting tomorrow. =P www.weheart attack ba?

In the meantime, read about Mango Red`s Randall Dagooc`s account of the wedding (unedited to preserve the author`s tone and intended phrases)

WE MADE IT! WE F*CKIN’ MADE IT!
.
10 AM

* Alis kami (We left) Ortigas to go to Alabang for a wedding. Wedding ceremony is at 3pm sa (at) Fernbrook.

* Stuck sa (on) C5 for 2 hrs. U-turn then daan kami sa (we used the) Fort-Bonifacio-Mckinley-Nichols route.

* Stuck in Fort Bonifacio (Lawton Road) for another 2 hrs. 5 meters per hour ang takbo ng mga sasakyan (was the speed of vehicles).

2 PM

* Sabi ni (Said) Teena (coordinator), moved daw ang (the) ceremony to 5 p.m.

* I said “Sh*t! Choke point lang nman is yung bridge sa may (The only choke point is the bridge near) Nichols! Sabi ko lakad na lang kami (I said, let’s just walk) then brave the flood! Bahala na si Santino (The expression means, roughly, what will be, will be).”

* Got out of the car amid the massive traffic. Lakad kami (We walked) Al, Rex and me from Mckinley Hill to Nichols. Basang basa sa ulan, naka-white pointed shoes,coat or in short, naka formal attire (Drenched in rain, we were in white pointed shoes, a coat- in short, in formal attire).

* Si Rex nakabalot ng plastic (Rex wrapped himself in plastic). Ako nakapulot ng tarpaulin ( I found a tarpaulin). Si Al, naliligo sa ulan na parang street child (Al frolicked in the rain like a street child do).

* Then may nadaanan kami military surplus shop na ngbebenta ng military raincoat ( We passed a military surplus shop selling military raincoats).

* Ate! Magkano raincoat?” sabi ko. (Lady,how much is the raincoat, I said.)

* Ate: ”450 pesos isa…”(Lady :450 pesos each.)

* Ako: “ Sh*t!Basang 300 pesos lang pala dala ko! (“Me:Oh crap,all I have is 300 pesos,and the bills are wet!)

* Hanap ako ng ATM. Lakad ulit. (I looked for an ATM. Time to walk again.)

* May tumawag s’akin : ” Randall ! Randall! ” (Someone called out to me “Randall!Randall!)

* “Uy sina Wally Gonzales at sina RJ!” Bwahaha! Stuck din sa Lawton Road! (Aha, it’s Wally Gonzales and RJ! Bwahaha!. They’re also stuck on Lawton Road!)

* ” Chong, pahiram nman ng 1000 oh, pambili ng raincoat!” ([to Wally]”Friend, lend me P 1000 to buy a raincoat?”)

* Ayos nakabili. Lakad ulit for an hour. Naka-raincoat na,hehehe. (All right, I was able to buy it. Walked again for an hour.This time, in a raincoat, hehehe.)

* Nadapa si Rex sa sidewalk. (Rex tripped on the sidewalk.)

* May nagsabing batang kasalubong naming: “ Dad mga sundalo ba sila? ” (A passing child asked [upon seeing us}.” Dad are they soldiers?”

3 PM

* Text si Teena- Stuck pa rin daw sya sa EDSA. At na move ang wedding ng 8 p.m. Tuloy na tuloy daw. Kahit mag cartwheel pa daw sya para matuloy. (Teena texted that she was still stuck on EDSA and the wedding was moved to 8pm. But it was definitely pushing through,even if she had turn cartwheels to make sure it pushed through.)

* Sabi ko,”Ayos, lupet nito!” (I said, wow,this is really something!)

.

4 PM

* After an hour ng paglalakad sa ulan at baha, tawid kami sa baha sa may Nichols yung may tulay..Massive! (After an hour of walking in the rain and floods, we crossed the flooded road near Nichols, where there is a bridge. Massive [flooding]!)

* Pagkatawid, lakad sa may SLEX ng konti habang pumapara ng sasakyan na pwedeng maawa samin .Buti may taxi na nasuhulan ng 500 pesos na pumayag. (After we crossed, we walked along the Southern Luzon Expressway while we hailed vehicles in hopes they would take mercy on us. Good thing we were able to bribe a taxi driver with P500 to agree to take us to the venue.)

* Sakay kami. Sobrang luwag sa SLEX at andaming tumirik na sasakyan sa tabi. (We got on and rode the taxi. The SLEX was free of vehicles but a lot of stalled vehicles lined the road.)

.

5:30 PM

* Nasa Preps na kami. Nangutang muna ako sa bride ng 500 pesos pamasahe. (We reached Preps. I borrowed P 500 from the bride for the cab fare.)

* Tuwang tuwa si manong. (The driver was delighted.)

* Tawag ako kay Chuck (Cherry Blocks) na taga-Alabang. Sabi ko “Chong pahiram naman ng tuyong sapatos,long sleeves at mejas oh?”. (I called Chuck who was from Alabang and said,”Friend,lend me dry shoes, a long sleeved shirt and socks,please!”)

* Dumating si Chuck (Chuck arrived) and we’re all comfy and dry.

THE WEDDING

* Shoot kami (We shot [photos]) with Sir Raymund Fortun, Jok and Chuck.

* 20 relatives lang ng bride and groom yung nandun. Wala nang iba (Only twenty relatives of the bride and groom made it, no more).

* Inasikaso ni Sir Raymund yung church. Baha na kasi sa Fernbrook so wala na talagang pag-asa (Sir Raymund took care of the churh. Fernbrook was flooded so there was no hope [for proper reception].

* Instant lahat (everything)!
* Instant best man.
* Instant ceremony.
* Instant priest.
* Instant reception.
* Instant mami (noodles)

.
Sobrang lupet ng wedding! (That wedding was really something!) Sabi ng (Said the) groom: ” Itutuloy natin ‘to (We’ll push through with this) whatever happens. Kahit s’an pa kami ikasal (We can get married anywhere)” Astig! (Cool!) Very emotional lahat (everyone)! I admire the courage and love of Eli and KY! Grabe (Wow). Inspiring! I’ll post the other details with photos this week.. may wedding pa kasi kami (we still have another wedding) tomorrow. Tulog muna ako (I’ll go to sleep first)… hehehe

Bottom line: Weddings are all about the couple, not the guests who won’t be able to attend , not the cake, the gown, the details, the photos etc.

Anyway,salamat kay (thank you to ) RJ and Sir Wally.

Kay (To) Chuck!

Kay Atty. Raymund Fortun!

Kay Eli and KY

And sa pinakamalupet naming (and to our awesome team) team! Al, Rex, and Jap!

Sabi ko nga, kung ang mga conflict (war) photographers nakakapag shoot kahit patayan na, anu ba naman ang baha para sa mga wedding photographers? *yabang* hehehe (I said, if during wars, photographers can shoot despite the terrible conditions, what’s a flood to a wedding photographer?Am I boasting? hehehe) Salamat sa lahat (Thank you to everyone)!

Get ready for the Philippine Wedding Summit 2010 on June 26-27 at The PICC Forum (Halls 1, 2, & 3). Free admission will be given to those who will pre-register online through The Wedding Ideas Portal Philippines (www.themesnmotifs.com) or will get FREE tickets from Themes & Motifs – Makati Shangri-la and other participating exhibitors’ storefronts around Metro Manila.

With more than 5,000 square meters of exhibit space featuring the cream of the crop wedding professionals that the local wedding industry has to offer, The Philippine Wedding Summit 2010 offers unbeatable prestige, countless new wedding ideas, and special discounts and giveaways for today’s modern soon-to-weds. This is a not-to-be missed event for engaged couples and anyone interested in beautiful dreamlike weddings. Nowhere else will there be a wide array of wedding photographers, videographers, fashion designers, caterers, jewelers, cake designers, invitation makers, limousine providers and other suppliers of anything and everything related to weddings. PWS2010 is the best source of the latest, finest, & newest wedding ideas for engaged couples’ midyear wedding preps.

Debuting this year as a honeymoon destination of choice is Thunderbird Resorts in Poro Point, La Union. As PWS2010’s official honeymoon sponsor, this Santorini-inspired romantic getaway in the north will showcase the perfect reasons to create lasting memories of an exciting honeymoon right here in the Philippines.

A 3D2N trip-for-two awaits the lucky couple that will win the grand prize in raffle draw for onsite bookers of any PWS2010 participating exhibitor during the 2-day highly prestigious event. Soon-to-weds are invited to visit the Thunderbird Resorts booth in PWS2010 to learn more about this latest attraction in Philippine wedding tourism and to avail of special promos. Find out why its perfect for a beach themed wedding & a destination wedding hotspot aside from being a honeymoon haven.

Fresh from its photo shoots of brides & grooms in various parts of the world from January to April of 2010, PWS2010 Major Sponsor Nice Print Photos will feature its destination wedding photos to inspire soon-to-weds with spectacular sceneries and new concept ideas that are the trend abroad.

Photos courtesy of www.niceprintphoto.com

Goldenhills Jewelry, the country’s foremost wedding ring supplier and perennial favorite of engaged couples, will extend huge discounts to on-the-spot buyers as a major sponsor of PWS2010.

Special events food provider to the megastar and hard-to-please celebrities as well as discriminating corporate clients, Juan Carlo The Caterer will introduce its latest wedding banquet masterpieces in its much awaited food tasting event unlike any other. Known for its elegant event styling that complements their delectable menu, Juan Carlo The Caterer will leave no stones unturned to ensure that soon-to-weds will get the royal treatment they deserve when they sample sumptuous wedding fair in the Mega Food Tasting Event at PWS2010. Engaged couples are invited to reserve a seat by emailing their names, wedding date, and reception venue to grandfoodtasting@themesnmotifs.com.

As this is expected to be a blockbuster food sampling session among brides & grooms, priority seating will be given to those who will email their information.

As a special feature of The Philippine Wedding Summit, a free career enhancement seminar series for wedding suppliers will be once again be conducted with industry leaders as invited speakers and resource persons. This is part of Themes & Motifs’ advocacy to further professionalize the local wedding industry to help ensure that Filipino soon-to-weds get nothing but world class service from their dream team of wedding professionals. Suppliers are invited to attend the seminars to learn from wedding experts Rita Neri of Rita Neri Event Planners (The Essentials of Destination Weddings for Wedding Planners); Richard Prodigalidad of T&M Interactive / Leentech Network Solutions (Internet Marketing for Wedding Entrepreneurs); Bombeth Robles of The Flower Club Phils., Inc. (Update Your Floral Techniques); and an expert from the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC) who will discuss Basic Financial Statements for Wedding Entrepreneurs and Basic Business Recording. Interested parties may call Themes & Motifs to reserve a seat. This is on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Soon-to-weds are invited to check out the freebies, giveaways, and special promos of PWS2010 event partners: Allied Bank, T&M Gifts, Paper Elegance World-class Invitations, Artic Aircon Rental, Leentech Network Solutions, Weddings & Lifestyle.com, and GoingToMeet.com.

Pre-registered soon-to-weds who will visit PWS2010 early enough will be given Themes & Motifs lootbags with special treats from the organizers, event partners, and sponsors. Token gifts, magazines, etc. have been included in the lootbags. All throughout the 2-day celebration, door prizes and premium items courtesy of participating PWS2010 exhibitors will be raffled off on an hourly basis.

As the biggest midyear wedding fair, PWS2010 offers three times the size and three times the fun of other wedding fairs. It is produced and organized by the Philippines most premier organizer of the biggest and most prestigious wedding fairs, Themes & Motifs.

For further inquiries, pls. call (632) 371.9783 / 413.7892 / 409.2555 or email info@themesnmotifs.com.

Yipee!! Sex and the City 2 hits theaters today!

Can’t wait to see the wedding cake of xxxx executed by Swarovski and celebrity wedding cake baker, Ron Ben-Israel. The Swarovski crystals are chandelier components and are dripping off the cake, which is sitting on a Lucite stand (via aisledash.com) which we posted here

Before or after the movie, check out and savor the four newest dine-in (at Häagen-Dazs SM Mall of Asia, SM Mega Atrium, and Robinson’s Place Ermita branches) ice cream creations inspired by Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte in the much awaited film Sex and the City 2.

Purchase any selected Häagen-Dazs product available at choice supermarkets, hotels and restaurants nationwide until June 30 and get a free Sex and the City 2 Journal with discount coupons – 10% off on ice cream cakes, FREE scoop of Caramel Biscuit and Cream for every purchase of 2 pints, 10% off for every purchase of a fondue, double up on White Chocolate & Raspberry: Buy 1 scoop, get 1 free – valid for use at select Häagen-Dazs shops.

2 of the 4 creations

Luscious Quirk: mango custard on butter cake topped with a butter cake ball, whipped cream, kiwi, cherry, chocolate sheets on a bed of mango and caramel sauce (also available for take-away)

Smart Piece of Cake: an illegally decadent combination of Dulce de Leche and Cherries and Cream ice cream in a chocolate wafer – all as exquisite as the four women that inspired them.

Frequent any of the three branches to buy your favorite special Häagen-Dazs creation and get a chance to win an exiting local shop prize – enjoy a delicious brunch at Spiral, located at the prestigious Sofitel Philippine Plaza (SM Mall of Asia branch), a sumptuous dinner at the award-winning La Cocina de Tita Moning’s (Robinson’s Place Ermita branch) or a blissful spa session at the famous Chi Spa in the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel (SM Mega Atrium branch).

Best of all, the prize of a lifetime awaits participating Häagen-Dazs customers: a trip to New York for two (2)! Get the full Sex and the City rundown – Manhattan style. Take pictures at Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment and Charlotte’s SoHo gallery, check out Carrie’s favorite shoe brand Manolo Blahnik, grab a cupcake at the famous Magnolia Bakery and even stroll through the Meatpacking District where every designer worth a mention has a store. Finally, get to enjoy the city’s swanky nightlife – glam up in your trendiest outfit and make it a swinging evening with cocktails, dinner, maybe even a Broadway show.

Super like!!

At Häagen-Dazs, personal time for oneself or ‘us time’ with the ladies will always be occasions to remember. With these exciting summer promos and prizes, you can indulge in Häagen-Dazs’ delectable super premium ice cream products while earning the chance to treasure more intimate moments with your closest gal pals.

Sex and the City movie photos courtesy of www.sexandthecitymovie.com.
Watch Sex and the City 2 starting today at your favorite cinema. =)

This week, we`re giving you readers a little variation from our usual wedding story angle sent in by recent brides. Hope you enjoy this week`s wedding stories written by grooms- ready your tissues girls!

No Matter What
by Eli Pablo

September 26, 2009. This was the day I was finally going to marry my best friend. It was going to be grand and I can clearly see it in my head – at exactly 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon, KY, my wife-to-be, was going to walk down the aisle in her beautiful gown and meet me at the altar.

We wanted it grand and we went through the details like there was no tomorrow. For a year, we visited as many bridal fairs as possible, looking for new ideas and coordinating with possible suppliers ourselves. When we finally cleared the list, it was, to us, a winning list: lush venue, hearty food, fantabulous coats and gowns, elegantly planned event-styling with fresh flowers with classy vintage backdrop, a carriage, a limo, coordination from a well-known team, unlimited cocktails and drinks, to-die-for cake, a classy make-up artist, a photo-booth, and three (3) photo and video teams – each given instructions of how we wanted their pictures to look like.

The motif was that of a peacock – whose ornate plumage represented the symbols of beauty, pride, and rejuvenation. Working off this concept, my fiancée and I spent countless hours with our DIY projects: feather fans, head pieces, bubbles, misalette, souvenir items for guests, a 20-minute video, personally-mixed dance music, etc. The list went on and on.

It was going to be perfect – just perfect.

And then Ondoy happened.

On our wedding day, Severe Tropical Typhoon Ondoy (International Designation: Ketsana) brought the worst rainfall to Metro Manila in the last 40 years – it brought moderate winds but hours and hours of extremely heavy rain. There was going to be flood. And no one was going to escape it.

Perfect.

At 9:00 o’clock in the morning, I received my first bad news. One of the guests couldn’t make it because the compound where he lived was already flooded and he couldn’t leave the house. He so wanted to make it but just could not find a way out. Shoot. Here we go.

Several other text messages were received. A good friend was trying to find a way through C5. She was already drenched and wading through the dirty waters. She was determined to still go and said she packed her gown in her bag. Another was stuck in traffic. Others couldn’t leave the mall where they bought their gifts. This was going to be bad.

Finally, I got a call from our wedding coordinator. She was still stuck in C5 along with some members of the team.

“Eli, majority of the guests and some of the suppliers are stuck in traffic. The situation is worsening by the minute as flood waters are raising everywhere. If we can’t make it on time, let’s move the ceremonies to 5PM. That’ll give a bit more travel time for everyone.”

I agreed.

And so we waited. But the rains wouldn’t stop – in fact, it got even more violent. From my window, an entire village by the Laguna de Bay was now flooded – like a soup bowl.

“The test had to happen on our wedding day,” I silently whispered. “What is it the You want to tell me?”

After a couple of hours, I received several other calls. More bad news – the reception area was now flooded and the way to the wedding location was simply impassable. The car that was supposed to pick-up my father and uncle was still stuck and has not moved from his location for hours. My best man tried his best to wade through neck-deep waters but was too dangerous to continue – he wouldn’t be able to make it. Our priest was stuck somewhere in Manila and there was also no way he was going to make it.

“Are we calling for a postponement of the wedding?” – I was asked.

A tear fell.

“I need to talk to my best friend.”

And so KY and I broke tradition. We met outside of her room. With a teary look on her face, we embraced and Indian-sat on the floor.

“What are we going to do? I don’t know what to do anymore. We’ve prepared so hard for this. We followed all traditions and all other superstitions – and yet this happened. Why does He have to let this happen?”

As I gazed upon her teary eyes, I knew that she knew that we answered the very questions we were asking. Our God was a jealous God – and that marriage was supposed to be between us and Him. It didn’t say plus other traditions and especially superstitions. It was supposed to be just the three of us.

And so our foreheads touched, and we held hands in prayer. We were sorry but thankful that our eyes were opened. In the midst of all the preparations, we forgot what it was all about. Of course! It didn’t have to be grand – we just had to prepare our hearts – and then He’ll take care of the rest.

Let’s do this.

We stood up and went into her room together. Inside were her immediate family, a couple of friends and relatives, and several suppliers who were lucky enough to have made it.

“We have an announcement to make.”

Silence.

“We know that the condition outside is getting worse and the celebrations may not proceed as planned. But KY and I talked, and we have agreed that if this is the first real test of our new lives together, then we will not back down. We don’t care if we have to wade through chest-high waters or if we get married 5, 8, or 11PM in shorts… No matter what happens, we will get married today.”

It was a leap of faith for both of us.

At that moment, phone calls were made left and right. Our 2nd photographer, Atty. Raymond Fortun, made a call to his wife to help look for an available church and priest. There was only one other church nearby that was available but we had to wait until 8PM after the 7PM-8PM mass ended. So be it. Thank you, Lord!

A call from the hotel operator informed us that our main photographers – Randall and the Mango Red team had arrived! They had to walk for more than an hour under the rains to get there! They were soaking wet but got help from a friend photographer, Chuck, who lent them dry clothes and became an instant driver/photographer for us! Now we had several photographer teams to help build and capture our smiles for us! Here we go!

KY and I rode my uncle’s 1967 red Ford Mustang to the church. It was only supposed to be my ride but the limo KY was supposed to use didn’t make it so we had to make do. We were like sardines in the small car but it didn’t matter – we were on our way!

When I entered the church, I saw flowers. Flowers! We were informed that they were not going to make it because the supplier’s house was already submerged in floodwaters. But somehow, some way, a couple of baskets of flowers were lined-up the aisle. A red carpet was rolled out for us and I heard music being played.

At exactly 8PM of September 26th 2009, under the heavy rains of Typhoon Ondoy, beside the loving guide of my mom, I waited at the end of the aisle for my best friend. And as Rascal Flatts’ Bless the Broken Road played in the background, I saw the door open to reveal my bride. Amidst the darkest of nights, there was my shining star and she was as bright and beautiful as daylight. I couldn’t believe we were going to get married! When she finally stood beside me, we didn’t hold hands. Instead, we embraced as tightly and lovingly like we’ve never done before – I didn’t know if we were even allowed to do that in the church before we exchanged vows, but it didn’t matter – we were never going to let go.

We expected about 350 guests for our wedding but only about 45 people witnessed the event – a little over 20 of them, suppliers. Several people who didn’t have original roles in the mass had multiple roles – the proxy best man was also in-charge of the veil, cord and offertory candle. Out of the 12 pairs of sponsors, only 1 pair was there to sign our certificate. It was as basic as basic can get. It was memorable!

As I write this today, my best friend and I are happily married. God indeed works in mysterious ways. In the end, it was faith, hope, and love that made it all happen. It really isn’t about how expensive the venue is or how nice the clothes are. Not the food, flowers, or car. It’s really about two hearts hoping, the Lord Almighty, and a couple of kindred spirits who are willing to brave the rain, walk the talk, and push forth to the battle cry “No matter what…”

To our family, friends, and angels with lenses – Atty. Raymond Fortun, Jok, & team, Randall & the Mango Red team, Cherryblocks, Ray & Bing Montes of Scenta, Amonn Velasco & team, Mich Lim and team, Maybelle Focasan & team of Go4Flowers, and Henry and team of Fanny Serrano, Teena Barretto and Hitched – thank you. Your teamwork and dedication to your craft were amazing things to see.

And to my Woobiedoo, the love of my life, we made it. It wasn’t how we planned it to be, but it certainly was how He wanted it to be – simple, intimate, humbling. No matter what will truly be remembered by many. I love you.

Post-Script

A month after Ondoy, my wife was again in her colourful gown and me in my suit. We were preparing to meet our guests inside the Victorian II ballroom of Fernbrook Gardens. It was raining confetti and there was thundering music. We could all smell the hearty food prepared by Center Table Catering while Slick Rick, Tony Tony, and Sam YG of Boys Night Out have started entertaining the guests who have finally arrived all tidied up. I knew then, that finally, it was going to be perfect – just perfect.

And then it happened.

Nobody by the Wondergirls started to play – and it was going to be our first dance. With it came the realization that for a guy with two left feet, this was going to be an even bigger tragedy.

Perfect.

Apologies to all waiting for our next batch of weddings. Will post ‘em one by one starting Monday, or as soon as my eyes get better. Happy saturday everyone!

As most of you may know, we just finished weeks 2 & 3 of our contest. And last night was unlike any other `WE working night` as our managing editor Kitten Zapata, editorial assistant Tin Roxas and I were glued to our laptop screens monitoring the vote count-off, 4 hours before the deadline (at midnight) and posting updates on the WE group FB page and our own.

One wedding supplier who was also a `pollwatcher` called last night a www.weheart attack moment =P.

Even my husband Eths, who`s almost always calm and quiet, was `peer-pressured` into being an opinionated poll watcher as well. He may not admit it, but I know he enjoyed it. No one I know can take a break from Plants Vs. Zombies during leisure time unless it`s really, really important or interesting. =P

Going back to the gist of this post, WE`d like to invite soon-to-weds, wedding suppliers and well, romantics at heart to join our Facebook group page (Wedding Essentials magazine: Group) to be updated on the contest, the magazine and the blog (should it exceed its bandwidth allocation again although we`re working to make sure it doesn`t). If you`re in for an exciting www.weheart attack moment like the ones poll watching the neck-to-neck battle of the `last-minute` votes last night, then pls. join for the free cardio!

WE`ve also lined up more contests, pocket events, make-overs, and a whole lot more fun stuff for you, our dear readers. Wait! Did I mention lots of give-aways in the blog yet? =P

So pls. join now by clicking on the link below:
Wedding Essentials Facebook group page

Hooray! More weddings, more fun!
We heart weddings!

Congratulations to all our finalists and thank you for bearing with us when the blog had 2 big hiccups (as Cyn called it, =P)

To all 5, 314 who voted this week, THANK YOU!

And to Cristina, Joed, Michelle and Romeo- Cheers to you four and time to bring out the bubbly!

We heart you all who heart weddings!

Cheers!

Cristina and Joed

Michelle and Romeo

Are you ready for this week`s beautiful weddings? =)

Did you miss us? WE certainly missed you, the blog and blogging!
Just to let you guys know what happened-

As you may already know by now, our blog exceeded its bandwidth after being back up for only 5 hours yesterday early morning. We’ve since asked our server to upgrade it to a much, much bigger bandwidth.

We at Wedding Essentials and www.weheartweddings.com anticipated the surge of visitors considering the number of finalists’ this week but not, or never, even in our dreams- to this extent. For this inconvenience, we apologize to all you dear brides who are in the poll finals, to those who wrote us, waiting for your stories to be posted and to all our readers who follow us.

Though we work hard to share with all you the best content possible in relation to our love for weddings, technical problems like this is very new to us, and therefore something we’ll need to work on extensively in the coming days. But rest assure that such ‘birthing pains’ will be over soon and www.weheartweddings.com will have a bigger capacity for inspiration and insights from stories and features to flow around in.

If there is one thing we’re very sure of at this moment, it is happiness that stems out of the overwhelming support we are receiving from our readers in cyberspace. Thank you to each one of you, as well as to your friends and relatives for visiting our blog either to vote, or just to browse through our past stories.

We’re getting more and more stories in from couples and we’re lining-up so many things (events, group discussions, stories!) for our readers that just thinking about it excites us so.

Thank you everyone and, here WE roll again….

Cheers!
Marbee and Cynthia
We heart, heart weddings!

P.S. Voting ends at midnight tonight, so to our finalists- you know what to do, =) Good luck!

Wedding of the Week(s) finalists for the week of May 17-21 are:

1. Christina Guzman and Joed Natividad

2. Sabs Hernandez and Paul Dy Liacco

3. Michelle Pineda and Romeo Pastoril

4. Cha Rigor and Ian Verdeflor

5. Len Perilla and Richard Jardenil

6. Christine Caspe and Jim Lam

7. Anna Valmonte and Marc Torroba

We will be awarding two winners this week, instead of one Wedding of the Week to make up for last week when posts couldn’t be uploaded to the blog due to technical problems. The winners will be the two weddings with the highest votes.

The poll will close on Monday, May 24 at midnight. Winners will be officially announced on May 25.

To the finalists: You all had your unique beautiful wedding and for that, all of you are winners in our book. Thank you for inspiring us with your own wonderful experience and for sharing with our soon-to-wed readers valuable tips and insights.

To the voters: Thank you for participating in our contest and hope you come back to our blog again

We heart weddings! Cheers!

Marbee and Cynthia