styling by amante fleurs

last post i just declared that i won't be posting about any wedding stuffs much. but, i happen to stumble upon a pending post i planned on making while i was arranging my files. and since i don't have much to do, might as well. haha XD

one of the top concerns my oso and i have for our wedding is styling. from the ambiance, thru lighting and type of music, to visuals. we wanted to make it us. we do not have a particular theme in mind. just snippets and snippets of our lives being in a collective place. it would be nice to have a stylist who can put it into an idea, making all things we love to have on our wedding relevant and matching. but a stylist is something we do not prioritize. it was a nice to have for us. with us deciding not having it a priority, we moved on.

but i guess God really made possible things for our wedding. He never said no to us whenever we pray over things we would want for our event.

those preparing would know that even if you do not happen to search for a stylist, you encounter them one way or another thru other suppliers you search for. of course, that happened to me too. but getting mother j was not thru the tedious research we did. he just happened to be the basic stylist of our caterer. we just happen to ask our ae who styles their flowers for their set-ups. i wanted to make specifics on what i want for the tables --even if i cannot get a stylist, atleast i can have a say on the tables. glad our caterer was very accommodating --so i requested if we can speak to their stylist. she gave us mother j's number without her saying that mother j was amante fleurs. :))

to make the story short, we visited mother j. happened to ask her packages and were surprised that we can get him on a price we can manage. God is good! we have a stylist! :))

i haven't seen mother j update their site much. so i guess posting these pictures might be helpful to some who will consider their services.

as i said, we do not have a particular theme since we want a lot of things, we cannot name it really. :)) but one thing we wanted was rustic --pinterest is a great influence on this. :))

i was also very particular with the flowers i wanted. and mother j was generous to give it to us. happiness!! :DD

let's move on! --we welcomed summer early :)

some friends are wondering what we do in our marriage. between work, groceries and chores on weekends, life is pretty much the same. we still date when we're not lazy, we meet friends when life permits and also spend time with our families. life is pretty good. :)

but today, let me just share our anniversary trip that happened last february. i know, so long ago. :)))

we headed to boracay for our 10 year anniversary. why boracay? it's because everyone always asks us to compare our out of the country beach shindigs with boracay and we cannot answer them because we haven't been. =)) --now we can answer you, friends. XP

this is our official first out of town trip that is just the two of us. no friends nor families with us, just oso and me. :) we decided to make this trip a very laid back vacation. no hurrying in the morning to catch on our itinerary, no tiring and restless activities, no too much photo ops. just enjoying the moment, spending time with each other and doing what we want at that very moment.

it was indeed a very happy and relaxing vacation for us. very on the budget too. no credit cards were harmed during this trip. wahahaha. XD

i love us. and i thank God that He continues to bless us despite things. i have learned so much from the past 6 mos of our marriage and i look forward to more lessons it will give. i can say i've matured and persevered more. and i like how i'm being due to these.

posting this made me remember that i have not posted about our bali "honeymoon" trip. =))

we were welcomed by a nice sunset by the beach. paraws are sailing this time of day.

if we're asked what will make us go back to boracay, it's the sand. best sand we've seen so far. \m/

morning of our 2nd day was spent on an island tour of boracay. not really island hopping but more of a morning sailing experience. very nice. :)

we were blessed with fine weather, God is good. :)

we had lunch by puka beach. so expensive the food, still can't get over it. T___T

then had a few photo sesh~~

on our 3rd day we headed to station 1. we love the sand there most so we went and did more sand and sea loving.

this is how i am mostly on our trip. tambay is part of my hobby. :))

in the afternoon, we paraw sailed. love sunsets forever. <3

in between these photos, there are times we don't even bring our camera nor our phone with us. so i can really only share a few. we have each other, what else do we need. <3

--i think i'm finally over our wedding. ok, don't take me wrongly. but i feel i need to move on from it now. i may share some of it someday again but i want this blog to move forward with me. because i feel that i'm having a more wonderful experience ahead with our marriage. so let this post be the start of something new. huzza!! :D

wedding cake and sweets buffet: toycakes by kiko

i love sweets, especially pastries. i eat cake almost every week, my oso can attest to that. :P

so a dessert buffet is really something i dream of having. it was a nice-to-have for us during the initial plans. but i was lucky to meet chef kiko on a time when he was having a dessert buffet promo (dessert buffet + wedding cake).
the story: i'm a tippy bride as i have said. chef happened to be at home when i was having my prenup make-up with tippy. i was with my oso and mom that time, and he was very kind to let us have some of his cupcakes while they wait for me to be prepped up.  they are the ones who got a chance to eat the cupcakes. it was so good, i never had a piece. =)) the next days, mom always asks us if we will get chef for our cake. chef captured mom's heart and tastebuds, hihi. :P

so we stretched our budget a bit --which we really discussed a few times before diving into. and i guess it was worth it. we had lovely cakes and pastries on our wedding. we did not require it to be dressed up. chef's creations are fantastic enough, it can do away styling. :)

so without further a do..

our wedding cake. --which i had never tasted, huhu.

small cakes as gifts for my entourage, same flavor as our wedding cake.

the desserts buffet i prioritized to take home. --3 of each kind :))

choco fountain and dips and cakes

our guests loved it, blockbuster! it was wiped out fast. =))

thank you chef kiko for making this wonderful things for us. :D

let us talk about the dress

now let us talk about the dress. ha! not mine but my girls in waiting's. :D

our color scheme for our church was peach and gray. so we do it in those colors.

let me show you my pegs first so you can compare. --how i thank the web for pinterest! i would not have blogged this without it. :))

for my maid of honor, minus the head piece. source.

for my secondary sponsors. source.

for my bride's maids, had it longer. source.

for my flower girls. source --error :((

and here are the dresses in real life, --bedazzled it a little bit. a girl loves a little sparkle of course. :) tell me what you think:

ze maid of honor, my sister. :)

i made her dress in coral so she will stand out. :P

my secondary sponsors. they requested theirs to have straps. :)

my bridesmaids and groomsman. better when longer, right? :D

and the cutie flowergirls. i will find a picture of them with their backs showing. :P

what do you think? did we get it right? in my opinion, i love how it turned out. our dressmaker was easy to talk to and they worked fast. no hassle nor stress. =)) we had measurements, first fitting and final fitting. love them! :)

i cannot put on a link regarding who made these for us since they are not on the web afaik. if interested, feel free to message. glad to give you their contact. :)

moral of the wedding :P

i owe a decent post since i update this blog very seldom.
i know i'm no expert in weddings, i only prepared mine so i cannot say i know everything. but then again, i pretty much gained a lot of things as we prepare. and since all is said and done, i think it's the right time for me to share what i have learned during the wedding preps. i'm doing this for myself. for the someday when i want to look back and remember, hihi. XD

--i really hope i can post all the things i promised by the next days. i really want to share the wife phase soon. hahaha. XD

the moral of the wedding preps:

1. have a realistic budget
-i want to address the men here first. guys, when you propose, after buying your lady her ring, make sure you still have money left in kickstarting your wedding plans. because believe me when i say that once your fiancee says yes, her wedding planning starts. =)) so better make sure you have some cash to let the plannings started. plus, it seems obvious that if a guy proposes, it only means he can afford a wedding. haha.
-decide how you will be funding the wedding. only the guy pays? the girl will shoulder some? or will you both fund it equally? will the family of both parties get involve in the funds? (disclaimer: in most cases, when you let your family shoulder a portion of your wedding, it's like giving them a say with the planning details. filipino weddings are also a family affair. so make sure you're up for it, it can't be helped.) what will be your fund source? it's best to discuss this at the early parts of your preps so both of you will know your grounds.
-wedding prep should be proportional to your budget. sure you do not have all the funds you want right now for your wedding. but can you attain it before the wedding day? and most importantly, can you go through all the preps without you both being in debt or in loan? have this in mind. :)
-when i say realistic, i'm addressing a budget you will both keep and be faithful to. because you'll see a lot of beautiful pegs and weddings while you search for your suppliers and i'm sure you'll be envious. envy can lead to wanting things you see from other people but cannot afford in the long run. my rule of thumb when i get to that point in planning: is it a priority? can it wait? is it within what we can pay? can we have our wedding with or without it?

2. plan your wedding date
-whether a significant date --anniversary, birthdays, etc; a holiday; a good season or your time of day --morning, afternoon or evening; it's your call. you wedding day will set a lot of factors on your preps like: budget, availability of suppliers and their rates, attending guests, etc.

3.book the big things first
-big things are the important things. for us, the following were the big things: church, reception venue, p/v, caterer. we based our big things on where the large portions of our budget will be. and the ones enumerated where that. it's easier to project the other details once you have all your big things. atleast you also get an idea on how much your wedding might cause.

4. find time to talk about it
-on most cases, wedding plannings are left to the women, guys do most of the paying. but it should never be that way. just think about the wedding preps as your marriage initiation. you should go through it together. if you will always think that your partner could do it alone or that it is better doing it by yourself, then most likely, that's how you'll start your marriage. remember, you'll be entering a lifelong PARTNERSHIP. you should conquer things together, you should work as a team. it'll help you grow as a couple. and at the end of it all, i'm positive you'll appreciate your relationship more as you learn your strengths and weaknesses. for me, i appreciate all the obstacles we had during the preps. it made me appreciate my oso more and it helped me be positive on the things to come.

5. God is in the details
-focusing on the big things does not mean you'll make the rest so-so. details are a make or break thing at certain points. yes, only on certain points but not on everything. hahaha. XD so CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES WELL. think it over. three times that same day, then another three on different days. so you'll be really sure and considerate.
-enjoy the wedding stress.  from choosing your wedding colors and theme to the flavor of your cake, it's stressful and demanding. of course, you'll only do this wedding once, what if you make a bad choice? you neeed to make it the best! so it's normal that you'll be stressed. =)) we alone, we had to change our color palette three times before we arrived with our final colors. my oso is so involved in our wedding preps --lucky me! :D --that we really need to be both happy on everything, haha. it even came to a point when we were so stressed with our wedding colors, that it was the only thing we discussed the entire night. =)) just remembering it as i write this makes me laugh. those things are nice to remember, i'm glad with all the stress our preps gave us. you'll just laugh it of when the wedding is over. it'll be a good memory after everything is done. XD
-plan ahead and be honest with yourself. be on the dot with your list. you cannot say you're busy with work or that you're only free on weekends that's why things you planned were rushed. you don't want to be doing your wedding souvenirs 'til 1am of your wedding day. you need sleep! as i said, choose your battles. if you know that it wil take your time, make sure to give it time. if you're good with crafts and you're creative, try DIY. you'll find it enjoyable and fulfilling. if you know yourself well, alam mo kung kailan mo niloloko sarili mo, if you know you can't commit, don't push it. not because you're on a wedding high, you'll let your emotions take over your rationality. if you can't, find an alternative or just let it go. time and cash wil be saved. :)
-ask help and deligate. family and friends are good labor force during this point in life. =)) their help could make the planning easier. :D

6. build a relationship with your supplier
-not because you're paying them, you're above them. remember, they'll help you make your dream wedding come true. if they do not like you, they will not deliver their best. lugi ka sa binayad mo. your loss.
-if they like you, they will remember you. i'm sure you're not their only client. if they remember you, it's less likely that they'll miss out on your requests. :)
-take care of them on your wedding day. make sure they eat and drink. perhaps you've experienced being hungry and you need to work? the grumpy feeling, who wants that?

7. you cannot please everybody
-no matter how hard you'll try, people will always have something to say. just keep in mind that the most important persons that needs to be happy on your wedding day is you and your better half. you do not want to look back on your wedding and say that most of the things you wanted were not done on your wedding because you listened way too much on others' opinions.


i've been doing these on 3 separate days now, making sure i did not forget anything. =))
but if i did, i'll update. :D i hope i made a difference on your weddings preps --even in the slightest! :P

e-sesh snippets

i know, i know, it's already 2014 and almost four months since the wedding day and i still have a lot of promises i haven't kept. i'm doing my best. but life made me forget. haha.

so let me make up for it by posting some of our prenup photos first since i haven't posted that and i don't need a lot of  words to let it happen. =))

our shoot happened around summer 2013, one may afternoon. when the sun was overpowering the entire metro manila. we were sweating and all. but for our peg to come true, we need mr. sun. so we embraced him through and through. XD

photos courtesy of filterpan photography. hair and make up by tippy. will enlarge it than usual for better aesthetics. :D