Reception venue DIY decors

WARNING:  This post will be loaded with lots of pictures.

If money were not an issue, how would you want your reception decors to look like?

Now at 10 months before our planned wedding date, M and I still haven't finalized where our reception will be. All we know is that we want it on the 30th day of August next year, which is also the third and final year of us being boyfriend/girlfriend.  Right now I can only tell you that we want to get married at the Evangelical Church inside the Fort Bonifacio Army Camp.  For the reception, we're considering the nearby Army Officers' Clubhouse which is about 5 minutes away from our church.  Or may be the lovely Atrium of the Enderun Colleges which has garnered quite a number of good reviews for food, venue and service.  If these don't work out, plan B is to do both the ceremony and reception at Light of Love Events Place in Quezon City.  The ceremony will be held at the Integrity or Love function room, then have the reception at the Atrium.  Ah, the options!  And because we haven't finalized the venues yet, I still do not know what to do for my big day as of now.  But thanks to some pictures of our past Junior-Senior promenades, I have some bit of inspirations as the decorations we used for those events were purely DIY projects of the decoration committee.

Here are some snippets:

2008 Juniors' Night @ The Valle Verde Country Clubhouse 

The Valle Verde Country Clubhouse is a bit of an old structure.  But it's really beautiful and elegant.  It's surprisingly affordable too.  When we had our Juniors'Night there in 2008, we paid for set meals at around Php 200 per head.  That rate already includes a generous serving of 3 courses including pasta, rice, dessert, bottomless iced tea and coffee.  They have an in-house caterer so everything was smooth and easy.

For our school's first prom, the decor committee hung drapes in the ceiling, and used sinamay as flower pots and invitations.

It was a bit dark when I took this pic as we my cam is a bit lowtech.  But the lighting effect on the drapes was nice.  The lights and sounds supplier did well too, especially during the dancing part.

Blue and yellow gold touches for the cocktail set-ups

Sinamay decors for the names of the guests, invitations and flower pots.

We just asked the caterers of VVCC to use blue cloths for the tables.

DIY table numbers, invitations and flower pots for guest / students' tables

Nice lights

Another angle

For the backdrop of the stage, the decor committe bought balloons and had them placed on the floor.  They also cut out a silvery material bought from National Bookstore for the lettering of Juniors' Night.  The yellow logo was a cut-out based on their design, while the flowers were styled by one of the decor committee members.

Lobby area of VVCC

2009 JS Prom @ The Glass Garden

The Glass Garden is a popular events venue in Santolan, Pasig.  It really lives up to its name.  From top to bottom it is enclosed in glass.  But you get the garden feel too, minus the worries about rain.  The strengths of this venue are: beauty of the place, ample parking, super cool airconditioning, and nice staff.  What I just didn't like is the price.  It charges a hefty Php 80,000 for 5 hours of use.  Additional Php 5,000 will charged to your account for every hour extended.

Because we had such a humongous venue, the decor committee had to work double time to beautify the place.  Here's how it turned out:

White / silvery drapes for the ceiling

White Japanese lanterns bought at Divisoria....

The gold circles were DIY.  The teachers cut out big circles, then covered them in gold glitters.

All flower arrangements were DIY.  The teachers sprayed blue food colors and paints on white mums, that's why we had blue flowers for that night.  Amazing!

DIY flower styling and drapes on the tables

See the blue-green flowers on the stairs? They were just sprayed on.  Blue fabric on stairs were DIY too.

Beautiful!

I just can't get enough of the ceiling decors!

Nice ceiling decors!  I love them!

Close up shot of the flowers that were styled and colored/sprayed with blue and green food colors by the teachers.

2010 JS Prom @ The Pasig Sports Arena

In 2010, we held our JS Prom at the basketball court right beside our City Hall.  Yes, you read it right:  a big. big basketball court.  We just covered the basketball rings with bronze and gold fabrics, then laid out carpets on the floors.  With simple but carefully-planned designs, it was like being transported to the function hall of a hotel.  Thanks to our decor team, the event was memorable because the students and even teachers were taking photos of the venue.  I myself couldn't resist taking shots!  Here they are:

Stage as styled by the teachers.  The balls on the floor were made by sinamay.  Gold and white / cream fabrics from Divisoria.  Tarpaulin for the backdrop. 

Bronze and light gold fabrics on the walls.....who would even think this was a basketball court?

Sinamay balls for the ceiling decors.  Remember them from last year?

A different shot of one of the walls of the place....

Lighting effect on the sinamay balls....

Stage

Loose twigs from Divisoria

2011 JS Prom @ Silver City

Silver City is a few steps away from Tiendesitas.  It's actually a strip of a building (is it a mall?), and is located at the corner of Julia Vargas and C5.  It's a huge, huge place, but because there are curtains all over, you have no view of what's outside.  It costs Php 80,000 to rent it for 5 hours, but it's also negotiable.  What we did to cut costs is to source out everything else.  For the 2011 prom, we had a Hollywood theme.  The stairs leading to the Silver City hall were decked with stars bearing the teachers' names!  The decor team did a great job copying what the original ones looked like in California.  Too bad, I didn't get to take a photo of that one.  But here are some snippets:

Mock table set-up by the caterer

Black and gold color scheme for a movie star / Hollywood-themed party

Film reels and stars, including letterings, were DIY from paper, cardboards and other materials from Divisoria and National Bookstore

Actual set up

White Japanese lanterns at the ceiling....

Tarpaulin backdrop

Table set up again

Close up shot

Students' table set-up

A view from my table

The lobby --- which served as a nook for the 'photobooth'

Hay.

I wonder how my own reception party venue will look like  :-)

How We Spent Year 2

Last August 30, Sweetie and I celebrated two years of togetherness. I thank God that despite coming from different backgrounds, opposite personalities, and many other differences, M and I also have our own share of striking commonalities which have made us click and draw closer to each other.  We have had more than our share of small fights and snubbing, but I can only praise God that He really sustains our relationship, because by His grace we have made Him the center of it.  That for us is the single ingredient that has made so much a difference in our two-year relationship.

M and I started out as friends, and I believe this has made us better as partners too.  We started off with just friendship in mind, and I am so glad that it blossomed into something more beautiful --- in His time.  There was no flirting, no put ons, no pretensions --- just honest motives to interact and have fun, which eventually became something that was meant for exclusivity.  I wasn't looking for love when I met him; I was serious on serving God and I gave Him my complete and undivided attention, not knowing how he would cook up a plan on how I would later on meet my perfect match.  I gave God the authority and freedom over my life (including love life!), and it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.  God gave me so much more than I could ever ever ask for, and to this day I can only smile and thank Him for giving me more than what I deserved.

I pray that all single people reading this blog would give themselves completely unto God first, before giving their hearts to another.  And I pray that God would be the center of their (and your) relationship, as this is the only way to preserve and protect it.

Happiness in a relationship has a time-tested formula after all.  It is happiness = God at the center.

Okay now, back to regular programming. 

As promised, I am now publishing some of the pics we took during our anniversary lunch cum lakwacha last August 30.  I must warn you though that we take pleasure in the simplest things; hence, the pics are really just ordinary things we like to capture in between flashes.  :-)

For our 2nd year anniversary, we choose to eat at Pepper Lunch Shangri-La Mall branch.  The store was almost empty when we arrived at around 12NN, but a few minutes later it was brimming with hungry customers.

Pepper Lunch has a very straightforward approach.  No fancy frills.  Just good food and simplicity.

Hahaha a useless pic just to show you I was there

This shot turned out quite dark, but it was actually very bright inside the store.

My baby's order was beef curry.  I am engaged to a very simple guy.  Just give him beef curry, and he'll be fine.

See?  Hungry little hippo  :-D

I told him to mix it so he can grill the meat....the aroma coming from the curry was really inviting!  

I had beef the night before, so I ordered chicken curry for myself.  Yum yum yum....

I took a pic of the instruction that comes with the hot plate when it is served to you.

I love it that they used disposable glasses.  NO to plastic!

Yes, great value indeed.  For about P400, we had our stomachs full. We'll definitely be back, Pepper Lunch!

After lunch, we headed to Bonifacio High Street at The Fort. We rode a bus going to Ayala MRT Station, then boarded a Bonifacio High Street bus which charges P12 per pax.

Happy me.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take any pics of our BHS lakwacha.  Apparently, there are areas there that charge for pictorials, since the place is becoming popular for prenups.  So I didn't bring out the camera.

On our way home, I asked Sweetie to have our photos taken at the Fujifilm Studio in Megamall.  One of the pictures from our pictorial was in this previous post. 

Happy anniversary, Sweetie!  I love you  :-)

Two Can be Such a Good Number...

2011 Anniversary Portrait

 
I haven't blogged about it in detail, but yes, last Tuesday, August 30, we turned two.  Isn't it amazing?
I could still recall that precise moment when Sweetie and I met at a Bible study being formed in New Manila, met up again in one of the premiere universities in our country, went out on a date and talked about life and our faith in a coffee shop in Katipunan on that hot afternoon of April 19, 2008, and as they say, the rest was history. It's been a wonderful twenty-four months being in an exclusive dating relationship with such a godly, humble, affectionate and level-headed man who is God's answer to my prayer. 

Happy anniversary, Sweetie.  I love you!
あいしています、マテオーさま！

The Five Love Languages

Does your partner feel loved?  If you answered yes, let me ask the follow-up to that question:  what do you do in order to make your partner feel loved?  Is this the kind of thing that he / she wants you to do for him / her? 

One of the many things that I truly appreciate in my relationship with M is that he tries to really know me, do things that really please me, and just love me the way I want to be loved.  Our Monday night dates would always be short and sweet, but he finds creative ways to get to know me better and deeper.  There are times when he asks me straightforwardly so he can find out more info; at other times, he just observes and concludes, then discusses with me what he thought about, and whether it is true or not. I am really thankful to God for giving me someone who tries his best to meet my emotional needs in a way that does not overshadow how God provides for everything that I could possibly ask for.    

I'm no relationship guru, but one of the best things I've learned is this: whatever type of relationship we are in (as romantic couples, as parent-child, as brother-sister, etc.), if we want the other person to feel loved, we need to find out what is his / her love language, and "speak" it.  Be consistent with it.  Be intentional about it.  Love must be mutual in order for a relationship to be successful, and how can we make it succeed if the other party does not feel loved in spite of all the efforts we've been doing?

Loving someone is both a task and a decision; there are lots of hard work to do, and a good and lasting relationship requires the deliberate effort of the people involved in it.  If we give 110% in our careers, shouldn't we do the same to our love lives and relationships?  Love isn't just a matter of expressing it any way you want to; it has to be done in a way that clearly and consistently communicates your love, dedication, affection and fondness for the other.  It is a language that you have to speak, and one that the other person must fully understand.  For instance, what good is it to keep buying her flowers, when all she wants is for you to give her your full attention whenever she talks?   

I've heard countless stories of people breaking up, or getting in a violent fight or too many arguments (things that can potentially destroy any relationship), which could have been avoided if only people learn this important principle:  know your loved one well enough to do what he / she wants you to, and therefore, make emotional deposits into his / her love bank as often as you could.  We all experience days when it feels as if the love bank has just gone empty with too many withdrawals (ie, arguments, misunderstandings, etc.), and speaking the kind of love language that your partner has is one of the best things a person in a relationship can do to further nurture and nourish your love. Some people feel most loved when you give them quality time.  Others need to be affirmed by receiving gifts from people who matter to them.  Some people are touchy touchy type, so physical contact matters a lot to them.  Others need to hear your words of assurance and affection every so often.  And finally, there are those who feel most loved when the people who matter most to them help them carry out tasks.  People may sometimes speak not only one, but as many as three love languages.  Whatever their love language is, the bottomline is this:  if you want a successful relationship --- one that is continually growing and maturing --- then make your loved one really feel LOVED.  And one of the best ways to do that is to find out his / her specific love language(s).  Curious?  Click here to find out what is your love language.  You can also try more specific tests (ie, for singles, wives, husbands, children, etc) from this site.

Mr M gave me this huggable dog we named Choco last summer.  No reason at all.  ;-)  He just wants to give me a dog to hug as I sleep. To date, I think I have about 5 dogs and a big white teddy bear --- all coming from him.

Pardon the cheese, but he also grabbed this one the moment we stepped in Papemelroti.   We both are fond of dogs, though ironically, neither of us owns one.  Not even a puppy.  He said someday we will.  In the meantime, this brown pooch is him, and the one white is me.  ;-)

I took the 5 love languages test, and it revealed what I had known all along:  my love languages are receiving gifts and quality time.  Good thing I have a beloved who pampers me with small and big surprises every now and then  ;-)

I am just so glad that even when I was still single, my cell group leader from church taught us the 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman.  That best-selling book went on to sell millions of copies, and has been rewritten to fit different kinds of reader.  So now there's 5 Love Languages for Teenagers, for Singles, for Married People, for Men, for Children, and most recently, an edition that lets you discover your apology language.  About two years ago I bought myself the original one, The 5 Love Languages paperback edition for only Php 400.  That book has been read by a couple of friends and officemates who responded positively when I told them about it. Many of the principles from that book still ring true today.  I am so glad Mr. Chapman expanded it such that we now have The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, God Speaks Your Love Language, The Marriage You’ve Always Wanted, The Family You’ve Always Wanted, How to Really Love Your Adult Child, and a couple of other relationship-related books which I would want to have in my personal collection.

If you don't know your or your partner's love language, or if you want to further improve your relationship with anybody (not just your fiance), I have four practical suggestions:
1.)  Take the love language test.  It's really very simple.  Click here.  No cheating please.  Let your partner also take it separately.  Then discuss the results.  Affirm and confirm. 
2.)  Immediately apply what you have learned about yourself and your partner from the test.  Please be deliberate and intentional as possible.  And the best time to do it is NOW.
3.)  Check out your local bookstore.  Start with National Bookstore or OMF Literature, Inc.  Or visit the Christian bookstores nearest your place.  Or go online via Amazon or other reliable online sellers.  Buy yourself a copy of Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages in the edition of your preference (Original edition, Edition for Teenagers, for Singles, for Men, etc.)
4.)  Are you a frequent blog reader?  Then add The Five Love Languages Blog to your blogroll.  

All images of the books were taken from the Five Love Languages Official Website.  The rest have been taken by me.

Double delights: a pre-wedding seminar and a prenup pictorial!

Marriage is supposed to be for keeps.  It's a lifetime commitment for better or for worse.  So how do you make it last and weather all sorts of trials and problems?

Honestly, I do not know the answers.  Of course, we need to put God in the center of our relationship, and to follow Biblical principles for marriage and parenting.  But the truth is, I know I'll never know what to do until I myself am there in that situation.  So it's best to be prepared beforehand, even at least in theory, to avert all sorts of troubles that may be avoided.

M and I both agreed that we need a lot of marriage counseling, as there are problems and concerns which might find their way into our marriage and cause friction between the two of us.  Thankfully, we have a lot of support from our family and friends, and even churchmates, who pray for us always and are ever-ready to give Biblical advice.  I really thank God that He has given me a man with whose faith I share, and with whose principles I agree.  I am also grateful to God for giving me so many ideas even before I got into a relationship with M!  Yes, I attended all the parenting seminars of my church.  Why, even the sermon series these days are about parenting and taking charge of your family / group! 

When I brought up the topic of a pre-wedding seminar to M, he was naturally for it.  Thank God!  So last Wednesday, I finally had free time in the afternoon so I went to BDO at SM Megamall  and paid the downpayment for what is going to be one of the best decisions M and I have made for our wedding preparations. You see, we both signed up for Before I Do pre-wedding workshop as we know that marriage goes beyond feelings and emotions.  It's a lifetime commitment before God, our families and friends, and we have to be determined to keep this marriage at all costs.

Before I Do is a pre-wedding workshop the aim of which is to educate couples about the many facets of marriage based on sound biblical principles. I didn't know that it was conceived by my churchmate and one of my favorite photographers, John Mateos Ong and huis wife Monique.  The workshop includes topics like Sex & Marriage, Financial Responsibility, Communication, the Five Love Languages, and Biblical Roles of Husband and Wife.  The workshop is interactive because after each topic, participants break up into small groups for either an activity or sharing of experience and shared reflections. Check out what it is all about from this website.

For only one thousand and five hundred pesos (PHP 1,500), M and I can participate in this seminar-workshop on November 5 and take home freebies too.  Wow!  I was literally running to BDO Megamall to hand over my payment.  Only twenty-five (25) couples may be accomodated every workshop, so I was really relieved when we were still taken in.   

And here's the part I like the most:  we get to have free prenuptial photo shoot anytime between November 2011 and April 2012 (except holidays and week ends).  Praise God indeed!  I couldn't stop saying wow while reading their confirmation email.  A free prenup from Before I Do means that I now have two prenups!  Remember, I won a prenup pictorial a few months ago?

So now I have a hundred and one more reasons to slim down and stay fit....I better look good in those two prenups hehehe ;-)

I you and your H2B are serious about preserving your upcoming marriage, do check out Before I Do.  It runs only every April and November.  Hurry, reserve your slot before it's too late!

Piece of Cake?

Simple, timeless and elegant cakes by Elizabeth Anne Designs

What will your wedding cake look like?  Do you have a design in mind, or are you giving the bakers free reign?  Is it going to be a three-tiered delight, or a five-layered treat?  Will it be a carrot cake, plain chiffon, caramel, or any other specific flavor?  Will it be the cake you'll be availing from your caterer (usually included in the package), or are you having it customized from a different supplier?

Way back when I still didn't have a boyfriend, I already knew what I want my cake to look like.  It'll look like the picture from Elizabeth Anne Designs which I posted on top.  Simple, fuss-free, minimalist.  But then since joining Weddings at Work, my tastes have evolved.  Choices for cakes have become so wide range that every now and then I shift from the minimalist design to the uber grand, and back.  And to think it's just a cake!  We're not even talking yet of how much should be spent on a supposedly simple concoction formed out of mixing butter, eggs, sugar and milk.  

If only I have enough moolah to spend, I have no doubt as to who will bake my cake the day I marry Mr. M.  It's Joy San Gabriel, bar none.  Just look how yummy and visually appealing her cakes are:

 I love how this cake captures what husbands ought to do hehehehe  :-)  Panalo, di ba?  ;-)

It's pink, and I like it.  Cake + cupcakes + cute cake toppers.  I just love how elegantly Joy combined all three without making them look like some kiddie's birthday cake

I want one!

Wow, look at all those yummy sweet treats from Shauna Younge Dessert Tables

 Talk about color coordination and presentation

Now here's the catch.  The cheapest wedding cake I found from the most reliable sources in the wedding industry costs Php 5,000.  Whaaaatt?????? It sounds so scandalous to me!

With that price tag, I don't know about you, but cakes are and will definitely NOT be on my list of priorities for my wedding.

When M and I started listing down the wedding items which we could scrimp on to save more money for our after-wedding life, one of the things that came to my mind was the cake after I found out that it costs almost the same as one whole lechon already.  After all, it's just the two of us who will slice and enjoy it for ceremonial purposes.  It's just a less than 3-minute feature in our wedding and before I could even swallow a spoonful of it, we're onto the next part of the festivities.  Budget brides like me just can't afford to spend so much on a piece of item that will probably end up being given away to guests or being brought home by my relatives right after M and I eat a mere spoonful of it.  I just can't accept the fact that I will be paying Php 5,000 for a cake with only a single layer edible  (the other two tiers are just made of styrofoam).

So what are my options?

I'd probably buy a couple of cakes in various flavors and serve them buffet style:

 For those with sweet tooth, check this out!  Cake Buffet from Marlene's Fans Club

 I'm having a pink-themed wedding with hints of green, and thanks to this picture of a cake buffet by Project Wedding, I'm getting some ideas on how to execute my big day.  Perfect.  :-)

 The more, the merrier.  That seems to be the dictum of whoever prepared this delectable spread.  Photo taken from the Flick account of ♥ he@rt ♥

 

 Cakes with a Japanese twist.  Photo by Bryan Lyt

 We're having a Japanese-themed wedding, so maybe I can take a cue from this picture, eh?

Now when all else fails, I can rely on one of my favorite local brands, Red Ribbon cakes, for my wedding.  Think of how many cakes I can buy with just Php 2,000 ---- and they're all edible, so our guests can enjoy these sweet treats, as opposed to shelling out Php 5,000 for a three-tiered cake with only one layer edible.  
 

Source:  article.wn.com

Ah, and let's not forget another favorite:  Estrel's caramel cakes.   Wow, composing this blog alone makes me want to pick up the phone to place an order....

M always gives me roses.  Maybe I can incorporate that detail in the cake for our wedding like what this picture shows....

A pot of roses for a cake.  Brilliant idea from Estrel's.

See how very affordable Estrel's cakes are based on their price list:

Writing this post got me all thinking.  What do I really want for a wedding cake?  Apparently, there's too many options to explore.

If only deciding about this matter is a piece of cake  ;-)