August 28, 2008

August 28, 2008
I would have wanted to get hitched todayy, which happens to be birthday also.

But the proposal came in late..taheee. Seriously, I simply want to get the feel of 888 phenomenon.

Yet, I realized, that my birthday is symbolic and my wedding is special. Can't mixed.

Anywayz, I just want to thank everyone for the birthday greetings.

It's the quietest birthday I have. No sparks, no celebration, no sounds. nothing. But I choose it this way.

It's different.

I look forward to enjoying friendship with you for many more of my birthdays.

Salamat.

Liberation

Folks, I survived the 2 grueling days, burning the midnight candle of my comprehensive exam. I am overly happy 'twas done!

The feeling is liberating.

Now, I am preparing for my Oral Rivalida.....
but I can eye back to my wedding preparations.

We are currently looking for our official wedding photographer.

Sacred Heart Church, Cebu Requirement

We were given a copy by Sacred Heart Parish Church on their wedding requirements and guidelines. Please check and this should be followed accordingly.

SACRED HEART PARISH
Address: 242 D. Jakosalem St., Cebu City
Contact info: (032)253-6479;254-3950 Fax (032)255-6366

GUIDELINES FOR WEDDINGS

Your marriage is a sacrament, a "sacred action". Everything in the celebration
(decoration, music,dress,picture-taking,etc.) should be in conformity with the
sacramental rite. Please read and follow these gyidelines carefully to ensure that your
wedding be properly celebrated according to the norms of the Church.

I. REQUIREMENTS BEFORE THE MARRIAGE:
1. Reservation by the contracting parties is made personally at the Office at least two months before the wedding.
2. Canonical Interview of the contracting parties by a priest of SHP is made one month before the wedding, with the Baptismal Certificate (new copy for the "marriage purposes") Confirmatio Certificate, Government Marriage License (or Marriage Contract if already Civilly Married) shown to the priest.
3. Certificate of Attendance of the one whole day and a half Pre-Cana of Sacred Heart Parish conducted every 2nd Saturday of each month 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. to Sunday 1:00 - 6:00 P.M. Only certificate of attendance in the Discovery Weekend or Weekend for the Engaged will be accepted in lieu of SHP conducted Pre-Cana.
4. Publication of marriage banns is made in the parishes of the bride and groom.
5. A writted permission from the Archdiocesan Chancellor (Office at Patria Bld.) is required for mixed-marriage (Catholic with non-Catholic), or if one is a non-Filipino citizen, and for those who cannot have the marriage banns published for serious reasons.
II. IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
1. TIME for the whole ceremony should be limited to one hour and fifteen minutes,from the processional to the end of picture-taking, to allow for another scheduled wedding to follow.
2. MUSIC & PHOTOS: All hymns before, during and after the wedding must be sacred music sung live, not recorded music. No secular song hits are sung in church. No music during the rite of marriage. Photographers should be properly dressed in polo or polo barong, not T-shirts, and not wearing shorts or slippers. Standing on pews is not allowed. They should be instructed to be careful not to distract the attention of the couple or the congregation from the sacredness of the ceremony and the Mass. Wedding coordinators, photographers and videographers must be licensed by the Commission on Worship. Refer to separate instruction for music.

3. The couple and the whole wedding entourage are reminded to dress modestly befitting the sacredness of the Sacrament and the Church. The dresses of the bride and entourage must be designed to cover the shoulders and back. Dresses should be below the knee and shall have no slits.

4. OFFICIATING PRIEST: If a pries is invited to officiate at the wedding, his name, address, and the number of the Certificate of Authority to Solemnize Marriage must be submitted to the Office no later than one week before the wedding. The priest's stipend is given to him by the contracting parties.
5. PRINCIPAL SPONSORS: One pair of legal sponsors is required who must be practicing Catholics. Additional sponsors are charged P100.00 each.
6. FLOWER GIRLS, RING AND ARRHAE BEARERS: Only flower girls, ring and arrhae bearers who have made their first Holy Communion can be part of entourage.
7. WEDDING SERVICES: P8.500.00 for weekdays;P10,000.00 for Saturdays. Sundays are for Parishioners of SHP only: P25,000.00. For Air-conditioning: additional P25,000.00 to cover electricity and maintenance. St. Francis Xavier Chapel (air-conditioned): P18,000 for weekdays and P20,000.00 for Saturdays (limited to 2 HRS.,surcharge of P1,000/HR. for succeeding hours). Downpayment of 50% is required upon reservation; deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable in case of cancellation. Wedding services include floral decorations for church or chapel and the wedding car. Please refer to separate guidelines for floral decoration. (Contact for decor: Lorna Tirol, Tel. 255-6802) A penalty of P100.00 will be charged for a change in the wedding schedule. The Office and the officiating priest must be informed of the change. Additional P100.00 electrical charge is required for use of video and other power consuming devices. Final payment must be paid 7 calendar days before the scheduled wedding date together with the submission of all requirements and complete list of sponsors.

This is a sample of their floral decorations.




8. MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE: Marriage Certificate must be checked by the couple before the wedding date. A copy of the Marriage Certificate will be available one week after the wedding.

9. SOCIAL HALLS: Two Parish Social Halls with tables and chairs are available for reception. An offering of P2,100.00 is expected for the use of each hall to assist in maintenance and electricity costs. A P500.00 deposit (non-refundable) is required upon reservation. The caterer has to be provided by the parties concerned. No sound system provided. No band allowed. Premises must be left cleand after wedding reception.

10. MISSALETTE/BOOKLET: If a missalette will be printed, it should be modeled after the official SHP Marriage Missalette (ask for a sample), and the proof submitted to the Office one month before the wedding. Couples are prohibited from composing their own vows. Lectors and psalmists should practice their parts and read them slowly and clearly. No commentators and commentaries are allowed.

11. There is no unity candle or bible blessing or any other extraneous rites added. Yugal or the cord should not be made of coins or o rosaries. Coin should be loose and placed only in a pouch, not in a cage. No offering of flowers and candles during offertory. Pew candle lamps are not allowed.

12. Use of rice, bird seed, confetti, flower petals are forbidden in any Catholic church and Church grounds. Releasing of doves, balloons, butterflies and bubbles and singing of love songs during or after the ceremony inside or outside the church is prohibited. This should be done at the reception.

wedding comparison

Wedding nowadays are getting more elaborated and glamorous. While checking some wedding ideas and items, I am completely amazed on how expensive are the tiny stuffs for wedding.

But you know, the earth is revolving. Yesterday is no longer the same day as today. The weddings before are totally different from the weddings now. Today, it's more organized, detail-oriented, sophisticated and creative.

Just like wedding gowns. Before, bride wears long sleeved white gown, with a long cathedral veil to cover their face and the entire body. The bride must be fully wrapped up to be presented to the groom.


Now, You have a variety of stylish wedding gowns to choose. Be it strapless, backless or off-shoulder with matching colored belt to emphasize your hips and a blusher veil to cover the bride's face. It's totally different now. You are "baduy" if you won't wear these kind of gowns.

I can understand the changes, especially that we are on the modern days where technologies are getting popular and wonderful. Wedding myths and superstitions are no longer tolerated and practicality is being considered.

While going through the process of my wedding preparations, I have listed here all the things I need to work on and include them on my wedding time-line. I am sharing this for your guide.

1. Wedding Date, Reception and Church
2. Attire (this includes, wedding gown, bridesmaid dresses, mother of the couple dresses, bridal shoes etc..)
3. Fashion & Beauty (wedding hairstyles, which includes, the wedding hair pins and clips etc)
4. Favors and Decorations (wedding giveaways, wedding decorations, wedding supplies
5. Flowers ( wedding flowers, wedding bouquets, wedding centerpieces, local florists
6. Honeymoon ( hotels, resorts, Flight schedules)
7. Invitation and Stationary (wedding invitations, wedding programs, thank you cards, table cards or place cards)
8. Jewelry, rings and Accessories (wedding rings, engagement rings, earrings, bracelet, necklace on the wedding day)
9. Music and Entertainment ( ceremony, reception, bands, hosts)
10. Photography and Videography ( wedding photographers, videographers, pre nuptial pictures
11. Registries and Gifts (wedding gifts, wedding gift ideas, bridal registry)
12. Transportation (bridal car, transportation for the guests and the entourage)
13. Vows, Speeches and readings
14. Wedding Planning tips ( wedding planning 101, wedding planners and coordinators)

Note: I haven't done all of those. I am only day dreaming of them sometimes. See my excitement?

Wedding News Flash

Yey! We finally had our contract Signing with Waterfront Hotel (for our reception). And we had our Church booked as well.

At last, everything is on the right place now. (grinning)

But I am letting you know that with the recent progress on our preparation, this forced us to change our wedding date for the third time!!! goodness!!--- to accommodate both our Church and reception.

Finally, we have them both free on January 31, 2009. Golly, I hope this would be the last.
I think it is.

January 31, 2009, that day I will do MY WALK.

Do you believe in Miracle?

Do you believe in Miracle? I do.
I have this video in my cellphone shared to me by sister.
This is Our Lady in Simala (Sibonga, Cebu) who is known t be very miraculous. This happened last June 13,2009. Just 2 months ago.

I got goose-skinned when I watched this. I love the scene of the Holy Child visiting his dearest Mother. This was taken by a first-time visitor of the place who wants to get souvenirs shots and videos by our Holy Mother. (Well, everyone does get a picture of Mama Mary whenever they are there) I myself, do that also. This time, the one who took the video amazingly discovered something.. watched Sto. Nino passed by. :-)

Many have a lot of speculations that this was edited and photo shopped but this all boils down to your FAITH.
It is an invisible, and invincible magnet that attracts to itself whatever it fervently desires and calmly and persistently expects.

I am a certified visitor of our Lady in Simala. It's a different feeling when you get there. Even when you know that your heart is grieving, seeing her is a blessed delight.

Keep your faith in all the beautiful things such as this. Miracles sometimes save us.

August 6, 2008 (holiday)

Announcement:

Tomorrow (AUGUST 6) is a non-working holiday here in CEBU.

It's the celebration of the 434th Founding Anniversary of the Province of Cebu. Therefore, it is declared that there will be no classes and work in the entire Cebu Province.

I will be visiting different churches tomorrow.

“My greatest weapon is mute prayer.”- Gandhi

The Bridesmaid gown design

By the way, this will be the design of the gown that I will be wearing next week for my family friend's wedding. Of course, YOURS TRULY, the bridesmaid again.

Their motif is "leaf green"

I think its always nice to come up with a design first of your gown, so you would know what style you really want and your seamstress would have a clear picture of what your gown will be.

Also, the seamstress would help you get an honest opinion about the kind of design which would suit you and flatter your stature, body and complexion.

Being a bridesmaid

I always end up being reception host during weddings or if not a commentator or a verse reader. Until such time I told my circle of friends "ENOUGH of me being a host". I want to be a bridesmaid.

Being asked to be a bridesmaid is really an honor and privilege. But wait, I remember the first time i was a bridesmaid was at Janice and Charles wedding last 2005 i guess. I was not asked, I VOLUNTEERED myself by the way. :-) Good thing the couple, was so kind to have me part of the entourage.

I love the role. Really. I always get excited wearing the gown, as well as assisting the bride. Being a bridesmaid, is not all about make ups, uniform gowns, or the searching for a cute groomsman. We have a role to do. a role to assist the bride as well as the whole affair. She can also be a confidant, adviser, doer, or giver of some tasks.

I was chosen to be a bridesmaid again by Ana (closefriend) on her wedding last year. Take note I was chosen this time,not volunteered and I was so helpful. Look, I am enjoying the role on this pic.


Next week, I will be having the same role again and I am preparing for it. These are some helpful tips I have learned to do by being a bridesmaid.

1. Choose the best diet for you.
( I have to sweat out for me to look great and make sure the gown fits)

2. Get excited to help choose the gown and its style.
(Generally, all bridesmaids have to wear the same gowns but it matters a lot when you like what you are wearing)

3. Play ahead with your hair. Think of a best hairstyle that looks great on you. As well as the colors that match your skin.
( Remember, most single men at the wedding check on the bridesmaid line -up. Who knows, it will be a start of your great love affair)

4. Do your role at wedding. Don't make it as a beauty pageant where you will only make "pac-cute" or do the cat walk from here to there.

5. Enjoy the wedding. It can be a chance to create wonderful memories and enhance friendships.

6. Make the bride happy on her day. It's a paramount.

Not so good days

I have been rattled with so many unfortunate situations lately...I can't help but cry.
No, these are not part of wedding frills..but I just can't help to have good days always.

Maybe these are just responses to frustration and exhaustion. I better shed all the tears now, so i can spill laughters later.