Days 27-33: DIY Hair Do

A great peso-saving quirky idea is to know exactly what you want to look like on your wedding day. To be fair, a lot of Western brides who opt for rustic barn weddings make it a point to have their "do" and make-up made by themselves. 


Yes, in my vain effort to look for great ideas to shorten our expenses for our allotted budget, I've stumbled upon this great blog from a lady named Cinthia Truong. She has a fantastic sense of hair styling that the fashion goner in me felt hope will spark once I try and follow her lead. And so I did. Of course, my attempt to doing her "do" was a major fail but I'm not giving up on doing it allover again.


Thus, a week of hair styling for my 365 DIY challenge begun!

Day 27: Hair with a Twist. This style is perfect for that clean and chic cocktail look. Twisting the hair in this manner is super easy and unique. Goodbye common curls, hello twisted hair!

Day 28: Princess Wedding Do. Want to look like a Renaissance woman or a Medieval princess? Go ahead and try this braiding technique and hair puffing! This one is great for that elegant youthful look a bride hopes for on her wedding day.

Day 29: Bohemian Do. I, personally, am a huge fan of curls; however, I would want mine to be spiced up and not look that familiar. This tutorial seemed to be perfect for my penchant. The romantic bohemian braids prepared in this vid is really easy to follow. I'm yet to perfect the "do," though. *wink* 

Day 30: Romantic Curly Bow. This will have to be my favorite style among the bunch. For one, it really looks sophisticated. Likewise, it looks lovely and unique!

Day 31: Quick and Easy Bun. A bride-on-the-go might want to have a quick and easy wraparound technique to utilize in styling her hair. This "do" is simple, yet it looks a tad bit complicated. 

Day 32: Prom Bride. For those who want a fresh-looking "up-do," this tutorial is nothing but perfection. The braiding technique is really simple that this "do" is also great for the prom night look. 

Day 33: Cute Top Hat Do. For those creative brides out there, try this mini top hat do with your very offbeat attire. Lovely! 

Source: Cinthia Truong
Posted on 2/17/12 at 6:00 PM

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In the Scope: OsepMimi Photography

They say the Philippines is home to many talented artists. True to this saying, a team of briliant and quick-witted photographers is becoming more and more famous among soon-to-be husbands and wives. Osep and Mimi Photography has been a favorite of budget-conscious brides-to-be.

The duo features colorful non-traditional shots that magnifies the beauty and serenity of any event. My friend, Norly, got their services last week. I'll have to say the pics are nice (saw them on his blog). The team is actually a good choice, but our budget wouldn't permit us to have them graciously take our official pics.

Contact Nos.: 0947-8128910
Contact Person: Joseph Rey Villaruz
E-mail: osepmimiphoto@gmail.com

More info at The Osep and Mimi House

Posted on 2/10/12 at 4:00AM

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Days 24-26: Cheap Invi Ideas

Doing your own invitation is probably a very good budget-wise decision for everyone whose into cutting their wedding expenses. For one, wedding invites can be crafted accordingly. Also, there are tons and tons of available sources one can find online and off-shelves.

Here are some nifty ideas I grabbed online! Credits are not mine by the way.

Day 24: Lady Bug Invi Idea

This is a very helpful guide for couples who wish to incorporate the "love bug" theme in their wedding. Likewise, this is perfect for those who have red and black as their motif. I kind of like the idea of using this one; however, we're on the black and yello shades and I doubt that a black and yellow lady bug would look nice (though there really are black and yellow lady bugs)!

Day 25: The Petal Card

For brides and grooms that are having a floral-themed wedding, this tutorial I've nabbed online is one great treat! It basically provides a step-by-step guide as to how to create a petal card. Very easy to follow yet oozing with creativity!

Day 26: Pocketfold Envelops

Using pocketfold envelops has never been outdated. Couples may use these over and over again without hurting much of their financial pie. It's really simple and can be a great DIY bonding activity for soon-to-be husbands and wives.
Posted on 2/10/12 at 7:00 AM

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Would Be Venues Part 1

It's already 11 months before our supposed wedding event but we're left without any progress.

Our supposed progress of finding a church and reception venue has crumbled with the down with fate with Makati Parks and Garden. Had the City of Makati's Office decided not to renovate the Pavilion, we wouldn't have this problem.


Since this is the case, we are putting our thinking caps and wander boots on for the enth time to find the venues fit for our budget and taste. To name a few of our forthcoming sojourn, here are some of our target venues:


Sta. Ana, Manila {The Proximate Candidates}
Sta. Ana Church: Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
Address: Pedro Gil St., Santa Ana, 1009 Manila, Philippines
Telefax: +63 2 564-4203
Vicariate: Holy Family
Feastday: May 12

Taken from Dontrivino

 The facade worth capturing

Beautiful. I may want to walk down this old church.

Memories of the past

The same long-stretched altar where my mom and dad walked at during their wedding rites. Am I fated to walk down the same aisle?

Pros:
1. This is very old-looking perfect for the shutters to capture.
2. The ambiance inside is very solemn.
3. I grew up wandering in and around the church's premise until I've started attending services at the Holy Cross Parish near Francis' home.
4. Parking space is really plenty.
5. Near the residence of my and Francis' relatives. Easy commute!


Cons:
1. Difficult to find for those from QC area.
2. The roads and streets leading to this church are not that spacious. Traffic might be a problem for some attendees.


Jardin 'd Isabel

 Taken from Pahinaphotos

Pros:
1. Near Sta. Ana Church; hence, the attendees will no longer have to travel (or be lost on their way) to get to the venue.
2. The ambiance is clean and very private. Great for intimate parties!


Con:
The residential area has a lot of bystanders, which may make other attendees turned off.
*** Haven't seen yet so I'll just update in the future. 

Aerial view. Oooh YELLOW! Just like our color!

A treehouse?!? Great! Now, I'm starting to root for this venue!

A hut definitely accentuates the entire reception area.

Ramon Magsaysay Hall, Paco, Adamson Church {The Conventional Choices}
Adamson Church: San Vicente de Paul ParishAddress: 959 San Marcelino St., Ermita, Manila, Philippines
Postal Address: P.O. Box 2013 , 1060 Manila, Philippines
Telefax: +63 2 525-7853
Vicariate: Nuestra Señora de Guia
Feastday: September 27

The exterior. Taken from Senor Enrique

Pros:

1. Long aisle means long bridal march.

2. Breezy interior ambiance.

3. Bright lighting.

4. Spacious parking area.



Cons: 
1. Serves as an adventure for people who are unfamiliar with this place.
2. Might be a little bit more challenging to commute to this place.

Snatched from Glitchline

Ramon Magsaysay Hall, Roxas Blvd.
1680 cor J. Quintos St. Roxas Blvd., Malate
Tel.: 521.3166

The hall, naked to the public eye

 RMCH with sophisticated styling

Pros:
1. Enclosed so any change in the weather will not make the ocassion sour.
2. Wide and easy to style.


Cons:
1. A bit pricey at around 20k for us.
2. Very popular so the competion to win over this is quite close.


Paco Park Church and Garden:  St. Pancratius Chapel

The antique cradle inside the walled haven of a busy city

Pros:
1. Very solemn and peaceful inside the park.
2. The parks serves as a photo-worth backdrop for the picture-taking.


Cons:
1. Might be difficult to visit for other attendees.
2. A popular choice among many brides-to-be.
3. The aisle is too short.

Inside the antique facade lies a very solemn and intimate place for exchanges of vows.

Now, we're yet to visit each of these places as we continue the chase for the 2013 venue of our nuptial. Hoorah!!!  

*** These pictures are not mine. Copyright is reserved to the rightful owners. Thanks Mr. Google!
Posted on 2/9/12 at 5:03 AM

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Days 21-23: Origami Art to Fancy Any Wedding

Francis and I are so decided in having a DIY-ed wedding. Though he doesn't really say much when it comes to the venue selection, he always manages to put his insight on the table. It's rather odd that we haven't torn our heads off at this point in time with our usual indecisiveness and differences.i

We can (in fact) go on and on regarding how ravishing some DIY projects are. For once, I want to incorporate a very unique guestbook idea and perfect the art of fabric and paper flower making. On top of this, we've really wanted our wedding to center on our love story and creativity. Thus, paper cranes came to my mind!

Paper cranes are very hopefulfilling for many Asians. They say that if you religiously fold 1000 paper cranes, then your true heart's desires will become a reality. Sounds snazzy, right? Well, this seems to be a very interesting adornment in the reception (and probably a sound theme to implore in our celebration).

Cool Crane! Too bad the photo and this aren't mine.

In lieu of this, I've selected three origami art as DIY crafts for couples:

Day 21: Easy-to-Follow Tutorial for the Paper Cranes

Day 22: Paper can be roses too.

Day 23: Making paper butterflies is qiute relaxing.

Life, I mean, I  better start looking for more tutorials before it's too late. Gaahhh!!! Wedding gaga over DIY projects!
Posted on 2/07/2012 at 3:00AM

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Updates: Our February Calendar

Welcome me back from my hiatus!  Yay! So, I was a little bit depressed due in part to the wedding date and reception brouhahas. I'm manic right now! Mr. Google has been a pretty good helper of mine.

Francis has never been that vocal when it comes to which church he opts. To him, they have their own appeal and look almost the same. Because of this, I've asked him to scout more options with me since I'm on a three-day holiday from work. Hurrah for my Aussie co-worker Kathy for covering for me. ;)

Tomorrow begins our journey to finding more churches starting with our sojourn to Paco Park and Adamson University. I know in my heart that I'm settled with Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine. Sad, however, that Makati Parks and Garden will no longer be available for our wedding date. Darn the renovation and all the complexities that go with it!

On the sidenote, here's our current February schedule. Yes, I'm on my super sleuth act again to partner with my love in the coming venue misadventures.

It's just crazy! For this month, we have to do scouting, pre-nup conceptualization, bridal fair, meet-ups, and paper crane making. Whew! We ought to have a productive month ahead!

Posted on 2/7/12 at 10:04 AM

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Days 17-20: DIY STD and Fashion

Work has been crazy for the past weeks. I've gathered some videos in my browser's bookmark page for me to check from time to time. Here are four quick tutorials on several DIY wedding projects.

DIY Save-the-Date Magnets

DIY Wedding Earrings 

DIY Garters

DIY Save-the-Date Cards 

*** These videos are taken from YouTube. I do not own them. Credits to the posters.
Posted on 2/4/2012 at 6:23 PM

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January 18 No More Among Other Brouhahas

Moving the Date: A Couple's Nightmare
Francis and I had to sit with his parents for the talk. Apparently, there is this Filipino custom called "sukob" that is believed to be a bringer of ill fate to couples. Since his uncle (Tito Oca) died January 18 (our anniversary) this year, we cannot marry after a year. That spells disaster to us.


We understand that there seem to be some things that we will not be able to control. Including this. It's just sad that we have to change our wedding date when January 18 is our 9th anniversary and 1+8 is 9. Pathetic? Yes, I do find myself deadbeat at times. But, numbers are close to my heart. Dates of special occasions are way too sentimental and memorable for me.


Good thing that January 28 is an available date for Vinz and VJ Matias. It's sad to know that we might not have these talented brothers as they are talented and very welcoming. I hope we settle everything by then.


Reception Renovation: F*ck Me!!! 
This is the biggest struggle we had to face as reception venue holds a very pertinent spot to the entire budget tier.


It is rather sad that Makati Parks and Garden is to be renovated; thus, no couple is allowed to book for any 2013 event. Sucks, I know! And since this is the case, we're on our super sleuth act again to look for the church that we will have our vows presented at. 


Arrrgghh! I promised myself not to be a bridezilla. I'm trying not to!


Posted on 2/1/12 at 8:24 PM

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