It's been almost two months since that one sunny, forever-memorable day of March 14, 2015. After 11 years of being together, Genson and I finally decided to take that one-way journey to ever-after.
Since day one of the planning, we only had two goals in mind: to get married and to have one heck of a good time, the hipster way. We already knew what we wanted, from the design concept down to the venue and the tokens for our guests. I even made a powerpoint presentation with all our pegs to make things clear and easier for our suppliers.
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| Call me an OC, but never a "bridezilla!" HAHA! |
We were also clear about one thing: we didn't want a conventional wedding. We wanted our family and friends to feel relaxed, to have FUN, which is why we opted for an outdoor reception. We wanted a PARTY! One that is complete with fireworks, rustic set-up with string lights to add to that "chill" vibe, a mobile bar, and band to pump up the guests, among many other things.
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| Our lovely wedding reception. Photos by my cousin Joana Sison-McGee |
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| Photo by our friend/ florist Candice Nocom |
We were very much hands-on and a DIY-couple for the most part. During our pre-nup shoot, we did the styling (and I did my own hair and make-up too :D). We pulled-out props from our rooms, borrowed some vintage pieces from my Uncle, and cut papers for the banderitas, and so on and so forth.
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| Our vintage-inspired set-up |
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Some of the props
Our pre-nup shoot c/o our family friend, Heidi Pascual-Aquende <3
Thanks, Heidi, for the free shoot! :)
Location: An underrated playground/ theme park at Q.C. Memorial Circle
Sunshine <3
One of two shoots. Photo by Herbert Ikan
Pre-nup at The Lakeshore
One of our fave shots by my cousin Joana McGee |
And for more DIY projects, I also made the bowties for the boys and the board for the "Here Comes The Bride" sign, while Genson took care of the construction of the wooden road and reception signages. Family and friends (you know who you are) also offered their services FREE OF CHARGE or with BIG DISCOUNTS! Our officemates (our Full Circle family) helped us too in our pre-wedding preparations, from sewing the custom-made invitation envelopes, printing of the ceremony missalettes, to tying and attaching the tags to the hundreds of canvas bags for the guests. It was a labor of love!
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| Yup! I'm a DIY advocate. :) |
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| Official logo by my talented cousin, Joana McGee <3 |
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"Here Comes the Bride" board
Our DIY missalette. Thanks, Full Circle family, for helping us! (Photo: Meng)
Our DIY Photo Wall. Thanks, Howell and Eunice Martinez, for the paletas! Big help!
Genson's project: Road/ Reception signages. Lettering by Joana/ Meng
Our wedding souvenir. Design by yours truly. Layout by my sister Karla/Ekang. Printing c/o our best man, Richmond Tan
Invite design and layout by former colleague/ Cosmopolitan Art Director, Hazel Malagonio. She also owns OneOAK.
Our delicious and so "rustic" wedding cake by one of my best friends, Camille Tecson of The Cakestry
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I must say the pre-wedding months are definitely one for the books (and bankbooks too. HAHA). You invest almost all of your time, emotions, and energy just to pull off that dream wedding. And when everything's done, you'd find yourself missing the journey--from computing expenses, sourcing materials, to debating over guest list, menu, and suppliers, etc. But the PMS-like adventure is W-O-R-T-H it (so seize every moment of it), especially when you realize how much love you've put into every little detail of your wedding and, of course, your relationship to boot.
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| I can't thank you enough, huny, for EVERYTHING! I LOVE YOU! <3 |
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| Thanks again, Meng, for capturing this moment! <3 |
To be honest though, it wasn't a "perfect" wedding in the sense that three of the most important people in my life weren't there to witness it, Tatay, Ate, and Nanay, who are with God now, witnessing our new life from the heavens. But our wedding was, I believe, perfect in God's eyes--our master planner. And that's all that matters.
Getting married is a blessing. The feeling--pre, during, and post--is enormously overwhelming. It's a cliche of emotions. It's priceless. Real and surreal at the same time. But one thing's for sure, the feeling that we experienced that day will and can never be replicated.
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| Photo by our dear friend Angel Tudtud |
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| Photo by Vida de Jesus |
And this video perfectly captured our special day. With the full support of our videographer, Box Seblario of Out of The Box Project, we were able to pull of our concept of having an SDE that had the feel of an indie music video, which boasts of lomography-inspired visuals accompanied by the sounds of Mree (To See the Light) and Passion Pit (Sleepyhead). It was a fun day. Again, a forever memorable one. THANK YOU, GOD! <3
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BIG THANKS TO ALL OUR EFFICIENT SUPPLIERS:
Venue | The Lakeshore
Photo | Erick Sulapas Photography
Video | Out Of The Box Project
Coordinator | Cherished Moments by Print Blast
Caterer | k. by cunanan catering
Bride's gown | Mel Orlina Couture
Wedding cake I The Cakestry
Lights and Sounds | Sensitivity Lights and Sounds
Band I KSM Jean and Joey
HMU I Ish Sison Makeup Artistry
Florist I Fleurs and Bonbons
Photo booth | Faceplays Booth
Mobile Bar | Blitz Mobile Bar
Fireworks | Dragon Fireworks
