Our Wedding Favors is Forever!

When I say that our guests' favors at our wedding is Forever, I mean that literally! Yes, we have given away souvenirs from Forever Living Products (FLP) where Raymond and I are recognized managers since April 2013. These natural and organic products are not only functional and useful gifts, but they also get along perfectly with "Our Journey to Forever" wedding theme!

For our female guests, we gave away Forever Aloe Lips (P189.38 retail price)put inside a small satin pouch in either red, blue, yellow and white (our Philippine Flag inspired color motifs) (P5.00). Forever Aloe Lips is more than just a lip balm! They are my handy solution /companion (aside from Red!) to ensure kissable lips (lol), and provide soothing relief for cold sores, insect bites and cuts because of its pure aloe vera ingredient.

For male guests, we gave away Forever Hand Sanitizers(P188.70 Each w/o the discount), also in Philippine Flag-inspired colored pouches. The Aloe Hand Sanitizer is another must-have for me and Red in our journeys! Oh, how I love its lemon and lavender scent! And because it is pure aloe vera, our male friends are sure to go germ - free while their skin are moisturized because of its honey.!

For our principal sponsors, we gifted them either with Forever Moisturizing Lotion (P513.16), Forever Aloe MSM Gel (P1,113.90), Aloe Heat Lotion (P513.16) and Forever Aloe Jojoba Shampoo (P604.80).


Our Wedding Favors may appear too expensive for "giveaways" but our guests are very special (and have traveled a great deal to attend our wedding)so we don't mind spending a little more on favors!

Attendants and Their Dresses: Mismatched But Trendy & Cohesive!

Because we are quite old (but look young lol) when we got married, we wanted to forget tradition and not have attendants to stand by our side during our wedding. But I felt that I owe my single friends some kind of participation in the biggest day of my life, more than just being there to give us gifts. So finally, I decided to have five (5) bridesmaids - Tes Calingacion, Marie Olivare, Del Ocado, Aimee Fernandez & Charina Jornacion and five (5) groomsmen - Jomar Ramiso, Leonilo Cabuyao, Aries Leonor, Mc Joseph Casimiro, and Aaron King Fernandez.

Despite my hesitation for having attendants, I was very sure that I want our bridesmaids to feel comfortable in their dresses! With their varied ages, tastes and styles, however, it would be a daunting task to satisfy each of the girls and still have a cohesive attendants' look on our big day. The solution? I provided each of the girls with the fabric (in the same color) and I let them choose their own styles!(and their own tailor and paid for their dresses as well! lol). The result was amazing as the girls look beautiful, confident and radiant during our big day!

For the groomsmen, I provided each of them with the vest in the same fabric and color as the bridesmaids and neckties in either red, blue or yellow colors. And to complete the Philippine Flag motif ensemble, the groomsmen were asked to wear their long sleeved white polo and black pants! The groomsmen were handsome in their own right!

And our wedding? Well, it is trendy (and didn't cost us much!). Yes, mismatched attendants' dresses are "in"!

Our Journey Cake by Raquel Delos Santos

photo by Alain Atienza Tagpuno

The wedding cake has always been the star of every wedding since it is believed to be a fertility symbol. It became a tradition to pile up several small cakes, one on top of the other, as high as they could, and the bride and groom would kiss over the tower and try not to knock it down. If they were successful, it meant a lifetime of prosperity.

While I do not want to be traditional, I really like our wedding cake to be a star and reflect our story. I thought of a Cake  that will showcase our two decades journey as a couple. 

Photo by Mc Joseph Casimiro

So Our Journey Cake was born! It was a love gift from my baker friend Raquel Delos Santos. I have always love Ate Raquel's cakes (and she even taught me how to bake), so I was thrilled that she is gifting us our wedding cake! 

The idea is to have a four - layered white fondant cake, with a road to symbolize our journey. In each layer is a vehicle in our color motifs - Philippine Flag of red, blue, yellow and white. On the first layer is a blue jeepney since Raymond and I met on June 12, 1991 inside the University of the Philippines Diliman campus and the UP Ikot jeepney there was blue. After two decades of separation, we met again on June 29, 2012 and Raymond visited me at home with his white motorcycle. Since then we have been together aboard our red SUVs and our goal is to buy a yellow Genesis coupe as Managers of Forever Living!

Thank you ate Raquel for this thoughtful and meaningful gift!

Wedding Events

9 AM – 10:30 AM
Temple Sealing. A sacred ceremony where Raymond and I will take each other as husband & wife, not only for time (until death) but for eternity   (if we are true to the covenants we make in the temple.)

10:30 AM – 12NN
Meet & Greet Cocktail Reception
For hugs, kisses, video and photographs with the Bride and Groom after the temple ceremony. This is a cocktail lunch so standing room only.

3PM – 7PM
Ring Ceremony & Wedding Reception
Since wedding rings are not part of the Temple Sealing, we will have our exchange of rings (without the vows). There will be the ‘walking down the aisle’ and wedding spectacles as we share the beautiful doctrine of a forever family, followed by a Buffet Dinner along with wedding festivities that are uniquely us.

Searching and Finding The Perfect Wedding Reception Venue!

We decided on a September 21, 2013 wedding to commemorate the day that Raymond and I have last seen each other in 1991. We also know that it is the anniversary of Martial Law but that's beside the point lol, except that it's a holiday and fell on a Saturday (so my friends and guests will be available to attend!). But with only a little over three (3) months before the big day and with a budget considerations, searching for a reception venue was so challenging for us. We need to find an affordable venue that is available on our chosen date.

Glass Garden in Marikina

We are from Valenzuela and intended to have a temple wedding ceremony in Quezon City, so we initially checked event venues around the Metro like Love of Light, Glass Garden, Gazeebo Royale,Ibarra's Garden,Acropolis Clubhouse, and Corinthian Garden Clubhouse.

Love of Light Garden in Sta. Mesa, Manila

All the wedding venues we checked so far are nice, but there's nothing that prompted me to make exceptions as to the budget constraint. I'm looking for a place that offers more in terms of attractions that guests could check out before or after attending our wedding events.

That's when my hubby - to-be thought of Tagaytay and I couldn't but agree. The City of Tagaytay is a component city in the province of Cavite and only an hour or so away from Manila. Because of its cooler climate, stunning views of Taal Volcano in the middle of the Taal Lake(in Batangas), unique attractions and its proximity to our new residence in Silang, Cavite, Tagaytay is our runaway choice as venue for our wedding events.

Estancia Hotel Resort in Tagaytay City

We checked several wedding reception venues like hotels, restaurants, and clubhouses that fit our wedding budget and is available on September 21, 2013. We couldn't be more happier in stumbling upon Estancia Hotel Resort. With its big uniquely designed rooms and close to nature location, Estancia Hotel Resort lives up to its Spanish name which means stay, large room or ranch in English!