Hitched

Just so we're clear, I'm not married nor did I get married recently. However, we went to a family friend's wedding in Intramuros, Manila on Friday. I had to skip work for half the day to get ready. It took place in Baluarte de San Diego, which was this amazing garden venue by the historic Intramuros walls. Love was definitely in the air and all of the guests could not be any happier for the couple. So to Jazzmin and Jason, congratulations and best wishes! Make lots of beautiful memories and babies together! :)

Anyway, here are a few snapshots of what went down that night. Please pardon the poor quality of the photos, I only had my phone and trusty old digital camera with me then. :)

Perhaps I must give you a short kwento about the two. They have been friends for the longest time. It was in high school when they started dating, and despite 11 years of ups and downs, they managed to stick it out until the end and look where it got us! It's true what they say: "Sa hinaba-haba ng prusisyon, sa simbahan din ang tuloy."

I'd like to believe that a love like theirs is rare. Having someone to love and someone to love you back is difficult enough, but surviving of 11 years through all the odds, now that's something special.

The cutest cake topper ever!

Welcome to wonderland!

OMG the long queue to the free frappe counter! Thanks, Starbucks! 

The stunning bride. :)

 

All we need is love!

Then came the night's most moving moment, when they were thanking their respective parents

Mr. and Mrs. Salazar! :)

 And now, moving on to the reception proper:

Hello, BB cream and your reflective properties! :))

Mom and Friends.

The couple share their first dance as husband and wife.

Yiheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Photo op!

Mom giving the couple pabaon.

 

As we bid farewell to the festivities.

And it goes without saying, that I will share what I wore to the event:

Dress: Vintage

Belt: Vintage

Fascinator Headband: SM Department Store

Heels: Parisian Shoes and Bags

Bangle: Gift from Mom

Weddings always inspire me and restore my faith in love and the goodness of the universe. It's a reminder that there is hope for all of us, that somewhere, somehow, there's someone out there for us. God has handpicked that very person to make all of our pain, our heartbreak, our disappointments in previous relationships, worth the tears. At the end of the day, we will be led to the one we're meant to spend eternity with.

Smooth-Sailing Wedding

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person."

                                                     ~ Mignon McLaughlin

Wedding and marriage may often be intertwined.Of course it's important to marry someone who you will spend every waking day with, someone you love entirely and relentlessly. But let's face it, we put a great deal of effort into staging the perfect venue and setting for the wedding of a lifetime.

I know I'm miles away from walking down the aisle, but in all of the movies I've seen, the actual weddings I've been to, there's one thing that will always be there: the stress of putting a magnificent wedding together. They say a wedding comes only once in our lives (ideally!) and we have to admit it, we can't help but mull over every tiny detail to make our wedding a moment we will always look back on, a magical sliver of our last days as single individuals, and the joining of two souls to make even all the lovebirds in the world jealous.

Every bride has to be the center of attention on her big day. The groom too, has to look just as dashing, and there must not be a fray thread out of place. Everything has to be downright perfect. No need to fret though, despite all the blood, sweat, and tears that go into planning and putting together a wedding worthy enough to featured in the glossiest magazines, there are a few tips you can use to help ease the burden.

De-stress your wedding

Wedding fever is everywhere at the moment. Angelina Jolie has chosen her dress designer, Justin Timberlake serenaded Jessica Biel as she walked down the aisle and even Ronnie Wood is getting married again. It’s always nice to see the photos and hear the stories, and you might find you can store some special detail away in your mind for your big day.

Sometimes wedding planning can all seem a little too much for one person, or even a couple, so we’ve found solutions to some of those niggling problems that trouble brides-to-be.

Test out your wedding playlist

Sometimes it can be hard to narrow down your favourite songs to choose the one you’ll be walking down the aisle to, or the perfect track for your first dance. That’s where Spotify comes in: you can search for specific tracks or browse by genre. They even have hymns on there if you want to go traditional. Just make sure to disable the Social function if you don’t want to spoil the surprise!

Let your friends choose their own bridesmaid dresses

This issue almost always creates tension between brides and their bridal party. If it’s hard for you to spend money on a dress you’ll only wear once, think how it must feel to do that for someone else’s big day. So how about this: you pick a colour or maybe a style, but leave the rest up to the girls – they’ll thank you for it. There’s a selection of fabulous bridesmaid dresses at Very.co.uk to suit any body type.

Vet the speeches

Yes, it’s all part of the fun of a wedding to have the best man joke about past conquests of your hubby-to-be, but this speech will be heard by grandparents, nieces and nephews – possibly even your boss. It will also be recorded, so you’ll get to listen again and again. If you get your hubby or even other groomsmen to edit the speech, the final draft should be better balanced.

Remember that your wedding is all about two people and two people only. If you are happy, then everyone else will eventually get on board – it’s one day out of their lives and the biggest day of yours. 

Images are from Pinterest.

Click on the photos to be redirected to their source.