Wedding Venues

Before weddings would almost always be done in Churches and then the reception would take place in either a hotel, a restaurant or at home. Nowadays, there are a lot more venues to choose from. Of course you can always opt for the conventional places (as mentioned here) but there are those who cannot be satisfied unless they're unique. There are those that get married underwater, while airborne, on moutaintops, etc. The more popular choice among Philippine brides of late are those in gardens or beaches. The beach thing is pretty understandable, afterall we live in a country surrounded by bodies of water. Even celebrities opt for this venue. And then there's the garden weddings, often held from late March to early June (mostly because these are the dry months) and then again in December. But of course hotels are still in season (and probably will never go out of season) because it is very practical to hold your reception in the same place where you prepped in as well, and maybe they'll throw in a complimentary overnight for the couple after the reception (depending on the package you chose and how good you haggle, hehehe) Here are a number of hotels and venues you can choose from:

• Directory of Churches
• The Heritage Hotel
• Different Hotels in Makati
• Restaurants as listed at Kasal.com

but these examples are just the tip of the iceberg, there are a lot more you can choose from, just research it on the net or using an old-fashioned telephone directory and I'm sure before you know it, you're on your way to on-site visits and you're negotiating with the managers/owners of these establishments.

Choosing a Theme

Ok, since I've already started doing this might as well continue, right? So here's the second part of the tips and suggestion thing for those who are planning a wedding:

It is always easier to organize a wedding if you already have a picture of what you would like it to be in your mind. I mean when someone asks you, "If you were to choose how your wedding would look like, what would it be?" and you all of a sudden a vision of flowing imaculately white chiffon and bridal satin, delicate lavander flowers, monogrammed table napkins, sterling silver utensils, crystal glasses and tiffany chairs... most probably you want a traditional white wedding with a formal reception. There is also the question on, "How would you want your wedding to be remembered by others?" If you prefer a more laid back, afternoon, garden wedding and reception, chances are your guests would be leaving thinking "what a nice and happy wedding that was" but if you opt for an evening wedding with a dinner-dance reception, there is a high probability that your guests will leave thinking "such a hip and enjoyable wedding"... well that is if the program that you set would get executed nicely. Either way, always consider your preference first before what other people would think. Like I said before, it is YOUR Wedding... Let them do it their way when they're the ones to get married. Your day, your choice! If a theme is most appealing to you, don't let other people convince you otherwise. Unless it's your husband to be, of course! Remember, a wedding is the union of two people, so, your fiance should definitely have a say in it.

On my day, I was fortunate enough to have a husband who let me have a freehand... all he said was I want green to be part of the color motiff, and so I had to work my way with that but the overall theme of my day was "Butterfly Wedding". From the beadwork of my gown to the details on the bridesmaid shoes and even the candles for the Unity Candle ceremony had butterflies on them. When I walked down the isle, there were butterflies that were released, my jewelry were butterfly shaped, my ring and coin pillow had butterflies perched on them and yes, my giveaways too! I think you get my drift... That's me, how about you? What would you like to be the theme of your wedding? There are lots to choose from, or you can even make one up yourself. There really is no strict rule about it, just go with what's appealing to you. Here are a few ideas on how you could choose the theme for your wedding:

1. The wedding and reception venue. If for example you are opting for a beach wedding you could probably have a sun and sand-themed wedding where you could have a cake that looks like a sand castle and giveaways of miniature slippers; mock starfish or even small shells with personalized etchings on them in box with sand in it. You could also have a casual dinner party and a bonfire if you want it at sunset. Garden themed weddings on the other hand could range from casual to formal affair, depending on the time of day.

2. The cake. Some couples choose a cake first and then let the other wedding plans revolve around the color, texture and kind of cake they have chosen.

3. Your song. If for example the song you chose to be the theme of your wedding is "Angel in Disguise" you could opt for angels all around. You know, have a cake designed with angels on them, giveaways and even decorations. Or if the song you chose is "Autumn Leaves" then you could have autumn colors and stuff.

4. The Colors. Most weddings in the Philippine setting revolve around this aspect... what is your color motiff? Before there is one color you have to choose and stick to it but now, the more popular choice is not just one but color combinations that either complement or contrast one another that makes your wedding be distinguished from others. Some even use a whole palette of colors, and that's ok... as long as your comfortable with it, go with what you like!

5. Season. This I mentioned last because, actually, there are only two seasons here in the Philippines... The wet and the dry. Unlike in other places in the world where there's winter, spring, summer or fall. But I did attend a wedding last year, that had a winter theme, so... to each his own! Also, seasons could also be further classified into Christmas, Easter, Flowers and so on...

So there! Let the choosing begin!

Organizing a Wedding

A friend of mine called today and asked for suggestions on how to make her wedding as organized as mine (mine was organized?! hehehe!) because she isn't hiring a wedding coordinator also and wants to have everything in order the way I did it when I got married. So I told her to visit this blog and look for tips here and I will add more as time goes by (her wedding is going to be in December so I still have lots of time to update this blog) plus check out other sites as well. So, to help my friends and other brides-to-be who happen to visit this blog let me start a series of tips and ideas on how to make your wedding memorable and according to your dreams without causing a huge dent on your budget.

First of all, let me clue you in on a few details while I was preparing for my wedding. I didn't hire a wedding coordinator too, but then I had a lot of help from friends and family. Also, I became a member of an online "support" group called Weddings at Work to gain lots of ideas from other brides-to-be and newlyweds as well. Also, Charlie and I spent our own money for the wedding without asking for monetary help from our parents so we were really working on a strict budget at that time. We allowed ourselves a fixed time frame when to reach our target savings and when our deadline came, we promised ourselves that we will only spend the money that we saved for the wedding and not allow ourselves to get carried away with the spending. When it was time to start buying stuff or signing contracts with suppliers for the wedding we always made it a point to haggle! Not to the point of offending our suppliers, though... we just wanted to be able to maximize our spending powers. Now here starts the suggestions/tips flow:

Make sure you have an idea of how you want your wedding to be, don't be shy in making your ideas come to life, after all it is YOUR wedding. You should be comfortable with your plans and not be easily influenced by what is common, what is tradition or what is popular. Don't be afraid to ask. For all you know, your friends and family might have ideas or suggestions that will enhance what you already have in mind, you just have not thought of it yet because you are jittery with excitement. If you have a theme, stick to it as much as you can but do not go overboard! Having a theme could make a wedding beautiful but being tacky is considered bad taste.

Ask your entourage way ahead of time. Be sure that they will be able to attend without being iffy about it. I mean, what's the use of planning a wedding to be attended by friends and family if half your entourage will not be able to make it? Then you should have just gotten a couple of witnesses and asked for a quiet "just us" ceremony. But don't forget that the bride and groom are the stars of this event, and the supporting roles could be easily given to others. I mean, if your first choice to be your bridesmaid makes so many excuses, then choose another!

Shop around, do not make decisions based on liking a sample product of just one supplier. Remember, there are lots of shops to choose from and closing a deal with the first shop that you visit may end up being an impulse that you'd regret later. Read a supplier's contract carefully before signing. Make sure that you and your supplier are seeing eye to eye up to the minute details. Always consider quality instead of popularity. It doesn't matter if your supplier isn't world-acclaimed or coveted by others, what's important is that you are sure that they will deliver what you asked of them. Explore. Suppliers often have freebies for would-be clients so don't be timid in claiming these. Free taste, free trials or free add-ons are there for a reason, it makes no sense to turn them down. Do not rely on hearsay. Make sure to test a product on yourself or get to know a supplier on your own before making judgment. If money isn't the issue, then splurge, after all weddings come once in a lifetime (or so we hope!), why worry about the moola?