First thing first.

Before you can really plan the wedding smoothly you have to finalized the wedding date and venue. So, after the Pamamanhikan we went to the Immaculate Conception Parish Church to inquire about the requirements and fees and also to reserve the date March 12, 2016 for our wedding, we choose the 2:00pm schedule instead of 10:00am so that we have enough time in the morning to prepare.

Here's the requirement for the church wedding;
1. Local Birth Certificate - you can get this in the local municipality where you were born.
2. Baptismal Certificate - it must indicate "For wedding purposes", so an old one is not valid, get a new one in the parish office where you were baptisted.
3. Confirmation Certificate - same as the baptismal certificate
4. Cenomar - Certificate of No Marriage, get this at the National Statistics Office near you.

After that, secure a Marriage License, you can get one in either your or his municipality.

The requirements;
1. Birth Certificate - a local birth certificate is accepted
2.Cedula - you can get this at the barangay or municipal office
3. Cenomar - get this at the nearest NSO
4. Family Planning Seminar - ask the municipal personnel about this

After you schedule the date on the church, its time to look for the wedding reception venue. You can now book the place you want because you already have the exact date of the wedding. Make sure that you have a black and white reservation and you already pay the down payment to secure that you own the venue on your prepared date.

If you plan to have a wedding preparation outside your home like in a hotel near the church, look for it and reserve it also. So you are not cramming on where to prepare for you wedding. You can tell na rin where it is to the entourage especially the secondary sponsors. In our case, Lina's Orchard offered they we have a free room for the preparation. We get another room na lang to make it two rooms for the groom's preparation. For me, it was a great idea to come from the same preparation venue, it was easier for the couple and their families because they can help each other in preparing and for the photographer you hire because they will go to the same venue they can capture the whole preparation thing better.


When you already done the three, you all are set because that are the most important things to consider in preparing a wedding.

Then, its time to write down the names of the important people who will be part of your wedding entourage. Inform and invite them properly by stating the complete details of the wedding so they can block their schedule on your wedding date. When all of them are inform and confirmed then lets go to next thing...

The suits and dresses.

Because we have a tight budget we went to Divisoria to find beautiful wedding gown and classic suit that fits our budget. Luckily, we found Admel Bridal Botique in Juan Luna St. Divisoria, Manila. We also got a dress for my Mom and asked them if they can make suits and dresses for our entourage. They have ready-made gowns to choose from but we prefer the made-to-order gown and we prefer gowns with sleeves because of the church requirements and all of that comes with complete package. And you know what, my wedding gown was chosen by my groom. I have a design I wanted sana but when he show me a gown [who actually similar to what I wanted] he asked me to fit it and viola we choose that dress.

 This is the idea for the Groom's boys.

  This is the idea for the Groom's men. 

  This is the idea for the Flower girls.

  This is the idea for the Female Entourage.

 My dream Wedding Gown.

 The Groom Suit.

 The Red Plate Catering

After the entourage list, make a guest lists. How many estimated guests are you having? So that you can talk to your caterer about the budget and the foods they will serve on the reception. As I write on my previous post [The Wedding Bells] that we will be getting his Tita Melda's The Red Plate Catering as the food provider because we want to be assured that the food they will serve on our wedding was  taste great and well prepared plus of course the family discount rate. They will also manage the overall setup of the wedding reception. From the table and chairs for the guests, the buffet table, the design of the venue from floor to ceiling, they'll manage it and we know were in good hands.

 

The Perfect Grey - Wedding Photographer Philippines

Then, look for a wedding photographer and videographer who will cover your wedding. On our case, we just get a photography package, it was a bit less expensive than the one with videography/sde package. There's a lot of photography services in town so you have to choose by looking on their previous works and ask for the packages that fits your budget. I really love The Perfect Grey Photography, they do their works naturally and beautifully its not scripted. When I inquire on them, their a bit pricey but since Mille of Calamba Jewelry is a friend of one of the owner of The Perfect Grey, they gave us friendly discount, and after some exchange of messages, we meet with one of their photographer, EJ Lagrimas, he showed us their sample output and we really love it so decided to get them for the wedding.

Calamba Jewelry

After we book the photographer , I just call Mille of Calamba Jewelry to start the production of our wedding ring. It took them one month to finish the ring.

Makeup by Jem 

Look for a Hair and Makeup Artist. You can browse their pages to see their previous work. Meet with them and ask them if you can do a free trial. Some of them do the trial during the prenup shoot. We get the services of Jem Biscocho of Makeup by Jem. Upon seeing all her works on her Facebook page, we love how she do her job perfectly, how she make every bride the most beautiful during the wedding. We booked her and we never get disappointed. She put makeup naturally, like a no-make-up makeup look [hindi OA sa blush on] plus she's so pretty and kind.

Then its time to look for some ideas for your prenuptial photos, you need beautiful photos for you wedding papers, invites, tag, table number, tarpaulin... Prepare some clothes we can use for the prenup, it doesn't have to be new, you can look for a matching clothes in the closet.

 The Principal Sponsors Giveaway idea

Candle holder with a tag written this;

"May you continue to light our path"

 The Secondary Sponsors Giveaway idea

Fan with a tag written this;

"To keep you cool"

After the prenup shoot and you now have the soft copy of the photos you can start making the wedding invitation, you can do-it-yourself if you have the resources like a printer but in our case who don''t have, we went back to Divisoria to find a shop who can do our invites. There's a lot of them in Tabora St., we landed in MRD2 Invitation & Souvenir Shop. They made our invitation and souvenirs. And just on the street side, I found some one who can do our signature frame.

When you were in Divisoria, you can look for some accessories you will be needed for the wedding. I went to 168 Mall to look for a locket for the wedding bouquet and a frame we can use for the display of some prenup photos.


If you want to have a photobooth for you wedding, you can book them one month before the event. We get the Smile and Pose Photobooth owned by a friend of his cousin. They offered discount and they output was nice and clear and they personalized the background. 

After that, you can now buy the shoes and accessories you will use on the wedding. Buy a shoes that are comfortable to wear the whole event. We buy our shoes on Gibi Shoes. Invest on your shoes so it will not worn out or suffer your feet on the wedding day itself.  For the accessories, you can used old ones or buy fancy jewelries you don't have to think about losing a treasure on the wedding day.

 The bridal car design idea

 

This Bridal Bear idea

The bridal car, you can rent or use your own car for this. In our case, we use our own car, a silver Toyota Wigo we just bought a teddy bear to be placed on the hood of the car. To make it more pretty perfect for the wedding.

The flowers we use for our wedding was a gift from one of our principal sponsors. His Tito Gener and Tita Anda manage all the flowers we need for the wedding. 

And lastly, purchase the bible and the candle to be used in the ceremony. You can also personalized it with you initials.

So, I think that's it.

Ceremony/Church - Check
Reception Venue - Check
Catering Services - Check
Wedding Gowns and Suits - Check
Wedding Ring - Check
Hair & Makeup - Check
Photographer - Check
Photobooth - Check
Bridal Car - Check
Flowes - Check
Invites and Souvenir - Check
Shoes and Accessories - Check
Wedding Paraphernalia - Check

All done. If I forget something, I'll just update this.

All set for the wedding. Will post the actual photos on my next blog.

Thanks. Spread the Love.