uphill

i met with april and karen yu yesterday to discuss what sort of gown and entourage gowns i want. it wasn't a very scheduled meeting, as i started texting them for their availability 2 hours prior to our meeting -- good thing we're practically neighbors! armed with 2 thick magazines plus a clear book of magazine cutouts, i confused both of them (plus my mom and my sister too) as to what i really wanted. for the first 30 minutes, i wanted an entourage ensemble of white pants and a sexy tunic top... but i also wanted a classic puffy gown for my flowergirl, and a traditional long gown for my maid of honor... good thing april is malumanay and i couldn't help but laugh when she mildly put that my entourage would look magulo if i did that. hehehe. oo nga naman.

so after another 30 minutes of throwing ideas, we came up with a compromise of tea-length dresses for everyone. they had samples of tea-length dresses they've done and they were pretty cute. as for my gown, that was much simpler to discuss. a few pictures and details here and there and they looked like they understood what i wanted. all i have to do now is sit tight, quit looking at gowns online, and wait for their designs and quotation.

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last friday i went for a thorough medical exam - the final immigration requirement we have to submit. as expected, it felt like a production line - where the doctor doesn't really talk to you but recites all these questions for you to answer. after the blood and urinalysis samples are taken, you go to the doctor for a strip-search reminiscent of those done in high school, then they give you an x-ray referral and tell you to go to makati med.

while the doctor was giving me a physical exam:

MD: have you ever taken cocaine, marijuana, or shabu?
P: no
MD: smoke, drink, or been pregnant?
P: no
MD: had some plastic surgery done?

PAUSE... P's thought bubble: why???

P: no

AFTER THE PHYSICAL:

P: i don't mean to be rude but why did you ask if i had plastic surgery done? is it included in the standard list of questions?

MD: a.. hindi. ganda kasi ng nose mo e.

WHAT A CRAZY DOCTOR!


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while i did have my medicals done, the doctor practically ruined my passport. i guess she GLUED the envelope with my passport's first page between the flaps... so now i have an envelope stuck forever to my passport thanks to her. my mom's a travel agent so when she saw the passport, she immediately called the doctor and complained about the handling. oh well, she may have apologized but her sorry won't magically remedy the tampered passport. mom said i may have to renew it before i leave, just to avoid extra hassles at the airport. GRRR!!!

and then again, maybe not

last week i was all set to get Susie Bonaobra, but after the bridal fair... i think i've changed my mind.

i saw April and Karen Yu's gowns and they were beautiful, specifically the indian silk organdy one. juxtaposed with susie's designs, april & karen's were a lot more intricate but simple... so i'm setting a meeting with them after this week. as a minor plus, they seem easy to talk to and they're relatively young (karen is my younger sister's batchmate in ateneo)! (ok so that's how i sounded last week when i blogged about bonaobra...)

i was also pleasantly surprised to meet John Ong's wife at the fair, and saw a parents' book in their booth. for P2,500 parents can get a mini-me version of a storybook... which is a really nice idea, except that the lead time is anywhere from 2 weeks to a month - a luxury that we won't really have after the wedding... but it's a good idea nonetheless.

i also got a copy of Wedding Essentials! i must say, it's a far cry from Metro Weddings or Bride & Home! Terry Uy, our main photographer, is featured in one section, and when i read the article about him, i couldn't help but feel that we made the right decision to hire him.

it's funny how you get to see batchmates and friends in bridal fairs... either as suppliers or brides-to-be. i was surprised to learn that our old friends fortune and jimbo and getting married next year... so what better way to learn the big news than to bump into the bride! hehehe!

so we'll see how it goes with april & karen... i do hope the search will be over soon so that the next thing i'll worry about is how to lose weight before measurements are taken!

the search is almost over

After months of listing down potential gown designers, I trimmed the list down and visited the Trends Wedding Shoppe at Galleria and met their designer Susie Bonaobra. I've seen her work on past brides, and also in a shop at The Podium and I was impressed because of their simplicity and craftsmanship - so I decided to see her.

Displayed in her shop is a really pretty but simple gown made of duchesse silk with a strapless top and a ball gown silhouette. I immediately fell in love with it, and when I was discussing the packages with one of the assistants I was surprised that it wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg to have a gown just like it! Plus, there was a fitting session that day for a pink entourage - I loved how she executed the color theme, and it was pink pa!

When it was apparently obvious that I was interested in getting them, the assistant (totally forgot her name!) led me to the designer-assistant who sketched a gown for me. Based on it, they gave me a cost and told me which package I would fit in. Their packages are pretty flexible, as they said we can customize my package if the need arises. Tempted though as I was, I held back signing a contract or giving a downpayment, and just told them I'd keep in touch. Hehehe.

So my sister and I went around Galleria and after 30 minutes, I had a few questions in my mind and decided to go back to Trends. Luckily, Susie wasn't busy with a client so I was able to speak to her. She's very easy to talk to, and more importantly, she doesn't sell herself too much and it looks like she's used to makulit brides and moms. She also looks like someone who can easily pacify a frazzled bride - which is a definite plus for me. I just hope she isn't one of those designers with a bad reputation! If everything works out, she just got herself a new bride!

Having someone design a gown specifically for me made me giddy... probably one of those feelings associated to being a bride. If I'll have more of those moments, then by all means... bring it on! Too bad grooms don't get much of that... or maybe their giddyness comes from seeing their brides getting giddy. Hmm, talo yata si Aldo in that aspect since we're working on wedding stuff separately... LOL.

bad timing

the start of 2005 is a juggling act - between starting work in manila, fixing paperwork for the immigration kit, and really really starting wedding preps. thankfully, things have flowed smoothly. lucky for me, tasks are a bit staggered and there is no immediate reason to panic - YET.

i just submitted my passport for an amendment to my name, and the medicals are up next... but my luck has run out on me - i'm not sickly but the past week i've been down with fever, cough, and colds that i can't seem to get rid of. ARGH. talk about bad timing. now i have to wait another 2 weeks for my lungs to clear out so the medicals won't result into something bad. ARGH.

oh well, at least we aren't behind schedule yet.

on the paper trail

paperwork in the philippines means literally walking and lining up for hours just to get a simple piece of paper. in the past 2 weeks alone, i've been to the NBI twice, and to the city hall thrice... just to get an NBI clearance and a marriage certificate. good thing i went there between the christmas holidays - apparently the lines are doubly long on normal working days. i thought that all my UP-registration-for-GE-courses were over when i got out of UP... apparently it's a government thing to make people work hard for papers. must be another test of patience and perseverance.

boy am i glad it's almost over. last stop for me is to go for my medical exam - yet another pila i'm sure... but thank God i'm over the hump.