The staff was very accommodating. They answered all our questions (as an OC-bride, I’ve got lots of questions) and gave their suggestions when we asked for it. We wanted our bands to be elegantly simple yet affordable. Our first option was to have it in yellow gold to match our motif but changed our minds when we noticed that the color make his hands darker. So we opted to have a combination of white and yellow gold. The tiny diamond was an afterthought when we remembered what someone told us that it distracts evil. We decided against having it rhodium-plated. Instead we chose to have it in matte finish. I personally wanted the bands not to look that new. What I liked about their staff was that they informed us of a possible increase in the value of gold and advised us to pay the down payment so that we won’t be affected by future increase of rates (unlike Bohol Tropics!). When we came to pick up the bands, they gave us a freebie; a book entitled ‘The Ten Principles for a Happy Marriage’. That gave them a plus (+) in their rating (I just love freebies).
Sometime in May 2009, I already found my would-be bridal shoes but then we didn’t buy it ‘cause we thought it was too early to buy it. When we came back by August, we couldn’t find the pair. Worst, for some reason I couldn’t remember the shop’s name. So, we searched all the shoe stores in Trinoma to look for my coveted pair but to no avail. When we were about to give up, I saw this beautiful pair from Charles & Keith. It wasn’t the one I first wanted but then it would be too much to say that I settled for the 2nd best.
I’m so proud of my Janssen ‘cause when we were looking for his shoes, he really knew what he wanted and it didn’t take him that long to find the perfect pair.
Bride to Groom: “The Power of a Praying Husband” by Stormie Omartian (National Book Store – Robinsons Pioneer)
Giveaways: Desk Calendars c/o Beyond Creative Apparel
Proprietor: Ma. Sheryla C. Tan
Address: 52 Klawit St., Brgy. 127, Caloocan City
Email Address: sheryllatan@yahoo.com
Peso Power: 13,200
Rating: 9
We wanted to have something that is functional. We also wanted it to be something that will somehow paint a picture of us--- us being the type of persons who remember dates, who constantly keep track of every monthsary, anniversary etc. So we decided to have desk calendars for giveaways. We even planned to give out planners or calendars during our anniversaries. But on our 1st wedding anniversary, we haven’t given out any souvenirs due to some financial constraint. We’re hopeful though that someday, we’ll be able to do what we planned.
Invitations: DIY
Materials Supplier:
Abaca roll – Divisoria
Ribbons – Divisoria, Bohol Quality Mall
Paper- National Book Store (ICM)
Ink- Thinking Tools (ICM)
Printing: JanCee Inc. =)
Peso Power: 7,500
Rating: 10
We had 300 guests on our wedding. We prepared almost 150 invitations. If we had our invites outsourced, with a rate of 100 per invite (we actually asked for quotations, an invite similar to ours but half its size costs 125), we would have spent 15,000 on our invites alone. Since I had plenty of time and it was practical, I personally made our invitations with some help from my husband, my mother, my cousin Joy and from the internet. We also saved a lot by printing our invites ourselves. We have a printer at home so all we had to do was buy ink and voila click print. Another good thing in doing it ourselves was that I had a reason to buy a paper cutter just like in photo studios. I still have it and I think it’s a good investment. So if you liked our invites and you’re looking for affordable ones, then you can hire us to do your invites for you. Just kidding! But as they say, jokes are half meant. Hahaha! (oh by the way, I made my brother’s wedding invites with only 10 pesos per piece).
I just want to share the two lovely poems I found in the web. We included it in our invitation.
Bride's Vow
My wonderful (groom’s name),
On our wedding day, I think of all the reasons
I am blessed to be your wife:
You are the joy of my life.
In you I found much more than I ever hoped,
more than I ever dreamed a man could be.
In your arms, I feel happy, safe, protected.
You’re my hero, my defender, my soul mate, my love.
I was born for you.
There was a space in my heart that you fill perfectly.
I fall in love with you again every time I see you.
We are alike, and yet we are different.
Our similarities bond us together,
and our differences keep things interesting.
And no matter what,
you let me be me, just as I am.
I am so grateful for that.
I want to keep discovering you.
I love so many things about you now,
and I know I will find many more to love.
The many little things you to do please me
touch me more than you know.
You see me with your heart,
and you always make me feel beautiful.
This is the beginning
of the rest of our lives together.
We have so much happiness ahead of us,
a lifetime of love,
a lifetime to create wonderful memories.
Nothing matters more than being with you.
I love you; I trust you; I am totally open to you.
Everything that’s woman in me responds to the man in you,
And as we become husband and wife,
I want you to know that there will never be
anyone else for me but you,
my husband, my love, my life.
By Joanna Fuchs
Groom's Vow
My sweet (bride’s name)
On our wedding day, I think of all the reasons
I am blessed to be your husband:
You are the joy of my life.
You are everything I ever wanted in a woman.
My heart soars every time I see you.
Just the sound of your voice brings me pleasure.
I never get enough of you.
When I’m with you I feel happy, complete, confident, strong,
everything a man wants to feel.
You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.
I’m a better person when I’m around you.
You bring out good parts of me I didn’t even know I had.
You inspire me to be the best I can be.
I’m better for knowing you, better for loving you.
You’re so easy to love.
You brighten my life in so many ways.
When you’re not with me, I miss you.
It feels like we were meant for each other.
It means so much to me to have you by my side.
I can’t find words to say
how intense my feelings are for you.
You thrill me beyond description.
I didn’t know what happiness was till I met you.
You’re my serenity, my comforter,
a peaceful refuge from the outside world.
No one else knows me like you do.
I share things with you I’ve never shared before,
and you use the things you discover about me
to do things that make me happy.
I am so grateful for that.
I love you; I trust you; I am totally open to you.
Everything that’s man in me
responds to the woman in you
And as we become husband and wife,
There will never be anyone else for me,
My wife, my love, my life.
By Joanna Fuchs
Misalette: DIY
Materials Supplier:
Paper- National Book Store (ICM)
Ink- Thinking Tools (ICM)
Printing: JanCee Inc. =)
Peso Power: 1,300
Rating: 10
We got hold of several samples of misalettes and got our own version by getting bits and pieces from each. Then we asked our officiating priest to check it and then had it approved. We had the following readings and prayers for the faithful:
First Reading:
A reading from the book of Genesis (Gen. 2: 18-24)
The Lord God said: it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him: so the Lord God formed out of the ground various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them;
whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds in the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be suitable partner for man.
So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his rib he had taken from the man and when he brought her to the man, the man said:
be merciful to us, and grant that we may grow old together. Then they both did. ``This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called woman, for this was taken from man.’’ That is why a man leaves his father and mother clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.
Responsorial Psalm:
Let our response be: Till the end of my days, O Lord, I will bless your name, sing your praise, give you thanks, all my days.
*You have made me little less than a God and have lavished my heart with your love.
With dignity and honor you’ve clothed me, given me rule over all.
*You have blessed me with good things and plenty and surrounded my table with friends.
Their love and their laughter enrich me; together we sing your praise.
*Your sun and your moon give me light, and your stars show the way through the night.
Your rivers and streams have refreshed me. I will sing your praise.
*How great is your love, O Father, that you sent us your Savior Son.
His death and his rising will heal us, and draw us all unto you.
Second Reading:
A reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 13:4-13)
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Gospel:
A reading from the holy gospel according to St. Mark. (Mark 10: 2-12)
And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Prayers of the Faithful:
Priest: Brothers and sisters, let us pray for this newlywed couple and for all married people whose marriage is structured on the model of Christ’s union with the Church.
Reader: For Jans and Cee. That they may love each other with perpetual fidelity, let us pray to the Lord.
All: We beseech you, hear us.
Reader: That they may render faithfully and perseveringly mutual help to one another, let us pray to the Lord.
All: We beseech you, hear us.
Reader: That their love for one another may aid and strengthen them in the sublime office of being a father and a mother, let us pray to the Lord.
All: We beseech you, hear us.
Reader: For all married people here present: That they may nourish and develop their wedlock by pure conjugal love and undivided affection, let us pray to the Lord.
All: We beseech you, hear us.
Reader: That in the fulfillment of their duties, they may be governed by their conscience, conformed to the divine law, let us pray to the Lord.
All: We beseech you, hear us.
Reader: For married and family life all over the world: That government agencies may actively promote the values of marriage and the family in cooperation with all men of good will, let us pray to the Lord.
All: We beseech you, hear us.
Reader: That family association may train young people for family, social and apostolic life, let us pray to the Lord.
All: We beseech you, hear us.
Priest: Lord God, giver of life and love, let your blessing rest upon those whom you have drawn together in love. Give them wisdom for life and discretion in the guidance of their affairs. Fortify them that in virtue of the sacrament of matrimony, they fulfill their conjugal and family obligations through Christ our Lord.
All:
Amen.
Hotel Accommodation: Bohol Tropics Resort
Address: Graham Ave., Tagbilaran City, Bohol
Contact Number: (038) 411- 3510 to 14
E-mail: boholtropics@boholtropics.com
Website: www.boholtropics.com
Peso Power: 6,240
Rating: 9
We stayed in the hotel the night before the wedding. We got two (2) rooms, one for the bride’s and another for the groom’s dressing room the day of the wedding. After the wedding, we retained one room where we, the newlyweds, stayed for another night. Since, we had 1 day free accommodation courtesy of the reception package we availed; we were able to save 2,850 pesos.
Lechon: (ordered by Mama)
Peso Power: 7,000 (@ 3,500 each)
Rating: 10
Priest
Peso Power: 1,000
Rating: 10++++
We had three (3) priests celebrate our wedding mass. We had Fr. Mandin, SVD, Fr. Rocha, SVD and Rev. Fr. Palapar. They actually waived their fees. The amount we paid was thru the parish and we’ve given it before the wedding. We considered it as a donation.
Papers: Licenses and Other Requirements
Peso Power: more or less 6,000
To get married, you’ll have to submit a lot of requirements. Maybe it’s one way to test yourself if you really want to get married. Here’s a list of the papers we submitted:
1. Baptismal and Confirmation Certification of Groom & Bride with annotation FOR MARRIAGE PURPOSES ONLY- You can get this from the Church where you were baptized and confirmed. I think we spent 400 for the certificates.
2. Marriage License- You can get this from the Municipal Civil Registrar. We paid 535 pesos. The requirements for the application of Marriage License are:
a. NSO Birth certificate of groom & bride, 3 copies (Original costs 140 each)
b. Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) of groom and bride- You can also get this from the NSO. A CENOMAR at that time costs 195 pesos each.
c. Certificate of Pre-Marriage Counseling Seminar (DSWD Seminar)- We first attended a 1 day seminar then we were given a certificate of attendance.
d. Parent’s Consent or Advice to Marriage of Person Under Age- Since I was 23 at that time, my parents needed to sign on the Marriage License form consenting me to marry. To be exempted from getting a parent’s consent, one must be at least 25 years old .
3. Certificate of Attendance in the PRECANA Seminar- Fee for the PRECANA is 300.
4. Ecclesiastical Permits- You can get this after the Ecclesiastical Banns are finished. Banns should be announced for three (3) consecutive Sundays in the Parish of the Groom and Bride. We spent I think 400 for the permits.
5. Permit of Marriage- Since we decided to marry in another parish (tradition says that one must marry in the bride’s parish), we needed to get a permit of marriage from my parish. To do so, we must first get a cluster clearance from our cluster head (pay a minimal amount) and then pay the penalty of 3,500 to my parish.
Nails: David’s Salon (ICM)
Peso Power: 1,000
Rating: 10
No fuss! Feels like our usual trip to the salon.
Coins: from Janssen's Italian colleague
Peso Power: FREE
Rating: 10++++
Thank you! I can't remember his name. I'll ask Janssen some other time and I'll just update this post. He provided us with our arrhae. He gave us thirteen (13) 50 euro cents.
Butterflies: c/o Ate Jette
Peso Power: 3,000
Rating: 9
It was Ate Jette who contacted the supplier so I don’t really have much info on this one. We released about 30-40 butterflies outside the church and another 30-40 butterflies in the reception venue. I didn’t give a 10 because I would have loved it more had it been yellow and purple butterflies.
Earrings: from Mama Trif
Peso Power: FREE
Rating: 10++++
Thanks Ma Trif. They say that a bride should have something new, something blue and something borrowed. I had lots of something new. My something blue was my rosary. And my something borrowed is the diamond earrings. I didn’t wear the earrings I bought because I wanted to have something borrowed.hahaha
Other Accessories: fan, hanky, hairpins etc
Peso Power: 500
Rating: 10
Offertory: Bohol Quality Mall
Peso Power: 1,800
Rating: 10
We offered the following:
1. Wine & Host- as symbols of sustenance and nourishment
2. Candles- will serve as light to our path
3. Fruits- symbol of bounty of the earth
4. Flowers- symbol of joy in married life
5. Eggs- symbol of fruitful marriage
Transportation: Mini-coaster
Peso Power: 4,000
Rating: 10
Other Items:
Bible- my old Bible so it’s for free. I just covered it with white felt paper and added a ribbon.
Match- covered it with same material as the Bible.
We would also like to thank everyone who came to our wedding. You made it extra memorable.
And Most of all, we thank the Lord Almighty. We wouldn't have made it, if not for you.
