Sunday, August 25, 2013

REAL WEDDING: { DENNIS & CHRISTINE }


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We love morning weddings. Not only are the flowers at their freshest, the light and the people are also at their best. It reminds us so much of Lord Alfred Tennyson's Marriage Morning"Light, so low in the vale / You flash and lighten afar, / For this is the golden morning of love, / And you are his morning star. / Flash, I am coming, I come, / By meadow and stile and wood, / Oh, lighten into my eyes and heart, / Into my heart and my blood!"

Christine wrote us to inquire on November 19, 2009. A month after, the deal was closed. No meetings, no chats, just emails. We just feel lucky to be trusted by a bride who's based halfway around the globe. As always is the case with our overseas brides, we only met Christine on the day we delivered the flowers. We didn't get to talk much (if at all), ha ha! But we were confident that we delivered and the photos below are all the proof of that conviction. We thank Christine for believing in us even while we were still yet beginning to be known & discussed in the W@W forums.

This is also our third time to work with Paul Vincent, our second with Chug Cadiogan, and our first with Veluz Reyes, although we haven't had the honor of actually meeting them. :-)

To Dennis & Christine, we offer an old English blessing: "May your joys be as bright as the morning, your years of happiness as numerous as the stars in the heavens, and your troubles but shadows that fade in the sunlight of love."






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SUPPLIERS_//
Preps_ Ascott Makati
Wedding / Reception_ Blue Leaf, Taguig
Photo_ Paul Vincent Photography
Video_ Chug Cadiogan
HMUA_ Madge Lejano
Couturier_ Veluz Reyes
Entourage Flowers_ Vatel Manila
Catering_ K. by Cunanan Catering
Event Coordinator_ Erika So Bergara
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How did you two meet?

We met in Juneau. I moved to Alaska around six years ago, but I didn't meet Dennis until about three-four years after I moved. He was born and raised here in the States. We met through our cousins, who happened to be neighbors.---




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Tell us about finding your wedding dress.

My dress was by Veluz Reyes. I wanted a very simple one with just a bit of oomph. I guess Veluz wasn't the person to go to if you just want "simple and elegant", ha ha! I feel bad because I think I limited her creativity, and it was hard doing the consultations through email. In the end, the dress turned out to be gorgeous!
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My favorite memory of the day was:
My entrance. I remember feeling so overwhelmed at the sight of the people who showed up that early just to celebrate our special day with us (the ceremony started at 9:45 AM). Since I live abroad, it was a treat to see all of my loved ones gathered in one place. I also have a distinct memory of seeing Dennis frowning and craning his neck because he couldn't see me at first - and when he did he finally relaxed and smiled.

The whole day was my favorite! The only thing I didn't like was that I ended up bawling my eyes out; it was so embarrassing. But what can I do? I was so happy that day.

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My favorite detail(s) of the wedding was / were:

Definitely the arrangement of the ceremony and the reception. Lace Tan of K. by Cunanan executed everything perfectly. I didn't bother too much about the small details, I just trusted her and our coordinator, Erika Bergara. From the simply beautiful ceremony site to the gorgeous reception hall, they were all perfect.
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Anything D-I-Y for your wedding?

Our escort cards with pistachios. And the table numbers! Too cute. I only wish that we had more pictures.---





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Tell us about your photographer / videographer.
Paul Vincent and Chug Cadiogan are amazing! They, along with their teams, helped me relax during the preparations at the hotel. They were just so funny - and me, well, I love to laugh! I would never get tired of looking through our pictures and playing our onsite video. I would get them again in a heartbeat.---



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Tell us about your caterer.

Heaven-sent! When I first started looking for a caterer, I had a list of about six or seven caterers. Since I'm overseas, email was my preferred mode of communication. The ones on my short list didn't work; their customer service reps or account executives (whatever you call them) didn't really impress me. I stumbled on K. by Cunanan on Google and even though I've never heard of them before, I took a chance and sent them an email. Lace replied within three hours, and she was like a breath of fresh air! I showed their sample menus to Dennis and they passed his standards. As time passed by, I realized they weren't your typical caterer. Their food is not only excellent, but they would work with you on every little detail, which I loved.
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What was your biggest splurge?
The food. Mostly because Dennis and I like to eat, and it's also important for us that our guests enjoy the food.
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What was the design inspiration for your wedding?
Finalizing the color scheme took months. I wanted an all-white wedding, but Dennis wanted some color. So we ended up with white, ice blue, and pistachio / sage green. The combination was easy on the eyes. We didn't really have a theme, but we did go for a minimalist look; nothing that's over the top.
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Why a morning wedding?

We initially did it to cut costs. Ang mahal kaya magpakasal! As time passed by, it made more sense. Most of our guests were older (titos, titas, etc.) and Dennis' family lives in Quezon City. We wanted everyone to be able to relax and to not be in such a rush to go home. It worked out perfectly.
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What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding?
There were probably three challenges that were equally hard: the fact that we are overseas and everything had to be done over the Internet, fixing the legal documents (since Dennis and I are both U.S. citizens), and the guest list. Being overseas was made easier by suppliers who are easily accessible by email. Fixing the legal documents didn't turn out to be as hard as I thought because we were blessed by a lot of people who helped us. The guest list was tough but we had to prioritize.
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Tips to brides-to-be who are based overseas?
Research, research, research! There are so many tools available now over the Internet that weren't available before. And a tip to future brides in general: never lose sight of what is important.

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