{etc} HANDMADE GOODNESS

{etc} Handmade Goodness is Vatel Manila's craft arm. Formed with talented former brides as members, the team specializes in customized hand-made items like the following:
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Boutonnières for the Male Entourage Members (Fabric / Paper / Lace / Polymer Clay)
Ring & Coin Pillow & Bible Bands (Moss / Jute / Felt / Fabric / Lace)
Customised Bouquets (Paper / Fabric / Felt / Brooches)
Other Specialized Items (Fingerprint Registration Board / 'Here Comes the Bride' Banners)
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When Vatel Manila opened {etc} Handmade Goodness in early 2011, the aim was to provide Manila the US wedding experience of having things customized for each and every celebration. How pretty is that? Customized items make weddings all the more special. It also speaks volumes, not just of your good taste, but of your keen attention to the details of your wedding.

Let us know how we could be of help! Email us your ideas and pegs at etchandmadegoodness@gmail.com.

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SAY HELLO TO THE {ETC} TEAM! ^_^  


Name: Mishi Santos-Tolentino
Date of Wedding: November 12, 2010
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Current Job: After graduating from Medicine, taking my Senior Internship and getting married, I decided to take a break from the profession. Being a housewife makes me happy and proud that I have all the time I need to spend with my husband.
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Most important lesson from my wedding: Trust God’s will. For my wedding, I planned long and hard like crazy, but often my way in the manner I want it to be. The wedding did not turn out entirely how I wanted it, but I believe it turned out the way God planned it to be. If it is His way of perfection, who am I to disagree?
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Advice to soon-to-wed couples: MAKE SMART CHOICES. Get real. Learn to identify what is achievable and what is impossible, and be honest with yourself about this. Separate needs from wants. As Regina Brett puts it: “What you want isn’t always what you need, and often isn’t even what you truly want.” Fill the needs. Then, if you want something, it won’t hurt to think it over several times for good measure. If you decide to get it, be sure you won’t whimper in a corner and wait for it to get to you. Act on it / defend it / save up for it / sacrifice for it (whichever applies).
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Best childhood memory: While my own parent’s house was under construction, we lived in an apartment unit at the second floor in Tondo, Manila. I just turned four then & my Dad just taught me how to make a paper plane. Weeks before this, my Mom just started familiarizing me with money, starting with coins.

One afternoon, my parents went out for a while and left in my parents’ bedroom, while my aunt and yaya were in the kitchen. I found a bundle of rectangular pieces of paper. I turned them into paper planes, and even tore some into pieces. Then I went out onto the room’s veranda, which faces the main road where “tambays” abound, and sent all the paper planes flying in the air. All the men below went scrambling to get a piece! I was thinking that perhaps I made such good paper planes and the people loved them. I had so much fun!

Later, my parents came back and began looking for that bundle. They saw some of the torn pieces on the floor. I told them I took it, and what I did with it. They didn’t nag, but I know they felt bad. The bundle turned out to be their month’s salary combined (Yikes!).
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Your Favorite Materials when making DIY items: Fabrics (I love to make patterns, cut and sew), Paper (surprising how limitless and unexpected the items you could create out of it), and Lace (The intricacy is always fascinating).
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Why should future couples do or have DIY items? A wedding, for most people, happens only once in a lifetime, but universally it is a very special occasion - perhaps the most special of all. I believe no two couples are alike. Each has their own background — culture, tradition, values, preferences, dreams, etc. so why make your wedding look like someone else’s?

Weddings should not just be beautiful: it should be personal and should reflect the couple’s love and their personalities. It should not just be visually appealing, extravagant or designed to blow the mind, it should touch the heart.

Cookie-cutter and store-bought items often do not satisfy. Couples should make their weddings truly their own, and the best way is to turn to DIY. For those who are blessed with talent or skill, it is a stylish way to save. If ideas are all you have, and you lack time or skill to turn them into something, there are always people you could rely on to help you execute your ideas and assist you in your efforts of creating a truly personalized wedding.

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Name: April Cyrielle Cervantes
Date of Wedding: December 23, 2010
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Current Job: Senior QA Engineer
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Most important lesson from my wedding: Learn to compromise. Planning the wedding needs a lot of decision-making on many levels. Both your preferences should matter. Giving up your own wants for his may be a big deal for you, but in the end, what is important is that both of you are happy and contented on the outcome of your wedding.
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Advice to soon-to-wed couples: Enjoy and savor every second of the most special day of your life! Don't fuzz about every detail; your guests will not even notice that the wrong track is being played during the cake-cutting part.
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Best childhood memories: Playing with siblings during summer vacation. I remember myself jumping with joy right after the last exam of the school year -- pure happiness!
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Your Favorite Materials when making DIY items: Fabric, felt wool, and jute.
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Why should future couples do or have DIY items? Making your most special day more personal without having to spend too much of your hard-earned money.
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Name: Dylan Yap Gozum
Current Job: Manager for Operations
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Most important lesson from weddings I've handled: Love will see you through. Cheesy, but it's true!

Advice to soon-to-wed couples: Don't be afraid to ask for help. Involve your entourage members. Don't complicate things: the simpler things are, the better! When the going gets tough, get a planner!
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Best childhood memories: Travelling with my Mom. I hated it when we were forced to sleep in the afternoons, but we love waking up to homemade snacks! The smell of freshly baked bread in the morning, and of burnt caramel. Helping form dough with cookie cutters. Tintin & Friends comic books. Playing in the rain!
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My Favorite Materials when making DIY items: Moss / Jute / Watercolor. Would love to learn how to use resin!
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Why should future couples do or have DIY items? Because it's so personalized. It makes an event very, very special.
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Name: Cecile Roxas-Padecio
Date of Wedding: October 14, 2010
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Current Job: Real Estate
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Most important lesson from my wedding: I try to always remind myself about Brian Tracy’s quote, “There’s never enough time to do everything, but there’s always enough time to do the most important thing”. I just take it one step at a time.
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Advice to soon-to-wed couples: Plan a wedding that you want, not what others want for you.
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Best childhood memories: May favorite was “tinda-tindahan sa palengke”. I’d play [the role of a] saleswoman. Stuffed old socks and stockings (as longganisa), banana blossoms, bonbon racket (which served as my knife) were among my props. Also, my Aunt always treated me to Minute Burger for midnight snacks!
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My Favorite Materials when making DIY items: Colored Paper
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Why should future couples do or have DIY items? To make the wedding unique and more personal.

REAL WEDDING: { GWYN & ANNA MELISSA } ILOILO

-- Hello, everyone! It's been a while. ^_^ We're sharing with you a wedding we did in Iloilo City, the City of Love! Bride Melissa r...