January 18, 2014 - Nikko proposed to me in front of our family and friends in St. John Paul II in Eastwood City. Eastwood is a special place for us - first date and lots of other dates, my favorite workplace,and our favorite Church. I am a fan of John Paul II because we share the same love for the youth and of world youth days - which he founded - because World Youth Days are big celebrations of God's love and providence. That leads us to our first major decision - the Church. June 9, 2014 - We Booked St. John Paul II Parish.
Next decision that we made was choosing the priest. No doubt - we only have one person in mind - Fr. Roland Jaluag or Fr. Lando. He is our favorite priest. Fr. Lando showed to me what a true priest friend is - he cares for each and everyone of us - not just because we help him in the ministry but because he treats us as his real friends - a family. He knows us so well that he never fail to correct us or remind us of our duties as youth leaders and servants of the Jesus and the Church.
Next decision was our entourage. Nikko and I would like our siblings and very close cousins to be part of it. Primarily because they are family and that being both the eldest in the family - we wanted to be good examples to them. So next decision is to pick our "best" and "most" trusted friends. For the candle, we chose Liza and Kuya John - as they are also Nikko's godparents when he received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Practically because Kuya John and Liza are our "light", our "guide". We chose Marlyn and Roy for the veil because they are our partners in travel and love. We celebrate each others love and victories. We chose Alloy and J-ann for the cord because these two people practically binds us together and when Nikko proposed to me, it was J-ann who coordinated with our other friends.
Next decision was the hotel. Proximity wise - the best hotel choice is Eastwood Richmonde. So we booked the hotel exactly a year prior to wedding. Next decision is the reception venue. We knew it in our mind that we wanted a club house - practical, worry free and accessible. So we scouted the metro for the nearest and perfect reception venue. During our weekend dates, we would go from one venue to another but the most perfect one lies in Capitol Hills - Ayala Hillside Estates Social Hall. We contacted some friends and asked if they could help book the venue for us and blessed that Christian Franco went the extra mile to lend us a hand.
December 27, 2014 - Pamamanhikan. It was simple yet meaningful. We had ribs for dinner and we wanted it to be interactive and very calm so we chose a venue which is close to our home (my home). It was the first night when our parents finally met. Dad Eric and Mom Jane, Nikko's parent, were very accommodating. They came with a happy spirit and they were ready to embrace our family as their new extended family.
Came January 2015, it felt like its almost near. But we took our time because during that month, we were engaged for a year already. The Wedding Car was a gift from an office mate. He lent us his 45 years old Kombi and it made the wedding more beautiful and aligned with the motif. Also during this time, I was drafting our wedding invites. I wanted to do our own invitation using water color, some editing skills plus some rustic crafts.
Came March 2015, we started sending out our invitations to friends and most importantly to relatives who lives miles and miles away. We wanted everybody to be present as we make a lifetime commitment to God and to each other.
Came the busy moth of April, we already delivered 60-70% of the invites and we were able to hold the first session with our mananahi, Ms Gina. Oh talk about Ms Gina - she is a blessing heaven. She delivered everything as how I imagined it all to be from the bridesmaids dresses to the flowers girls to moms gowns to my very own gown plus all the Barongs that made all the men looked very handsome and formal.
By July, we were able to book all our suppliers: Randolf Evan Photography, F8 Digital Studio, Queensland Catering, Jackie Flores of Majica Make Up Artist, May Valerio of Sweetbox Specialty and Pastries for the cake and we are ready to rock and roll! Talking about rockin and rollin, we need to ensure that the music is already done so we had a meeting with Impressions Music Ensemble which was a gift to us by our Kuya Kiko and wife Ate Airene Pantino. The meeting was superb! The couple tandem of Sir Bong and Maam Johanna was the best. They really know what they are doing and it was very easy to talk to them. Add the music with perfection by including Nikki Caindoy's musicality. Oh it was heaven when I was walking down the aisle while they were singing, "One Thing Remains" by Passion featuring Kristian Stanfill.
During that day, I saw what I exactly pictured in my mind for more than a year. It was practically God's love which made it a reality. I didn't hire a coordinator but thank God for all my wonderful siblings and PYM/COY (Maria, Jeric, Migs, Mae, Apple, Nange, Ems, Ninay, Jeboy and Kier) loves for helping coordinate everything from the hotel, church, liturgy, reception, designs and program. It was like a youth event with so much meaning because this time we are pledging our love and commitment in front of God and our loved ones.
Prior to the event, I was so excited on how God will put all the pieces of the puzzle together. I was telling myself to let go and just let God. It was faith telling me to let God do his masterpiece beautifully painted on that day. Yes, the weather was great - sunny as how we asked St. Clare when we dropped by her monastery two weeks prior to the wedding. Yes, all our loved ones were there - relatives and friends who flew all the way from different places just to be part of our special day - we are forever grateful for the love. We just pray to God that He may bless each and everyone who attended our wedding with overflowing love, happiness and success in all aspects. We know that God will be the one to return all the favors that the people has shared to us on our wedding day.
Prior to the event, I was so excited on how God will put all the pieces of the puzzle together. I was telling myself to let go and just let God. It was faith telling me to let God do his masterpiece beautifully painted on that day. Yes, the weather was great - sunny as how we asked St. Clare when we dropped by her monastery two weeks prior to the wedding. Yes, all our loved ones were there - relatives and friends who flew all the way from different places just to be part of our special day - we are forever grateful for the love. We just pray to God that He may bless each and everyone who attended our wedding with overflowing love, happiness and success in all aspects. We know that God will be the one to return all the favors that the people has shared to us on our wedding day.
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