Our Theme, Finally!

I was surfing the net last night trying to come up with the theme of my wedding that would tie together all of the different things that I like which I've seen on magazines.

One of the first things that I had cut out from a magazine was this cake by Penk Ching with pearl decorations. Then I found this beautiful flowergirl's bouquet that had a pearl handle. These gave me the idea of having a pearl theme.

But, I also fell in love with the colors plum and lime green when I saw the color combination. I had no idea how to incorporate pearls with those colors. I had initially thought of doing a Mardi Gras theme, but it just wasn't me. A Princess/Cinderella them could have easily incorporated the pearls, but not the colors I wanted. I had also thought of a Medieval or Victorian theme, but again it was just not me.

I had thought long ago of having a Grecian theme, since I knew that pearls symbolize the tears of joy of Aphrodite. But I just couldn't connect everything that I wanted. So last night, while I was reading on Aphrodite, inspiration struck! Aphrodite is the goddess of love (as in Eros)...and thats where the term aphrodisiac came from. So I thought, why not have a Grecian theme focusing on Aphrodite? We can serve all kinds of aphrodisiacs like chocolates and wine. Then for my entourage, the dresses will be Grecian-style...I could still use the color plum, and use gold instead of the lime green. All the bouquets and centerpieces will be accented by pearls, and the giveaways will of course be pearls!

A good friend told me that not everyone will "get" my theme...but that's okay. The grecian style will just be very subtle...perhaps only me, Danz, my coordinator and my designer (and everyone else I explain it to) will know about it. And that's fine with me because I just really want to have this one idea to set the mood for the whole wedding.

Venue-hunting in Tagaytay (Part 3)

I went to Tagaytay again last weekend for my last batch of oculars. This time, our stops were Gourmet's Cafe, Balay Indang, Hacienda Isabella and Sonya's Garden.

We got to Gourmet's cafe at 11:30am and Maricris was there to answer our inquiries. Their garden was very simple, but looked pretty good in the pictures when it was all set up. I was a bit surprised though with the prices of their menus, because it was almost equivalent to having a hotel reception! I mean, their set meals start at P1500++, so try to imagine how much their buffet costs. Of course, I understand that they have really good food....But I guess, I'll have to settle with just having lunch or dinner with Danz there someday. I just have to say that Maricris was really easy to talk to...she even offered to give us some lettuce from their garden!

We had a quick lunch then proceeded to Balay Indang. Getting there was pretty easy, but it was still a good 15 minute drive from the main highway before we arrived. Although I was told that the place is 2 hectares, I was still surprised at how big it was. There was ample parking space, a big sprawling garden, a guest houst with three rooms, quaint little cottages, a swimming pool, a pavillion and the house of the owner. I really liked the feel of the whole place. Though the garden was huge, I could still feel a sense of intimacy with the place, if you know what I mean. So I am definitely keeping my eye on this.

We then headed to Hacienda Isabella. Even though we had a map on how to get there, we still had to stop twice to ask for directions. It was also our fault I suppose, because there was a huge "Hacienda Isabella" sign that we didn't see. But when we got there, it was all worth it because I loved the place.....it had a big garden (which could fit over 500 pax) and the house was beautiful. The rooms had this rustic feel to them, and the furniture were all very tasteful. But at P1300 per head, it was still way over our budget. It also seemed to lack the kind of intimacy I wanted, which I just couldn't quite explain. If I had the money (and if the place were easier to find), this would definitely have been my first choice.

Our final stop was at Sonya's Bed and Breakfast. I had never been here even though this has long been a popular stop in Tagaytay. I was really surprised because I didn't expect to see so many people there (although it was understandable because there was a birthday party that day). I asked if the number of people there was normal, and I was told that had I been there two hours earlier, there would have been even more people. We waited for at least 30 minutes before speaking to Gerlie, because there was another couple who was fixing the details of their wedding (and the mother of the bride was there - and you know how mothers can be, hehe). I checked out the Greenhouse while waiting and also bought some pandesal and chocolate cupcakes from the panederia. The garden was probably the nicest one I had been to in Tagaytay. Of course, there's always a "but"...and that is, their menu. Personally, salad and pasta is not a problem for me, but I don't want my guests to go hungry! They do however, allow you to bring outside food at a fee of P1000 per dish.

I was pretty satisfied with our trip, and I went home with my shortlist of venues: Balay Indang, Nurture Spa and Sonya's Garden (but this was later on crossed off the list by my fiance, who refuses to eat salad and pasta for our wedding). So now its time to decide....will it be Balay Indang or Nurture Spa?

Taking a Break

I was getting frustrated with not being able to find THE venue, so I told Danz that I needed to take a break from all the preparations. He understood perfectly well, and I was really thankful for that. To make me feel better, he even told me that it doesn’t really matter to him where we hold our reception. We don’t need to have the PERFECT venue, as long as we’re with each other and that we have our friends and families celebrating with us, that would be enough.:)

Needless to say, that really lifted my spirits. I learned that day to take a step back and just remember what was important to us…each other. I know that’s really corny, but it’s absolutely true! Sometimes you just really have to let go of all the things that you think you need to make it perfect, and realize that what will make the day special is already right there with you!

Venue-hunting in Tagaytay (Part 2)

I visited Tagaytay again last weekend in the hopes of finally finding the venue of my dreams. This time, my Dad and sister came along to help me.

We first stopped by Nurture Spa so that they could see the place, and also so that I could ask Robin my questions. This time, I also checked out their rooms and restrooms (it’s a must for me that the venue has clean restrooms).

From there, we made our way to Villa de Oro, which was just a short distance away. There was a wedding to take place that day so everything was set up when we got there. I liked the garden near the church, as well as their function halls, but was disappointed when I found out that if I wanted an outdoor reception, the tables would be setup on the driveway. This means that my guests would be too spread out, which is one thing I don’t want to happen.

We had lunch at one of my favorite restaurants in Tagaytay…Sanctuario. I love their spreads and freshly-baked breads!

Right after lunch we proceeded to Chateau Royale, at the request of my Dad. I liked their ballroom, but it was too big for the number of guests I was having. Besides, I really want to have a garden reception. We also passed by Chapel on the Hill, just so my sister could see it. There was also a wedding to take place, so it was all set up as well. Too bad we didn’t get to take pictures because there were a lot of guests already there.

After that, we had no idea where else to go, so my Dad suggested Antonio’s. The place was pretty nice (my Dad thought it was the best place we had seen), so we inquired about it. Unfortunately, we were told that they do not accept reservations for weekends (but it was way out of our budget anyway).

Just for the heck of it, I also passed by Josephine’s Parasol Garden, because I had heard so much about it. The place was okay…I suppose I was just expecting something more because of everything I had heard. Anyway, there were two other inquiries for November 17, so it was definitely off my list.

I had run out of places to visit by this point, so we decided to head home. And so, I still don’t have a venue up to now!