Storybook Wedding

[She Writes]

For practical reasons, my fiance and I have been thinking about moving our wedding date.  But we can’t finalize anything yet until the end of this year, when we have more information that will help us in making our decision.

Because of this, I obssessed less about our wedding planning.  I stopped being active in our online community, and even ceased blogging for a while.

It doesn’t mean I’ve completely turned my back on all things related to our wedding planning.  I still continue surfing the Internet for ideas, and leafing through magazines for inspiration.

Because of the extensive time left for preparation, I still have the liberty to allow my imagination to wander (What details will make for a fabulous wedding!) and encourage my common sense to keep me grounded (A wedding is only a day, a marriage is the rest of the days after that!) .  In the end, I hope my head would come to a healthy compromise (A beautiful wedding as a start to a more beautiful marriage). 

A wedding planning-related activity I recently indulged in is attending the launch of the latest Metro Weddings Directory.

I received the email invitation about a week before the event, and deliberated for days whether or not I’ll actually go.

I resolved to attend on the day itself, when I finally admitted to myself that I’m still obssessed enough about our wedding planning to not want to miss this.

It was held at Heaven on the Fifth in Rustan’s, Makati.  And rightfully so. Stepping off the escalator, I seemed to be stepping into what looked like a piece of heaven.

K by Cunanan Catering, which was serving cocktails, set a romantic mood with the gorgeous flowers and elegant table settings.

The “stage” (which I’m not certain was done by K by Cunanan as well) was a stunning vision of simplicity.

I was the second to sign the guest book, right below Henry Pascual, the BFF-worthy stylist who I’d met at the recently held Wedding Summit.  He had been so friendly, that when I saw him sitting only an arm’s length from me, I almost wanted to chat him up (feeling close).  I approached him instead after the event, during cocktails.  He was as nice as ever, and excitedly reported that he was the official stylist for the upcoming Wedding Expo in September.  He said it was going to be very different from his previous works.

I arrived at the launch in the nick of time, just as Metro Weddings’ Editor-in-Chief, Romina Gonzalez, went “onstage,” signaling the start of the program.  She was pleasant and easy-going, making us feel very comfortable.   She was also very engaging, as she talked about the magazine, the Directory, the content, and provided tips about wedding planning.  I even saw a couple of brides taking notes.  She talked to a few people in the audience (myself included) and I learned that there were a couple of w@wies present.  She gave soaps to some of the brides, and a complimentary copy of the Directory to me.  I already had a copy, but I happily received it anyway, and gave it to a fellow bride who was sitting in front of me.

After a while, she got everyone to play a game, which involved “scoring” oneself according to the “rules” she would be saying out loud.  One example of a “rule” was something like “Give yourself 10 points if your fiance kissed you today.”

I got a total of 44 points, which turned out to be the third highest in the group!  I got a prize from the Beauty Bar, which was a paper bag filled with pretty-fying goodies.

There was a facial mask by Bloom called Skin + Tonic: A Facial Pick Me Up!;

Body Tonic Water and Body Lotion in Mandarin Orange by Durance en Provence, which my fiance thought were a couple bottles of orange juice when I showed it to him in Skype;

And an Exfoliating Body Wash by Bloom.

After the game, a representative from Rustan’s (who had on the most gorgeous Black & White animal print shoes) talked about Rustan’s The Registry (Weddings & Beyond), and gave away a few of the more popular items from their stores and then some – a MAC bridal kit, a duvet, glassware, and gift certificates to the Mandala Spa.

She picked from a bowl of calling cards.  And voila!  I won a duvet!

Apart from my “prizes,” I also took home a goody bag, which they were giving away to all the guests.

Inside was the Jan – Jun 2007 issue of Metro Weddings, which I thankfully didn’t have yet.

There were other goodies, too.

There was a cake by Penk Ching of the Pastry Bin;

And a gift certificate from Melissa Shoes at Anthem Rockwell.

Although I already had a copy of the Directory at home, I bought two more – one for my friend who accompanied me at the event, and another for Dino Lara, my photographer on which I was quoted in the magazine.

With the purchase of the Directory, I got a cool free gift!

It’s a star-shaped bottle of perfume by Iridescents.

Aside from the Directory, I got the latest issue of Metro Weddings as well (with Amanda Griffin on the cover) – a great addition to my “collection.”

I will most likely buy the next one (with Cheska Garcia on the cover), which Romina said may come out in August.

And thanks to Metro Weddings, I’m inspired to be active in the wedding planning circuit again!