When My Bridegroom Comes Blog Giveaway Continues this December 2013

Have you signed up for the free e-book that I'm giving away here in my blog? If you haven't signed up yet, you better hurry up because I'm giving it away for free for a limited time only.

 

But since my bridegroom and I are celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary this month, on the 19th to be exact, it will still be available this month.

 

This year, our wedding anniversary is made extra special because it's like I'm waiting for my bridegroom to come all over again.

 

My husband has been out of the country in the past three months for a special project. It's the first time that he has been away from me this long since we got engaged. It was difficult to say the least. It was difficult for me as a wife. It was difficult for me as the mother of our two little boys. There were nights when the boys and I would simply cry. It usually starts with our eldest crying to me and telling me that he misses his Dad very much. He would ask me why he can't hug or embrace his Dad. When he says those words, I just couldn't help but cry as well. I would tell him that he can hug me and his younger brother instead while thinking of his Dad. Then, when my youngest son hears or sees me and his older brother in tears, he would cry too.

 

Sometimes, my eyes would be filled with tears during our Skype calls when I see my kids trying to kiss and embrace their Dad through my laptop.

 

I figured, so this must be how kids with parents who work far from their homes feel. My husband goes out-of-town or out-of-the country every now and then as part of his job; but most are short-term trips. We miss him just the same. But this last trip, this is the hardest because it's the longest and farthest so far! Thus, we missed him big time!

 

So, as we count the days and the nights before he comes again (two nights to go!), I feel like I'm a bride again waiting for her bridegroom's coming.

 

Are you also waiting for someone? Is he your bridegroom too? Are you waiting for your dream wedding?

 

Why don't you sign up for my free e-book and enjoy it while you wait? Remember, it will be FREE only for a LIMITED TIME. So, go to my blog's sidebar, sign up and download your copy NOW!

 

 

Blog Anniversary Give-away: How to Have the Wedding of Your Dreams e-book

It has been 1 year and 10 days since I first started this blog. I'd like to thank all of you, my dear visitors, readers and subscribers, for being part of this blog. Without all of you, our more than 68,000 pageviews (so far as of today) would not be possible.

 

I thank all of you for the inspiration to write my first e-book: How to Have the Wedding of Your Dreams. It was because of your pageviews of my wedding preparation-related posts that I was moved to write my newest book.

 

 

 

Thus, this month of June, to celebrate the wedding month and this blog's 1st year anniversary, I'm giving away my first e-book for FREE! Don't miss this gift from me this month. Sign up now on the box to your right to avail of our blog give-away!

 

Enjoy reading and be blessed!

 

Here's a toast to more dream weddings coming true!

 

 

My Dream Wedding by Rhodz Yabut

I finally had the time to feature a dream wedding here in my blog.  This is the dream wedding of one of my close friends.  She was one of those whom I interviewed for my article last year, which eventually inspired me to come up with this blog. 


I'd like to thank Rhodz for allowing me to share her treasured dream here in my blog to encourage other single ladies to dream and make their dream wedding as specific as they could.  I hope and pray that by asking Rhodz to be specific with her dream wedding, I have helped her to move closer to its fulfillment.  I hope and pray, too, that you will also be inspired to pause and imagine what your dream wedding would be like as you read this post.


Cheers to the first dream wedding story in this blog!

 

**********

I love weddings!  They give me a warm feeling of happiness and joy!  I believe that a wedding is the union of two people who are in-love with each other.  Otherwise, they will not end up in the altar!  I believe that every single woman has her own dream wedding, and I am no different!  How do I envision my future wedding to be?  I haven’t given much thought to it until recently... and here is how I imagined it would be...

 

Photo source here.

It is a mixture of all the things that I love -- flowers and gardens, romantic music, the beach, and sunset!  I dream of geting married in a church or a chapel with a long aisle to march on, on top of a mountain or a hill, before sunset.  Outside of this church or chapel is a spacious garden with lots of trees and flowers, overlooking a beach.  I don’t know if such a place exists in the Philippines, but I do hope so to make my dream wedding happen in such a place!  I imagine myself marching in my wedding gown with a long lace veil covering my face  and making a long train at the back, while I hold a bouquet with a mixture of baby pink, apple green, and white tulips.  On the long aisle is a red carpet where scattered on it are lots of white rose petals.  On the side of the aisle are beautiful flower arrangements of both garden and forest flowers with the same color motif. 

 

All the important people in my life -- my family, relatives, closest friends and community friends who are all wearing white summer/beach outfits – surround me and watch me as I march to the music of The First Time I Loved Forever played by a quartet and sang by an all male choir.  My groom has a wide smile and a radiant face as he looks at me walking towards him and the altar. 

 

Photo source here.

The reception is in the same area -- a spacious garden overlooking the beach.  Torches serve as lights.  All tables, adorned by garden and forest flowers like in the church, have a green apple fruit in the middle of the arrangement.  The place is surrounded with flowering plants.  We all watch the sunset together as the party goes on.  The guests have fun eating the sumptous meal and the wide variety of desserts we prepared for them.  They dance the night away through the romantic and danceable music provided by the quartet and the band.  The wedding party is capped by a fireworks display and the sound of the waves down the beach...

 

Oh, how I hope this dream wedding of mine will come true as I envisioned it by the grace of God!

 

Rhodz Yabut is an Early Childhood Education Teacher from the Philippines who is in her thirties.

 

Dream Weddings: Fairy tales can come true

“Here comes the bride dressed all in light…” goes the traditional bridal march. Most women, if not all, probably had at one point in their lives dreamt of walking down the aisle to marry the one for whom they are intended.

 

We can trace this to the influence of fairytales in our lives, which many girls read during childhood. That includes me! I even had a collection of fairytale books. I grew up dreaming what many girls dream… to meet my prince charming and marry him.

 

As I grew older, I realized that a dream like that doesn’t happen easily like in fairytales. Still, that realization didn’t stop me from dreaming about my wedding MANY years before it actually took place.

 

And even now that I’m already married and the wedding of my dreams had taken place almost five years ago, weddings still give me that warm feeling every time I think of them. I love weddings because for me weddings represent the triumph of love over many challenges. It means that the couple love each other so much that they vow to stick with each other “for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health…” Isn’t that romantic? Since June is considered as the wedding month since the time of the Romans, I interviewed single ladies about their dream weddings.

 

Abby Guan, a bank teller, shares, “Saying YES to the man I love is one of the best feelings in the world that I don’t want to miss. I want it to be fun and full of surprises. I prefer a church wedding because I want it to be solemn. I’m not planning to spend all of my fortune. I just want a unique wedding that will not be forgotten.”

 

Paz Ancheta, a government employee, shares two things that she definitely wants to happen on her wedding day, “I’ll wear a pink wedding gown and my mom will sing The Lord’s Prayer.”

 

Ann, a business owner, says that the church and reception venue should be air conditioned. She adds, “I dream of marrying the man I truly deserve and who truly loves me and cares for me. I plan to have a simple but elegant wedding with my family and closest friends. I envision myself wearing a white lace gown with a colorful bouquet walking down the aisle with a big smile on my face, while I see my handsome groom in a barong, happily waiting for me at the altar. I’ll be the most beautiful and happiest woman on my wedding day.”

 

Ms. Apple Green, RRY, an Early Childhood Education Teacher, details her dream wedding, “I dream of getting married in a church with a LONG aisle, on top of a mountain or a hill, before sunset. I imagine myself marching with a long lace veil covering my face and making a long train at the back, holding a bouquet with a mixture of baby pink, apple green and white tulips, with white rose petals scattered on the red carpet, and flowers with the same color motif on the aisles.
 

“All the important people in my life (dressed in white) watch me as I march towards my groom with a wide smile and a radiant face, to the music of The First Time I Loved Forever played by a quartet and sang by an all male choir. The reception, in a spacious garden outside the church overlooking the beach, is lighted by torches. Tables adorned by the same flowers as in the church will have a green apple fruit in the middle of the arrangement,” she continues.

 

All the ladies I interviewed didn’t mention a particular month for their wedding except Hazel Rosario, a Software Quality Assurance Manager, who wants her Greek-inspired wedding with white and gold motif to be in the month of December. She further imagines, “I want to look like a Greek goddess! I want my gown to be simple yet sophisticated, no heavy lace and no layers and layers of fabric. I want it to be very light and flowing with minimal embellishments, hand-painted gold design at the trail and at the edge of the gown.

 

“I want the ceremony to be in an old church or chapel made of wood and decorated like an enchanted forest. It will be simple yet solemn with the people dear to me and my bridegroom present. Our family members and close friends will compose the entourage. When I look behind from the altar, I want to see familiar faces sharing this wonderful event with us. The reception will be at a private resort where our guests will party until the wee hours of the morning.”

 

Each one has her own unique dream wedding in mind. Each dream wedding is as beautifully unique as each of these future brides.

 

How about you? Were you inspired to imagine your own dream wedding by simply reading this article? Go ahead! A boyfriend or fiancé is not a prerequisite to imagining your dream wedding. Don’t let your circumstances stop you. As mentioned earlier in this article, I imagined and planned my dream wedding MANY years before I had my first boyfriend. I even sketched my dream wedding gown and the gowns of the women in my entourage! I had imagined almost every detail that many of my close friends then would tell me in jest that all I needed was a bridegroom because I had it all planned in my head.

I believed that being specific in my dreams and prayers would increase the chances of my dream coming true. Just like in Cinderella’s song, I kept on believing until the dream that I wished came true on December 19, 2007. The wedding of my dreams took place as I imagined it almost up to the last detail. Almost… because as my priest-friend who officiated my wedding said in his homily, “After all the planning and hard work, there comes a time when we just have to sit back and accept everything as it unfolds, just as it is… according to the script of the Lord Himself.”

 

Cheers, to all future brides! And to the 2012 June Brides, enjoy your wedding day and savor every moment!

 

Teresa authored the book When My Bridegroom Comes. She met her first and only boyfriend (who eventually became her bridegroom) at a Valentine’s party where she launched her book. Their love story was published in the book 40 Stories of Finding Your One True Love by Bo Sanchez. To order a copy of her book and share your dream wedding in her blog, email her at teregmps@yahoo.com or whenmybridegroomcomes@yahoo.com.

 

This was originally published on June 4, 2012 at The Philippine Online Chronicles.

 

If the Shoe Fits... Searching for the Princess' Shiny Shoe

Tiara, check.  Jewelry, check.  Wedding gown, check.  Shiny shoes... hmmm... still searching.

Would you believe that one the things I had a hard time searching for was my wedding shoes?  Yes, because I wanted to look and feel like a princess from head to toe.  Since the theme of our wedding was Disney Princess, I thought that my wedding shoes should fit 1. our theme; 2. my shoe size; and 3. our budget.

So, my shoes should be shiny, silver or white in color, or if I can find transparent shoes or something that looks like the glass slippers of Cinderella, much better.

We first went to The Landmark to search for the perfect shoes for me.  I saw a lot of shoes that were shiny and silvery or white.  But there was not one pair of shoes that convinced me they're the right pair for my wedding day.

Thus, my fiance and I continued our search for that elusive shiny shoe fit for a princess bride.

My fiance suggested that we go to Power Plant Mall.  Just like what we did at The Landmark, we went around every shoe store to check if there was a pair that I'd like and would fit my criteria.

It was in one of the shoe stores there that I saw what I think was the perfect shoes for a Princess Bride.  The shoes were transparent and they looked like Cinderella's glass slippers.  They had swarovski stones that made them sparkle and shine.  And they had a pair for my shoe size.  I excitedly tried a pair.  I even tried to dance some steps to see if I would feel comfortable dancing the foxtrot in them.  They felt perfect for my feet!

I looked at the saleslady and casually asked for the price of the beautiful pair I'm wearing.  As soon as she said the price, the big smile on my face started to fade and suddenly the shoes didn't seem perfect at all.  The price of the shoes I tried was Php16,000! 

I was amazed that I was able to think of an excuse right away to leave the store and leave "Cinderella's shoes" behind. haha :)

Okay, so I found the perfect shoes... well, not really, because it did not fit our budget.  I would never buy a shoe that expensive even for my wedding day. No way!  It was simply impractical.  I was even thinking that the shoes I will buy for my wedding should be something I can use again on other occasions.

I think we went to SM Makati and Glorietta to check out some shoe stores too but we found oursleves back at The Landmark.  This time, I was determined to buy the best pair of shiny shoes I'll fit into, one that satisfies all my criteria. 

I finally found the pair of shoes I wanted to wear for my wedding.  Yes, I tried to dance some foxtrot moves with them, walked around with them and stared at the mirror lengthily before finally buying the pair.

I was happy with my purchase.  It was a simple shiny pair of shoes, silver in color, with heels that are three inches tall.  They had straps around my ankles to make sure my shoes will not slide or will not be left behind during my bridal march or our first dance as a couple.  I liked Cinderella's story but I didn't want to experience that part where she lost one of her shoes. 

Important lessons learned during our hunt for my wedding shoes: Know your priorities and know what part of your dream wedding to compromise and what not, where to splurge and where to stick to the alloted budget.

I still felt like a true princess on my wedding day even though the price of my wedding shoes was just around a thousand pesos.  Let me tell you why through a quote in one of my favorite shirts: YES, I AM A PRINCESS BECAUSE MY FATHER IS THE KING OF KINGS!

My Search for the Perfect Make-up Artist for My Wedding

My make-up artist for my wedding was one of the last few things I finalized on my list of wedding suppliers because it took me a while before I was able to find the make-up artist who can help me look my best on my big day.   Since I had been dreaming of a Disney Princess wedding theme, I imagined myself to be as beautiful as a Disney Princess.  Who's going to help bring out the princess look in me was the big question?

I had my make-up done by a number of professional make-up artists before but I was never satisfied.  I'm not photogenic and a lot of times, I didn't like how I looked in my pictures.  Thus, I really prayed to God that I would find the best person who can help me look good in my wedding pictures. 

I received a few recommendations from friends and tried them but was not satisfied.  I could not smile my happiest smile each time I looked in the mirror after each trial session.  I had three trial hair and make-up sessions before I made my final decision. 

I first met HER at a wedding fair in PICC Forum just a few months before my wedding.  She was offering a free trial hair and make-up then so I decided to avail of it.  I also requested for a quotation.

My fiance and I liked how I looked after my first trial session with her that we even decided to go to a nearby studio for a photoshoot.

I also felt that her name was a sign that she was THE MAKE-UP ARTIST I was looking for.  She's Princess Misa-Hernandez.  She is fondly called Tita Princess by her clients.

Thus, I got in touch with her again to book her services and to schedule another trial make-up.

We had another trial session using traditional make-up or Mac.  I observed how long the nice make-up would last.  I noticed that because I had oily skin, the polished look didn't last long enough. 

So, I asked Tita Princess for another trial make-up session, this time using airbrush make-up.  This is what Tita Princess says about airbrush make-up for brides. "Based on my experience and the kind of weather we have, airbrush make-up is a must.  It has so many benefits: It's water-based, 100% hypoallergenic, long-lasting (up to 18 hours), hardly requires any touch ups, water and rub-resistant... and doesn't come-off on casual contact with clothing." 


We also tried simulating my dream hair style for my big day.  I could still remember showing Belle's picture (the Disney Princess in Beauty and the Beast) on my mobile phone to her.  She and her team might have thought it funny but I admired them for patiently and graciously cooperating with me in trying to achieve my dream look for my wedding.  It was simply a must for me to look every inch a princess on my wedding day.  So as not to waste what I spent for my trial hair and make-up, my fiance and I scheduled a video shoot for our avp that same day.  TIP: Schedule your pre-nuptial pictorial or video-shoot on the same day that you'll have your trial hair and make-up to save money.

Busy bride

I'm so glad our efforts paid off after 6 trials!  I was very happy with how I looked during my wedding and I consider Tita Princess as one of the best wedding suppliers I had the pleasure of working with during that special day in my life.  She helped me look and feel every inch a princess!  She and her team were very professional.  They arrived at the hotel on time or as we have agreed; thus, we had ample time to polish my look.  we were not in a hurry.  It also helped that we had trial sessions prior to my wedding because we have already simulated it the last time and all she and her team needed to do was to recreate that look.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of us all?

Making the mother of the bride more beautiful.

Excited to wear my gown.

Tita Princess Misa-Hernandez busy at work
in making me look perfect on my wedding day.

Finally, I was able to smile my happiest smile as I looked in the mirror on my wedding day.  I was especially flattered when the kids in the hotel's lobby gushed and tried to follow me as I passed by to go to the bridal car saying, "There's a princess!  Look!"  Thanks so much again, Tita Princess for being instrumental in fulfilling my dream wedding!  Great job!  May God use you even more to fulfill the dreams of more future brides!

Beaming with joy.

Happy princess bride and "fairy" godmother.

The very happy princess bride.

Father's Day Post on My Dream Wedding

I held his hand tightly and asked him to pray with me.  I prayed allowed so he could follow in his mind even though he could no longer talk.  I can see the tears rolling down his face as he looked at me and held my hand with whatever strength that was left in him. 


We were on our way then to the hospital.  My father has just suffered his first majot stroke.  Thank God that I was there by his side.  Thank God for the miracles He gave us from the very first time it happened to the fifth time my father had a stroke.


One of the things I dreamed of happening on my wedding day was to walk down the aisle with my father towards my bridegroom.  I dreamed of dancing with him as well during my wedding reception.  This dream may seem small or trivial to some but to me this has become a big dream, especially when my father suffered from stroke several times years before I even had a boyfriend.  


Then, just before my wedding day, he had high blood pressure again and we had to rush him with the help of my fiance to the hospital.  On my wedding day, I requested a doctor friend of mine to check his blood pressure (before the bridal march and after the ceremony) to make sure he is alright since I know that he could become emotional during the ceremony.  Moreover, we decided that he will just wait at the middle of the aisle and just walk half of the church aisle's length with me and my mom for the aisle is quite long.  Tatay had difficulty walking since he suffered his first major stroke.  He can walk but very slowly and he easily gets tired.

Walking towards my parents who were waiting at the middle of the aisle.

I thank the Lord for granting me my wish and fulfilling this important detail in my dream wedding.  I thank God that I was able to walk down the aisle with Tatay towards the man I have chosen to share the rest of my life with.  I thank God that He let my father live long enough so he could give me away on my wedding day.  I thank God that I was able to dance with my father during my wedding reception.  I thank God that my father is still alive today as we celebrate another Father's Day.

Walking happily with my parents towards a new phase in my life.

Tatay started crying as I started to say goodbye to them.

Thank you, Tatay, for all that you've done for me.

George puts his arm around my father's shoulders to comfort him.

So, today as the world celebrates Father's Day, I honor not only my Tatay but God the Father as well for fulfilling this child's wish for her wedding day. Thank you very much, heavenly Father! You are simply the best Father one can ever have!

Tatay and me dancing at my wedding reception.

The Search for My Dream Wedding Reception Venue

I have dreamed of having my wedding reception in a sprawling garden under the canopy of stars for quite a while but when I was already engaged, I realized that for that dream to come true, I need to have my wedding in a cool place and that my wedding should take place in the summer when the possibility of rain is either nil or small.  Thinking about it further, I realized that if I want to stick to that kind of wedding reception, then my wedding ceremony should also be near that reception venue.  But where do I find cool gardens?  Antipolo, Tagaytay or Baguio?  That would mean a destination wedding.  Is that what I really want?  How about getting married in the church of my dreams with a shimmery purple wall behind the altar?  Will it be practical?  Can my future bridegroom and I afford it?  These thoughts were in my mind many times even before I had a boyfriend.  But I did not really think of them seriously until I got engaged in 2006.

When I finally got engaged, I’ve decided that fulfilling my dream of having my wedding in a church with  shimmery purple walls was more important to me than the reception venue of my dreams.  So bye-bye destination wedding.

As soon as George and I were able to reserve the church for our wedding and the wedding date has been finalized, the search was on for the venue of our wedding reception.  What are our musts for our wedding venue?  First, it must be aligned with the theme of our wedding, which is Disney Princess and it must be garden-inspired.  Second, it must be accessible and near the church where the wedding ceremony would be held.  Third, it should be elegant but not be too costly because we want to have enough money to purchase and furnish our first home.  Fourth, it should be big enough for our guests and still have room for a stage or dance area for the program.  And lastly, it should have plenty of parking space for our guests.  Initially, I wanted to have the reception to be in a garden underneath the stars but with the concerns on climate change and the unreliability of weather forecasts sometimes, I’ve decided eventually to have the reception indoors but outside the wedding venue should be a beautiful garden.  I also decided that I want an air conditioned reception venue because I don’t want my face to be oily because of sweat.  Decembers are not as cold as they used to be. 

We made a shortlist of all the garden-inspired venues near our chosen church and scheduled a visit.  Since the church where our wedding ceremony would be held is in Tandang Sora, Quezon City, these were the venues we considered.

1. Fernwood Gardens is located at 69 Cenacle Drive, Sanville Subdivision, Quezon City.  I’ve been there several times when I attended the wedding of some of my friends and when I accompanied some friends who were preparing for their weddings.  So when I went there with George, I was quite familiar already with the venue.  It was still as beautiful as when I first saw it.  Some of the things I noticed however that made me think twice about having our wedding reception there are the following: first, it was not air conditioned; second, I felt that there were too many trees in the venue such that there are trees sometimes between tables; third, the rate for use of the venue was expensive; and fourth, there are events held simultaneously although at other venues within the compound.  It was towards evening when we visited the place but it was still hot so I worried about my make-up on the day of my wedding.  I was perspiring and I could not feel much breeze.  So, I thought that I would feel warmer on my wedding day when I would be wearing a gown.  Then, as we went around the venues in their compound, we noticed that the speakers are loud enough to be heard in other parts of the compound.  This made George apprehensive.  Plus, we were not comfortable to be spending a very big sum of money for our wedding reception venue alone.  We thought of the things we could use the money for if we choose not to have our reception there.  We could already use the equivalent amount as reservation or part of the downpayment for our first home or use it to buy pieces of furniture and appliances for our future home.  So, we continued our search.

2. Gazebo Royale is located at Rona’s Garden compound, 29 Visayas Avenue extension, Quezon City.  We went to Gazebo Royale twice if I’m not mistaken.  The first time was when we inquired about their packages and checked out the place.  The first thing I noticed was that the venue was not air conditioned.  I also felt that the plants were not as plentiful as I expected from venues that claim to be a garden venue.  George and I even joked about how we felt that there were too many trees and plants at Fernwood Gardens and how too few in our perspective the foliage were at Gazebo Royale.  We wondered if we can find the garden venue that we want.  Anyway, we still went back to see the place again when there was an event scheduled to see how the venue looked at night and when it has been decorated to experience its ambiance.  It looked better at night with the lights on but we still felt that their garden was not big enough for us and our guests to wander around in and the parking area is too small.  We left the place dissatisfied.  

3. The Oasis is located at 169 Aurora Boulevard, San Juan Metro Manila.  When we went to see the party venue Oasis, their Pavilion was not yet air conditioned.  I was perspiring a lot.  We also felt that their Pavilion was too big for the number of guests in our wedding.  Our target number of guests was between 150 to 200 only.  The Pavilion’s capacity is up to 450 guests.  We also did not find their garden inviting enough.  They had other venues within their compound other than the Pavilion but I was not satisfied when I saw them and the pictures they showed when these venues were dressed up for weddings.  We went there I think at least twice to view the venue (Pavilion) while there was a wedding going on so we can see how it would actually look if decorated.  Both of us however were not impressed.

4. Grand Terraces is along Commonwealth Avenue.  It’s located at 5 Villanueva Drive corner Commonwealth Avenue to be exact.  Again, just like Gazebo Royale, we felt that there wasn’t enough garden in this venue to enjoy.  The grass was not real inside the supposed garden venue.  In short, we felt that it was simply another event venue where both a few real and synthetic plants were added.  It was not still the garden venue that we are searching for.

 

 

By the fountain in front of the entrance doors
to the chateau.

5. Blue Gardens is located at 28 Samonte street via Zuzuaregui Road, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City.  We were first introduced to this venue through a wedding fair we attended at Megamall.  I fell in love with the venue as soon as I saw it.  It fit perfectly with the theme I have chosen.  It has a beautiful English garden filled with flowers of different colors and has a cobblestone path.  It has a white gazebo inspired by Castle Versailles of France and an arch filled with flowering vines.  It is big enough to be used for an outdoor ceremony and/or reception. 


But if one prefers an air conditioned indoor venue, they also have a European-inspired Chateau with white interiors, a glass chandelier, Greek pillars with silk flowering vines going around them, and large French windows enabling guests to see the garden outside. 

The elevated stage and couple's table and
glass windows with panoramic view of the garden.

The main hall at the second floor has an elevated stage as well with a panoramic view of the English garden outside. It was perfect for my Disney Princess theme. It looked like the hall of a castle in my fairy tale books and there’s a beautiful and romantic garden outside with a bubbling fountain adorned by purple flowers. Just like in the other venues we visited, they have air conditioned rooms for the bride and for the groom respectively. They also have enough parking space for our wedding guests. One of the things that we love about Blue Gardens is that given its elegance, it was not pricey. They also do not allow simultaneous events, which gives whoever is having the event exclusivity. The wedding packages they have are affordable and they also have good caterers affiliated with them. Another thing I liked that is part of their package is that they give away flowering plants as souvenirs for guests, very apt for the garden theme. We went there again a second time to see it decorated for an event then we reserved the venue and scheduled our taste test with one of their caterers. Their staff who assisted us in preparing and coordinating for our wedding was also very accommodating and helpful.   

Here are some pictures to give you a glimpse of this beautiful venue. Most of the pictures were taken during our actual wedding.


The presidential table.

Enjoying our wedding.

And we danced happily at the party.

At the Chateau entrance doors.

Garden pictorial with my prince charming.

I highly recommend Blue Gardens to any future bride who wants a princess-themed wedding or a garden wedding ceremony or reception. 

You can reach them at the following contact numbers. 
Telephone: (632) 430 5982
Telefax: (632) 931 1628

Their email address is bluegardens@gmail.com.

Their office hours are from Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10am-5pm only and Sundays, 11am-5pm only.

Did you like this post? Then, don't forget to subscribe to this blog and like our Facebook Page before you leave so as not to miss future updates that can help you in your wedding preparations.

I'm also giving away this FREE e-book soon to all the subscribers of this blog. So subscribe now!

 

The Church for My Dream Wedding



The church facade, taken on the day of my wedding.

I first set foot on it when I attended the wedding of my friends, Cris and Miel.  I was the commentator in their wedding then.  Donning a maroon-colored slim gown and a sunset orange-colored poncho, I walked slowly on my high heels into the church.  Then, my eyes rested on the wall behind the altar of the church.  I almost could not believe my eyes.  It was purple and shimmering because of the gold stars on it.  It looked magical!  It was perfect for my dream wedding theme which was Disney Princess!  I initially did not think that even the church where I would wed would be aligned with my desired wedding theme and color motif which was pink and purple.  But there I was standing inside Our Lady of Consolation Parish church. 

The purple wall behind the altar.

The church is located inside Mira Nila Homes in Tandang Sora, Quezon City.  I think the church is constructed on a hilly/elevated portion of the subdivision.  It has a relatively long aisle which was what I wanted so that my bridal march would not be brief.

So, I promised myself that afternoon, one day I will get married in that church.  That was early 2000. 



The view from the church doors
during my wedding.

The next time I was at the church to attend a wedding was during the wedding of my friend, Ria.  Ria also loved the color purple so it was not surprising that she chose to be married in the same church.  This time, I wore a pink dress to the wedding.  I made a wish that day.  My wish was that the next time I go to that church, it will be with my future bridegroom.  That was 2006 I think (if my memory serves me right).  Incidentally, in a game for singles at Ria's wedding reception, I got a piece of paper with the word "next."  The emcee said that it meant I was getting married next.  I was happy with the thought.  But I had no idea how it will come true for I was still very much single and unattached that time.

I remember asking my friend who lives in the same subdivision if there are any plans in their parish to change the paint or design of the wall behind their altar.  I was concerned that they might change its color before my wedding. ;)

Then, God granted me my wish!  The following year, I went back to that church with my fiancé, George, to reserve the church for our wedding day.  I was so happy!
 



Walking down the aisle on a red carpet.



My bridegroom and I at the altar.

I was happiest of course on my wedding day as I walked down the aisle of that church with a purple wall behind its altar on the third week of Advent.  Thus, part of the church decor was a wreath with three purple candles and a pink candle.
 

We reserved the church more than a year before our wedding since churches easily get booked especially in the month of December.  Our wedding was held on December 19, 2007.
 

The walls behind the altar provided the best backdrop for our pictorial with our wedding entourage.



With our bride's maids and groom's men



With our flower girls, ring bearer and Bible bearer.

Finally, Mr. and Mrs.

Here are some information about Our Lady of Consolation Parish in case the pictures you saw in this blog made you want to get married there as well.

You can see more photos of the church here in Flicker.

It can accommodate up to one thousand people.  It also has a hall across the church within the church compound where wedding receptions can be held.  There are also other wedding venues you can choose from near the church, which makes it a good place to get married.

Address:
81 Alondras Street, Mira-nila Homes

Tandang Sora, UP P.O. Box 206

1101 Quezon City

You can view the map to the church here.


Telephone number: (02) 931-1999  

Telefax: 456-6160

E-mail: olcp@pacific.net.ph




This is how the church looks in a regular wedding.