My Personal Tips for Making DIY Wedding Invitations

I would like to think of myself as a creative person (naks!)  It serves as a good stress reliever and outlet whenever life and all it's craziness just seems too much to bear.

So when I got engaged (sorry, folks, just continuing the wedding mood set by my 2 previous posts J), I decided early on to make our own wedding invitations (DIY) to distract myself from the stress of preparing for the other items needed for the big day.

Sneak peek

WEDDING SUPPLIERS REVIEW: Photobot Manila

NOTE:  How time quickly flies!  Yes, folks, I've been married for more than 2 years now, and silly me, after doing a quick back track of all my previous wedding suppliers review posts, I noticed that I had yet to do one for our strings trio from Libante Strings and photobooth provider, Photobot Manila.  

And since we've been such satisfied customers of both, I've decided to go ahead and prepare a review, albeit a tad (?!) late.  But as they say, "better late than never;"  so please bear with me as I post a few backlogged posts to show our gratitude to these 2 businesses.  J

I have been waging a continuous, never-ending battle with dirt and dust for decades.  And as such, I try to keep small trinkets I've accumulated over the years inside glass cases where they'll be sure to still be displayed, but without collecting too much dust.

However, I find that the older I get, the more weddings I get to attend, hence, the more souvenir trinkets I tend to bring home and display.  I'm slowly losing space to place it all!

So it was such a relief to find that the trend for weddings nowadays is to install a photo booth at your party and have it dish out goofy photos of your guests to serve as souvenirs.  So for our wedding, the Husband and I decided to obtain the services of Photobot Manila for our photo booth needs.

The Husband and I on our wedding day

WEDDING SUPPLIERS REVIEW: Libante Strings

NOTE:  How time quickly flies!  Yes, folks, I've been married for more than 2 years now, and silly me, after doing a quick back track of all my previous wedding suppliers review posts, I noticed that I had yet to do one for our strings trio from Libante Strings and photobooth provider, Photobot.  

And since we've been such satisfied customers of both, I've decided to go ahead and prepare a review, albeit a tad (?!) late.  But as they say, "better late than never;"  so please bear with me as I post a few backlogged posts to show our gratitude to these 2 businesses.  J

I've mentioned in my original Wedding Expenses post that the then-fiancee (now the Husband) and I were quite particular with the wedding budget.  We didn't want to start our married life with debts so we decided early on that we would make a list of our wedding "necessities" and "wants."  Once we've met all the necessaries, then we'd determine if there was still room for the "nice-to-haves."

Well, hiring a string trio was not exactly part of the "necessities" list mainly because we could have just as easily have played recorded songs at the church and the reception area since a full sound system was already provided by our caterer as part of our package.  Shame if it won't be put to good use, right?

But regardless of how practical I wanted to be, I just couldn't shake off the thoughts of soothing violins and pianos in the background while I walked down the church aisle.  So after a little prodding, this "nice-to-have" was suddenly elevated to a "necessity" (never underestimate the power of a woman planning her dream wedding, folks.)

The internet is such a wonderful source of information, wouldn't you agree?  And it was there where I found Libante Strings.

Libante Strings trio playing at our wedding at San Agustin Church
(SOURCE: Libante Strings FB page)

Chris-Carl Stuffed Toys from Divisoria

Divisoria never fails to amaze me.  It's the place to be whenever you need cheap toys, supplies and knickknacks.  Cheap does, however, come with a price (pun intended), and most often than not, one finds that quality is often compromised in the quest of saving a few bucks.

There are, however, a few exceptions.  Stuffed toys from Chris-Carl are one of those.

Chris-Carl stuffed toys

GPB11: Yuki Torre Handmade Creations (Yux)

NOTE:  The Global Pinoy Bazaar 2011 (GPB11) series is a number of posts regarding merchants and sellers; and their unique and unusual creations, of which I had the utmost pleasure of discovering at Yabang Pinoy's Global Pinoy Bazaar 2011 (read a short introduction of my bazaar experience here.)  J

I'm a DIY person.  I love working with my hands -- whether it's doing wedding and other event invitations; polymer clay sculpting and design; souvenirs, etc.  It's a relaxing hobby and keeps my sanity in check.

I've mentioned in a previous post (read it here) that the main reason for my love of bazaars and tiangges is because of the unique finds I discover (the human mind is indeed amazing!)  Take for instance, this line of gorgeous exploding memory boxes being offered by Yuki Torre of YUX.

What's inside?

Kameraman Photos-to-Go: Changing the Way we View Photobooths.

Like a lot of recently married couples, Hubby and I also opted to have a photo booth during our wedding reception.  It's a genius invention, in my opinion. 

Rather than providing our guests with souvenirs that would most probably gather dust in some remote corner of their homes, we decided that photos were the best choice -- you have a remembrance of our special day plus you most probably won't be throwing it away since your faces are plastered all over it.  ☺

Our photo souvenir

CONTEST ALERT: Win Annick Goutal Items from Manila Fashion Observer

Weddings are special events for loving couples wanting to spend the rest of their lives together.  Regardless of the headaches experienced leading to the event itself, couples look back at the event preparations with smiles on their faces and fond memories.

Photos celebrating these precious wedding memories are whats needed to win these precious Annick Goutal merchandise from the Manila Fashion Observer.



Photo from Manila Fashion Observer

 For full contest mechanics, visit the Manila Fashion Observer here.

WEDDING SUPPLIERS REVIEW: Great Image (GI)

Yeah, yeah, I know it's a little late to be writing this but I've actually been avoiding posting this entry for a number of reasons.  First of which was due to the good image (pardon the pun) of Great Image (GI) Photography.  I wanted them to prove their worth before posting my reactions. 

However, in light of recent events (of which I will painstakingly divulge in this entry), GI has given me no other choice but to express my extreme disatisfaction over the service I have been receiving from them in the hopes that other couples might learn a thing or two from our experiences.

My Ring and Coin Bearers' Barongs from Baclaran

I've showcased my wedding accessories sourced from Divisoria. (read my post about it here.)  But what I forgot to mention was our coin and ring bearers' barongs that we bought in Baclaran.

Cherie Petals and Blooms by Charms

Looking for that perfect gift that fits all?  Trying to convey your true emotions to that special someone?  Well, your search is over, you'll never go wrong with flowers from Cherie Petals and Blooms.

My Wedding Accessories from Divisoria

I'm not exactly what you consider a Divisoria/Baclaran girl.  Sure, I've been to both places a number of times; the former whenever the need to shop for lower priced items consumes me and the latter whenever I had to accompany an aunt for one reason or another.

With that in mind, I knew I would never miss the chance to go shopping there again for some of our wedding paraphernalia.

Celebrate Weddings the Bibliophile Way

Ever wonder what it feels like to be married in a bookstore?  Well now you can by joining Celebrate Weddings at Fully Booked on June 26, 2010!

WEDDING SUPPLIERS REVIEW: Merriment Event Planner and Wedding Coordinator

At the onset, our wedding expenses were always classified into 2: the "haves" (the wedding essentials) and the "nice-to-haves" (luxury).  The haves were the necessities.  We agreed that these we had to complete first before moving on to the other luxury items just to make sure we were still on budget.

For most couples I know, the On-The-Day (OTD) coordination is usually classified as a nice-to-have.  Their reason: if your family members loved you enough then they would be willing to help out on the actual wedding day issues and headaches.

For me, however, I talked hubby into tagging this as a 'have".  I guess the thought of my mom running around in her finery, talking on the phone while being made up didn't sound all that appealing to me.  It also doesn't help that I am a worry wart and can be quite... uhmmm... expressive when irritated.

So to save my hubby the horror of seeing me pull my hair out on our wedding day, he agreed to hire an OTD coordinator.

WEDDING SUPPLIERS REVIEW: Iha Dresses

Anyone who's ever been a bridesmaid could truly relate to Katherine Heigl's character in 27 Dresses.  Every one has that taffeta number you keep stored in the closet gathering dust since, well, you don't really know where else you could use it, right?

Well, in preparation for our wedding, I didn't want our bridesmaids to view their dresses as such.  So huge was my worry that I was already fishing for ready-to-wear cocktail pieces in Landmark and SM!

It was in one of my trips in Landmark that I came across this very cute children's dress from Iha, a fashion design company specializing in couture for girls.

Source: Iha website

WEDDING SUPPLIERS REVIEW: Mia Barlaan

I have to admit.  Looking for a couturier was one of the last items I did in preparation for our wedding.  Similar to other bride-to-bes, I too was hoping to loose a little weight.  Vanity got the better of me, I guess.  Hehehe!

When I finally realized that I had lost all that I could (darn my sweet tooth!), I then decided to seriously locate a couturier 4 months before the big day.  After undergoing a lot of interviews with different designers (including one who stood me up twice!), I finally settled on Mia Barlaan.

WEDDING SUPPLIERS REVIEW: Eloquente Catering Servies

I'll have to admit, finding the right caterer was a tough job for us.  Considering that food will eat up a huge chunk of our wedding budget, we didn't want to book not just any caterer.  We wanted to be 100% sure of our decision.

We did the usual rounds (bridal fares, referrals - the works).  We saw a lot of really impressive ones but budget-wise, not really what we were looking for.  When finally, 2 officemates of mine mentioned Eloquente Catering Services.  Incidentally, both their sisters had them as their wedding caterers.

WEDDING SUPPLIERS REVIEW: Teddy Ramirez (Hair & Make-up)

I was not actually supposed to write this entry this early since I really want to do justice when reviewing Teddy Ramirez's Hair and Make-Up skills.  But due to inquiries I have been receiving about his work, I guess now is the best time as any to release my review.

I can tell you this now though, I am recommending Teddy Ramirez.  I am 100% satisfied with his work.  =)

Wedding Expenses: Our own Personalized Summary of Wedding Needs and Wants

In the hopes of helping all would-be brides out there, I will be documenting and reviewing our wedding suppliers and other related-items in my blog.  We've been in the same boat as you and your fiancee, and blogs with reviews similar to this one, proved to be our saviour dozens of times.  Here's to paying it forward...  J