Fernbrook Gardens
Being an Alabang bride after we booked Saint James for our church, it was only then that I found out that reception venue hunting in Alabang was a challenge. There were only few to choose from, and most of the good choices would be hotels—meaning, more expensive. So here’s our short but memorable experience.
Fernbrook Gardens
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When we started talking about a wedding, fiancé and I both wanted an old feel to the wedding. We wanted a wedding that would take you back in time, back to the days when Rizal was still alive. *laughs* Husband-to-be loves that era, and I love things that are old (or let’s just say vintage, but not to dwell on vintage per se because I think lately it’s being a cliché). Because we both wanted it that way, we wanted our wedding to be held in Intramuros, Manila.
Intramuros offers two beautiful Catholic churches that are both very popular for weddings. These are the San Agustin Church and the Manila Cathedral. I ruled out San Agustin even at the earliest point because it was the most popular wedding spot in the country. And because it was that popular, it requires a lot from couples—and that may have included booking it even as early as two years ahead. Between the two churches, I was eyeing on the Manila Cathedral because it offered a more old-world façade, and it’s THE Manila Cathedral—the thought of it is just very prestigious. So the year 2013 went on until about its half that we were determined to go for an Intramuros wedding—until The Mother tried to talk us out of it. Here's a picture of the Manila Cathedral: Today marks the year before the wedding, and I think it’s a good time to finally publish a post. I made this blog just for the big day, and wouldn’t it be nice to start it off on a day that suits it so well?
A couple of days ago when husband-to-be was still here for his summer leave, I asked him, “Anong tawag sa opposite ng anniversary?” he was quite puzzled, he didn’t quite grasp what the heck I was talking about at first. I followed it up with, “kung ang the day before ay tinatawag na ‘eve,’ ano naman ang the year before?” Well, we still haven’t figured out the answer yet. All we know is come March 28, 2014 (which is today), there’s going to be that different “feel.” One year is a long time, and a very short time at the same time. One year’s going to be a roller coaster ride to forever. If you’d be going through the whole of this blog, you’d have an overview of how everything started between me and husband-to-be. I wouldn’t be dwelling on that now, ‘coz you know, wedding bells tell me to just get on with the whole story of the upcoming wedding. So let’s talk about the proposal. Actually, I can’t even tell if it’s a proposal or not. I can’t even tell if I have the right to call it such. *giggles* Not that it was something that wasn’t pleasant; I don’t mean anything like that. It’s just because it wasn’t addressed to me, but to my mother. Yes, to my mother. December 23, 2012 was the day he talked to my mother. In front of my sisters and brother, he was talking to her about our relationship. The topic of marriage and weddings is just one of the common things we talk about with her, but on that day things turned out quite different. Somehow the conversation went to him telling her that we’d be married once he graduates from the military academy. As per rules of the institution, they aren’t allowed to be married while they’re still cadets. It was quite fleeting to know that if they weren’t prohibited to do so, he would have married me ASAP. *laughs* So basically, that was it. No surprises, no romantic venue, no flowers, no fireworks, no music, not even a ring. It was basically a pact between me and him, and my mother. You may ask: Was I disappointed? Didn’t I dream of a romantic proposal? Hmm, I did dream of a romantic proposal, but I wasn’t disappointed. I cried the whole time when we talked about the wedding. Regardless of how it was delivered, the thought of me being married to the only person I can imagine myself growing old with overwhelmed me. I didn’t get a proposal that every girl dreams about, but heck I’m going to make sure I’d have a wedding that every girl dreams about. *winks* We didn’t start preparing for the wedding until a year after the proposal (or non-proposal for that matter). I thought (and maybe everyone thought so, too) that it was too early set things for it. I know myself for someone who can change her mind easily, lalo na when new ideas come up all of a sudden. Having to decide details two years ahead would be a no-no for me, and besides, I wouldn’t want eyes rolling when suppliers find out that the wedding’s going to be that long pa. Even now when we started preparing a year ahead I get statements like “tutal matagal pa naman ang weddingmo,” or “later na lang kapag medyo malapit na ang kasal,” even though I badly want to set things straight as early as now. Not just being an excited bride, I also want to save money and be able to reduce costs by availing price locks—get married in 2015 for the price of 2014. Fight inflation by being an early bird! *winks* As of this moment we’ve already booked most of the major suppliers (and I’m so proud I did), but I think it’s best to put each supplier-hunting experience in a separate post. Each journey was fun and has its ups and downs, and I’d be happy to share every bit of it. So if you’re having a good time reading this, happy reading! If not, sorry to have wasted your time. But you know, it might help you have an idea if you’re getting married in the future. Good vibes! -Gero |
About Gero23-year old. Soon-to-be Mrs. King Maylem. Kaydet girl. Part-time tambay. Part-time student. Full-time business person. Archives
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