Tiffany Love by mrsz featuring Monsoon accessories

If me and my husband are to get married again, I’d surely choose a Tiffany wedding theme. The color itself is classy and far from ordinary. Most of all, it will blend perfectly with a white wedding gown.

Above image shows something I made in Polyvore about a Tiffany theme wedding. There are many areas where you can incorporate a Tiffany blue color – the flower girls’ gowns, the bridal bouquet, the wedding favors, the wedding cake, cupcake tower and even your wedding gown. Of course, don’t forget your wedding jewelry. Tiffany wedding rings are available for sale in the Philippines exclusively at Rustan’s Department Store in Makati City. They also provide cleaning and engraving services for a minimal fee.

In coming up with the Tiffany wedding of your dreams, it’s always wise to talk with people working with you in the wedding, such as your organizer and florist. The only difficult thing
one would probably encounter is that it’s hard to find swatches of Tiffany blue. Remember that it’s different from aqua blue and other shades. But am sure any determined bride will not be discouraged and will always find a way to make her Tiffany dreams come true.

First of all, happy holidays to readers of this dormant blog, LOL. Updating this site more often now happily counts as one of my New Year’s resolutions, if only to share more info with betrothed couples and hopeful brides out there. Forgive my delinquency pls.

Over Christmas, I was trying to compile an animated presentation of our holiday pictures and suddenly remembered this nifty site called animoto.com. First heard of Animoto because our wedding photographer used this website for the audio-visual presentation of our prenuptial pictures. Please see video above, this was shown during our wedding reception.

I remember then, our wedding photographer, Guj Tungpalan of Redsheep Photography gave us a link to the above video so I can embed it in my blog or favorite networking site like Facebook.

It took my own tinkering with Animoto to find out how easy it is. Now you can make your own video, slideshow or audio-visual presentation from the file of wedding photos and prenuptial pictures you have on hand, for sending to family and friends or uploading to Facebook, Twitter and others. Talk about being a tech-savvy, modern-day bride, hehehe.

How to do this:

1. Choose your photos. It can be from your own collection, or the ones you’ve already uploaded to photo-sharing sites like Photobucket, Picasa or Flickr.

2. Upload the appropriate music, which can either be the library of songs from Animoto itself or your own selection. It can even be from your own recording.

3. Finalize everything. Animoto will send you a link to the video you just made.

Prices for these are quite reasonable. I paid as little as $3 for our family Christmas slideshow, or you can opt for $30 for unlimited access for one year. Just be sure to have your credit card details or Paypal account ready.

Disclaimer: Am in no way affiliated or connected with the service, but I’d happily recommend them if you want a do-it-yourself, professional-looking video or slideshow

Finally, we got our wedding album yesterday, nine months after our wedding, haha.

The delay is remarkable because this hasn’t really been our priority. We’re quite content viewing our pics from the computer and various photo-sharing sites. Our wedding pictures are also in Facebook.

It was only my friend Tonyo, a graphic designer, who pointed out to me the importance of having an album to preserve our wedding memories. Okay, I was bound to order it from outside but Tonyo gave me a good deal. Six thousand pesos for a wooden album with waterproofing, and inclusive of designing it on Photoshop. A very friendly rate, I must say, and I agreed to it.

If you’re having a budget wedding, the wedding album is another area you can save on. Usually, it is packaged along with the wedding photographer’s rates but that makes it doubly, if not triply expensive. Looking back now, photographer’s fees plus this wedding album only cost us P25K , whereas the average wedding photo coverage package out there is $1,200 or so.

If you know how to play around with Adobe photoshop or even digiscrapping, you can design your own wedding album and just have it bound in Hidalgo, Quiapo where cost of binding starts at P2,500 or so. Or, if you’re like me who has a friend engaged in graphic design, why not hire them to do it for you at a minimal fee. Saves you much and solves your problem in time.

Pearl Farm Beach Resort in scenic Samal Island in Davao is one of the best beach resorts in the Philippines. My friends and I spent time here last July, and I couldn’t help but think of it as a good honeymoon place as well. Think of it: a suite on an island for the two of you, away from the hustle and bustle of the big crowds, a good time to establish your enduring bond after the wedding.

I liked best our view here of the sea. For accommodations, one can have a choice of hilltop rooms (garden view), those houses on stilts or any of the seven exclusive villas. Room rates can be gleaned from their website. We stayed in the Samal Suite, a two-storey suite which had a queen size (matrimonial bed) on the second floor, flatscreen TVs and an iPod dock. Modern contemporary meets Muslim traditional design

Too bad I wasn’t able to ask if they’re available as a wedding ceremony venue as well. Looks like it’s possible, as the resort has a number of facilities for it like the main restaurant and the Malipano Pavilion. Pearl Farm should be perfect if you’re planning to have a small beach wedding. In the meantime, here’s their Dream Honeymoon Package for 2009:

Dream Honeymoon Package 2009
Php 24,000.00 per Couple
Inclusive of :
Three days / Two nights room accommodation at the SAMAL HOUSE
welcome drinks upon arrival
welcome fruit basket
two(2) days breakfast
two days lunch for the couple plus one regular dinner
one session of Body Massage for 2
roundtrip boat transfer
complimentary use of swimming pool,tennis court and other resort selected recreational facilities.
PLUS! Exclusive Romantic Dinner with Bottle of Wine.

Schedule of boat departure from Davao Marina to Resort:
8 am / 1:30pm / 4:00pm / 6:00pm

Resort to Davao Marina:
0645am/ 10:00am / 1:00pm / 4:00pm

For bookings and reservations:

You may contact Pearl Farm Beach Resort with address at
Kaputian, Island Garden City of Samal, Philippines
Tel. No: (6382) 221-9970
Fax No: (6382) 221-9979

or the Pearl Farm Manila Sales Offic :

15th Floor, 139 Corporate Center
Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati City

Tel. No.: (632) 750-1896 / 750-1898 / 893-2093
Fax No.: (632) 750-1894

It seems the target market of the newest RR venture are call center personnel in the same building and residents of neighboring villages. But we were glad to find that they are grooming the place for beauty parties where you and your friends can treat yourself to a whole day of manicure, hair treatments, facials, foot spas and even a massage. The extensive menu of services makes sure head-to-toe pampering is within reach.

Mother Ricky said that he built the place spaciously enough to accommodate the stringent hair and make-up demands of a whole wedding entourage. The legendary hairstylist says he loves making over brides and making her most beautiful on the most important day of her life. The salon’s classy atmosphere and friendly service alone eliminates wedding day jitters.

“Stress draws out a lot of negative energy, and it manifests itself physically,” says Ricky Reyes. “I want Filipina brides to leave their stress behind and maintain a good disposition, so we’ve created a soothing atmosphere that draws the beauty from within, so they can be beautiful from the inside out.”

Just a heads-up on the salon services we availed of on the day of our visit: the hair reborn treatment, which is supposed to bring life to dull locks; a a haircut which chopped away five inches of my long hair (oops!), and hair coloring. Needless to say, I walked out of salon sporting a new me!

Ricky Reyes pioneered in the Philippines such beauty technologies as digital perm, milk rebonding, eyelash extension, and milk hair color.

For inquiries and reservations, call the Ricky Reyes telephone numbers 7217705 or 7235440.

Klaudia Koronel and Andy Zhang

Former sexy star Klaudia Koronel, founder of the OFW forums site mabuhaycity.com, is preparing for her Aug. 28 wedding to Chinese-American fiance Andy Zhang, who is an IT consultant.

The wedding will be held at the Iglesia ni Cristo Central Temple in Diliman, Quezon City while the reception will be held at the Fernwood Gardens, also in Quezon City.

Designer Edward Teng has been tapped to do the bridal gown, which will most likely be of conservative cut, given the bride’s religion. Dina Joson of the House of Magdalene Bridal Shop in Bulacan will do the bride’s reception gown as well as the rest of the entourage.

It is not clear yet whether the bride will reside in the US after the wedding. She said she still has a few concerns to settle in the Philippines. (via PEP)

Diamond Hotel theme wedding

For example, the Cherry Blossoms Theme portrays the soft side of Japanese pop art and natural elements. The effect is almost Zen-like with the use of pastels and muted hues and a tranquil feel that soothes the soul. For this package, the hotel’s famed Yurakuen Restaurant prepares a banquet, with platter after platter of tasty Japanese dishes that can only astound guests for their pure taste.

All that Jazz wedding theme

The All that Jazz theme, on the other hand, is for music lovers. The design uses muted colors of blue and purple in materials that resemble the night sky. Deriving inspiration from jazz, swing and blues, the centerpieces are miniature saxophones, trumpets and other instruments. The over-all impression is that of a “modern bar look.”

For a more colorful celebration, the bride and groom can opt for the Moroccan theme. This one impersonates the designs and details of a unique Moroccan wedding that is ideal for festive dancing and joyful chit-chats.

Aside from the three packages mentioned, Diamond Hotel can work with you in making your dream wedding celebration a reality. It may be a traditional wedding or a more offbeat one.

Diamond Hotel Philippines is located along Roxas Boulevard cor. Dr. J. Quintos St., Manila. Call 3053000 local8413/8414 or email indulgence@diamondhotel.com

Pan Pacific Manila is also an ideal venue for weddings, anniversaries and other celebrations. Their Pacific Grand Ballroom can accommodate as many as 450 guests cocktail style and 330 persons for banquet seating. Their four other ballrooms can accommodate 50-60 guests.

Pan Pacific Manila’s Celebrations Package for 50-100 persons is inclusive of the following amenities:

Custom-designed two-layered fondant cake
pearlized baloon pillars
personalized tarpaulin banner
flower centerpieces on all tables
complimentary use of sound system with microphones
specially-tailored buffet menu selections
one round of non-alcoholic beverage for all guests
2 bottles of Asti Spumante or 1 bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label
free corkage for the first four bottles of liquor
guest book with pen

overnight accommodation for two in a deluxe room with full buffet breakfast at the Pacific Lounge
Complimentary newspaper and bottled mineral water
use of the gym, outdoor jacuzzi and swimming pool
butler service

Buffet menu prices (2009):

First 50 persons

international buffet I Php 85,000.00 net
international buffet II 90,000.00 net
international buffet III 95,000.00 net

First 100 persons

international buffet I 142,000.00 net
international buffet II 147,000.00 net
international buffet III 152,000.00 net

The Pan Pacific Manila
Address: M. Adriatico corner Gen. Malvar Sts.,
Malate, Manila 1004

Tel. No. 536-0788
Fax 5366220
email: reserve.mnl@panpacific.com

Easily one of the most popular food in Filipino weddings is lechon, or roasted suckling pig. We normally serve it on big occasions like fiestas, birthdays, anniversaries, parties and of course, weddings. The lechon might be roasted pig (baboy) or roasted calf (baka). The latter is more expensive, but any which way, they’re gooood!

It’s no surprise then that a Filipino wedding won’t be complete without lechon. Usually the server or waiter cuts it up into pieces and piles the pieces up unto the guests’ plate, on demand. The meat may be served with lechon sauce, but in the case of the increasingly popular Cebu lechon, no sauce is needed.

Lechon, of course, is not exclusive to the Philippines. You’d also find roasted suckling pig in Spain and other Latin American countries. Locally, the pig or the calf is roasted on a pit for hours with herbs and other garnishing inserted in the animal’s cavity. Gourmands judge the goodness of a lechon by the crispiness of the skin and the tenderness of the meat.

It’s best to scout for the best lechon suppliers. There’s actually a lot! Tell me your favorites and I’ll post the list here soon.

Because I work in Ermita, the tourist district of Manila, I often pass by Ibarra’s Garden – a popular venue for weddings, birthdays and special celebrations. I haven’t really attended an event here but it does look cozy and welcoming from the outside. If you like structures from another era, this is it. Ibarra’s Garden is an old house that dates back to the 1920s and is American art deco-inspired. It reflects the grandeur of a time gone when people partied in their ball gowns and arrived in horse-drawn carriages. If you know what I mean

The only problem I see with this venue is the parking, a common concern in Manila where land is getting constricted by the day. It would be good news if they have valet parking, but I wasn’t able to ask.

Fo couples preparing for their Big Day, the venue has the Superior Wedding Package for a minimum of 100 persons and the Standard Wedding Package for 150 persons and up.

All their packages are already inclusive of the table setting and floral arrangement, pair of doves in a decorative cage, wedding guest book, wedding program, photographic tarpaulin, use of the red carpet, a gazebo for Christian and Civil weddings, bottle of sparkling wine for ceremonial toast, and other freebies. Just be prepared to haggle with their account executives I guess

If you don’t want to be bothered with other details like the souvenirs, the bridal car and the emcee, you can also talk to them and they will arrange it for you at an extra cost. This is what I did with our wedding at the Manila Ocean Park. I just let the in-house restaurant, Tamayo Catering’s Ozeano Fusion, to take care of some things for us, like the bubble machine, since they have accredited suppliers in the house. Less headaches for me

The menu for Ibarra’s Garden Standard Wedding Package ranges from P490 to P980, depending on your food choices. For the Superior Wedding Package, menu prices are at P595 ++. If you have less than 100 persons on your guest list, we were happy to learn that you can avail of their All-Occasion Menu which starts at P590++ per person. The good thing about this place is that you only pay for the food consumed, and not the venue rental. Venue is free!

Ibarra’s Garden
525 Padre Faura St.
Ermita, Manila Philippines
Tel. No. 522-9999, 523-3788