3: Journeying On
It’s been 3 months since we began our greatest adventure yet. It still feels surreal. We both feel like we’ve been married forever. (in a good way) You know, the kind where you’ve found someone you wouldn’t mind being trapped in a foxhole forever with (not that I’m wishing for that to happen!). I am reminded of why we started this blog…our desire to give back..to let people know that a budget beach wedding is an achievable goal.
Venue
We chose Boracay or rather, my Mom chose Boracay. On a whim, she broached the idea of a December Boracay wedding and the idea just took over our hearts and minds. When she changed her mind later (following a discussion with dad and after realizing that most of her friends wouldn’t be able to attend), we wouldn’t budge.
First off, we moved our wedding date to December instead of November of this year (2011). The move was caused by the following factors: 1) hubby’s sister and entire family were visiting for the holidays from the Netherlands; 2) we couldn’t afford a Bacolod wedding (we’d have to invite a lot of people plus December was wedding high season and we didn’t feel like having to compete for venues given the 2 month time frame). The Boracay idea had everything going for it: 1) we had a legitimate reason to keep our wedding small and intimate; 2) a quick call to the Holy Rosary Church in Boracay revealed that we still had a date; 3) hubby and I have always been spontaneous adventurers and loved the idea of a spontaneous wedding, 4) who could say no to having the white pristine waters of Boracay as the wedding backdrop plus 5) a beach wedding was just so romantic;
We started on a 30k budget and went on to spend at least 6x the original amount. Still, it was a steal compared to a typical Boracay wedding. This is how we did it:
1. Holy Rosary Church and Fr. Placer – Contact Number (036)2883219 -The first thing I did was call the Church, after all, we couldn’t get married if we didn’t have a church and a priest who would marry us. Google came to rescue, and I obtained the number in the net, called and found myself speaking with Fr. Placer who graciously said “yes, I’ll marry you” and gave us a date too – December 28, 2010. The use of the church inclusive of priest stipend and choir cost 10,000 php. (I hear that that is the going rate 🙂
2. Venue for the beach reception: Boracay Plaza Resort, Station 1 – 09189089808 – Now that we had a Church, we needed a venue for a wedding reception. We called them all..but the rates were just too stiff. After making several inquiries and realizing the mammoth rates that would be charged (we had decided on 50 to 70 guests and the usual rates were for 30 guests, any additions would be costly), we were getting desperate. Earlier, we had decided that if we couldn’t get a similar rate to Bacolod, we’d just let our Boracay wedding go.
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- A Cake for the Senses
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- The sun, the sand, the beach – a perfect day.
Fortunately,we got to talk to Ms. Vicky of Boracay Plaza Resort, (who just happened to be the sister of hubby’s college schoolmate) . We’d stayed at Boracay Plaza on one of our summer trips and felt that it’d would be perfect to have our reception there. The thing was, Boracay Plaza didn’t cater for weddings. That’s when Ms. Vicky suggested that we get a caterer from Caticlan and introduced us to Ms. Christy of Quency’s, our caterer…
Quency’s, 09209517729 – Ms. Christy of Quency’s is a success story of sorts…She is an inspiration to people like me as she transformed herself from someone who knew little about cooking to being the premiere caterer of Caticlan and Boracay,catering for the likes of ex-pres PGMA and ex-VP Noli De castro. She even has a cafe at the D’Mall in Boracay where you may feast on her sumptuous cakes.
The shells are edible!
To be continued…
Return to Sender
Today while working on a case, and pondering how to appreciate the “return to sender” postmark, I thought of our old landline number (24001, 4342507), my first mobile phone (09174450783) and my first line (09178540092). Old friends who may have tried calling my old numbers would have found a deadend, just like the returned correspondence. I turn to reminiscing, I remember the conversations I had with the people who may or may no longer be part of my life. I remember falling asleep exhausted on the couch with the phone cradled over my ear.
These days are long gone, social networking sites have taken the place of personal calls. Instead of calling a friend, you send a message in FB or chat. Calls have morphed into devices for business. Life has become too busy to indulge in the “telebabad” of yesteryears.
Still, I am thankful for advances in technology we’ve made over the years. Hubby and I wouldn’t have made it if it were not for Sun’s unlimited calls. =) We couldn’t have gone on our cheap travels were it not for internet and online booking. Life is fluid, it’s static and I’m not complaining. 😉
Love and Haiku
Hubby is back in the island across the sea and I am left missing him. He called awhile ago. It’s been 3 months and the transition from boyfriend-girlfriend to hubby-wifey hasn’t been completed yet. When he calls me, like he did earlier today, I still get giddy with excitement…or twitterpated as dear old Bambi would describe. Our plans about our future are as uncertain today as it was before we got married–that is to say that we have a million plans =)…We’re not worried about that though. Life’s uncertainties is what makes it beautiful.
A weekend affair, distance builds up the romance, then we love again.
Sing-Malacca-KL
I’m finalizing the details of our DIY IT. I can’t remember how it came about but “DIY” has become my new mantra in life. Since my first intl trip in 2008, I have embraced the role of planner, became my personal tour agency. We’re a great team, my hubby and I, I research the “things to do” and he figures out how we’re supposed to get there. I like the spontaneity of it all, it is a great feeling to have freedom in travel. To not have to trudge along where the tour is supposed to go, to have the luxury of time to just hang out and just be.
In less than 24 hours, we’ll be on our way to another jampacked DIY tour of 3 cities. =) Thank you Lord for promo fares and the internet. Bless our trip. Enrich us with learnings from another culture and the happiness that comes from wonderful new experiences. Bless Mom too Lord, I hope she can keep with us and enjoy the trip. Hehe.
Writing An Article About Procrastination Because I’m Procrastinating
I am an experienced procrastinator. I like the drama that comes with the deadlines, the high you get from an intense workout with your brain. I can’t seem to get to start writing until the last moments. So far, it has worked out in my favor. I somehow come up with better pleadings under time pressure. Hmm…now that I’ve thought about it, I don’t think I’ve ever written a memo, speech, article or letter ahead of time. Fortunately, I’ve also always managed to meet the deadline but not before a thousand prayers sent heavenward. =) The Lord is a wonderful God.
Thus, I am at it again. Waiting til my brain feels the urge to start writing. Once again, I am asking for your guidance Lord. Bless me. Anoint me with your Holy Spirit that I may articulate my points well and that I may successfully persuade the Commission to uphold the LA. I lift up everything to you. Amen.
A Life of Grace
“You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.” – G. K. Chesterton
Today, I seek the grace to deal with all the little situations in life. I seek the grace and humility to learn from every experience, to never think that there’s nothing more to learn. I pray for a curious mind, to unlearn all my preconceived notions and be more open to a life of 
endless learning. I pray for consistency, the discipline to NOT procrastinate. I pray for perseverance, for courage, for the motivation to finish what I’ve begun.
Today, I also give You thanks. Thank you Lord for a beautiful life. Thank you for the love of my husband, my family and friends. Thank you for blessing me with so much joy. Today, I ask for the healing of my heart, bless me Lord that I may let go of my resentments, bless me that I may see the world in Your eyes. Amen.
Life with Raymund and Valerie 