Our 8th

Today is our 8th wedding anniversary! We actually did a family photoshoot a few weeks ago and while the kids were busy running around not being cooperative (lol) I asked the photographer if she could snap some shots of me and hubby.

Nurture Wellness Village, Tagaytay

Tagaytay is a very popular wedding destination and we were actually invited to two weddings there recently, both on the same day (February 24)! One was for my high school friend at Balai Taal, while the other was for my hubby's childhood friend at Nurture Wellness Village. Since both hubby and my daughter were part of the entourage of the latter, we also went ahead and booked a room at Nurture Spa.

Back from vacation!

The last few weeks have been so fun since we've been exploring and eating and enjoying... haaaay can we just be on vacation forever? ;p The whole family went to Boracay and it was the kids’ first time there. They super loved it especially the “sugary sand” and clear waters. We stayed for 4 days but it didn’t seem enough! The island life can definitely get addicting.

Right after we got back, hubby and I just had a day to rest then we were off to Japan! We’ve been planning this trip for so long and I’m so glad it finally pushed through. The change in weather was so extreme though, from being in sunny Boracay to the autumn cold! I’m super lamigin pa naman so even though I was wearing thermals and layers, parang kulang pa din! We just stayed in Tokyo for a whole week and there’s still so much left to see and do! We fell in love with Japan and we can’t wait to be back to explore Osaka and Kyoto.

But traveling is also super tiring and I'm still recovering from all the walking and lack of sleep. I haven’t even had time to blog for the past couple of days since right after we got back, we had other events to attend like my daughter’s dance competition!

I’m so proud of her for being one of the students chosen to represent her preschool. They danced to the song “We Could Be Heroes” and they were amazing! I’m still in awe of their performance (mana talaga sa mommy lol). Although they didn’t place, we’re all still so proud of them for doing their best and dancing their butts off!

We also attended the wedding of my good friend in Tagaytay just this Saturday. It was such a blast because it was like a reunion of the advertising agency I used to work for. Some of these people I hadn’t seen since I resigned years ago! And it was also super cold and foggy in Tagaytay already, buti na lang sanay pa ako sa Japan weather haha! ;p

Well, it’s back to regular programming now. But still so much to do like get started on wrapping Christmas presents! Plus I’m getting so confused with the schedules of all the December events and parties already lol. And I still have a ton of posts to write on our travels. Wish me luck!

Our Prenup Pictorial

Today is our 6th wedding anniversary and to celebrate, I thought I'd share our prenup photos taken way back in 2008 by Flickerhappy Studio. I knew I wanted a vintage theme and I remember searching long and hard for a location for the shoot. I happened to see a photo of this place in Real Living magazine which turned out to be A11 Gallery in Pasay City. From the pictures I saw, I knew I had to have our shoot there.

I didn't know who to get in touch with so I remember just writing a random email to a contact address I saw online. Lo and behold, someone replied and said that it was the very first time someone had inquired about a prenup shoot! So yes, we hold the distinction of being the first ever couple to do their prenup in this place. :)

I completely love how the photos turned out because every single corner of the place was gorgeous! Looking back, it's probably how I would still want my prenup pics to look even if we did it today. And you might think we look sad in the pics coz there's hardly any with us smiling but that's intentional lol! We definitely didn't want to be mushy or cheesy so we just treated it like a fashion spread hehe. So yes, no kissing shots! I remember having my trial makeup done before the shoot then I just did my own hair. I also was the one who styled our outfits. Sariling sikap even then hehe! :)

Anyway, hope you enjoy the pics as much as I loved looking back on them. Throwback! ;p

5 years of wedded bliss

Today is a milestone - it's our 5th wedding anniversary!

I think the best anniversary gift we could have ever received is our new baby boy Skyler, who's turning a month old tomorrow! And now after 5 years and 3 kids later, life still keeps getting better...

4 Weddings & a Preggy Me

I think hubby and I got married quite young 5 years ago at 26, since during that time, we were one of the first out of all our friends and batchmates. It wasn't until about last year when the wedding boom started for us, with people started getting engaged and married left and right.

I attended a total of 4 weddings this year and they were all held during the last quarter of 2013. Which means a very pregnant me! It really is so much fun attending weddings, because you know for sure there'll be drinks and people are there to really let loose and get wasted (at least my friends are haha!). But since I'm preggy, I can't really par-tay so that just means more drinks for everyone! ;p

We're also one of the first to have kids in our group so what's good is that they're almost always guaranteed to be part of the entourage (yey!). But it also means we can't stay out too late since we'll be dealing with temper tantrums and sleepyheads as the night goes on (booo!).

Anyway, here's a glimpse into each of the 4 weddings we went to. :)

Wedding #1

This was the wedding of my brother-in-law which was held in Cebu. We were all part of the entourage - hubby was the best man, I was a secondary sponsor, Miley was the flowergirl, and Sabe was the ringbearer (although he refused to walk!).

ceremony was held at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral

reception was held at Shangri-La Mactan

super yummy everything

Wedding #2

This was the wedding of one of our college barkada and it had a Parisian theme. It was honestly one of the most beautiful receptions I had ever been to with all the gorgeous flowers and overall set-up.

I got my dress from Miss Selfridge at 70% off!

Rizal Ballroom, Makati Shangri-La

loved the photobooth set-up!

Wedding #3

Another wedding of our college kabarkada, this time held in Tagaytay. This wedding was held on November 9, the day after typhoon Yolanda hit! Everybody was really anxious the week before just reading the news about how this was the biggest storm ever (especially the poor couple since their reception was going to be outdoors!). We were all just praying that the weather wouldn't be that bad on the day itself. But lo and behold, the sun actually shone that morning and there was only some slight rainfall before the ceremony. :)

Sabe was the coin bearer, and again he refused to walk so I had to carry him down the aisle! Hope he gets the hang of this soon though, since he'll be the coin bearer again for my cousins wedding in January. ;p

got my dress at 50% off from a store called Mags in Southmall!

Reception was held in Angelfields, Tagaytay. They had the whole place tented up last minute!

silly faces for the photobooth ;p

Wedding #4

The last wedding was my high school barkada's and I was a bridesmaid and Miley was a flowergirl again. I really loved our dresses and all the colors of the entourage! And all the details down to the reception was just lovely. :)

Being able to be part of all these celebrations is just so wonderful. Especially seeing and feeling all the love in the air (naks!). I kept joking hubby that it was a good thing we already got married because it would be so much pressure for me if I had to plan a wedding now with all those gorgeous ideas to compete with haha! I think there would definitely be some things I'd change if I could get married again now (like getting an on-site video done!!! grrr, my biggest regret!). But of course, each wedding is beautiful in its own way and when I look back at the pictures from our special day, the main thing I'm reminded of is that was the start of our lives together. I can only wish the same happiness for all the couples in this new chapter in their lives... :)

Happy 4 years to us!

Today is our 4th wedding anniversary! Gosh, I still remember our wedding day as if it were yesterday. Like every bride, I wanted every detail to be perfect (while of course sticking to our budget ;p). There were some hiccups along the way - like a bad supplier for our entourage dresses, our invites being printed last minute (Ok this was kinda my fault. I created our postcard type invites myself so I was thinking I could also print them at home. Just think, each invite had 4 cards and had a print on the front and back part... and I needed like 150 sets! I almost pulled my hair out trying to align everything back to back. In the end, I just had a supplier print them for me haha).

I also remember that photobooths were kinda a new thing back then. I had to beg and plead hubby to get one for our wedding (as if he could say NO to me diba?). But it was a super big hit during our reception, especially for the oldies. Like when I saw the CD after, puro titos and titas ang laman! ;p

Looking back, I'm so happy with how everything turned out although to be honest there might be some things I'd change if I could get married again. There are lots of new and innovative suppliers now with so many creative ideas. It's like whenever I see new wedding photos, they all just get better and better. I keep joking hubby if we can get married again every 5 years. Renewal of vows lang naman pero parang small wedding ang peg hihi!

Anyway, sharing some of my favorite shots from our special day 4 years ago. Wow, super bagets and payat pa kami! ;p

So again, happy anniversary to us and here's to many more years of togetherness. =)