Registry

SUPER busy weekend ~ we finally got around to registering for gifts!

Several weeks ago, I signed up online to receive Crate and Barrel’s one&only Guidebook. As of today, I have yet to receive this "one and only registry guide I'll ever need" in the mail. I ended up just viewing the book online and downloading the registry checklist. Oh btw, C&B also has the "Real Simple Weddings" magazine that went on sale a couple of days ago.
They weren't kidding when they said their checklist had everything!! The thing is, the current plan is for us to move into a two-bedroom condo in Arlington so we can stay near the city and our jobs. We haven't found a place yet so for now, it looks like I'll be moving into his one-bedroom condo. We don't need a lot of things b/c he furnished his place when he moved in. The only thing we really need is more closet space for my clothes/shoes/accessories!! I have no idea where I'm going to put all my stuff.

Anyways, sorry I got off subject. As I was saying, since I crossed off half of the stuff on the list I typed up our own!! There wasn't much left on the list except for towels, storage containers, an air mattress, and some kitchen stuff. It's kind of hard to register for items especially since we don't need a lot of things and we don't know what our new place is going to look like. We decided to have a registry at Crate and Barrel, Macy's, and Bed Bath and Beyond.

This morning, we went to the Tysons Corner C&B's Real Simple Bridal Party. We had soooo much fun!! I think Cory had more fun than me!! They served food and drinks throughout the entire store ~ waffles, fruits, cheese, pastries, juice... you name it! But it also gave them an opportunity to showcase their products. For example, the pineapple slicer... it simultaneously peels, cores and slices! Genius!

Us being dorks

Entering our info into the system

Meanwhile, Cory LOVED the tea bag squeezer... LOL! We always drink tea so it'll definitely come in handy. Anyways, I highly recommend attending one of these functions at C&B. It's held on Sundays but check with the store first b/c not every location does it. They also give you a goodie bag which comes with this gift:

A heart-shaped glass dish/container

We went to Macy's but didn't find too many things. Towels, a scale, a pan and some other kitchen items were pretty much all we added. The next stop was Bed Bath and Beyond. I can't believe Cory's head hadn't exploded yet from spending an entire day doing registry stuff! He's the best fiancé! But as you can see from this pic, it's not like I was twisting his arm... hahaha

Having fun w/the scanner

Candy buffet favors

I'm so excited about the candy buffet table!! Articles that I've read recommend having 15-20 candy containers to really make an impact... like this:

So far, these are all the vases we've bought and I'm on a mission to find more!!

As for the flower arrangements on the candy table, we were picturing three tall vases like this:

I was sooooooo excited when I actually found a vase similar to the one in the picture. It's 30 inches tall and orchids will be submerged in the water. Unfortunately, there was only one vase available so we have to look for two more that's the same size or a little smaller. I made Cory put a seatbelt on it:



Guests will put the candy in these plastic bags that I got from Paper Mart:



and will be sealed with these round stickers (I used wedding rubber stamps on the stickers). Stickers and stamps are both from Paper Source:

Escort card holders ~ part II

As you can see, I managed to make several more of these escort card holders. My mom helped with some but I had to keep fixing hers 'cuz they kept coming out deformed.

Conference for the Engaged - sign up

We received a letter today from the Diocese confirming the date of our Conference for the Engaged program!! Even though it takes up an entire Saturday, we're pretty excited about it and can't wait to see what it's all about.

"May balat sa puet"

In Tagalog, there's a saying "may balat ka sa puet." English translation: you have a birthmark on your butt. This is usually said to someone if they're unlucky and not because they really have one. How does having a birthmark on your butt make you unlucky? Don't ask b/c I have no idea.

I've been told, "may balat ka sa puet," PLENTY of times. I seriously don't have one but it's become an ongoing joke b/c I don't have much luck with my travels. For instance, there was that one time in San Diego when right before taking off the pilot realized that another plane was seconds from landing on us. Then, another time, the other passengers and I had to deboard the plane because there weren't enough tanks to supply oxygen to the masks should the need arise (I'm not kidding). There was also this one time when the pilot was unable to land (twice!) at DCA so our plane was rerouted to IAD, and after landing at IAD and waiting forever to deboard, we got back up in the air and headed back to DCA. Oh geez, I could go on and on about all this.

Well, I recently took a trip to Nashville, Tennessee. When I arrived, Carolyn asked about my flight. I told her it was uneventful which worried me b/c it's such a rare occurence. We laughed and I didn't think about it anymore until.... I had arrived safely back in DC, and was on the airport shuttle about to be dropped off at the lot where my car was parked... when I realized that I had left something on the plane!!! The wedding binder was too big to bring with me to Nashville, so that "something" happened to be a manila folder which contained my planner, my only copies of important documents, and other wedding-related items!! I seriously felt sick to my stomach. The chances of getting back my stuff was slim. I didn't know if I should go back to the airport or give up. I felt bad about calling Cory while he was working at the hospital but I thought this constituted as an emergency. Almost 30 minutes had passed since we landed but he said I should go back to the airport b/c it still might be there. While I was waiting for the shuttle to make its way back to the baggage claim area, I called the information desk, spoke to a man named Wendell who volunteered to go to the gate and check on it for me.

To make a long story short, when I got to the American Airlines baggage claim my folder was already there!!! Lucky for me, the flight attendant found it, gave it to the gate agent, and he took it down to the lost and found!! Phew, I can't believe I got it back.

Bridal party

We drafted up our bridal party list within a week of our engagement but we haven't had a chance to ask all the participants. Here's the breakdown (role descriptions are at the end of this post):

8 principal sponsors (4 couples)
1 matron of honor
1 best man
5 bridesmaids
5 groomsmen
1 or 2 flower girls
1 ring bearer
1 coin bearer

and the secondary sponsors:
2 candle sponsors
2 veil sponsors
2 cord sponsors

As of today, we've only asked these people to participate:
the matron of honor
all the bridesmaids
2 of the principal sponsors and...

tonight, Cory finally asked Ethan to be the best man!! They had dinner and by the time I came back from the gym, they were already at the condo. I wanted to give Ethan a hug but I was all gross from working out. He said he feels honored that we asked him and we're so happy that he accepted... so it was a great night =) Now, Cory can proceed with asking the rest of his groomsmen!!

Role Descriptions
The traditional Filipino wedding ceremony, or kasalan, in the Christian community is unique in that it adds three more ceremonies into the basic wedding rites. These additional ceremonies are the veil, the cord, and the coin ceremonies, or arrhae. The entire wedding ceremony takes just a little bit longer, and a few more participants are required, but it makes for a more memorable wedding day.

Typically, the wedding participants are the Priest, the Bride, the Groom, Maid or Matron of Honor, Best Man, Bridesmaids, Groomsmen, Flower Girl, Ring and Coin Bearer, Bible Bearer (i don't think we're having one), Parents of the Bride, Parents of the Groom, Primary Sponsors, and Secondary Sponsors.

Primary and Secondary Sponsors
Respectfully called Ninong (male sponsor) and Ninang (female sponsor), this is a position of honor. One cannot choose his parents, but they can choose their godparents. Primary Sponsors are like second parents to whom the couple could depend upon encouragement and counsel in their married years. Behind the primary sponsors, march the secondary sponsors. These secondary sponsors play a part in the wedding ceremony, and each couple has specific functions: lighting the unity candle, putting on the veil and the cord for their respective ceremonies.

Ceremonies
Arrhae or Coin Ceremony: The arrhae/arras is/are carried by a coin bearer who marches with the ring bearer during the processional and recessional. The Priest/Minister then drops 13 pieces of coins (silver or gold) called arras into the Groom's waiting hands, who in turn drops it into the Bride's hands. The Bride then puts her hand above the Groom's then drops the arras into his hands again. The metal tinkling of the coins being passed from one pair of hands to the other signifies abundance and success in the couple's joint efforts.

Veil Ceremony: In the Catholic ceremony, the Priest continues with the nuptial mass until the "Sanctus". When the bell for the Sanctus rings, it is also a signal for the veil sponsors to come up to the altar. Together, they pin a veil from the groom's shoulders, extending it to cover the bride's head and shoulders. This symbolizes the union of two people 'clothed' as one.

Cord Ceremony: The Cord Ceremony follows immediately after. The Cord Sponsors come up to where the Bride and Groom are kneeling, and put a figure of eight cord over the veils that are on the heads and shoulders of the Bride and Groom. This cord symbolizes unity and the infinite bond of marriage.

Pictured: veil and cord on the bride and groom

Candle Ceremony: The Candle Ceremony is first and last. As soon as all the primary and secondary sponsors have been seated, the Candle Sponsors proceed to the altar where they light the two side candles beside the middle and larger (unity) candle. Later on in the ceremony, the bride and groom will use the two side candles to light the larger candle. This represents the two lives and two spirits who will be joined together. The flame from the candles symbolizes God's presence within the union.

Ring & coin bearer pillows

A big thanks to my brother and sis-in-law, who got me the sewing machine that I wanted for Xmas!! I've been dying to take it out of the box and start sewing but I had a couple of other things I needed to work on. For motivation, I told myself that I couldn't break out the sewing machine until I finished all my other tasks. So, I finally got to take it out of the box 2 1/2 weeks ago and I was excited to start my first project: the ring and coin bearer pillows.
I thought it'd be fun to make the pillows AND it'll turn out exactly the way we want it to look... if I sew them correctly.

I stopped by Joann Fabrics to pick up two pillow forms, off-white satin fabric and thread. The pillows were too big so I took out all the filling and set it aside.I cut the fabric of one of the pillows down to the size that we wanted. Then, I turned the fabric inside out, left a one-inch margin on all sides and only sewed three of the four sides. I turned the fabric right side out, stuffed it back with the filling that I took out earlier and sewed the fourth side shut. I now had a smaller pillow form.

The next step was to cover the pillow form with the satin fabric. I cut the satin fabric (with one-inch margins), turned it inside out, and sewed three of the four sides. I turned the fabric right side out and inserted the pillow form. I think the hardest part was hand sewing the fourth side shut.Thank goodness, it didn't look so bad after I finished sewing the fourth side.I repeated all the steps with the second pillow and finally got two (semi) finished products!The next step was to decorate them. I used the ribbon that we bought from Paper Source (the same ribbon we're using for the invitations), and also used pearl-headed pins as embellishments.Finally... the finished ring and coin bearer pillows!

Shoes

Apparently, the next step after buying your wedding dress is buying your wedding shoes. That way you can break them in and you'll have them in time for your first dress fitting. I had an idea of what I wanted to buy: 3-inch heel (or higher), open-toe, and with an ankle strap for added support. For some reason, I have trouble walking in closed-toe shoes (I usually have to wear a size 5 or else the shoe is too big and my heel comes out). It could also have something to do with my flat feet, which I never noticed I had until Cory pointed it out. Having flat feet sucks by the way.

When Nae and I were in Hannelore's we looked through their shoe collection but didn't find anything good. I also looked at Lady Hamilton's selection when I stopped in for a quick visit and couldn't find anything. I planned on going to the store My Glass Slipper in Old Town Alexandria but the store is closed b/c they're in the middle of relocating and won't re-open until the Fall. I didn't feel like going to any other stores to look, mainly b/c it's hard to find the sizes 5 and 5 1/2. It's a good thing that My Glass Slipper has a website!

I perused through their site and found a couple of pairs that I liked. I copied and pasted their pics and descriptions in a document and sent it over to Nae for her opinion. She emailed me back and included her ratings next to each shoe. I knew I could count on her to give me honest feedback! =) Her top two choices were mine and Cory's top two, as well! She's so good!! We narrowed it down to these two pairs and eventually, I narrowed it down to the one on the right. I can dye them a different color and reuse them after the wedding ~ isn't that great?!
I put the order in on 04/10/08 and it only took four business days for the shoes to arrive!! I received them today and immediately tried them on. My Glass Slipper even included cut pantyhose in the box so you can try them on without getting the footbed dirty in case you want to return them. I ordered them in a size 5 1/2 and they fit fine.

In addition to the shoes, I also ordered some Foot Petals accessories:

• the Killer Kushionz: to add cushion and stop the foot from sliding forward past the front of the shoe (they came in gray; not pink as pictured)
• the Sole Stopperz: to prevent the sole from slipping on slippery surfaces
• the Strappy Strips: in case the straps become uncomfortable and start to dig into my feet

As you can tell, I was really worried about being in heels for the entire day (almost 12 hours), so I hope they work!!!