I just came back from a 3-day quick trip to Manila. I hate quick trips, to be honest. But I committed to my best friend to attend her brother’s wedding.
Their wedding was quite lavish and tasteful. The ceremony was held at Santuario de San Antonio at Forbes Park; reception was held at the new Fairmont Hotel in Makati. It was the most formal and grand wedding I have ever been to, hands down. To be really upfront about it, it was a little intimidating. Everyone was wearing formal long gowns and tuxedos. I swear long sleeved polos and tie will not cut it. There was no photo booth, bouquet / garter tossing or father-daughter dance. In short, nothing to make the event look informal--I guess.
I think when it comes to these things—it really boils down to what the couple wants for themselves. Perhaps it’s their personalities that exude formality more than playfulness. And all of these are fine. It’s just a wedding after all. It’s just that—this was never the kind of wedding we wanted for us. Even for me, as a bride, who probably will have a more vivid and clear vision of the wedding over E, it was not the wedding I had in mind.
Accomplishments and other matters
I accomplished something though during the trip. I’m happy to say we have fully paid our venue, Elements. We just lack the security deposit (which is refunded after the event) and payment for the in-house helpers who will be on stand-by on the day of the event.
Finally, I got to see our rings upclose, even with the engravings! They were truly a beauty to behold. E had on his ring engraved: “Anya 5.17.14” The feels were just too much, I wanted to cry!
I’m happy to say that I’m calmer, collected and at peace now. That I’m just so excited for us—to share that moment with our families and friends. Because other than what I write here on the blog, most of our friends know that E and I are quite a private couple. We rarely *rarely* share anything about us. (We are not even “in a relationship” on Facebook, ha!) So except for the monumental milestones (like our engagement), we keep things private. Our everyday mundane lives and experiences are for us to share and relish only with each other. Our ups and downs are really our own—not anyone elses. I don’t recall we sought out advice or counsel from friends. It was just us—living and resolving our issues. Because this is who we are, how we are.
It’s important for me to put that out there—so that people may know that this wedding we are putting together is really for our families and friends. Because for once, we want to share with them our love and fondness of each other—in public (gasp!). If it were just the two of us, we would have eloped and got married already! But as much as the moment we say “I do” will be one for our books, that one day is also about our loved ones standing witness to that.