Rick & I headed out today to gather the contents for the wedding favours. It was a lot easier than we expected, and they are almost done already! I just have to label them. The labels have been done for ages, so tomorrow I’ll stick ‘em on.

We also had some luck picking up a few other items…totally not trying. We found 12oz plastic cups for the bar, the perfect bins for the silverware (stackable and totally reusable…and only $8 for 8…surprisingly not from the Dollarstore, but the Superstore!), two electric blue ice buckets, half price, and two wine chillers (for the head table), also blue, also half price and also from the Superstore! Gotta love it. :)

So now we are going to settle down, do our marriage prep assignments over a glass of wine and some strawberries…might sound dull to some of you, but to us, a very nice way to spend a Saturday night! ;)

Yes, I did. Now that I’ve had the veil for awhile, I really find it rather plain and boring. Plus I ordered ivory, and I’m not sure if I like the colour. My dress is natural white, but it is certainly not ivory. Contrast wise with my hair, I think white would look better. It only cost $40…so what do you expect, eh?

So I found another veil for $39 that I ordered today. They are currently sold out but are expecting another shipment next week. It is white, two tier and fingertip length. It has a flower embroidery on it, so it definitely has more personality than the first one I ordered. It also lays more flat…the one I have now is two-tier elbow length and it’s kind of poofy.

I feel better now to have two options to try with my dress. The funny thing is, both the veils cost under $100, and since the average veil IS $100…I really can’t complain. I’m usually not so picky with these things, but you know when something just doesn’t feel right…

I’ll definitely contact the company about returning the veil I don’t keep, but with shipping it would be more beneficial to try to sell it here. Or I’ll just keep it. I can always use it for the rehearsal and other such fun activities. LOL! ;)

I think I have the content for the mass pounded out now in the programs. Now to add the Filipino portion of the ceremony. These programs are going to be several pages, but I would rather give everyone a step-by-step esp. with so many non-Catholics (and non-Filipinos, for that matter) coming.

Now, I am off to look for some drink recipes for the bar… :)

66 days and 16 hours until our wedding day…is what the counter says today. Holy S*** is all I have to say. LOL! We are so ready for it, in so many ways. It just becomes more real with every passing moment. 13 months ago it was just something we were planning for the future…now it is soon upon us. Party! :)

We finished session three of our marriage prep last night. We are settling into it wonderfully. It can get rather dry at times but for the most part, it has been very insightful and interesting. I also picked up some paper yesterday that I hope to use for the programs; I fear that it will be too thin. I am going to do a print test tonight to see if it will show through to the other side. If it does, back to the internet I go to find this paper on a heavier stock. It gets really frustrating living around here, there is just nothing for selection! I really want to use this marble-ly paper as it reminds me of sand, and it is also very elegant and appropriate for the church. Now that the invitations are out, don’t you think the textured paper I used was like white sand? I have gotten so many compliments on the invitations. I am glad the packages gave you joy to receive as much as they were a joy to make. Thanks to all of your who have RSVP’d already…that was fast! ;)

I also received an order for some Swarovski crystal pendants that I will use in my jewelry. They are just perfect – very elegant. I wanted something simple and understated for the earrings and these will work just perfect. They will also be great in the attendant’s necklaces and of course mine. :)

Ever have one of those days where you just feel gross thanks to not having a good night’s sleep? That’s how I feel today…urgh…is it bedtime yet? LOL!

I totally forgot to mention yesterday that the Party Store in the US sent us the last of our luau supplies. I do not want to go into great detail as it will ruin the surprise, but they are *GREAT* -will serve as a multi-purpose item- which is wonderful considering they screwed up our shipping.

When we ordered it about 10 days ago, we paid for 2 day shipping, because they ship with UPS, and we wanted to avoid their ridiculous handling fee (if you pay for the faster shipping, the handling fee is included – thank God – it wasn’t cheap!). So I started to have a sinking suspicion they sent it wrong when it didn’t arrive quickly (it got over the border just fine, we can track that through the UPS website). Lo and behold…Rick meets the dude at the door and on top of duty (tax to the gov’t…goooodie…) they charged a $39 handling fee! The box was clearly stamped “standard” so we knew they shipped it incorrectly from the states. So Rick fires off an e-mail last night to the company asking for a refund. We never really expected to hear back…but they wrote back today and they are refunding our ENTIRE shipping costs! That is so awesome of them! I love a company that recognizes there is a mistake and makes good on it. Yay for “small” business…you wouldn’t get this type of service from a large company (UPS a good example…$39 for handling…give me a break…Canada Post charges $5 and FedEx charges nothing! Talk about a cash grab!). I told Rick to make sure he writes a very enthusiastic thank you to them. That type of service is almost unheard of these days.

I am feeling kinda sad today…I think it is because May & Marie’s (bridesmaids) auntie passed away last Friday. May emailed me today with a few details of the funeral…my heart goes out to their family, esp. their uncle, as he is now alone. He said something so beautiful when the casket was being lowered…”if I had to do it all over again, I would. You made life”. Isn’t that the most beautiful thing? I really feel their sadness today, just as I did last Sunday when I heard she had passed away. I met her a couple of times and she really was a wonderful person. The whole family is close as Filipinos are, so I know they will get through it. She battled illness her whole life and was truly a fighter, may she bask in the glory of the afterlife!

So my appointment today at the hair salon went wonderfully…Betty is a sweet European woman who has very similar ideas to me. I think the whole appt. took 7 minutes! I showed her the tiara, told her I thought up would be good for my fine hair, and that I like curls rather than a slick/tight bun or french twist. In less than a minute, she whipped my hair up crudely, but enough for me to know I was loving where she was going with it. She obviously is a creative person…she said she will get a feel for my hair on that day, so she didn’t want to do a whole consultation and complete the updo…it is hard to replicate exactly the same on the day; something that I can relate to when I do makeup consultations, so I knew exactly where she was coming from.

So…I will be getting my hair done at 7:30am on the 27th…she wants a good hour and a half so she can take her time, and two girls will go at 9 and two more at 10 (we’ll have Betty and one other stylist). So that’s great, I can be done around 9am…I will go back to my room and relax a bit, have some breakfast. Like I said before, I am SO not a morning person, but this day, the earlier things are done the better. I’d hate to be rushed, and I also hate being late! We can’t be on Filipino time for the wedding…we have to be ON time…2:30 is the ceremony, 3:30 we will be done, and mass usually follows at 4 or 4:30…so that doesn’t give us a lot of time for family pictures in/around the church. So I don’t want to be late! :)

I also stopped by a lingerie store today and bought a beautiful corset bustier. I am having a heck of a time finding a strapless bra that I feel would stay put with the dress…so I am so glad the sales clerk suggested the corset. Not only will “the girls” stay in place…but I’ll have perfect posture, too! LOL! It fits like a glove…I wouldn’t recommend one for you well endowed ladies (you might poke an eye out…LOL!) but great for us smaller gals.

Okay…I will stop talking about female anatomy; I’m sure some of you are either turning red for getting shifty-eyed. Hee hee hee! ;)

We stopped into the drink store in Parklane, but they didn’t have any tropical drink mix. I have a recipe for a yummy one that contains vanilla ice cream instead of ice…I may make a batch of that instead. Seems a shame not to have a tropical-type drink for the reception. So far we only have beer, wine and champagne picked out.

I also stopped into the spa and booked my waxing appt…for Wednesday the 24th, since Sharleen is off Thursday as well. Geez Shal, I am going to put you to work, all this time you have off on/near the wedding! LOL!

On to bed I go…g’nite everyone!

So we met with the florist this morning, and much to his & our delight/relief it did not take long at all. I guess I really did know what I wanted, after all. He was a big help with the arrangements for in the church. We are going to do something tropical with a lot of green for in front of the alter, and then a basket arrangement with some blue. The only thing I forgot was the toss bouquet…but I will let them know about that later. That’s an easy one. ;) It feels so good to have that done…it’s nice to know the cost and know that it’s off the “to do” list.

After the florist, we stopped by the new Atlantic Wholesalers to see what we could find. Costco did not seem to have the plastic wine goblets in stock; we wanted to get them for the champagne/toast. This wholesale store does not need membership, and they also had the goblets. Yay! We also got our coffee stir sticks and toothpicks here. Their sizes are not so biggie sized as Costco…I did not want to buy 5000 stir sticks! LOL!

Tomorrow I am looking forward to my hair appointment. I am amazed at how well things are coming together…easy easy easy so far. The next nice day we have Rick & I will be out hunting for the content of the favours…can’t tell ya, wait and see. ;)

Steve posted to our guestbook wondering about pinoy wear in Nova Scotia, and I thought it would be a good idea to answer here in case anyone else has the same question.

The company that we suggest in California (mybarong.com…it’s on the “notes” page of the keychain info – second to last page) is the closest we could find for this type of attire. I even asked my friends in Montreal, and there isn’t any there either…it all comes from family & friends who have been to the Philippines!

This company is great. The clothes are shipped directly from the Phils. at very decent prices. If you use the coupon code provided in the “notes”, you will get a discount on shipping (we have paid $1 – $7 for shipping…FedEx ground, and it’s here in usually 5-6 days, faster than the 10 days they guarantee). For you guests in the US…the shipping is free with FedEx ground.

The style is very laid back for the men, more dressy for the women…lots of colour, beaded or embroidered. check out their website, and if you don’t feel like ordering something, you can always immitate the style as close as you can. The key is to be tropical, but still put together (what you wear to the beach = too casual, what you wear for a New Years gala = too dressy).

Any questions, please ask us! :)

Oh and it’s raining again…I have that Moby song stuck in my head…what a drizzly, gloomy day! I am so not motivated… hee hee! ;)

Late last night I pulled out the tiara I designed again as the hair consultation I have on Thursday made me think about it. I added the chain to the back of it…basically the selling feature of these type of bridal headpieces when I sell them is that you can wear it as a choker as well, so you have some use for it after the wedding. Plus I added some beads to the end of the chain so some sparkle will peek out through the hair do. ;)

So last night I added a bit more sterling silver wire and tonight I added a few more beads. I will sleep on it and look at it again tomorrow; whether or not I am finished with it or if I will add a few more beads. It is still very simple in design, and it will make for one interesting necklace afterwards. :) Can we say conversation starter? Hee hee…

Tonight we had night #2 of the Wedding Prep and it was much more interesting tonight. The couple presenting was very funny and honest, and that was a wealth of information on its own. Fr. Hattie was funny as usual, he keeps it interesting!

Wednesday we meet with the florist for the final flower orders and Thursday downtown to the hairstylist…I think I will pop into Parklane while I’m down there. There is a really funky drink store at that mall and I want to look at the price of some mix, plus I can pop into the spa and make my waxing appt. for the Thursday before the wedding. :) I usually do it myself, but with all the activity taking place I will appreciate the spa trip.

Rick is out today helping Brent (best man) move…so I am content to stay at home with my beads. It is another gloomy day, not raining at least. This is typical, Nova Scotia spring weather.

So I am working on another little project for the wedding now. Just a little detail…funny how I can look at something and say, “It’s too plain, I need to dress this up a bit”. I love it…so many little ways to stretch the creative muscle.

Yesterday I dragged Rick out to the local Dollarama to see if I could find any cheap decorating supplies for this new project. Dragged is the wrong word, he is more than willing to go. Very helpful, he is, even paid for the goodies. ;) So I brought them home and decided it would work fine…only I didn’t have enough, so back out we went to the Dollarama in Bayer’s Lake. They had nothing. So, a little disappointed I wondered what I was going to do, as it was such a great accent I did not want to change my plan. Rick to the rescue…he drove me out to Bedford, and said if that one didn’t have them, we could try Wyse Road in Dartmouth. LOL! I told you he was more than willing….ready willing and able! :) We hit pay dirt in Bedford…so out in the pouring rain we got soaked to pick up my $14 worth of dollar store craft supplies…driving 20 minutes out of our way. Cute eh? Was it worth it, you ask? Sure was! Wait until you see these… ;)

So all the envelopes are stuffed, sealed, and postage is licked. There are just a few left that we are still confirming addresses for (two of which are groomsmen, so no big deal, we know they’re attending). :) Feels good to have that done. I have two left for buffer in case we’ve forgotten anyone, and really, I can always make more. I made sure to put one away as a souvenir for ourselves, as well.

We faxed the contract back to the Lord Nelson yesterday. I am annoyed with the sales rep. I have in writing (email) where she said our costs would be food based, no room rental, yet they charged us a room rental. She said it was because we changed to a reception style and what she was talking about was a sit down dinner. Yeah, and I was supposed to know that…how??? These are those annoyances that I hated that used to come up when I was doing group travel/convention bookings…and who ate it?? The agency. I wish these damn suppliers would just honour their mistakes. Bitch bitch bitch. *giggle* Anyway, she cut the fee in half, and I am not going to quibble over $130. But I really think that since we have a block there they should be waiving the fee. I’ll be sure to express my disappointment when I get the chance to “rate my stay”. ;)

The salon owner called today and I’m going to meet with one of the stylists Thursday about our wedding hair. He said she comes in early on Sat…like 7:30am, so that’s good. We will probably have 2 to 3 stylists getting the 5 of us done. I am so glad they can accommodate us…London hair is directly across the street from the hotel, very convenient. The sooner I can get hair done, the better, so I can relax, have a momosa and take my time getting ready. I’m normally not a morning person, but Lord knows I won’t be sleeping in that day! :)

I also called the florist today to make another appointment to book the rest of the flowers. They are supposed to call me back tomorrow.

On to the next project. Exciting! :)

Rick has just posted the wedding info on the site. It can be accessed by the links at the tops of the page or by typing the links in directly as per the wedding invitations. My Ninang Linda was the first person beside my parents to get an invitation. I figured since we were there to see her I mind as well, save the postage. She loved them and thought they were beautiful. :) I am really excited on getting these out to everyone. Tonight I will get the out-of-province folks done and ready to go. Which I must get back to…