On Friday, these iPod Nanos will be handed to three “Stars of the Night” of the party:

• a male wedding supplier
• a female wedding supplier
• and a W@Wie!

It’s our way of saying thanks to those who will go the extra mile and dress-up for W@W’s 10th Anniversary Celebration.  But the story of how these colorful iPods  got in our hands is another story of the W@W’s community spirit that’s worth telling.

Funding for these prizes are courtesy of the generous event organizer/wedding suppliers (our gratitudes to Ces, Ai, Cecilio & Phoeben!) who pledged cash donations for the celebration.  Since only the Online Apple Store offers iPod engraving and it comes out cheaper when ordered in the US-based site, a former W@Wie turned N@Wie (thanks as usual, Grace!) ordered them for us.

The package was then delivered straight to the US-address of another W@Wie (salamat, Janet ni Abe!) who was scheduled to fly to Manila in time for the anniversary.  The iPods were then picked up for us by the messenger of a W@Wie-turned-wedding planner (wave your hands, Clarice!).

This long iPod journey speaks of the love and goodwill fostered here in the W@W Community. Kind gestures that sound too good to be true; but it does happen in this part of cyberspace.

Now these iPods can’t wait to be with their new owners.  Will you be the one?

The invite conveys the first impression of what the wedding will be to any guest who receives it.  But nothing diminishes the look of a very nice wedding invitation than with shabbily done inserts, and that includes the map!  Good thing there is now a company here in Manila that specializes in maps that goes with the wedding invite.

Inspired by dainty artwork seen in Couture Maps by Stephannie Barba, now comes “Merry Maps” by Busy Bee Designs.

• Interested to order?  Know the ordering instructions and design fee.
• Better yet, get it for FREE by writing a blog post telling them why you deserve to win a Merry Map design.

Check out the mock map they especially made for W@W:

Thanks, Dot!

Are you one of our site’s ardent supporters?  If you are, why not log on to your Facebook account and sign-up to be a fan of W@W?  Once you do, post on the wall and tell us how W@W has helped you.  We’ll give away a special W@W fan to the five best postings on our wall.  What makes these abaniko special, you ask?

Well, they’re custom-made bearing the W@W stick people logo. The design is especially embroidered in Lumban, Laguna — dubbed as the Embroidery capital of the Philippines.  Check it out!

Again, just add W@W in Facebook and leave a message.  We’ll pick and announce the winners by next week.

(photo by Dino Lara)

Meet Clarice. She’s a wedding planner.  And what’s that she’s holding?  It’s the official W@W umbrella, what else?

We wanted it white, plain and simple.  We are not selling them though. It’s actually a giveaway specially made with certain people in mind.  If you’re a wedding planner who wants to keep a white umbrella handy as part of your wedding day ‘arsenal’, then our W@W umbrella wants you! 

Please do email us with your name, company name and address and we’d reserve one for you.

Though rain is considered a blessing during a wedding, clearly nobody wants to get wet!

One of the stores we never fail to visit whenever we’re in Hong Kong or Singapore is The IKEA Store.  With so many nice things in a big store, it’s hard to imagine anyone leaving the store without liking (or buying!) anything. It’s a virtual playground for newlyweds and young families decorating their lovenest or a new home. If only excess baggage charges come cheap. hahaaha!

There are no official IKEA Stores yet here in Manila, but that didn’t stop some kababayans from bringing in some stuff for the rest of us to enjoy and appreciate.

There’s Rooms101 in  Palanan, Makati and the other is NewManila23 in Quezon City.  Both stores are managed by the same company.  Upside: you don’t have to go abroad to hoard buy stuff.  Downside: no credit card facility so bring cash! Especially now that there’s a clearance sale that runs until September 21 with Sale up to 60% off.

Last time we asked them, they are even open to having Bridal/Gift Registries so that soon-to-weds can choose from their inventory as gift options for their guests. Just click the store links above for their address and exact store locations if you’re planning on visiting soon.