about this episode:We wanted to do another episode featuring the W@Wies. We asked the group who among their fellow members would they like to hear in the podcast. Newlywed couples Nich + Marie Francisco, and Allan + Joed See, plus soon-to-wed Cecile (ni Lemjay), are among the most active in the group, so their names were the ones that came out. Since active W@Wies are usually a talkative bunch online and offline, the chat lasted for a couple of hours so we had to cut it into two episodes. Here is the first part…

postscript:

• Right-click this link to save Episode 67.
• subscribe to W@W Chat via iTunes to automatically download our latest episodes.
• visit and LIKE the W@W Chat page in FB for related updates.

Patrick & Ygy only became a couple five months before their wedding.  They initially planned a simple civil ceremony by the beach, but eventually relented to a church wedding soon after to honor their parents’ wishes.  Ygy shares with us how proud she is they were able pull both off despite the time and budget constraints. ~Abet & Benz

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I can’t believe I just got married. Twice. To the same man. On the same month. Of the same year.

What started as a single, solemn, intimate affair evolved into a two-part initiative which pretty much involved our families, relatives and those who are close to us. Both weddings became non-traditional endeavors for me and my groom. Why? Perhaps we can start with the most spontaneous decision that triggered it all: although Patrick and I have known each other for 5 years, it was only in July of 2012 that we officially became a couple. Five months later, we got married.

You can just imagine the reactions that we got from everyone.  Believe me, we were hearing the same sentiment from everyone all throughout the planning and preparation period, but we stood our ground and decided to get married right away. After all, why waste time when you can just seize the day?

So what was the main challenge? Limited time. Limited funds.

I do wedding planning and coordination part-time, but even I can only do so much. We originally planned to have an intimate beach wedding in December 2012, then hold our church wedding in 2014 to give us ample time to prepare; knowing that the church ceremony would be a bigger affair. It was only in October 2012 that we finally “gave in” to what both our parents were requesting: hold our church wedding on the same year so that we can start our married life with a blessing. Yes, that was only two months to prepare for both events!

And so, the solution: keep it simple, straightforward, and DIY. We went through the whole process – pamanhikan with our families, attending government and church seminars, personally visiting our ninongs and ninangs, and processing all requirements needed for marriage. But of course, it didn’t mean that we couldn’t infuse our own unique ideas, tastes, preferences, as well as personalities into both affairs! Below are some details from each wedding and see how we became quite creative in our own simple ways.

Beach Wedding
December 27, 2012 / 25 guests
Villa Igang Resort, Poblacion, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras Island

I would say that  this wedding really aimed to defy tradition in every way! No frills, no complexities. Just a simple, straightforward affair in the presence of those who are closest to our hearts.

what we did differently:

• BRIDAL GOWN: my dress was bought completely off-the-rack. The beadwork done on my sandals were completely DIY!
• HAIR/MAKE-UP: Not only did I do my own hair and make-up, I was also the one who curled the hair of my maid-of-honor and bridesmaids!
• NO VEIL: I had a Bohemian headdress customized by my couturier friend, Ryan Sarangay
• RINGS: our wedding rings are black tungsten with just a very small diamond stud in the center. We used the same rings for our church wedding
• PHOTO/VIDEO: I just got two friends (who have experience in photo/video coverage) to document everything and give us the shots and raw footage. The final AVP of the wedding was edited by none other than yours truly. My very first try at video editing!
• SOUND SYSTEM: Believe it or not, I had to devise a way to hook up my laptop to the resort’s videoke machine (as in the deposit-5-peso-type videoke) machine by configuring a simple audio cable and plugging it into the videoke’s microphone input. Success!
• NO RECEPTION PROGRAM: just a simple dinner after the ceremony, and flying of sky lanterns at the beachfront (with much drinking afterwards!)

Church Wedding
December 29, 2012 | 125 guests
San Antonio de Padua Parish, Taytay, Rizal | East Ortigas Mansions, Pasig City

Twelve days after our beach wedding, we found ourselves exchanging vows once again, but this time it was in front of God, the priest, and all our family members and relatives. Yes, it was the most acceptable, traditional way of getting married, but we managed to infuse our own unique plans into a most conservative, family-oriented affair.

personal touches:

• I sang the communion song “Panunumpa” while we knelt in front of the altar
• We did not do the traditional newlyweds’ first dance
• Our table names were all names of RnB artists
• We had to fold 125 origami paper flowers for each of our place settings at the reception
• For our pictorials at the reception, the table which had the most creative pose won a prize
• The bridal veil, second veil, pillow and cord were all borrowed from a friend
• Instead of using the traditional/regular leg garter, I used a garterized headband for babies/toddlers. Why do this? More cute designs to choose from.

So what was the aftermath of everything? Yes, we pulled it off, both times. But my husband and I learned a lot from this whole experience. We discovered that you don’t need to spend a lot in order to have an extra special celebration. You just need to think out of the box and unleash your creativity. Ultimately, we realized the essence of this whole endeavor. It didn’t really matter what kind of wedding we had, nor did it even matter how many times we got married to each other. What matters is that we did - and that’s the most important thing above everything else.

But given the opportunity to do it all over again? Hell yeah, I’d do it! I wouldn’t mind getting married a third or even a fourth time – as long as it’s to the same man.

about: Michelle (ni Jay) has been an overseas bride based in Queensland, Australia.  She planned her wedding long distance with the help of the internet. She maintains a wedding blog called the veRy long engageMent. ~Abet & Benz

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Time and time again, I read blogs from married or engaged people how they planned their wedding with the help of W@W. And everytime, I nod as if someone was looking at me and asking for my approval. I am a W@Wie. Aside from uttering “I am proud to be one”, I can also say that W@W has helped me in so many ways.

Photo by BlackTie Project

I am a W@Wie. When I became a member in 2009, my wedding date was still unknown. During that time, I may have had visited the eGroup about once or twice. My ideas for a wedding “that’s bound to happen soon” was very limited – it only came from a handful of wedding magazines as well as one friend who got married several months earlier. I had a promise ring from my then-boyfriend-now-husband for when I left the Philippines to work overseas.

I am a W@Wie. During the last quarter of 2010, I got more involved with the eGroup. The wedding date was still to be determined, but I was sure then that it would be very soon. The date on my W@W signature changed from “???” to “June 8, 2013” and lastly “June 8, 2012”.

I am a W@Wie. Whilst debating as to when (and where exactly) the wedding would be, I realized that there were a lot of things (and feelings) to consider to make this wedding happen. Every time I had something in mind, whether they were ideas or rants, a post in W@W almost always help. W@Wies are friendly and helpful. They listen to your stories, they give advices, they pray with you.

W@W is a blessing. Friends who read our wedding blog would already know that W@W was where we found most of our wedding suppliers. Prior to becoming active in the eGroup, we only had 1 supplier booked. We had ideas for the wedding but were unsure as to how we could make those happen.

With Kris Matanguihan of Kris Matanguihan Videography

W@W is a blessing. My then-boyfriend-turned-fiancé-now-husband was already overseas as well when we came to a decision as to when exactly we get hitched. With both of us out of the country, and our siblings busy with school or work, wedding planning was still left in our hands. Aside from Google (or Blackle), Weddings@Work became my search engine.

W@W is a blessing. From choosing church + reception venues and deciding if to order paper straws or not, W@W has a ready answer. When you’re stuck with a DIY and needs a breather, W@Wies sympathize with you. Whether you have a budget of PhP XX,XXX or PhP X,XXX,XXX, you will feel at home with W@W.

W@W is a blessing. Not only did W@Wies recommend their suppliers, they also gave reviews on how those suppliers performed at their own weddings. Prior to booking providers, I already had an idea of what they were like pre & post-wedding. I made a list of who I want, showed the list to my then-fiance, and after doing his research (and making him read reviews too), decide on who we book. It was a long process as we didn’t want to miss anything, but it was worth it.

With Marco Malaca of BlackTie Project

W@W is a blessing. More often than not, all our transactions were done via email. About once or twice, we met with shortlisted suppliers and booked those who we felt at ease with, or with whom we felt that “this-is-it” feeling. Through all these things – email transactions and meet-ups, I would still consistently check W@W for recos or reviews.

With Sha & Jerdz Marinas of K Photography Manila

With the team of Hearts and Bells

W@W is a family. Being overseas, we weren’t able to attend any Christmas Party, or any Summer Lakwatsa. The most memorable time I had with W@W was when I was finally able to attend an EB. Less than a week before our wedding, I found time and allotted half a day for a meet-up with co-W@Wies and of course, Mimma Benz – without whom there would not be any W@W. It was a joy meeting them in person and putting faces behind their names and signatures. Those were the people who helped me plan our wedding; those people whom I was exchanging messages with for the past 17-or-so months since wedding preps kicked in.

Photo by Mimma Benz at Mary Grace, Greenbelt June 2012

W@W is a family. Now that our wedding is over, I still find time to post and reply and answer queries from brides (and grooms, occasionally) when they’re stuck with their planning. I owe a lot to W@W, for if not because of this eGroup, I would not be able to find wonderful suppliers who made our wedding a success.

The Team of Events Malditas

With Jieza Gotauco of k. by Cunanan Catering

The team of My Photato

With Norvin Gumayagay of NM Digital Enterprise

Photo by Eddie Boy Escudero

announcement: Today we start posting user-driven content by sharing stories contributed by our very own W@Wies (members of the W@W eGroup).  We would like to thank Joed See for getting the ball rolling. ~Abet & Benz

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Photo courtesy of Larry Leong for Imagine Nation Photography

I’d like to share with you a short story of weddings, friendships and details.

Once upon a time, a madly-in-love couple named Abet and Benz, created an online community for brides and grooms. They called it Weddings@Work. This is a support group for couples planning for their wedding. This is where you will find new friends who can easily relate to you and your woes in choosing between fuchsia and baby pink, tiffany chair or ghost chair, suit or barong, the list just goes on and on and on.

I’ve discovered this group online and it was just an exhilaration when I was able to share my simple wedding dilemmas and get an affirmation and new point of views. Not just a nod, and okay or a hmmmmm. It felt like, these are my people!!!! We were able to share our wants and dreams, workarounds (a.k.a. DIY) to achieve the wedding feel that we want but still within our budget.

Lately, it’s been going outside the confines of cyberspace. W@Wies, as we call ourselves, are now meeting up, going to each other’s weddings, helping out on DIYs, and a whole lot more.

Photo courtesy of CamZar Photography

Photo courtesy of Paul Vincent Photography

Photo from Mimma Benz at #wawbooth SM Megamall February 2013

Photo from Marie Francisco taken at Cucina ni Chef September 2012

Photo from Edward and Gracey’s Wedding December 2012

Photo from Didda Abet taken at Blue Leaf Banyan November 2012

The latest trend going on right now in the community is what we call, the Travelling W@W Love Items. These items have been shared by a W@Wie for the W@W community to borrow and use. Other W@Wies can use it as additional details on their wedding day or on their engagement and post-nuptial shoots.

Photo courtesy of Manny and April Photography

Photo courtesy of CamZar Photography

Photo courtesy of Black Tie Project

Photo courtesy of Noel Salazar of Imagine Nation Photography

Photo courtesy of Jaja Samaniego

Photo taken from Ersus-Jhellie’s Wedding March 2013

Photo courtesy of Macromedia

Photo from Jake-Jenny’s Wedding January 2013

The idea is simple, its really a pay-it-forward system. Not only do we maximize the items but we are able to share our love through these items. Weddings are expensive and items like these are really helpful to add that nice touch to your photo booth pictures, weddings preparations, entourage march, and even getting presents. ^_^

Now, isn’t it fun to be part of this community? As for me, all I can say is I’m really happy and proud to say that I’m a certified W@Wie!

Photo from Mimma Benz at #wawbooth SM Megamall February 2013

[this blog originally posted at Joedshares]

This video montage by Bob Nicolas is worthy of being part of DOT’s #itsmorefuninthephilippines campaign!