Here’s an update on the wedding gown, featuring the embroidered flowery neckline.

I can be so fussy sometimes. That includes not wanting a typical neckline, or a typical sleeve design.

I can’t stop thinking about details, sorry about that! For a few days, I had been pondering about my bridesmaids’ bouquets. At first, I had been contemplating on making a floral purse for each of them. It was going to take lots of hard work, but I was expecting the end result to be worth it. Now my mind is on the alternative of having them wear matching wrist corsages, instead of carrying bouquets. That will take lesser work, lesser flowers to make, and well, they don’t have to look for somewhere to put it on if they need both of their hands.

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Let me think. How did we tell the world that we are engaged? For starters, there’s the ring.

I actually had a good reason to sulk before he officially proposed to me, because there was a promise he made which he wasn’t able to keep. It shouldn’t have been such a big deal to others, but considering my case at that time, I did had a good reason to sulk. Because of that, I turned off my mobile for a few days. As he was working in another city at that time, he knew something was wrong when he couldn’t contact me through my mobile for more than 24 hours.

The day after that, he was terribly uneasy already. Yet things were still keeping him from visiting me at home to find out what happened. After two days, he knew he had to go and talk to me in person against all odds. He can no longer just sit and wait. He knew I was mad at him about that promise he didn’t keep.

Our mutual friends knew I was sulking and they told him so. He texted me, but I didn’t reply. He tried to call me, but I didn’t answer. That’s it. He had to visit me at home and talk to me in person.

On the evening of the third day, he came knocking at my door. We talked, reconciled, spent the next couple of days bonding, visiting relatives and watching movies. He proposed, then went back to the city where he worked later that day.

A couple of days later, I was with some of our mutual friends. They asked me if he came and talked to me. I didn’t say anything. I just smiled and showed them the back of my left hand. Then they saw it and understood.

That’s the “announcement by showing the ring.”

Aside from that, there’s Facebook. I simply changed my status, from “In a relationship” to “Engaged”. Then I announced, “Can’t stop looking at the ring on my finger.”

I emailed my family and relatives who are abroad, sent them pictures of me and Prince Charming, and that’s it. No newspaper announcements or any big drama. Simple and direct.

I just chanced upon this wedding invitation today… and, though I don’t like the celebrities who had this,  I kinda like the invitation design.  It’s so elegant and formal.  I’ll just post it here today, sort of as a way of bookmarking the image for future reference.

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One of the most important subjects to discuss and decide on early in the wedding planning process is the budget. The couple must not move a single muscle until the wedding budget has been decided. This principle is hard, as, for the bride-to-be such as me, when I go to the malls and especially craft and bargain stores, ooohh!!! There are just lots of nice ribbons and beads and stationery and laces and other trinkets that I’d like to buy and craft into “something-whatever” for my wedding. But then, I had to remind myself to buy it later, when all other necessities are bought, so it would be easier to determine if there’s money left for those little extras or not.

And so, Prince Charming and I sat down one day (way before I bought that white fabric, of course) and talked about the money. Since we are not millionaires, …okay, not rich… we didn’t have a specific budget in mind, but we just listed down an estimate of all the necessities, then listed all the other elements that we want.

The necessities:
……International air travel, round trip: …$1,300
……Domestic air travel, round trip:…………. 270
……Land trip expenses ………………………….230
……Legal documents ………………………………30
……Pocket money …………………………………500

The fixed priced:
……Reception package ………………………..1,400
……Accommodations …………………………….300

What we actually did was we made a research first on the necessities and fixed priced elements of the wedding before setting a budget. This way, we were able to come up with a more realistic budget. We researched what prices are available, then studied the ones with the lowest price but still with the quality that suited us. It’s no use setting a $1000 budget for a reception, only to learn that such a price does not exist in the market… unless you’re desperate to stick to that price to the point of self-catering your own wedding.

Flexible expenses:
……Attire …………………………………………… 100
……Paper & print …………………………………..100
……Favors & gifts ………………………………… 100
……Allowance for extra expenses ………….. 200

Things we can do without
……Flowers …… …… …… …… …..(I might carry just a single bloom, then try something creative for the rest)
…… Professional photography…..(friends have cameras..that should be okay)
…… Car rental………… ……. …… (we don’t need limousines or special cars)
…… Paid entertainment………… …(we have talented friends and mp3 players)

Yes! It’s a destination wedding. The destination is a third world country, where everything is a whole lot crazy knock-out cheaper, and the reception venue is at the best hotel of that city. It’s indeed crazy. We’ll be spending $4,500 for a wedding with 100 guests that normally costs around ten times more in Australia. Now that we’ve settled the budget, let’s go shopping!