And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8
Drew and I have been together for a total of 16 years and have been married to each other through a civil ceremony since 2013. For many people, that would have been enough and for the longest time, it also used to be for me. Naisip ko gastos lang, so bakit pa? But God placed it in my husband's heart to get married in Christ and he had been praying about it for a while.
In fact, God has blessed me with so much, ipagkakait ko pa ba kay Lord na ayusin yung relationship namin?
Eventually, we met a couple who were about to be married. They almost had nothing but also wanted to make it right with God. Lo and behold, a truly beautiful wedding happened! May mga tao talagang dadating sa buhay mo so you can step away from your world and see clearly through God's lens. Through them, I realized na by God's grace, I was far from having nothing at the time. In fact, God has blessed me with so much, ipagkakait ko pa ba kay Lord na ayusin yung relationship namin?
I told Drew, "Sige, let's have a church wedding!" and began planning for it.
The Guest List
I created a Google sheet that I shared with Drew where we would plan everything. We made a list of family and friends whom we'd love to see at our wedding. It was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while there was no assurance that an event could actually push through anytime soon, we came up with a total of 50 people including ourselves. We determined the people who would play important roles in the ceremony from that same list.
The Venue
The next thing we did was list all the venues we'd been eyeing from wedding websites and communities on the Internet. As much as possible, we wanted the venue to provide for the other important stuff like food, styling, sound system - everything else would be a bonus. From there we were able to shortlist 9 out-of-town venues and 9 venues within or near Metro Manila based on the following considerations:
Is our preferred wedding date still available?
How much to book for 50 pax?
What's included in the contract?
Location
Based on the location of the venues, we set a time for ocular and food tasting. I think we pretty much covered all of them in a matter of 3 days. We're foodies, so food is one of our top considerations, and that's why Ninyo's Fusion Cuisine and Wine Lounge won us over. After having booked the venue for our date, we could finally rest. This was 7 months before our wedding day.
The Wedding Elements
In the next couple of months, we prepared all the other elements for our wedding:
Our eldest daughter created our wedding invitation and invited people. She's very artistic and adept with creative apps.
We created a Facebook event page where we updated our guests with what's going on in our wedding planning. This will have also been the platform for the live-streaming of our ceremony.
Booked wedding prep and family moon accommodations through Booking.com and Agoda.com. Websites like these give you a book now, decide later option which is so convenient.
Booked Jessica Bridal Couture for my wedding gown and my bride squad dresses.
Booked Fabian Custom Tailoring Shop for my husband's suit and his groomsmen's pants.
Booked our wedding photographer, Random Portraits MNL. They cover all kinds of events like debuts and christenings aside from weddings.
Bought stuff from Shopee that I could use to make the wedding elements. One of my proudest purchases was a wax stamp that bears our event logo. I made the event logo and sent it to the shop. The wax stamp was used for our souvenirs and gifts to sponsors.
Bought scented candles from Chunky Cuddles. They have a wide variety of designs and can customize scents for you.
Booked our wedding cake from We Knead Dough. They make delicious baked goodies that our family loves.
Booked our flowers from Miel De Fleur. They provide intricate dried flowers for every ocassion that could last up to 3 years at a fraction of the cost of fresh flowers.
Had Itxybitxyz engrave our event name and Bible verses on wooden coasters that replaced the usual "pillows" for our rings and arrhae. They specialize in laser engraving on wooden material.
Received our wedding rings as a gift from our friend Mai and Tope of Nose Boutique. You should check them out for elegant jewellery that are worth the investment.
Put all the wedding elements together.
Printed the menu/table cards that doubles as table arrangement labels.
Prepared the wedding program.
Created a background "window" that we used for our live stream.
Added/removed people from the guest list based on RSVP (or lack of). - This is one of the toughest and most stressful TBH!
My mom made my tulle wedding veil.
It's amazing that it's easier to do a lot of stuff on your own now that there's a lot of technology available! When hiring people though, I recommend supporting friends' and relatives' passions and businesses first - all the suppliers were very dear to us. That way, you can ensure that they'll also keep your best interest in mind. If you don't have a friend or relative for the job, then look at local businesses. Check reviews and always ask for documentation (ID, contract, etc.) before paying, regardless of the amount. If the shop/seller is legit, they should have no problems sending these over to you. Thank God I never really had problems with any of our suppliers!
The Soundtrack
I created a Spotify playlist that contained a mix of instrumental and vocal music; Christian and pop love love songs. I arranged it based on our program so that someone can just hit play, pause, and next. On the day of our wedding, we chose my brother-in-law, Christopher, to "DJ" during the event. I just gave him the program and instructions and he did a really great job!
The Wedding
So how did it go? It was chaos in the beginning, hahahaha! We wanted it to be so raw and thought no one else knows us and our loved ones better than Drew and I - so we decided to be emcees at our own wedding. We failed to account for the coordination needed at the beginning of a wedding where the emcees are supposed to tell people what to do, where to go, etc - not for the faint-hearted bride talaga! It was at this moment that our friends and family stepped in. They organized the seats of the guests during the ceremony and our friend Pax facilitated our livestream. Oh that moment!
Relationships were restored. Provision was overflowing. People were brought closer to God - including us. Miracles upon miracles happened! Grabe talaga si Lord!
Was it a good decision, having a church wedding na DIY pa? YES!!! Indeed, God open the floodgates of heaven and gave us a truly wonderful experience. Seeing our friends and family working together in one of the most special ceremonies in our lives is a BONUS! We wouldn't have it any other way! But the best sequel to our wedding ceremony story was that was after the wedding, parang mas naging magaan ang buhay! Relationships were restored. Provision was overflowing. People were brought closer to God - including us. Miracles upon miracles happened! Grabe talaga si Lord!
And if you're reading this story until the end, I want to point you to the miracle worker - God. May you answer to the longing He has placed in your heart and seek Him. Have a blessed life!
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