Deciding On The Best Time for an Outdoor Wedding in Manila

Caution: Please do not depend solely on weather forecasts as there's always a possibility of rain especially here in the Philippines. This is just my way of choosing a wedding date since I badly wanted an outdoor wedding. =p 

The first thing I did was to go to Meoweather to check Manila's average weather report by month. I reiterate that I have no idea if these online sites are accurate, so aside from their report, I did a countercheck with my first-hand experiences of living in Manila for 28 years.

Check-out the Average Rainfall Column

Based on the chart, Feb March and April of each year received the lowest daily and monthly average rainfall. 

Now, since the Philippines has a tropical climate in general and there are months were humidity is really sickening, we had to go consult the chart once more and check which among the three (3) selected months had the coolest temperature: 

Tada! February it is!

But hey, I was still a bit skeptical about this. Yes, February may have received the lowest rainfall, but there still IS rainfall! Now, we're going to look at the historical weather report on Feb. 27 (we want our wedding date to be on the 27th) in a span of ten years just to make sure that the chance of rain on that exact date is low. For that, let's visit Tutiempo. 

...Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to find an option to view all Feb. 27's from 2004 to 2013 in one go, so I had to list it down one by one. Here's the result:

Oh well, there's still a 10% chance of rain. Guess we'll have to look at tent suppliers after all! Phew!

Now that we're done with selecting the date, how about the best time to have a glimpse of the sunset? Let's seek TimeAndDate for this: 

So anytime around 6pm I guess!

Conclusion: We're looking at FEBRUARY as the wedding month since it receives very little rain + the weather is not that scorching hot. The 27th is okay, and if we want to catch the sunset for the post-nuptial shots, the ceremony and dinner should come between 3-9PM. All we need now is to keep our fingers crossed and to not forget to offer a sun dance on the day of the wedding. =p

Metro Manila Wedding Churches With Reception Venues

Perhaps I've watched too many Hollywood movies that I wanted my wedding ceremony and banquet all in one place. Perhaps my mind is subconsciously screaming: "Hey aren't you a rebel bride?!", that I wanted to deviate from the norm.

See, it's convenient for everybody as there's almost no travel time from one place to another. Also, less chances of hearing our guests complain about starvation as we took our sweet time taking post nuptial photos and going to the reception venue -- well, we'd still take time, but not as long as it usually is.

Anyway, we're both conservative Roman Catholics so it is a must to marry inside a church. For that reason, we were left with really few options when it came to choosing a wedding church and a reception venue. At first we really wanted to do it in Paco Park as the ambiance fits our theme, but we're scared of what the weather's gonna be like in December so we had to find something else. After a couple of months and a lot of healthy debates with the h2b, we were finally able to agree on a certain location. The reception area is not actually within the church's vicinity, but it's just a 3 minute walk. 

Meanwhile, here's our list in case you're also looking for the same set-up:

Church Name	Reception Venue
Archbishop's Palace Big Chapel Shaw Blvd. cor. E. Rodriguez, Mandaluyong City	Nearby Venues: The Green One, Secret Garden, The Legend Villas, The Garden, Palladium, Prestige Tower, Rainforest Park, Grand Villa Resort, Valle verde, Malayan Plaza Roofdeck, Emar Suites Roofdeck, One San Miguel Roofdeck, D Venue, Jade Palace, Prestige Tower 9f
Sto. Nino de Molino Church Molino, Cavite	Nearby Venue: Paradiso Terrestre
Bamboo Organ  Las Pinas	In House: St. Joseph's Gym/ Hall/Minipark or Nearby Venue: Bali Garden
Christ the King Church Green Meadows	In House
Immaculate Conception Cathedral Church Cubao Quezon City	In House
Malate Church Malate, Manila	In House: 3rd floor of the Remedios Jubilee Mission Center (RJMC)
Mt. Carmel Aurora Blvd, Quezon City	In House
Nature's Church Las Pinas	In House: PJP Hall/ Nature's Café
Our Lady of the Abandoned Sta.Ana Manila	Nearby Venue: Jardin de Isabel
Paco Park Church  Paco, Manila	In House: Half-Garden
San Agustin Church Intramuros	In House: Courtyard
Shrine of Jesus near Mall of Asia, Pasay	In House
St. Andrew Church Kalayaan Ave. Bel-Air Makati	In House: Jubilee Hall
St. Francis of Assisi Chapel Fernwood Gardens, QC	In House: Courtyard Garden
St. James The Great Parish Church Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa City	In House
St. Jerome Emiliani near ATC, Alabang	Nearby Venue: Leslie's Alabang
St. Peter  Commonwealth, QC	In House

In case you have any questions about the rates or the contact numbers, do leave a comment or send me an email. I didn't include the rates that I've gotten as they keep changing and I was not sure if it's ethical to post it out here.

Update as of 24July2013: Due to some circumstances, we decided to move our wedding date within Q1 of 2014. It's my parents' 30th wedding anniversary which falls on Jan. 1, and they're planning to have their renewal of vows. We didn't want to steal their thunder, so better to move ours instead (as if we can move their date hehehe). In short, we might actually change our venue as well. =)

Wedding Color Chooser

I'm finally done choosing our wedding colors! Remember that on my last post, which you can view here, we were having a really difficult time building our own wedding palette. There are just so many combinations to choose from! Good thing I came across NearlyWeds.com, a neat website which helps you build your own wedding palette. 

Here are your two options:

1. Build Your Own Palette - You may build your own wedding swatches from scratch by choosing among the different color ranges, bases, and tints respectively.

2. Create Palette Based on Existing Images - Here, you may create your own palette based on an existing image or URL that already contains the colors that you like. Perfect for those collecting sample designs online.

Sample Image from BeforeTheBigDay

Swell right?! So I won't hold you back any longer. Go on, give it a try. =)

Vintage Wedding Palettes

Ever since, our dream wedding theme has always been vintage. We just love old stuff! Black and white movies, film noir, classic novels, the architecture, the fashion, Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Humphrey Bogart, sepia, et cetera! There was no problem at all in choosing a theme -- well we still have to decide what kind of vintage we'd want to channel (say shabby chic, rustic, Hollywood, rat pack, kitschy), but at least it's all vintage.

Here are some vintage palettes we're having a hard time choosing from:

Peach+Coral+hint of Green from HillCityBride

Aqua+Orange from BridalMusings

Red+Black+White from OffbeatBride

Mint+Coral+Soft Pearl from MintStudio

Red+Mint+Pink from MarthaStewart

Greens+Blues+Peaches+Marigold from TheBohemianBride

Seafoam+Coral from WedCoupon

Teal+Aqua+Dusty Rose+Blush from Elizabeth Andres

To help us select the perfect wedding palette, we'd have to take into consideration the season (in Philippines it's just either sunny or rainy), the existing colors in the booked wedding venue (to make sure it'll blend in), the photography and video styling and of course, we should be able to find materials in those colors.

For now, we're still pretty undecided, but we're gearing towards those warm colors with a hint of blue, green, peach and coral -- basically a combined version of those colors above.

Wedding Planning 101

I don't know about you, but alas, we don't have inexhaustible moolah. Timing and logistics are other issues. Thus, a carefully laid out plan is necessary. A simple notebook could be handy, but it won't do the trick -- not with all those changes you're going to make! What we actually need is a new best friend; something you can definitely count on which is.... none other than... our ever trusted spreadsheet! 

I cannot thank the internet enough for the vast amount of resources available. If you're planning to get married anytime soon, you may check out these FREE DOWNLOADABLE FILES and calculators custom-made for wedding planning. You need to register first to some of them though:

Local (Ph):

Image from Carolina Weddings Mag

• Kasal
• A Practical Wedding
• Twisted Wedding Planner

Global:

• On Sugar
• Bridal Fantasy
• Russell and Hazel
• Elegala
• Magnet Street

 

Personally, I prefer the one from Kasal.com.ph as it has everything: a calculator, a to-do list, requirements in getting a marriage license, guest list and song planner, even a supplier chart where you can keep all your contacts! It was so efficient that I used their workbook as a basis for my very own spreadsheet where I merged the to-do list with the calculator so I can easily sort according to target date of completion or to calculate how much we need in a certain month. To top it off, I added a column for "Needs/ Nice-to-Haves" so I can prioritize well. I also added a color coding program where it automatically highlights the cell with a specific color depending on its status. Sweet! It looks something like this:

My very own wedding planner

 Just send me an email or comment below if you want a copy of template I made. =)

I Think I Am Getting Married!

From Fabulously Wed

Well this is actually sort of a super late post. Honestly, we've been discussing this über momentous event since December last year. Thing is, I just don't want to jinx this event by posting too early and not seeing it pull through after all; but time is going tick tock, the notes are piling up, and in a few weeks, I might lose my chance of posting all my tips and ideas due to my obviously hectic schedule. 

We've actually chosen this coming 11.12.13 (11Dec2013) as our wedding date. Reason being 11 (eleven) is such a memorable day for us, and for some people, the number deemed lucky. Originally though, we'd like to retain June 27 as it is the day we became an official couple. However, six months of planning isn't enough and damn if we'll wait for another arduous year, ha! (Side note: We've been together for 11 years!) 

Anyway, expect me to be posting a lot of wedding tips and details in the coming days. Meantime, here are my two cents worth for couples who are in their initial stages of planning: 

1. Marry for the right reasons - First and foremost, make sure that you love the person you're with. I'm not talking about that feeling of infatuation that every new couple gets to experience in the beginning. As a matter of fact, make sure that you've had some tough times and a couple of fights first. It's best to know the other person's strengths, weaknesses, capabilities and temperament before you actually jump into such a different life. For me, other reasons aside from love is completely unacceptable. (Unless you have another motive of course!) 

2. Dream big - Budget aside, picture out what your wedding's going to be. I tell you, if you're resourceful enough, you can still achieve your dream wedding regardless of the depth of your pockets. With this, use the power of attraction, believe that blessings will come to you one way or another. Do not fret. Everything's gonna be alright. 

3. Avoid unnecessary drama - Do not let yourself fall into the trap of proving yourself to others. Did your friends or relatives have extravagant weddings? Are you thinking about showing off to your colleagues even if you don't have enough funds? Are any of your parents or relatives judgmental? If you answered yes to any of the above, then stop and reflect. Your wedding is supposed to be your day. Do what makes you comfortable. Avoid incurring a lot of debts that might put dent and pressure on your relationship later on. Even if you think you'll be able to pay for it later, be practical. Anything can happen to the economy and even to the job market. Besides, you'll have a lot of expenses to worry about later on once you've started living together. Also, if you have real friends and a batch of supportive relatives, they'd be happy simply seeing you get married -- pomp, bells and whistles aside. 

4. Chill - Planning and putting together everything may seem daunting and stressful. So try to relax. Cherish this moment and don't pick a fight with your partner as he or she might back out. Hehehe. Later on I'll share how I'm able to organize everything despite the relatively limited amount of time and resources. 

There! I guess I just covered the basics! So do yourself a favor; plant a peck on your partner's cheek -- you may hug him or her too if you like --and tell that person straight in the eye that this too shall pass (I mean the preps), and your wedding would turn out great in the end for as long as you're there for each other. After all, you two are the reason behind the celebration and all that hoopla.

Update as of 24July2013: Due to some circumstances, we decided to move our wedding date within Q1 of 2014. It's my parents' 30th wedding anniversary which falls on Jan. 1, and they're planning to have their renewal of vows. We didn't want to steal their thunder, so better to move ours instead (as if we can move their date hehehe).