Countdown For the House is Over!

So we received our keys on Friday, December 5th for our new 3 bed 2 bath house, and started moving in. We got most of the big stuff such as the bed, couches, tv, and fridge. We also painted the master bedroom. Of course, Paul has set up the livingroom complete with tv, satellite, and surround sound. That's all, everywhere else you look there's boxes, but it feels like home. We managed to get the fake tree up along with our stockings to put on the mantle. Also, Kathy, Paul's sister, hooked us up with a beautiful pine wreath for our front door. There's still stuff in the old apartment which we will get this weekend. I will post some before and after photos as soon as I can. Still no extensive wedding planning as of yet. We think after the holidays and after we settle in we can really get some wedding stuff done.

Right now, I am working on the Christmas cards and the MU Newsletter (Mendoza-Umali Newsletter). Hopefully, they will be completed in time, but I am sure people will understand if they are slightly late. Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Enchanted

Last night, I watched the Disney movie, "Enchanted." It is about a fairytale girl about to be married to a fairytale prince, who was banished to the real world by the prince's wicked step-mother. It was actually quite amusing, and they did a really good job incorporating some of the tales we know and love, also it works as a musical where randomly characters would burst into song. I really loved one section where the girl is dancing with the man she loves, and the song they dance to was really beautiful. I thought this is it! We found our song. I showed the song to Paul, and it was perfect until we come to the end. The song goes, "we're so close, yet so far." And my heart sank. It was perfect for that moment in the film where the girl gets separated from the guy. But it was not a perfect end for a song for us. Oh, well the search for our song goes on.

Breaking the Bank

So after about 2 years of savings, Paul and I are finally breaking the bank. I set a goal 2 years ago (before any plans of getting engaged) that we would save a specified amount for a down payment for a house by Oct. 15th, 2007, 12 noon. I had a chart that I could physically see everyday, and we would mark periodically with a highlighter each time we hit a milestone. We set a pretty high goal for ourselves just to make things a little more challenging and to just get in the habit of putting all our efforts toward this one goal. Then, Paul drops the unexpected, but very welcome bomb on me, and now we must prepare for a wedding, too. Simultaneously, we allot a specified amount to go into the house fund and then another one to go into the wedding fund. I drew up another goals chart for the wedding with a significantly smaller amount by May 20, 2009 12 noon, but now we had to split our efforts to two different, but equally important goals. Everyone knows that we were able to fulfill the first one, escrow should close on Dec. 5th. In fact, we actually managed to achieve this goal earlier than expected which was good. Thank you for overtime, and Mary Kay! I kind of wish we had an huge ceramic piggy to break spilling coins everywhere just for fun and to be symbolic. But the euphoria we felt after accomplishing this feat was quickly replaced with nervousness...especially since this was a big investment amongst other things such as the house might need new coat of paint, the electrical upgraded, and some furniture... By the time we pay the full escrow amount, Paul and I will be left with our minimal checking and savings account. A tiny bit of emergency money, and what was left of our wedding fund since we decided to use some of that to buy some points down on our interest rate. It's very depressing to know in a few weeks we will practically have nothing. I am sure that with a slight adjustment on the wedding fund goals chart and a few catch up payments, no extensive gift-giving, plus a little bit of hustling should put us back on track.

I think about this all the time...Paul and I could have been doing lots of things with our money new cars instead of the 10+ year old Hondas that we will try to drive into the ground. Paul loves his toys, video games, gadgets, and I've always wanted to buy a piano or even a keyboard, but we put most of that on hold for now thinking that one day, it would look nicer/sound nicer in a house. It feels almost surreal to be at this point especially since we've been saving for so long.

I've learned a few things from this experience. Bear with me, I feel this is important to write down and remember for myself. The first thing is preparation. Nothing happens from nothing. Unless I had some sort of trust fund, there was no other way I could plan for a house. Keeping my goals clear as a daily reminder gave me motivation and discipline to keep going. Getting started was really hard. There were a lot of bad habits that like to pop up every once in a while, but honestly, once I started getting into a pattern of saving, it was quite painless. Probably because money was taken physically out of the account into another account that I couldn't touch very easily, and I only got to play with what was left behind. Secondly, nothing always goes as planned. When we got engaged, I thought, oh shoot. What are we going to do? We had nothing saved for this, and I had always dreamed of having a wedding in Hawaii five years from now not a year from now. So we adjusted and planned again. And because of the additional things we want to do for the house, we'll probably have to adjust some more. Finally, even though at the moment it feels like all we've saved for is gone, we'll probably think differently once we are moved in and settled. We don't have to worry about paying the mortgage for someone else, and maybe later on we'll accrue equity and have a return on our investment. It's just that the first few years will probably suck, and we'll still have to be extremely careful with our expenses.

So the next goal after the wedding would be financing the honeymoon and then maybe kids. I wonder if I have to make a goal chart for that, too. Just kidding. I think I'll start with something smaller first like a piano, or maybe something bigger like my second house in Hawaii...This is a quote I always remind myself ever since I joined Mary Kay:

"Dare to grow into your dreams and claim this as your motto: Let it be me."
Mary Kay Ash

The Registry

So we've signed up for a few wedding registries, but we haven't really filled it up with stuff yet. It's kind of interesting doing shopping in this manner. Normally, when I buy stuff, I kind of like to find a good deal. I hate paying full price for anything, and I think I've already stated this in a previous blog. Hahahaha. So it's kind of interesting that I am basing my decisions mostly on the quality and likability of the product, and then figuring if it is really worth the price is at retail since I don't know if it will be on sale or something when it actually gets purchased. It's a different mentality, and I am still getting used to it. Paul's been pretty helpful giving input here and there. I might have to assign him reviews to go through so that I don't have to read them all myself.

I was encountering the problem that not all the brands and products I wanted/could find were in the same store. I didn't want to do sign up for more than 3 registries because that's really way too much. BUT luckily I did find out that there was a place where I could find a lot of the stuff online and shipping was free on purchases over $25 or more and had some better prices than some of the other places I signed up for. So I can at least do that for the people who have access to the internet. I figure the people who do not have internet will find inspiration somewhere. We aren't going to choose most of the house stuff yet because I want us to get a feel for the new house and what colors and styles we want for each room. This is our chance to finally have some creative input on the look and feel of our new home. In all the apartments I've lived in, I only could put up a few posters and paintings. I've always wanted to paint a room or two and buy coordinated curtains and such. I am really looking forward to it. I know it's going to be a lot of work, but at least it'll be how we want it instead of white walls and living out of boxes thinking that it'll only be temporary. We're planning to live here for quite a while. I can't wait to make it completely ours. Just a few more weeks to go to get the keys, and hopefully everything else will fall into place.

Writing Personal Vows

In between cleaning, packing, and watching "Constantine" extra features, I attempted to put on paper some ideas for my personal vows. Since Paul and I are doing a non-denomination type wedding, we're going to write our own personal vows and declaration of love, honor, and loyalty to each other. I find that it is really easy to go the cheesy route, regurgitating the same cliche phrases. I really want it to be honest and meaningful. I really enjoyed Lyndon and Pear's vows (my cousins who got married this passed September 27th), which were awesome. They made theirs interesting to listen to, both vows came from the heart, and also gave some insight into the relationship that formed from all their years together. I'd like to have that same kind of feeling and content. I am especially nervous for both myself and Paul because it's been a long time since I've had to speak in front of a group of people and if anyone knows Paul, he becomes a little quiet and shy in these situations. He will never volunteer to make speeches in front of people. I am actually surprised that he is going through with this idea. I thought I might have to bribe him with a new TV or video game, but lucky for me, I didn't have to go there. I am poking through other people's samples for inspiration. Maybe someone else's blood, sweat, and tears, could help me bring some life to my pile of jumbled phrases. I wonder what Paul is going through for his part...I'm sure he's not going to agonize over every word. He'll probably start writing like a week before, and ask Jared for some help. And it'll turn out brilliant. That's what I would do if I was Paul. LOL.

8 Months To Go

8 Months to go...once escrow closes in December and we finish moving, here's what we still need to do:

1) Lock in cake
2) Lock in flower designs for florist
3) Confirm with all vendors
4) Order bridesmaids dresses
5) Scan photos for slideshow
6) Find song
7) Invitations
8) Finalize guys clothing
9) All the little stuff

This is what's already been done:
1) Venue
2) Officiant
3) DJ
4) MC - need to confirm that Kelly can take the vacation time
5) Photographer - need to still pick out our 1 print out
6) Found dress - need to pick out accessories


So there's still quite a lot more to do. Hopefully, we'll still have money to do it. =P

Wedding Plans on Hold

Don't worry everyone. It's just temporary. For the next few weeks, Paul and I are going to take a break from the wedding planning to focus on closing escrow on the new house. Here's a new countdown:


Countdown Clocks

Trust me, I didn't plan to do a wedding and a house so close to each other, but Paul's the boss. What he says goes. =) Seriously, we've been planning to do both for a while, and it just so happened that a lot of the things that made it all possible kind of fell into place one right after another. So we are at the inspection/escrow stage. Please cross your fingers that it will all go smoothly. With today's market, anything can happen, and we still have a little more to wait before we officially get the keys to the house. This is quite an exciting time for us. We are both really happy and extremely nervous. Especially since this is a lot to take in all at once. Just giving everyone a heads up, since we will be very broke right before Christmas please forgive the meager Christmas gifts. We're going to have to eat ramen for a year to get back into the positives. Hehehe. Well, wish us luck. We're going to need every little bit we can get.

The Quest for the Dress

So I knew that the search for the perfect dress was going to be hard and time consuming. I am especially thankful for the gals who were able to accompany to as many of those dress hunting sessions even ones that were so far away. We expended a lot of gasoline. Plus, those that were out of town still could put in their input from the photo postings that Kathy set up. It was really helpful getting feedback. I am also thankful that I got to experience shopping with my mom and sisters in Hawaii. That was really unforgettable.

So I can't post any pictures or share too many details since Paul can read it all. I am just going to briefly write about the whole darn process. It was 5 months of hard work, but I am glad we did it. I could never feel really comfortable about spending so much money on a dress that I only wear for one day without shopping around first to make sure it really is the one. Plus, I totally want to get a good deal. Who wants to pay full price for anything?

The first trip was to David's Bridal in May. I was accompanied by I think Kathy, Charissa, and Paul's mom. Charissa took extremely meticulous notes, Kathy and her mom took pictures, and picked out dresses. Even though, I didn't start tearing up, it was an extremely important and productive day. We figured out the general style of a dress to look for. By the way, I have to say that the sales person helping you out with the dresses have to be nice. This woman was nice in the beginning, and then she became really bossy. It kind of takes away from the whole fairytale feel of it. No matter, because in every website and book that I've read, there's been horrible experiences with David's Bridal adding expensive fees for alterations. At the very least, we got to try on a variety of dresses even some fun ones, and we narrowed down the style and general feel of this dress.

End of June/beginning of July, was an especially busy time for Paul and me. I have all the things we settled/figured out in some earlier blogs, but I didn't get to really write about trying on dresses in Hawaii. I don't know if it was because we didn't really go into any boutiques in California yet, but the dresses we tried in Hawaii, I felt, were much prettier. I really enjoyed this experience...and my heart was really torn when we tried on some dresses at Kiyomi's which was closing and selling their dresses for really cheap. I must have scoured each and every dress around my size. It wasn't really that I didn't find a dress that I liked. Some of them looked really beautiful and for about $200-$600 (normally $800-$1000). I just didn't find the dress that I loved. I kind of wish I could snip out the bodice and attach it to the train from another dress and combine it with another bottom. It was extremely hard for me to walk away from that store. We even went twice to make sure that we didn't miss something special. The owner of the store said something important to me because I think she could tell that I wasn't 100% happy. She said that if the dress doesn't make you smile and happy, then you won't look as beautiful in it. So we left Kiyomi's, but I didn't regret that decision.

We tried on a few more in Hawaii, and the dresses, although they were so beautiful, they were also out my budget. At most I wanted to spend $800. Paul's really sweet telling me that if it is something that I love, I should get it no matter how much, and that we'll figure it out. Even for a wedding and a perfect day, I cannot resist a good deal. If it just so happened that I find a really lovely dress with the elements I like for a decent price, then it will be the one.

Hawaii was the farthest I've traveled looking for a dress, but in California, I drove 2 hours away for a Bridal store that was closing in Santa Barbara. Sarah (a friend from college) and Kathy were able to accompany me to this store. I treated it like a road trip since we don't go to Santa Barbara that often. This store sold high end dress, and they were advertising 80% off, which wasn't true. The discount was more like 20-30% off which wasn't enough. The dress there still would have ended up costing $2,500 at the least. We all had lunch together, and enjoyed the afternoon taking pictures and taking in Santa Barbara which was beautiful. I did feel a little disappointed that we drove all the way there for really nothing, but it was still a fun short trip. A couple of weeks later, I received emails that the price of the dresses dropped. It was still like $1,500...what were they thinking? I'm just not that kind of girl; so I knew that those dresses were not for me, and I could wait until another opportunity comes along.

There were other dress trying sessions in between. I ended up going to a bridal place called Pebbles located in Woodland Hills. There, I found I dress that I loved by Maggie Sottero. Only problem was that in the back there was a narrow strip of decoration that ran straight down the back. I would have preferred a little more decoration than a straight line...So I decided to sleep on it.

Later, I did an impromptu visit to a bridal show at Knott's Berry Farm Hotel. There was a bridal store that was retiring and letting go all of their inventory. They were selling dresses for as low as $199.00. I was there really early, and by myself. As soon as they let us in, I went directly to the 9th floor where they were letting people try on dresses. I had contacted them earlier on which dresses I was interested in, and they had them all ready for me. I tried on about 5 dresses. 2 looked really good. 1 of which was by the same designer as the Pebbles Bridal store (Maggie Sottero). It was a good thing I got there early. Some of the later girls were eyeing some of the dresses I was trying on, but since I came there first, they had to wait until I had made my decision. I narrowed down the choices to 2 dresses, and one of which I really loved, but I was kind of worried about this satin strip of color that was on the dress, and there was no way to remove it or change it. After a whole bunch of phone calls and a lot of thinking, I ended up buying the dress. I was really excited. I knew that there was a way to incorporate this extra color in my bouquet or something. It pretty much fits. I would probably benefit from losing an inch or 2, and the only other alteration would be to chop a little off the bottom in the front.

Overall, I am happy with my decision. I love the way it looks, and I am happy that it fell into my price range. It has everything I've been looking for and more. Thank goodness this part of the process is over because dress shopping is hard work. Now, that I've found the dress, I can start other decisions like bridesmaids gowns, jewelry, bouquet, etc. I am totally excited about checking more things off my list.

Inspiration from the LA County Fair

The Mendoza Family goes every year to this event. We usually watch pig races, Chinese Acrobats, do some wine and beer tasting, shopping, etc. There's a lot to do there! This year in the Home and Garden section, the theme was "Escape to Hawaii," and there were all sorts of very pretty and interesting floral designs. I took a whole bunch of photos which can be found on my wedding photo sharing website

I have a few ideas about my flowers. I know that I want the protea to be the main feature. I want burgundy to be the main color surrounded by shades of pink to dark red. I wouldn't mind a few green fillers like ferns or leaves. Other than that I have no clue what I am going to do.

Here are a few photos I'd like to highlight:

Here are proteas and red plants.


These are really small anthuriums.


I don't know what this is, but it's really pretty.


I'm still trying to collect little bits here and there to get a better idea of what flowers combination would look nice and still keep within our sparkling tropical theme.

Quest for Quotes

So now, I am on a quest for movie quotes. I am thinking of a special project in which I want to incorporate memorable quotes from films. It doesn't have to be about love and friendship or about weddings. It just has to be good. I have to be able to reference the quote, what character said it, who played him/her, what movie, and what year.

I've looked on AFI's 100 Movie Quotes, and there's a lot to start with, but I'm going to need MORE. I am extremely open to contributions.

Here are a few memorable ones:

"Go Ahead, Make my day."
Harry Callahan, Clint Eastwood
Sudden Impact, 1983

"I'll have what she's having."
Customer, Estelle Reiner
When Harry Met Sally..., 1989

"You're gonna need a bigger boat."
Martin Brody, Roy Scheider
Jaws, 1975

If you build it, he will come."
Shoeless Joe Jackson, Ray Liotta (voice)
Field of Dreams, 1989

One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. how he got in my pajamas, I don't know."
Capt. Geoffrey T. Spaulding, Groucho Marx
Animal Crackers, 1930

Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!"
Oliver, Oliver Hardy
Sons of the Desert, 1933

There's no place like home."
Dorothy, Judy Garland
Wizard of Oz, 1939

Anyone want to add any more to the mix. Please include quote, character quoted, actor/actress, title of movie, and year.

I'm very excited about this project!!!

Postcard Stamps

These were so cute that I couldn't help but share:

International Postcard Postage Stamp:




Regular Postcard Stamps

I didn't really have a choice with what stamp I could mail out my postcards with, but I think these work pretty well. The International stamp is a photo of the Virgin Islands, and the second set of stamp has tropical fruits, most of which I grew up eating. =P I love it!

Hawaii Information

So another blog was created called "Hula Happenings." I made a link on the side where people can reference easily all the logistical information like venue location, nearest airport, accommodations, and things to do in Hawaii. It's is not 100% complete, but for now it has most of the basic information people might want to know for the big day. So now, I have to juggle 2 blogs at once. Fun Fun!




www.hulahappenings.blogspot.com

Meet the Party

I'll be describing each one in detail later on, but for now, here is the Bridal Party.

Bride's side:
Mahalia Clemons - Maid of Honor, high school friend
Joyce Perreira - My sister
Kathryn Syed - Paul's sister
Ruby May Fernandez - Elementary friend
Michelle Opitz - College friend/roommate
Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul - Work friend
Allyson Okabe Woo - Flower girl niece
Melia Castellejos - Flower girl niece

Groom's side:
Jared Sams - Best Man, high school friend
Michael Mendoza - Paul's brother
Timothy Mendoza - Paul's brother
Chris Tucker - College friend
Matt Gamboa - College friend
Benjamin Kneisel - High school friend
Elliot Perreira Jr. - Ring Bearer

Ushers:
Lloyd Umali - Donna's cousin
Pete Hironaka - Friend
Saqi Syed - Brother-in-law
Steven Bogolub - Friend

MC - Class Clowns

Well, I thought really long and hard about who I thought would be appropriate to MC the reception. Like everything involved with the wedding, I wanted a local feel. I wanted him/her to be entertaining and organized. I looked up a few comedians, radio djs, etc., but I felt that all of them were missing that personal touch. Finally, I decided to contact some old friends, Kelly Pham and Andrew Balmores. We usually shared the same classes in high school which was rare with a class size of 400+. Also, I was lucky to be part of the Moanalua High School speech and debate team with them. They were incredible speakers, could debate any side, and were really great at BS. Together they pulled jokes and stunts that made everyone laugh so hard. I'm hoping I can dig up some photos from the good ole days. So just recently, I heard from both Andrew (Hawaii) and Kelly (San Diego) who agreed to MC the wedding as long as Kelly can get the time off from work during that time. I am extremely excited that they will be a part of the wedding, and I'm sure they haven't lost their touch.

The Song

So this part of the process is extremely hard. My challenge is to look for a song that is not cheesy and can be found in a movie or television show whose lyrics are appropriate for both Paul and me. Now, if this wedding was in the 80's or even 90's this would be really easy. Lots of movies with great songs fill my head...Karate Kid II with "Glory of Love", 3 Musketeers with "All for 1", a lot of Disney flicks, etc. But I cannot find a recent film that has a really great romantic song or something I want to hear over and over again. Right now on the back burner, I've got Moulin Rouge with "Come What May," and I might have to resort to cheesy Disney films. Help! I am hoping that a new romantic film will come out and save me.

Wedding Band - Donna

So I finally saw and tried on my wedding band. I ordered it from Hawaii on July 1st, but Aug. 1st was when I had the time to see it. Here is a photo from the store:


I first saw it online when I was browsing Na Hoku's website, and this was the only ring that caught my eye. I did have a wedding band picked out at another ring shop that would have matched my engagement ring, but I had to at least see this Hawaiian one in person before I made any final decisions. I was actually really prepared to hate it because I didn't think it would match. We arrived at the store in Ala Moana, and they didn't have it. It was just a fluke that we were going to the Hilton where we found another Na Hoku store, who said that they can call the main office to ship it over from the mainland. I guess this design was discontinued, and there were only 2 left in the entire company. I figured that I could wait. We were going to come back to Waikiki anyway. So we came back, and I tried it on. It had an interesting effect alongside Paul's ring. The 3 diamonds at the top matched perfectly inlined with my 3 diamonds on the engagement ring. The maile leaf design wasn't obtrusive. I felt that it was the perfect blending of Paul and me, the Californian and the Hawaiian. =P When I purchased the ring, they gave me this card with information on it. It said:

"The Maile leaf grows on vines in the rain forests of Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island of Hawaii. In ancient times, ony Ali'i (a-lee-ee, kings and queens) were allowed the honor of wearing these beautiful fragrant leis, and only during special or religious ceremonies. A maile lei represents Aloha (love), Ho'ohanohano (honor), and Mahalo (respect). Today, maile leis are worn during wedding ceremonies by the bride and the groom or given to someone who has achieved something special."

I think paired along with the diamond, it is a great combination of symbols/meanings and a perfect reminder of our commitment and love we have for each other. So for now, we'll safely lock this ring away until the time comes.

The Guest List

So I've been reading some interesting advice about weddings and wedding planning. I came across this article about guest lists on CNN.com. Basically, it came with a list of questions to ask people to see if they know anything about you, or if they've ever been involved in your life. Here is a copy of the questions:

1) Name the city I'm living in now (Good one to weed folks out, especially if you have moved a lot. Don't use this if you've lived in the same place for 10 years).

2) Name at least two of my closest friends.

3) Name my current employer and my past employer (Again, if you've remained in the same job for 15 years, this does not apply).

4) Do I have any kids?

5) Do you know the name of my fiancé? Bonus question: Where and when did we meet?

6) Do you know where my parents are and whether they are still alive? (Imagine a friend at your wedding asking how long have your parents been married when they divorced years ago).

7) Name at least two of my hobbies.

8) How old am I? (My favorite is when family friends would query, 'Are you 28 now?" Imagine their surprise when I proclaimed, 'yeah, 10 years ago!')

9) Where did I go to college? (Some people might not remember whether you attended college or even graduated.)

10) Name my last boyfriend before this engagement. Bonus question: if you can name the last two and why we broke up. If you get the bonus question right, that might automatically get you in.

Scoring helps determine whether you get invited.

If you score 50 percent or below, you definitely are not getting invited.

If you score barely over 50 percent, you are on the waiting list. If someone who scored better than you cannot attend, you might get an invitation. This barely acceptable person who might be invited may get you a great gift because of their guilt for scoring so low.

If you score over 60 percent, you get an invitation.

Now, you don't have to be as extreme as I would love to be and send these questions with the save the date card. However, imagine if, over the course of your engagement, you pitch these questions to a few prospective guests just to see how they do.

In the end, what matters most is a beautiful wedding day and a sustained marriage.

Wouldn't you like to celebrate it with loved ones who are invested in your past and present in addition to your future? Plus, it will help you avoid the embarrassing introduction of your new husband to someone who didn't even realize until that moment that you didn't marry your college sweetheart, whom you haven't seen in 15 years!

Here is the website it is located: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/08/01/wedding.list.quiz/index.html

------
I do find these questions amusing, and I think all the important people will definitely pass. Now, it does bring up a good point that sometimes the guest list becomes over inflated, and the guest count plays a huge factor in the budget. A difference of 10 people could mean thousands dollars or so. Family, I feel should get an invitation, whether or not you can answer these questions. Heck, my [Donna] parents might not pass this test since they are so far away and have never been able to keep track of all our details. Also, the fact is that one uncle/auntie cannot get invited without the other. Most of those family members who will come have already been to my sister's and cousin's wedding last year, and should be up to date enough with Paul and me.

I would like to invite as many as people as can fit into our budget. It is an important event that we'd want to share with family and close friends, but our venue and budget is limited so if our guest list does inflate passed capacity, I might have to figure out a plan to trim some people out...and that might be a little challenging. Because there are some people we don't see or talk to often, but I feel that they are extremely important to me/Paul. Also, I don't want to invite anyone that I feel hasn't been a "friend" to me. That means did something very unfriendly like in the past and hasn't rectified it or tried. I feel that there shouldn't be too many of those, and if there are, we probably stopped talking a long time ago...but still it can be tricky. What if they don't know that you're still kind of pissed? =P

I'm hoping that everything will fall into place, everyone will be happy and understanding...weddings kind of force you to have a perspective on things that you wouldn't normally have to think or do anything about. I mean honestly if I didn't like a person for one reason or another, I don't have to talk or interact with that person very much. If we see each other at functions, then we just don't hang out. But if it is an event where you must pick and sort out people into categories of friends, acquaintances, and non-friends, then watch out! Not looking forward to this part of the process, but hopefully, we won't have to resort to that.

Collecting Addresses

I didn't know how much of a task it would be to collect everyone's contact information. Because of email and cell phones, I very rarely have the need for addresses unless you are a Mary Kay client or live far away. Even if I drive to someone's house, I just kind of go by memory. It would have been better to have had all the work done beforehand, but right now, I've been receiving 90% of these addresses within these past couple weeks. The holes in my Excel sheet is slowly filling up one by one. Honestly, I'd probably save a ton on postage if I just emailed everything to everyone. No matter, we have such beautiful postcards, and there's always something special about getting a package or letter in the mail. I know that this database will be good to have even after the wedding is over; so I'll suck it up for now.

11 Months and Counting

Time flies by fast. I started work again on the 7th, and it's been extremely hectic. I haven't had time to think about anything else for the passed couple of weeks. I am hoping that this is not the precursor of what's to come for the 8th season of Smallville, and that there will be down time to concentrate on the wedding once in a while. If not, then I am in big trouble...There's still lots to do. I am really hoping to go dress shopping again soon. My big project will be sending out save the date cards which I must say looks pretty cool for what it is. I can't really send them out to everyone yet until I fill out all the details on the website...

Here is the front:


Here is the back:


It took Paul and I a really long time to take this photo of the date written in the sand. It was very difficult to make the words legible first of all. The waves were very unpredictable and kept wiping our slate clean. And our timing on the camera was either too slow or too fast. This was the best one out of all the photos we took. Then we brought it into photoshop, added the wordage, and sent the file off to vistaprint. Amazingly, adding color to the back of the postcard was the most expensive part. That's how they get you in the end. Who wants to send a black and white postcard when there's a pretty picture on the front? Well, I think it turned out pretty well. Now, it's time to get out the address book!

One Year Countdown

So we decided to give Luana Hills a second look and talk to Kyle about our options with making the ballroom able to accommodate more guests. We scheduled our meeting on June 27, 2008 at 5 pm. We didn't realize it at the time, but we were seeing the venue 1 year before our prospective date. So of course there was a second round of photos as well. It is really interesting what you remember and how you perceive certain things. I was convinced that Luana Hills was tiny, but after looking at it a second time, everything changed. I saw more possibilities and was hopeful that maybe something could be done. Kyle was extremely flexible with the layout and basically, our plan was to move the buffet out of the reception room area, and that would allow about 3 more tables to be added. Also there was a possibility of having the run of the entire building which would give us plenty of options as far as rearranging things in the reception area. We got really excited hearing this news. Here are a few photos:


Alternative for Buffet area


Wide shot of interior building lounge area

So one year to the date we took these photographs, Paul and I will be married and sharing it with all our favorite family and friends. We are hoping for a beautiful day, a safe trip, and that everyone will enjoy themselves.

The Art of Cake Tasting

I have to say that my most favorite wedding planning experience by far is the cake tasting. I think Paul would definitely agree because he absolutely loves cake. We would buy a cake from Costco for the smallest reason: hockey season is starting up again, etc. and then freak out because we have so much left over. I actually don't eat a lot of cake, and I really hate those really sweet and sugary icings. I always scrap them off and only eat the cake and filling, but these wedding cakes for some reason were really good.

To prepare for these cake tasting interviews, I looked through hundreds of cake styles through theknot.com, and picked out a few of my favorites. Some people are really talented with their cake making skills. The first person we interviewed had cake samples for us in strawberry and cream, mango, and lilikoi. They were all very soft and light and the icing was incredible. She pureed the fruit into the buttercream icing and filling; so each bite was filled with flavor. By far, strawberries and cream got the most raving views from my family who was also there for the cake tasting. She also had really great buttercream and fondant designs. Her specialty is her sugar flowers that she handcrafts...

It's kind of funny how so much attention is spent towards so many little details. I'm sure that the cake will be good on the wedding day, but is that what I'll remember or what the guests will remember from that day? I barely remember anything from any of the weddings I've attended...But I think I will remember this tasting and spending it with Paul and my family. I have to give it to Kathy (ironically, she shares the same name with Paul's sister who also is an excellent baker and used to make cakes). She was open to letting my family participate even with all the kids running around. My family is also extremely expressive and a can be little blunt, but they raved over her cakes. So maybe it was good for her and us to have so many resounding positive feedbacks. It is definitely not an easy choice with so many options and designs and monetary concerns that all need to be considered. If I was to choose on taste alone, she is by far my favorite...it's a good thing we have some time to play with.

Handful of Babies

I must admit...Paul and I aren't exactly prepared for babies. We have cats, but Winkie and Nibbler are kind of easy to take care of. Just give them enough water and food, clean out their litter pan once in a while, don't forget some petting before bedtime, treats here and there, and they are happy. During our trip we experienced an explosion of babies. Practically every cousin, sister, and friend had kids. Allyson, my niece, who is about 2 1/2 can walk and talk now which is kind of nice. We can actually have a conversation, and I don't have to carry her all the time, but she can also say no and run really fast. I think that's how Arleen stays so skinny because she is always chasing after them. I can barely keep up.


Run Allyson Run!

Paul's always been kind of cautious with kids especially the very little ones. I think he is afraid of dropping them honestly. I do try to give him a kid or two so we aren't totally helpless when the time comes. Paul and I with kids are like teenagers going through puberty. Our voice changes (higher pitch) and we feel really awkward and don't know what to do with our limbs. Babies don't always look very comfortable when we carry them. And we are at a loss when anyone cries...thank goodness we can just give them back to mommy or daddy.


Jr. Don't Cry...

Jr., my nephew, just celebrated his 1st birthday. We reserved all of Saturday just for him. It's kind of a big thing in Hawaii; so we had a big party. I woke up 6 am to help get it together. My brother-in-law's sister and I worked on the poster for Jr. which was done just in time. There was lots of food and plenty of kids. Allyson wanted to run back and forth between the bounce houses. Paul followed her around making sure none of the big kids squashed her by accident. Jr. grabbed everything that could fit in his mouth and things that couldn't fit. That boy has a strong grip and an endless appetite. All in all, the party was a big success, and we left the park at about 10 pm after cleaning up. We were exhausted!! But most importantly Paul and I survived.

This trip was really nice because we got to see the kids more often then our "once-a-year" routine which I owe it to Paul for changing things up on me. This will be our 4th time to Hawaii in a one year period, and I feel like I am actually watching the kids grow instead of seeing them already grown in chunks of time. Plus, it's practice without really practicing. =P

Officiant Obstacle

Normally how it works is that the pastor or priest of the congregation you belong to would be the officiant of the wedding. How easy! But Paul and I have a couple of factors that make this search a little difficult. I am a Catholic that was never confirmed. If I wanted to do a Catholic wedding, I would have to go to "school" or counseling in California and transfer the paperwork over for it to be approved in Hawaii. If I was considering a Catholic wedding, I would like it to be at St. Theresa, my elementary school. The priests I grew up with are no longer there, plus there will be renovations to the church around the time we plan to get married; so it was not meant to be.


St. Theresa Church Entrance

Honestly, I was kind of relieved. Traveling between 2 venues is difficult, Catholic weddings in my opinion are too long, and I wasn't looking forward to confirmation school. BUT I did want to include some of the traditions of a Filipino-Catholic wedding; so Paul and I decided to just make it a non-denominational Christian wedding, spiritual and symbolic. Since we were having it in Hawaii, I wanted to get someone local to officiate even though Paul had a Lutheran Paster and youth leader he grew up with who could officiate for us.

Honestly, I didn't know where to start. Paul actually gave me the key which eventually let us to the officiant we picked in the end. His boss, Reid, gave him the number to a Paster Nelson who we interviewed. It seemed that our wedding date was going to conflict with his birthday; so he gave us the number to Pastor Mack. In the meantime, we interviewed a Pastor Christoperson who had a more military feel, and not the local flair I was looking for. He did have a really nice view from his house on St. Louis Heights...

We found another officiant who had a 4 week waiting list to even schedule and appointment. I couldn't believe it...did everyone else have this problem?

Finally, we talked to Pastor Mack, and he was really wonderful. Not only does he have a congregation that he preaches to on a regular basis, he offered a little marriage counseling as well. He has done many weddings and is extremely organized. I think he will send us off with a good, meaningful message as well as conduct it smoothly and efficiently.

I was a little worried that we would have to settle with an officiant that we have never met, and it was important, at least for me, to at least have semi of a relationship with the person who was going to marry us. I am glad that Pastor Mack came along...I can't imagine conducting more interviews via web/phone.

2 Weeks

That's all we had to go to Hawaii and find a venue, date, and interview vendors in the midst of family events and plenty of distractions. Paul and I had a mission. We needed to secure a date with a good venue within our budget...kind of hard in Hawaii, the wedding destination capital of the world. I knew coming in that we would have to make compromises here and there, but we soon came to the realization that planning a wedding was harder than I thought.

The first venue we visited was the Luana Hills Country Club. That was an amazing venue. The ceremony site was huge, and we were surrounded by the beauty of the mountains. The only problem was that the reception area was quoted to hold only 180 comfortably. Originally, we had about 250+ estimated on our invitation list. I guess if a few people couldn't make it, that wouldn't be a problem, but that was a LOT of "few people" that we hope don't show up. We couldn't treat our guests that way so we were really disappointed leaving Luana Hills.


Entrance to Luana Hills Country Club

The second venue was Hale Koa. Hale Koa is located in Waikiki and is actually a military resort. In order to get in you have to be in the military or sponsored by the military, and it was one of the most affordable hotels in Waikiki to hold a wedding. The price was just right, except that we had to account for a 5-8% increase for next year which we wouldn't get into writing; so things could easy change. Plus it was a different feel from what we wanted our guests to experience. There was more than enough room to accommodate for our guests, but we would lose the intimacy. We had to think really hard about these details...


View of Hale Koa Reception Area

The third option was the Moana Surfrider also located in Waikiki. Although it was extremely beautiful, it was very crowded. There were strangers (tourists/beachgoers) who could crash the wedding or be in the background ruining pictures. On top of that it was really expensive. It would pretty much wipe our our entire wedding budget; so we would have a ceremony and reception, no flowers, photographer, cake, etc. The Waikiki area is tough on the locals who would have a hard time with parking. I feel that it was still good we visited this option. I appreciated venues located outside of Waikiki more.

View of Surfrider Ballroom

Lastly, we visited the Ko'olau Golf Course. We had high hopes for this venue. How it was described to us was "Luana Hills but bigger" which was exactly what we were looking for. We explored the site, and it was true. The reception area could accommodate our guests and then some, but then we started to see details that would be hard to deal with. The outdoor ceremony site was extremely small and...awkward. I don't know how our wedding party would fit and the entrance to the site was all the way around the building from a side path. There was no real "grand entrance" for the bridal party. The reception area had a really great view, but if you were guests sitting on the upper level (about half of the guests), your view would be obstructed by huge columns. I know that guests would adjust, but it would be a little annoying. It seemed that no place was going to be perfect...

View of outdoor ceremony site

The Sunset Engagement

We departed at 5 in the morning to make our 8 am flight. Tim and Lilian dropped us off. After a 5.5 hour flight, we arrived in Hawaii at noon. Supposedly, my family were all at school or working; so Paul and I decided to drive around and visit some easy spots like Pali Lookout and Kailua Beach. We took a whole bunch of pictures, and just enjoyed taking in the greenness of Hawaii. Paul really wanted to see the sunset; so we drove back to Waikiki. There was a lot of time to kill. We walked all over the place, and Paul made me change locations saying that there were too many people or the kids were too loud or the view wasn't that great. I guess, I should have been suspicious. Well, it was almost sunset, and I was ready with my camera to capture it. Paul suddenly turns to me and said, "I didn't bring you to Hawaii for only your birthday..." He takes out this small box from the backpack that he carried all day. I screamed, "What is that? Is that what I think it is? Oh my GOD!" Paul got down on one knee, and said, "Donna, will you marry me?" I was in complete shock. I thought how did I not see this coming. I started throwing a whole bunch of questions at him, and he tried his best to answer. I asked, "Did you ask my dad?" He told me the story about his phone call with my dad, which I'll tell later. Paul then said, "You didn't even look at the ring?" I was kind of afraid that I was dreaming this whole thing, and I didn't want to wake up. I looked at the ring, and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I let him put it on. He turned to me, and said, "You didn't even say "yes." And I gave him a huge hug, and said, "YES!! Yes, of course I will marry you." I cried. I admit it. It was the sweetest, most thoughtful thing I've ever encountered in my life. I accosted a stranger and asked him to take our picture. Then, we had to leave right away to meet up with my family at the Willows Restaurant. It was so memorable!!

The Birthday Surprise

It was the most beautiful and exciting thing I've every experienced. I'll give Paul credit. He really knows how to sweep me off of my feet, and he did it twice. I'll never forget March 20, 2008. I hope Mom appreciates that Paul asked me on a very good luck year.

Well, here is the play by play:

March 19th 7:00 pm - I ate dinner with Paul's family at Red Robin. It was my choice of course, and whenever it is my choice I always choose Red Robin. I guess while we sat there, I just happened to sit underneath a sign that said Waikiki. I knew there were a few whisperings and picture takings. I guess I should have realized what was going on, IF I read what was above my head. Afterwards, we headed home to open gifts. I got the usual stuff, Fraggle Rock DVDs seasons 1 and 3, a Barnes and Nobles gift card, a chess board, and a bundt pan. Then there was an anonymous card, and when I opened it, inside there were two tickets. It said that I was leaving with Paul tomorrow morning at 8 am. They were all looking at me, and I was really quiet. The reason why is because I was speechless. I didn't want to believe that this was really true that Paul was so wonderful, he planned this for me because I might wake up from an incredible dream. Also, I was kind of scared because I was supposed to start work the next day. I didn't know how I was going to explain this to my boss. Paul and his family spent the next 10 minutes convincing me that work was informed and was okay, my family was informed and were expecting me, and the tickets were real. Then, I gave Paul a smack for spending so much money on me. Paul's family all laughed as if they were expecting it. Then we rushed home, packed our bags, and tried to go to sleep. It was going to be great to go home and spend it with my family the first time in 7 years.