Wedding Videos

To kick me out of the non-posting rut, let me present the two videos from our wedding. Medyo magyayabang lang ako sa mga videos na ito.

PHOTO MONTAGE
Here is the photo montage of childhood and BF-GF photos. Hanna and I spent a few hours writing the script for this and debating which photos to include among the hundreds I have gathered. Ang motto: "Hindi porke maganda lahat, kailangan ilagay lahat."

I'm also pleased how we were able to show the parallels, and make a sort of story out of the photos. Inis na inis ako sa mg photo montage na puro mga mukha lang ng couple ang nakikita. Shucks. What about activities, what about backgrounds? Mas inis ako sa mga taong nagka-caption ng "Lakeshore 2009, Palawan 2008, etc" tapos mga mukha lang naman nila makikita mo sa photo. So, kahit saan pala ko magpa-picture pwede, i-caption ko na lang. Ay sorry, I'm getting carried away. Back to the video.

I also edited the music to cut it down from 5:40 to 3:50. Para hindi boring. Kahit kaya ng materyal na umabot sa 5:40, magiging boring na. Medyo dineliberate din yung music. Tama na sa mga mushy mushy love songs, dapat fun fun fun!

John (Cinemaworks) did a great job moving the photos around and bringing them to life. He was also very patient with me sa mga pinapa-revise ko here and there.

In short, I love our photo montage cause it shows the things Momon and experienced for the past 9 years together and the other 18 years when we were younger. We were also able include our dearest friends in the mix. So, here it is:

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WEDDING ONSITE VIDEO
My favorite song. My favorite man. A most precious event.
Lagi akong tinatanong, pano n'yo ginawa yun? Sagot: Pinag-isipan namin.
Hanna and I (again) conceptualized on the different scenes. I edited the music so it can have more parts without lyrics, and to extend the length of the song. Thanks to Joseph too for thinking of the other scenes, and thanks to everyone else who were very cooperative.

Super thanks to John for doing a great job of piecing it together with his superb shot selection and editing. Though meron pa rin akong mga papabago, minor lang.

The response to the video is overwhelming. Merong nagsabi, "it's the perfect blend of sweetness and fun". Ang iba naman, "Uy, alam mo dinowload namin yun tapos lagi namin pinapanood sa iPhone." At eto pa, "Ngayon ko lang nalaman na pwede mo pala gawin yun, pwede mo pala babuyin ang kasal, pero sobra-sobrang ganda pa rin." And many more...

Wedding Banns

The three weeks for posting our wedding banns are done.
Mabuti naman at walang tumutol. Hahaha! Subukan lang nila.

Sa church nila Momon, maganda ang banns, sa church namin, hindi man lang pinost.

Our Wedding Invitation

Momon and I love our invitations!
We can't wait to give it to our guests. Sana magustuhan din nila. :-)

The Surefire Way to Convert Money Into Happiness

This is article is such an eye opener. Although I consider myself a good financial manager, I still learned loads from this piece.

Momon says this is just the same-old wants vs needs concept, but I beg to disagree. I think what Martha Beck shows here is that wants and needs do not need to compete, and that there are ways we can still get want we want even if we do not need them. I also like how it helps us determine how much part of our income can we allot for each quadrant in the matrix.

Now, let me see how I applied the matrix into my wedding stuff, and how Momon and I can apply this to our finances as a couple. Please do read on.

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The Surefire Way to Convert Money Into Happiness
By Martha Beck
O, The Oprah Magazine | July 15, 2010

Long ago, so long ago that I was practically still a gill-breather, I noticed a magazine ad that claimed the average person earns $700,000 over an entire lifetime. I have no idea how they came to that number, but I never forgot the words splashed in big, bold letters across the page:

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH YOUR $700,000?

I was lucky to encounter this question so early on, because it's lurked in my mind ever since, reminding me that I want to spend my life's earnings creating the most satisfying experiences I can. That might mean buying and using certain objects, paying someone for life-enhancing services, or donating to good causes.

This is a type of wealth management, but the wealth isn't money; it's happiness. And to reap as much of it as possible, I've come up with a little system to maximize the joy dividend in all my money decisions. This strategy may sound odd to actual financial advisers, but when I've ignored it—even to make what appear to be fiscally sound choices—my joie de vivre has declined. I've learned that sticking to my rules makes things turn out far better, and I'm hoping that if you adopt this system, it will work for you, too.

Discovery Weekend (Ros' Account)

Momon and I attended the Discovery Weekend last July 2-4. It is a marriage preparation workshop conducted by the aptly named Marriage Preparation Foundation, Inc.

Much of what Momon and I experienced during the weekend cannot be put into words. So I acknowledge that this account is completely inadequate in sharing what we have gained in the workshop. Still, I will try my best to write down some thoughts with hopes that you will also decide to invest in your marriage and partnership, the way we did, with Discovery Weekend.

Discovery Weekend (Momon's Account)

I have to admit that I had my doubts with DW. I felt that it was going to be a waste of time and money. There are many successful marriages that did not go through DW. I felt that we could use the money elsewhere since there are cheaper and less time consuming alternatives.

Also, guys have a hard time sharing their feelings, even to their partners. I’m not exactly the expressive type. So why pay for something that I don’t even like doing?

Another thing, Ros and I have been together for almost 9 years. What else is there to know about her? What else is there to talk about and share? I thought that this was going to be a useless exercise.

After the DW experience, I admit that I was wrong with my initial impressions. First, regarding the fee, the organization is nonstock and nonprofit. The money will be used for future DW and other outreach programs. For two night’s stay and plenty of food and snacks, the fee is reasonable. The experience is also, as cheesy as this may sound, priceless.

Regarding the sharing of feelings, you won’t actually share with the other couples. You will only share your thoughts and feelings with your partner. There is no other venue or opportunity to share your innermost thoughts like DW.

I found out that length of time as a couple is relevant with DW. Ros and I are together for almost nine years. During the weekend, we affirmed our past experiences. We revisited special moments and determined what made it special for us. We also shared with each other our expectations for our future as couple.

I would recommend DW to all couples getting married or having plans of getting married. This experience won’t change your life, but it’s a start.


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For more information, please visit: http://www.discoveryweekend.org/

Monthly Amortizations, Done!

Finally, napuno na ang chart! Imagine, a chart that was started in December 2007--that's almost 3 years ago; a chart that we go to every month logging on payments and always making sure it balances with the bank records and keeps with the prescribed wedding budget.

Puno na! Dati we got excited that it's at 50% or 60%, now it reads 100%!

We have 3 months to go. We have also each made 50% payments to our deficit (discussed in previous entry). Pag nakabayad na kami sa deficit, all the rest we'll be earning will go straight to savings or as addition to the start up money we need. Hay, this is a nice feeling. Nung una akala namin we're in trouble, ngayon... it's looking positive naman. I am so proud of myself and Momon.

We will keep this system of making monthly amortizations. It's a great way to discipline ourselves with money, learning to prioritize savings, and living within our means. Perhaps the first months/year will be difficult since it's both our first time to live completely, as in 100%, apart from our parents and not relying on them for dinner, water, electricity, etc. But we are together, and that's what matters. :-)

Deficit

I'll say it straight: We have a P50,000 deficit in our wedding budget. ARUY.

Hindi kasi namin sinama sa original budget and honeymoon, documents, additional transportation, house, choir, pre-cana seminar and DIY items.

Meron kaming savings sa wedding rings at venue. Nagsponsor din ang family namin ng guest favors, wedding attires and cake. Pero all these savings went to the excess payment for the documentation and food. At ang dumali talaga samin are the items na di namin pinasok sa umpisa. So, in essence, wala kaming deficit, ng problem ay ang items na di pinasok.

Kaso lang hindi naman essence ang usapan dito.

But no worries, kaya to: P25,000 each. I am still thankful that Momon is an accountant who can figure out our budget deficit precisely, that I was and still am very diligent in writing down all our wedding expenses since we started in Jan 2009, and most importantly, that we have savings and jobs from where we can derive the deficit from.

Isa lang to sa mga pagsubok namin. Bring it on.

Solid.

It's now only 17 weeks or should I say 17 WEEKENDS till our wedding. Remove 1 weekend for a workshop our office is implementing, and another for Discovery Weekend, and possibly some more weekends for work.

It may seem like we have a lot of time, but when weekdays are spent for intense fitness regimen first thing in the morning, full-time jobs throughout the day, wedding research and tasks until we fall asleep at night, weekends are all we really have for the actual legwork.

Just this last weekend, Momon and I were supposed to be in Puerto Galera with Ben, Rhea and Vincent. But we were threatened by Friday's downpour so we decided to cancel. A blessing in disguise, I would say, cause we were able to send out our save the date cards, finalize our website for guests, visit two of our Principal Sponsor and start house-hunting.

I remember a line something like this in Bride Wars: The final weeks of wedding preparation is like a litmus test for couples. Others breakdown, while others draw strength from each other.

At this point in the preps, I'm proud to say Momon and I are the latter. Momon and I have worked on school assignments, reports, presentations, planning trips, etc. This is undoubtedly our biggest project yet, and I'm confident we'll ace it. Our teamwork is superb, our decisions on point, and our efforts focused. We don't feel rattled, but we know the urgency. We are no longer get swayed by new wedding ideas or comments by other people, because our vision for our wedding is clear, and we are confident with all our choices. And finally, we are also starting to feel not just our excitement, but also that of the people we are planning to celebrate our union with.

Save the Date: October 2!

Yahoo! Finally we are ready to release our Save the Date cards.

Thank you very much to our dear friends who helped us accomplish this task. We couldn't have done it without you. Grabe, para tayong bumalik sa mga project natin nung high school!

Photos by Ben. Styling by Rhea. Expressions-coaching by Ben and Rhea. Letterings by Vincent. Layout facilitated by Hanna. Cuteness by Cello.

Thank you again! Mwah!