9 Months to go!

I got a little nervous when I got my reminder e-mail that Jon and I have "9 months to go!" Basically, the countdown month is now only a single digit number and the first task involves the guest list. Everyone knows we're gonna have a big wedding...and it's because Jon and I are blessed with very large families that we're close to. So this task is quite daunting - only because with a budget and a large family, that doesn't really leave much room for "friends."

This month, here is our checklist:

• Organize guest list: The other day, I sat down with my parents and put together their guest list. I gave them 4 categories: Papa's Family, Mama's Family, Church Family and Friends. I told them to just name everyone they want to invite under each category, as I wrote them all down....it was the "fantasy" list, as if we just won the lotto last week. And to my surprise, it wasn't AS BAD as I thought it would be. My Papa had told me before that he wanted to invite all of his cousins (people I haven't seen in 5+ years) and a few of his good friends from church (that haven't really met Jon yet). At first, this bothered me because obviously, with the criteria above, these people wouldn't make the final list. But my Papa is really close to his cousins and his friends from church. And yes, I know, I know... it's MY wedding and not his, but a part of me feels it's his party too. This is because he had said: "Well, when am I ever going to celebrate the wedding of my daughter and invite these people??" Awww.... OK. So luckily, the Gerodias/Enriquez family fantasy list is right AT the limit Jon and I set for the parents. (Trust me, we HAD to.) Now as for Jon and helping his parents with their list - well, pray for them. haha! Because I have a small feeling it won't be as easy for them... We shall seeeeeee.
  

• Find Save The Date ideas: Since we had an awesome weekend in Las Vegas taking our Engagement Photos...we are definitely going to share a few of them on our Save The Dates. I took a casual poll on Twitter and I've learned that magnets are the most practical, but the 'elders' don't really appreciate them as much as the younger crowd. Also, once the wedding is over, the STD (Save The Date...duh.. not the other thing) is thrown away. Magnets are still really cool - but Jon and I have decided to take the picture postcard route. We can have them printed on recycled paper and we'll save on postage! Score! So even if they are thrown away, I won't feel so bad. There are a TON of STD Picture Postcards on the Wedding Paper Divas website... They are beautifully designed and reasonably priced. I would love to take the DIY route with these, but I still don't have a great printer and I can't really afford to go out and buy one right now. Geez, aren't these postcards so cute??

• Get Tradition Ideas: Catholic and Filipino = two elements that involve LOTS of traditions. Jon and I will definitely incorporate lots of traditions on our wedding day. Having a Catholic Ceremony in itself is a Filipino tradition. We will be have the Veil, Cord and Coin rituals in the ceremony. Also, a few parts of the mass will be sung in Tagalog. And aaaah... we will have the famous "Money Dance" at the reception. I still have my reservations about having a money dance... (in a nutshell: they take up a lot of time and I feel like it's somewhat 'soliciting' money when guests have already bought you a gift.) However, Jon points out that it's a good way to have one-on-one time with a lot of your guests - which is something I'd really like.