7 months to go!

Okay, forget theknot.com when it comes to checklists! Swann Soirees (our day-of coordination team) has supplied us with the greatest checklist ever!! It is MY kind of list - very thorough, detailed and organized. And for a second, we were behind! (so much for a Holiday break from wedding planning!) But it's OK - luckily, I got one awesome party-planning fiancee...so we got back on track. Either way, we're trying to enjoy Christmas and the New Year, but got a few things done - since Jon is leaving for the Philippines for 3 weeks on January 9, 2011.

• Pick Bridesmaid dress: When we first got engaged, I had my heart set on the ladies wearing sexy cocktail dresses, so they can look cute in strappy shoes in the summer time. Then Jon and I decided that the attire for our wedding would be "formal" - so it just wouldn't look right if our family and the God-Parents were in gowns and the BMaids were in less-formal cocktail dresses. And then I saw this dress in The Knot magazine, and I suddenly changed my mind to have them wear floor-length dresses. (it's so classy and elegant! Timeless!) And now, they can wear whatever style of grey/nude shoes they want, since we won't see them anyway- it'll save them a few $$, right?:

• Begin researching your honeymoon: We are going to Cancun!!! Our lovely reception package from the Omni includes a complimentary honeymoon stay at the Omni Cancun Resort and Villas (4 night stay, 15% off food and beverage). All we gotta do is pay for our flight. Not bad huh? I'm really excited!
• Meet with Officiant: The pastor of St. Mary's Church (and a very close friend of the family), Fr. Dennis, will be officiating our wedding ceremony. We attended the Diocese Marriage Preparation class - it was such an eye-opening experience! Jon and I enjoyed it and it opened up A LOT of lines of communication for us. I'll blog about that separately. We're so honored and lucky to have Fr. Dennis marry us - he's been there since the beginning of DiJon!
  
• Research Accommodations for Out-of-Town guests: we have a room block with a great rate at The Omni. However, I need to look for rooms that are more "economical." Although the rate of $179 is GREAT for an upscale, Downtown hotel - it may not be for our guests that are staying here for 3+ days. I've contacted Gillian again from the SDCVB and she is helping me look for room blocks at other hotels. I'm particularly interested in the Best Western Marina Gateway (off of the 5 freeway). It's down the street from the Church and just a few miles from Downtown. Another option (well, mainly for my mom's family) is to rent a vacation house for the week. My darling friend Trixia told me about Vacation Rentals by Owner - and I was searching for homes. I found this awesome estate in Bonita that has 5 bed/5bath, (perfect for the 5 families that are coming here from Reno). Here is a picture of the game room! But can you see why I'm a BIT HESITANT to even inquire about it??

Our Save the Dates are done!! I'm going to hand write the names and addresses on them, so that will be my ongoing project for the next few weeks (plus I don't have everyone's addresses yet). I know the month of January will be a busy one - lots of items on the checklist!! And with Jon gone for 3 weeks, that may be a good and bad thing. Okay, I'm craving some Ramen right now.

Inspiration: Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino

How could you not love the simple elegance of white orchids?? I love it!

This definitely serves as inspiration for our centerpieces...
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

8 Months to go!

The whole month of November went by so fast!! We didn't do a lot of wedding planning since we were traveling so much and we celebrated lots of birthdays (Jon's, our best man Marc's, My Dad and his Dad)! But here were the few items on our checklist that we were able to take care of:

• Register for gifts: We haven't registered for gifts yet (we're looking forward to using that scanner!), but we did choose the store where we will register for gifts: Williams-Sonoma!

... it's a tad "bougie" - but Jon and I are a couple that constantly cooks and bakes. Jon has owned the house for about 3 years now, and it's filled with all the necessary household items. I guess we're at that point where we want the quality kitchen tools... instead of going back to Ikea or Target repeatedly and replacing a wisk or strainer or spatula because it breaks or gets rusty.

• Choose a Wedding Cake: The design of our cake has been chosen. It will be a very simple one, decorated with flowers. We have yet to go cake tasting and choose a baker - but I feel this is one of the simpler tasks. Jon doesn't have a sweet tooth, and I don't think he can tell the difference between chocolate ganache and chocolate mousse. So I may have to take the lead on this one...

• Plan Table Decor: ..and this one is done too! The style of the centerpiece has been decided. Jon really likes the look of charger plates, but that would definitely put us over budget. Love the look though! We'll have Menu/Reception cards and the table numbers will be framed. Oh and of course, lots of candles to create a romantic ambiance.
  

Like I mentioned earlier, the planning has been put on hold. Not much wedding chatter this month. We went to Kansas City, Missouri to celebrate Jon's Grandma's 95th Birthday. There are a ton of Teopaco's in Kansas City (remember his Dad has 9 siblings) and it was my first time meeting a lot of them! And my first time flying east of Las Vegas. I can't describe how awesome it is to have a big family... I had TONS of fun! We're looking forward to seeing them again at the wedding. Here are a few photos from the party:

Happy 95th Birthday, Lola Irene!

The Teopaco Family - and this isn't everyone!!!

My Future In-Laws :)

And then, for the Thanksgiving Holiday, we went to Reno, Nevada to hang out with the Gerodias Family (my mom's side).

Thanksgiving Dinner at the Sapico House

On the Ferris Wheel inside Scheel's (Sparks, NV)

With my cousins...

We were really lucky to spend lots of time with the families in Reno and Kansas City - since the next time we will see them will be at the wedding!

This post is dedicated to my Dad - who turned 60 on November 22nd (same birthday as Jon's dad!). He's been the most helpful Dad, in terms of wedding planning, and although he always jokes around that he can't wait to "get rid of me" or that he "feels sorry for Jon" -- deep inside, I know it will be bittersweet for him to give me away. I'll always be a daddy's girl! Now, we gotta teach him how to dance - he is totally not a dancer!

The Ultimate Bridal Bargain!

This book is a lifesaver! I don't know if some of you remember...a while back my parents came home a few wedding magazines and this book. This was before I was engaged - so I was totally thinking "OMG, Jon's gonna propose soon! This is a sign!" But no, they just knew I was into weddings and that it would help me with my job. Anyway, the day I got engaged, I turned the first page!!!
... and it was because of this book I discovered the awesome fact of contacting your local Convention and Visitor's Bureau to help search for a reception venue. I called the San Diego Convention and Visitor's Bureau after Jon and I had visited about 4 venues. But I should have called them first. Automatically, they were able to tell me if there were any conventions in town that may affect the availability/price of hotel room rates - this was especially important because we are expecting a lot of out-of-town guests. They asked for our wedding date, how big of a space we're looking for, how many hotel rooms we may need and the location we preferred. Then, the magic started! The Hotels were e-mailing US! The SDCVB uses a system called "iLead" - where they send out all of your event information and the hotels bid for your event. It creates competition between the hotels and allows for some great deals!

If it wasn't for the SDCVB, Jon and I wouldn't have been able to book the venue of our dreams: The Omni Hotel! Even when we started venue shopping, The Omni seemed way out of our budget and I thought I would need to win the Lotto to have the reception there. But we were able to get a great room rate for our guests and a SWEET reception package at under $100 per person, including an open-bar cocktail hour, hors d'oeuvres, champagne toast, free cake cutting and a seated dinner with 3 meal choices!! What, what?!?! Holla! AND they'll even give me city guides and maps and coupons for all of our out-of-town guests...

I want to give lots of love to Gillian! She helped us so much... Contact her if you need a room block or need help finding a hotel venue:

Gillian Ware, CMP

San Diego Convention and Visitor's Bureau

2215 India Street

San Diego, CA 92101

619-557-2825

gware@sdcvb.org

Sneak Peek: Our Las Vegas Engagement Photo Shoot

We're so excited to share this! Talk about the epitome of "teaser" - there are just TWO pictures from our wonderful weekend in Vegas on the R&R Website!! Rob and Ren are our talented friends who came with us to take pictures in a city that is so special to Jon and I.

Check out their website to see the sneak peek and show them lots of love - you'll surely enjoy the rest of their work too!

How To Trim The Guest List

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 1 of "The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: WEDDINGS" (by Piven, Borgenicht, Jordan). It's an awesome book...and you'll see, it has a lot of much-needed humor to keep you smiling throughout the wedding planning process. I think it's a must have for any bride and groom-to-be.


1. Determine your budget. Decide the maximum amount of guests you can afford to invite or who will fit at the wedding site.

2. Make lists. The bride, groom, and respective parents each should make a list of people to invite.

3. Strike as many people as you can from your own list.

4. Remove unnecessary names from someone else's list. Take turns striking one name at a time from the list of the person sitting to your right. If that person objects to the removal of the potential invitee, invoke the "two strikes" rule and find an ally to vote against the would-be guest. Remove contested names that have two votes against them. (There are variations on the rule that grant people paying for the entire wedding greater voting power: Their vote for removal counts as three votes, and the names on their list are untouchable.)

5. Compile a master list. Combine the remaining names and organize them by category: wedding party, work contacts, relations, friends, parents' friends, college friends, others. Each person at the table should rank each person within a category by importance, as determined by the answers to the following questions:

• How often have we seen this person in the last year?
• Did he/she really seem glad to see us?
• If I invite this person, will I be obligated to invite his/her spouse or friends?
• How much power does this person hold over me?
  
• How rich is he/she and will he/she use his/her wealth for good gifts?
• Will he/she seem impressive to my friends?
• Is he/she good looking? Will he/she improve my wedding photos or video?
• Can I handle the fallout if I do not invite him/her?

6. Agree in advance what the cut-off level will be. Remove entire categories. Decide no kids, no work-related people, no relations beyond first cousins, no dates for singles, no redheads.

7. Remove people below a certain rank.

8. Create barriers to attendance. Make it impossible for large numbers of people to attend.

• Hold the wedding in the middle of the week.
• Hold the wedding at a distant location (Antarctica, tiny Pacific Island).
• Require formal attire or elaborate, expensive costumes.
• Hold the wedding at an inconvenient time (2 A.M.)

9. Recalculate the list. Estimate how many people each barrier will knock out. If your list is still too large for your budget, continue to step 10.

10. Alternate knocking people off the list. Only the bride and groom (advice from parents is acceptable) take turns removing individual names from the master list until they reach the desired number of guests. If this process becomes too heated, proceed to the next step.

11. Play Rock, Paper, Scissors. The winner of each round can eliminate a name or add someone back onto the list.

Be Aware

• Send out invitations six to eight weeks before the event. As you get negative responses, send out your "B list" invitations to people who didn't make the cut. Stop sending invitations out a month before the wedding date; last-minute invitees will realize their status and be insulted.
  
• Manage expectations among potential guests. Let it be known that you plan on a small wedding so that no one is really expecting to be invited. If an invitation arrives, the invitee will be deeply flattered, but those who are not invited will not be hurt - at least that's the theory.
  
• You are expected to include spouses, fiances, or long-term live-in companions of your guests. If a guest is only casually dating, you are not obligated to extend an invitation to his date.
  
• If you forget to invite someone, the next time you see them act annoyed with them for not sending back the RSVP card.
  

I love the sarcasm of this article. Obviously, this isn't really the way to trim your guest list (and plus, I don't believe in having a "B list"), but it's oh-so-entertaining! It's a great book to add to your wedding planning library - you can find it here.

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.