The "HONEY" of the honeyspot getting a glimpse of whats going on before the wedding march.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
THE WEDDING FINALE PART 3
..continued from part 2.
As we lined up for the wedding march, memories flashed back on my mind of the days when I was still a ring bearer. Many a times have I attended weddings carrying a heart shaped pillow with a pair of rings or an arrhae on top of it. This is like deja vu all over again. But his time it is my turn to be sent off to the altar by a procession of friends and relatives. Another thought was losing my bachelorhood (this would probably make any playboy faint! And that’s you Richelle Garcia! =>) and giving away my family name to my bride. 30 is not my ideal age, no sir! Not even closer. I don’t want to be boastful, but it was my dream to be a D.O.M. (Dirty Old Man) and get hitched by the age of 40. And what happened to that plan you may ask? I met the woman that I love and want to grow old with. It's as simple as that.
The music started playing to the tune of "Jesu Joy of Mans desiring" by Johann Sebastian Bach, our cue to start walking the red carpet. My best man Dr. Phillip Lopez went first, I was second and then my father. When they started walking I felt a swirl of emotions taking me over. It’s exhilarating! I took my sweet time taking my steps, making sure that everybody saw me. I gave each one a smile and a glance as I passed by. In my pocket is a handkerchief that my mom gave me. She probably thinks that I needed it when I get to the altar…and I'm sure I will at that time.
When I got to the altar Philip gave me some pointers as we watched the entourage come in. He said that I am the groom, and the groom should never cry. So I prepared myself while I wait my bride. There is so much emotion in the air that my knees trembled in excitement, my eyes are teary and my jaw started to hurt from smiling.
I enjoyed watching the kids as they walk by. All of them are so cute especially Yan-yan. She was walking so fast and so confident before the entered the church doors. But as soon as she saw the jam-packed church she slowed down as if she was ready to retreat!
There were also some personalities that stood out from the entourage. Cheche, Lany's sister, gave a dazzling walk when it was her turn. She flaunted her way towards the altar as if it was a cat walk! Everybody was in awe!
And then it was my brides turn. Everybody was so eager to see her walk. I knew that it would take time because she wanted to extend the length of her walk. After all, Paco Church is very very small. I even joked that if she wanted a long walk she should start from Padre Faura Taft Avenue!
As soon as everybody was in, the gentle sound of the flute began to play, a solo flute intro from the Carpenter's song "We've Only Just Began". Everybody held there breathe as they wait for her. And then at last, I saw my bride walking slowly as she passed the fountain. My heart was racing that I thought I would pass out. I try not to look at her so much because my eyes are starting to water. When she reached the door, she was received by her parents and they started to walk towards me. Mama Mila was crying her heart out as she was about to give away her first born daughter to me. Her Father couldn’t bear to smile, he just kept walking. Time stood still. I don’t even know if everybody had continued breathing. Cameras were flashing everywhere. Extra lighting was needed when we all met the altar. Lany gave my dad an embrace as I took her parents hands to bless them. She cried, probably because of my dad’s reaction. As her father gave her hand to me and whispered "take care of my daughter", we immediately locked our eyes at each other; we smiled and held hands whispering that this is it! This is the moment that we have been waiting for. I wanted to kiss her so badly, if only I hadn’t reminded myself that that part was reserved after the ceremony has ended.
...to be continued
Up next: "The reception"
As we lined up for the wedding march, memories flashed back on my mind of the days when I was still a ring bearer. Many a times have I attended weddings carrying a heart shaped pillow with a pair of rings or an arrhae on top of it. This is like deja vu all over again. But his time it is my turn to be sent off to the altar by a procession of friends and relatives. Another thought was losing my bachelorhood (this would probably make any playboy faint! And that’s you Richelle Garcia! =>) and giving away my family name to my bride. 30 is not my ideal age, no sir! Not even closer. I don’t want to be boastful, but it was my dream to be a D.O.M. (Dirty Old Man) and get hitched by the age of 40. And what happened to that plan you may ask? I met the woman that I love and want to grow old with. It's as simple as that.
The music started playing to the tune of "Jesu Joy of Mans desiring" by Johann Sebastian Bach, our cue to start walking the red carpet. My best man Dr. Phillip Lopez went first, I was second and then my father. When they started walking I felt a swirl of emotions taking me over. It’s exhilarating! I took my sweet time taking my steps, making sure that everybody saw me. I gave each one a smile and a glance as I passed by. In my pocket is a handkerchief that my mom gave me. She probably thinks that I needed it when I get to the altar…and I'm sure I will at that time.
When I got to the altar Philip gave me some pointers as we watched the entourage come in. He said that I am the groom, and the groom should never cry. So I prepared myself while I wait my bride. There is so much emotion in the air that my knees trembled in excitement, my eyes are teary and my jaw started to hurt from smiling.
I enjoyed watching the kids as they walk by. All of them are so cute especially Yan-yan. She was walking so fast and so confident before the entered the church doors. But as soon as she saw the jam-packed church she slowed down as if she was ready to retreat!
There were also some personalities that stood out from the entourage. Cheche, Lany's sister, gave a dazzling walk when it was her turn. She flaunted her way towards the altar as if it was a cat walk! Everybody was in awe!
And then it was my brides turn. Everybody was so eager to see her walk. I knew that it would take time because she wanted to extend the length of her walk. After all, Paco Church is very very small. I even joked that if she wanted a long walk she should start from Padre Faura Taft Avenue!
As soon as everybody was in, the gentle sound of the flute began to play, a solo flute intro from the Carpenter's song "We've Only Just Began". Everybody held there breathe as they wait for her. And then at last, I saw my bride walking slowly as she passed the fountain. My heart was racing that I thought I would pass out. I try not to look at her so much because my eyes are starting to water. When she reached the door, she was received by her parents and they started to walk towards me. Mama Mila was crying her heart out as she was about to give away her first born daughter to me. Her Father couldn’t bear to smile, he just kept walking. Time stood still. I don’t even know if everybody had continued breathing. Cameras were flashing everywhere. Extra lighting was needed when we all met the altar. Lany gave my dad an embrace as I took her parents hands to bless them. She cried, probably because of my dad’s reaction. As her father gave her hand to me and whispered "take care of my daughter", we immediately locked our eyes at each other; we smiled and held hands whispering that this is it! This is the moment that we have been waiting for. I wanted to kiss her so badly, if only I hadn’t reminded myself that that part was reserved after the ceremony has ended.
...to be continued
Up next: "The reception"
Sunday, June 19, 2005
IN THE SPIRIT OF COMPETITION
Yesterday I came about a website that was awarded a prize for being informative. Not exactly a Pulitzer I might say. But I was surprised that people hand out awards and citations to bloggers. The website is called www.philippineblogawards.com . As I browsed the site I got the idea of adding our humble blogsite to the roster of nominees. I wonder if I get to be one? I never won anything in my entire life...except for a gas stove at the last Christmas party that I attended at Delos Santos Medical Center.
I never considered myself as a gambler. I hate cards! Not even my friends can get me to play tongits. Definitely not my stuff. But lately as I grow old, I find myself looking for competition. It is plain and simple. I just wanted to know if Im better than anyone. What do I have to lose anyway? I might even recruit a couple of avid readers to our site.
So what the hell am I thinking when I joined this contest? What does this website have to win an award? Tell me about it.
I never considered myself as a gambler. I hate cards! Not even my friends can get me to play tongits. Definitely not my stuff. But lately as I grow old, I find myself looking for competition. It is plain and simple. I just wanted to know if Im better than anyone. What do I have to lose anyway? I might even recruit a couple of avid readers to our site.
So what the hell am I thinking when I joined this contest? What does this website have to win an award? Tell me about it.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
THE WEDDING FINALE
continued from part 1...
And with our specially made barong tagalog, I, together with my grooms men entered the vicinity of Paco Park Church like the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Each one of us lined up like the backstreet boys wearing our stylish shades feel like superstars. But as I crossed the historic adobe entrance, it seemed as if I entered a whole new world. There were people sitting on the benches waiting for us. Most of them I don’t even know…well except for my relatives of course. But as for the people all on one side of the fountain, I’m not even sure if they are Lany’s relatives. It is my first time to meet the entire clan! I am not even sure if they are our guests. Her relatives that I know aren’t there yet. Her parents are nowhere to be seen. So, without further hesitation I made my way to them. I immediately switched on to Mr. Friendster Mode, and put on my best smile. I try and shake everybody’s hands and introduce myself to them. I tried to utter something smart and hospitable but the first words that came out was “Hi everyone! I’m the groom!” By that time I’m already sweating bullets. They probably think that I’m a shmuck! But who cares I told myself. It’s my wedding! And boy, are they in for a great time at the reception.
After embarrassing myself in front of our guests, I made my way inside the church for a quick inspection. The Velvet Mood Quartet was already practicing. Gary Silang Cruz was amazing during his practice. I have never seen anybody play the flute that well. No wonder those guys are members of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra!
Inside the church, Chito Vecina’s crew had already set up the lights. It’s pretty simple really. But I still wonder what it will look like on video. Marius the pianist was also practicing with the lady singer. I sneaked in front of him and introduced myself. I asked if he knows the song “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain. That’s the song that I will be singing for my bride. Its suppose to be a surprise. She’s been bugging me to do sing but I refused. Siempre I wanted it to be unforgettable. He was nice enough to rehearse the song with me. But I was really nervous na! I can pee in my pants anytime now.
3:00pm “CALL TIME”
At this time I felt that somebody poured some ice cold water on me. Bing (PEP EVENTS) the coordinator has already lined up the entourage.
But where is my dad?
Dad!?!
My sis?
Babs!?!
…wait…did I make it clear that my wedding is at 3pm and not 3:30??? Oh no! I reached in for my phone to call my sis. Damn! There were caught on traffic at Taft Avenue! The bride is already here waiting inside the bridal car.
And what is this???
The fountain!
They haven’t turned on the fountain!
Panic attack!!!
The damn! The fountain was a mess. It’s full of dead leaves! The guy out there was draining the water by lawn!
I jumped on the bench and ran straight to the old man. I told them that I paid for the fountain from the Parks Commission, and it should have been turned on since 2:30pm! He asked me for a receipt. Unfortunately, I don’t have it. Good thing that he was kind enough to turn in on after I gave him the evil eye. If not I might have drowned him from what was left of the water in the fountain.
3:15pm
My family is still nowhere to be seen. By this time the coordinator has reminded me of the contract that we signed at Paco.
15 minutes delay – No homily
30 minutes delay – No mass
45 minutes delay – Wedding cancelled
At this time my whole world started to crumble. I am faced with a terrible decision. Do I walk the isle without my father? I can’t! He’s all I got right now. My mom insistently will not be attending the ceremony. She has a different religion …and she cannot break her covenant with God. And I respect that.
5 more minutes and my family still isn’t there. I felt like I aged a million years standing in front of strangers. I thought that everything that we planned for was ruined…by my own family. They arrived eventually after a minute. But I couldn’t wipe the dismay off my face. It’s a good thing that the priest, Father Rex Cortez was lenient enough to give us the full wedding ceremony! I knew right at that moment that me and Lany were meant to be. We are getting married at last!
To be continued…
And with our specially made barong tagalog, I, together with my grooms men entered the vicinity of Paco Park Church like the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Each one of us lined up like the backstreet boys wearing our stylish shades feel like superstars. But as I crossed the historic adobe entrance, it seemed as if I entered a whole new world. There were people sitting on the benches waiting for us. Most of them I don’t even know…well except for my relatives of course. But as for the people all on one side of the fountain, I’m not even sure if they are Lany’s relatives. It is my first time to meet the entire clan! I am not even sure if they are our guests. Her relatives that I know aren’t there yet. Her parents are nowhere to be seen. So, without further hesitation I made my way to them. I immediately switched on to Mr. Friendster Mode, and put on my best smile. I try and shake everybody’s hands and introduce myself to them. I tried to utter something smart and hospitable but the first words that came out was “Hi everyone! I’m the groom!” By that time I’m already sweating bullets. They probably think that I’m a shmuck! But who cares I told myself. It’s my wedding! And boy, are they in for a great time at the reception.
After embarrassing myself in front of our guests, I made my way inside the church for a quick inspection. The Velvet Mood Quartet was already practicing. Gary Silang Cruz was amazing during his practice. I have never seen anybody play the flute that well. No wonder those guys are members of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra!
Inside the church, Chito Vecina’s crew had already set up the lights. It’s pretty simple really. But I still wonder what it will look like on video. Marius the pianist was also practicing with the lady singer. I sneaked in front of him and introduced myself. I asked if he knows the song “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain. That’s the song that I will be singing for my bride. Its suppose to be a surprise. She’s been bugging me to do sing but I refused. Siempre I wanted it to be unforgettable. He was nice enough to rehearse the song with me. But I was really nervous na! I can pee in my pants anytime now.
3:00pm “CALL TIME”
At this time I felt that somebody poured some ice cold water on me. Bing (PEP EVENTS) the coordinator has already lined up the entourage.
But where is my dad?
Dad!?!
My sis?
Babs!?!
…wait…did I make it clear that my wedding is at 3pm and not 3:30??? Oh no! I reached in for my phone to call my sis. Damn! There were caught on traffic at Taft Avenue! The bride is already here waiting inside the bridal car.
And what is this???
The fountain!
They haven’t turned on the fountain!
Panic attack!!!
The damn! The fountain was a mess. It’s full of dead leaves! The guy out there was draining the water by lawn!
I jumped on the bench and ran straight to the old man. I told them that I paid for the fountain from the Parks Commission, and it should have been turned on since 2:30pm! He asked me for a receipt. Unfortunately, I don’t have it. Good thing that he was kind enough to turn in on after I gave him the evil eye. If not I might have drowned him from what was left of the water in the fountain.
3:15pm
My family is still nowhere to be seen. By this time the coordinator has reminded me of the contract that we signed at Paco.
15 minutes delay – No homily
30 minutes delay – No mass
45 minutes delay – Wedding cancelled
At this time my whole world started to crumble. I am faced with a terrible decision. Do I walk the isle without my father? I can’t! He’s all I got right now. My mom insistently will not be attending the ceremony. She has a different religion …and she cannot break her covenant with God. And I respect that.
5 more minutes and my family still isn’t there. I felt like I aged a million years standing in front of strangers. I thought that everything that we planned for was ruined…by my own family. They arrived eventually after a minute. But I couldn’t wipe the dismay off my face. It’s a good thing that the priest, Father Rex Cortez was lenient enough to give us the full wedding ceremony! I knew right at that moment that me and Lany were meant to be. We are getting married at last!
To be continued…
Friday, June 03, 2005
WEDDING FILE : THE FINALE
My wife asked me, "When am I going to write the last file of our wedding?" I said I will try and find the time. Lately, I have been working overtime and I can’t seem to find time to write. As a consequence, the number of visitors to this site has dropped...How sad. But now I'm back! And you will have the pleasure to read it. And it goes a little something right this...
Now that everything is prepared, and all the hassles of getting married like unavailable ninang, dress alterations, missing paraphernalia’s etc, I guess we are ready to walk the altar. For our parents who are going to give away their first born there is a little drama involved. For them there was a sudden realization that their children will fall into marriage and leave the family one by one. It is a big change for them, we know. Because when they started out in life almost each year or a couple of years, they make a new sibling for us. And as the family gets bigger, they got used that we are around. Taking care of us became their life long task. For Lany its 28, and for me its 30 years when I left the nest.
My father told me a little story about my mom. There was one time a week before the wedding when my mother shed her tears while doing the laundry. Sad that her only boy is leaving her side, she now remembers her father before their wedding. She said that my grandfather cried for her when it was her time, and that prompted her to cry. I guess everybody will have that experience when the time comes.
And so, before our big day we checked in at The Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel. Lany encouraged my parents to stay with me in my room to make sure that I don’t have the chance to stage my stag party. As if I wanted one..huh! (The truth to this is out there! Just ask my friends...hehe!) She on the other hand brought the whole caboodle in her room one floor above mine. It’s like insurance, just in case yours truly goes commando in the middle of the night for a quick deposit.The room that we got is great! We got the one overlooking the pool. And on our left side is the Manila bay. It’s pretty, day in and day out. In fact, the romantic couple that we had with us (my sister Diane and bf Rodel) couldn’t help themselves, that they moved the chairs to the veranda and spent hours looking at the city lights. But for me that night was spent working on the small things for the wedding. I worked a lot with my laptop to finish the AVP. I learned that it’s not easy doing a 5 minute production in a month. It’s my first that’s why... In the middle of the night her sister Cherry called up to check if I was already sleeping, and invited me over to play Tong-its. Unfortunately, I still have something to finish and I can’t go.
The next day I woke up early and headed for the veranda for a look at the famous pool with just my boxers on. It was awesome! I have never checked in a classy hotel like this. The best place I have checked in was either Anita Inn or Victoria Court, but this is nothing like it! I told myself that I will do this again next time. You bet ya! I snapped several pictures of the view. After a while Rodel was up and we had a bonding talk. He complained about the air-conditioning. He said that it was too cold for him, and that he wondered how I could sleep with my shirt off the whole time. After a while I heard some giggling and a person was calling my name. We looked up and there were faces looking at me...with just my boxers on! It was Lany's family at their 8th floor veranda! I shriveled up and covered my body in shame. Must me what Adam felt when he hid from God. Totally embarrassing!At 10am I already prepared for a long bath. I figured, this is a long day. I don’t want to spend the rest of our special day stinking. After that was a nice snooze while I wait for the paparazzi that we hired to shoot my pictures. An hour later one of the coordinators came to my room and took the candles, the misalettes and the cue card holder. Then I waited again. I was wondering why nobody was attending to me. When I called the brides room they told me that the coordinators, the photographers and the videographer were there to document my wife’s preparation. I would have been jealous of the attention if it wasn’t for the groom’s men. Alfred called on my cell to say that he is in the hotel lobby. When I picked him up I was just in time to meet up with the bridesmaid's and a few other guests. I took them to Lany's room to get their make-up done by Ross Regala. The room was jam-packed! It’s a perfect contrast to my room. At 12NN I decided to get dressed without the photographers. I don’t want to be late because of them. Sayang! That was the perfect photo opportunity for them. In a few minutes my relatives flooded my room. Shortly after that the photographers came in and started to snap their cameras. I felt like one day celebrity! Imagine 3 professional photographers merrily snapping away their cams. I can tell that my parents and relatives were impressed. My parents and I had a great family picture. Cool!
When Arvin my co-staff at the hospital we used to work in and Richelle, my college buddy came in the room it was almost time to leave the hotel and head on to Paco Park Church. Richelle volunteered to get me and the guys there. As soon as we were at the hallway, the guys gave teased me about getting married and what happened to the other girlfriend that they heard about. I couldn’t focus on what they were saying. I’m too nervous. And there was a thought running in my head saying that these are the last minutes of my bachelorhood. I tell you, if I wasn’t in love these thoughts could make any man become an instant a "runaway groom".On the way to the church, Richelle kept asking for the directions. He apparently does not know how to get there. We were just relaying on the map that Lany's cousin Richard made for the guests. The traffic was bad and we knew that we are going to be a little late. My best man Philip gave us a call. He is already at the church waiting for us. He was cussing at Richelle saying that he shouldn’t have brought the groom with him if he doesn’t know the way! So there I was kidnapped. There was only 15 minutes before the wedding starts. Fortunately, we found it!
....stick around for part II
Now that everything is prepared, and all the hassles of getting married like unavailable ninang, dress alterations, missing paraphernalia’s etc, I guess we are ready to walk the altar. For our parents who are going to give away their first born there is a little drama involved. For them there was a sudden realization that their children will fall into marriage and leave the family one by one. It is a big change for them, we know. Because when they started out in life almost each year or a couple of years, they make a new sibling for us. And as the family gets bigger, they got used that we are around. Taking care of us became their life long task. For Lany its 28, and for me its 30 years when I left the nest.
My father told me a little story about my mom. There was one time a week before the wedding when my mother shed her tears while doing the laundry. Sad that her only boy is leaving her side, she now remembers her father before their wedding. She said that my grandfather cried for her when it was her time, and that prompted her to cry. I guess everybody will have that experience when the time comes.
And so, before our big day we checked in at The Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel. Lany encouraged my parents to stay with me in my room to make sure that I don’t have the chance to stage my stag party. As if I wanted one..huh! (The truth to this is out there! Just ask my friends...hehe!) She on the other hand brought the whole caboodle in her room one floor above mine. It’s like insurance, just in case yours truly goes commando in the middle of the night for a quick deposit.The room that we got is great! We got the one overlooking the pool. And on our left side is the Manila bay. It’s pretty, day in and day out. In fact, the romantic couple that we had with us (my sister Diane and bf Rodel) couldn’t help themselves, that they moved the chairs to the veranda and spent hours looking at the city lights. But for me that night was spent working on the small things for the wedding. I worked a lot with my laptop to finish the AVP. I learned that it’s not easy doing a 5 minute production in a month. It’s my first that’s why... In the middle of the night her sister Cherry called up to check if I was already sleeping, and invited me over to play Tong-its. Unfortunately, I still have something to finish and I can’t go.
The next day I woke up early and headed for the veranda for a look at the famous pool with just my boxers on. It was awesome! I have never checked in a classy hotel like this. The best place I have checked in was either Anita Inn or Victoria Court, but this is nothing like it! I told myself that I will do this again next time. You bet ya! I snapped several pictures of the view. After a while Rodel was up and we had a bonding talk. He complained about the air-conditioning. He said that it was too cold for him, and that he wondered how I could sleep with my shirt off the whole time. After a while I heard some giggling and a person was calling my name. We looked up and there were faces looking at me...with just my boxers on! It was Lany's family at their 8th floor veranda! I shriveled up and covered my body in shame. Must me what Adam felt when he hid from God. Totally embarrassing!At 10am I already prepared for a long bath. I figured, this is a long day. I don’t want to spend the rest of our special day stinking. After that was a nice snooze while I wait for the paparazzi that we hired to shoot my pictures. An hour later one of the coordinators came to my room and took the candles, the misalettes and the cue card holder. Then I waited again. I was wondering why nobody was attending to me. When I called the brides room they told me that the coordinators, the photographers and the videographer were there to document my wife’s preparation. I would have been jealous of the attention if it wasn’t for the groom’s men. Alfred called on my cell to say that he is in the hotel lobby. When I picked him up I was just in time to meet up with the bridesmaid's and a few other guests. I took them to Lany's room to get their make-up done by Ross Regala. The room was jam-packed! It’s a perfect contrast to my room. At 12NN I decided to get dressed without the photographers. I don’t want to be late because of them. Sayang! That was the perfect photo opportunity for them. In a few minutes my relatives flooded my room. Shortly after that the photographers came in and started to snap their cameras. I felt like one day celebrity! Imagine 3 professional photographers merrily snapping away their cams. I can tell that my parents and relatives were impressed. My parents and I had a great family picture. Cool!
When Arvin my co-staff at the hospital we used to work in and Richelle, my college buddy came in the room it was almost time to leave the hotel and head on to Paco Park Church. Richelle volunteered to get me and the guys there. As soon as we were at the hallway, the guys gave teased me about getting married and what happened to the other girlfriend that they heard about. I couldn’t focus on what they were saying. I’m too nervous. And there was a thought running in my head saying that these are the last minutes of my bachelorhood. I tell you, if I wasn’t in love these thoughts could make any man become an instant a "runaway groom".On the way to the church, Richelle kept asking for the directions. He apparently does not know how to get there. We were just relaying on the map that Lany's cousin Richard made for the guests. The traffic was bad and we knew that we are going to be a little late. My best man Philip gave us a call. He is already at the church waiting for us. He was cussing at Richelle saying that he shouldn’t have brought the groom with him if he doesn’t know the way! So there I was kidnapped. There was only 15 minutes before the wedding starts. Fortunately, we found it!
....stick around for part II
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