Bridal Progress

I had a post sometime ago about Operation Hot Body. Well I am happy to report, because of all of Apple's amazing apps, I have lost 7lbs since Christmas! Woo hoo!


Some of the things, I've been doing:

• focusing on the wedding and the wedding dress!
• used an app called MyFitnessPal, which also has a website, to track my calorie consumption. It took me a little while to adjust to 1200 calories a day, but now, it doesn't seem that hard (as long as I work out).
• Watching what I'm eating and packing healthy snacks. For treats, I've packed my office with 100 calorie snack packs.
• got my gym membership back and started going to the gym 5 days a week during my lunch to get at least 30 minutes of cardio.
• started using an app called Nike Training Club to really push myself at home. I initially did this on days that I didn't go to the gym, but recently started doing them in the evening so that my gym time is completely dedicated to burning off calories through cardio, and I strengthen and tone at home. I've also did one of their work outs when one of the workout rooms was free to really ramp up.
• increased my water consumption by buying a pretty Sigg bottle and downloading the matching app. 2L a day is now my norm. 
• Isabela and I are having dance parties in our living room. 20 minutes of dancing burns 92 calories (sometimes I jog in the spot, or pedal background or do walking lunges). The hard part is keeping up with my little girl!

I still have some pounds to go, and definitely lots of toning to do now, too.  And then the hard part... maintenance, ESPECIALLY during the summer months. But we vowed to be the active family. Getting back into jogging, taking walks together and more playing in the park. Summer time I am enrolling Isabela in Little Kickers soccer classes, so we'll be running after her I'm sure.

Rodney's P90x-ing it and started running, yes, in this winter weather. He's even more of a maniac, since he gets up at 4:00am to squeeze in these workouts before work.

Thank you to everyone that has been so supportive with my goals. And maybe its the endorphins but I'm like happy and in a good mood all the time. Cheers (with water) to all the brides getting in shape before their wedding!

MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

Inspiration

So building a theme for a wedding is really tiring and difficult to describe in words. I got really lucky as one of my closest friends, former roommate, and to throw in some more goodness 2006-2007 President of the Students Administrative Council at the University of Toronto, and 2007-2008 Ontario Chair for the Canadian Federation of Students, representing over 700,000 students, has volunteered to make my e-vite and paper invitations! I am so happy she volunteered (I didn't even ask her...well, not really), and I know she may not be able to come to the wedding but having her be a part of it, makes me smile inside.

But to describe what I wanted to her was a challenge. I wrote as much as I could, pulled different pictures of sample invitations, colour pallets, Filipinana themed items, pictures of barongs, even tribal tattoos. I hope she's got an idea of what we want now.

I came to the realization, that this is going to be a future endeavor : constantly trying to describe my theme and look. So how else do you mitigate this need? You make an inspiration board!
(I'm sure you didn't see that coming)

Board number one encompasses everything right now. What do you think? Do you have a better idea of where we're going with this now?

While looking for everything I needed to send her, I went through lots of DIY wedding blog sites and have become really excited at that prospects of printing and embellishing invitations on my own. I actually went to visit Michel's to get some ideas of tools and jewels and ribbon. The paper I need isn't there but I did find a super cool paper place in Toronto to go check out. I suggest to everyone to do your invitations yourself. Even if you can't design, you could get something printed flat from a cool site like Wedding Paper Divas and soope it up yourself. They even have a blog to show you how. I'm so excited, I ended up getting things for scrapbooking and got crafty on some pages for Isabela's scrapbook.

Why.. again!

I recently went through a little emotional bump, that brought back some of the hurt related to my parents. I'm now very aware that I need to mentally prepare myself for future drama, and not let anything add stress or bring a dark cloud on my wedding. The main point of the discussion is the inability for my parents to understand Why. Why the Philippines. If we want to get away, why not Jamaica/Dominican/or somewhere else? Why not just go to City Hall? So I wrote this up, originally for our wedding website because I am sure those invited are probably thinking the same thing. But in the end, if people really loved and cared about us, wouldn't they want us to be incredibly happy at one of the most important events of our life? Wouldn't they just support us and be there for us, in the end? In the end, this will make us better parents. Because I would never want my daughter to ever doubt that I loved and cared for her, and would want, above all, for her to be happy.

Why a Wedding? Why The Philippines

Here are two questions people have asked us, or I know, people are thinking.

Why a Wedding? We have been living together for over three years, and have a beautiful, happy, energetic, two year old. We both have full time jobs and focus all our free time to our family life. No one quite gets how happy we are. Technically, we're already common-law partners so what would a piece of paper really mean? Nowadays its perfectly normal to be living together as common-law partners, and in Quebec it's completely out of fashion get married (according to a very knowledgeable Montrealer). We are both incredibly committed to each other and our family, and we do want to make vows to each other. Before Isabela was born, we did not do it because we didn't feel as if we needed to be married and maybe we weren't as sure as we are now.

Why the Philippines? There are so many reasons but still, people have a hard time grappling why. So how about in point form?

1. If you know our background, we met and fell in love, when we were both doing community work in the Filipino community in Canada. Our interest in our Philippine heritage has been at the foundation of our relationship.

2. A big wedding in Toronto would not feel like us. If we had a wedding in Toronto, a lot of people would be invited and come. It just would not be intimate and private, which is what we have become as a couple and family. The last few weddings we attended, we didn't even get to see the couple.

3. Rodney was born in the Philippines and I was born here. Through community work, and even study at the University level, it's clear there is a generational impact on an immigrant's cultural identity. As a second-generation, my whole life, Camille thought about what it meant to be Filipino, with her real connection being that her parents were born in the Philippines. With such a young community, with a dynamic of integration very different from other immigrant community, it is hard to predict what the third-generation will be like. We want out daughter to have a connection to the Philippines, and maybe it will be because her parents were married there.

4. It is very expensive to have a wedding in Toronto. We are able to afford a wedding on our own, that is beautiful and reflects us, because it is in the Philippines.

5. In the end, at the very core of it, we want our wedding to be something very deeply meaningful to us. A wedding like this, is different, and a first for our extended families. But we don't want to look back and wish we had done something or regretted something as meaningful as our wedding. It's not just a big party to us, it's our real commitment to each other. And this is what we want.

The Wedding Website

Many brides have wedding website but for destination weddings it's a must. There is so much information to get to guests that you have to find a way to disseminate it. Cutting to the chase. I've created a Wedding Website on mywedding.com. Here it is: http://www.mywedding.com/balikbayan/.

The point of the wedding website is much different from this blog. Right from the beginning, I said this blog was so that I can document my balikbayan wedding experience, and maybe even be a resource for people who are looking for suppliers or information on planning a wedding abroad. This blog is becoming less that :P That blog is specifically for invitees who need to know all the information I'm going to fill up on it. I did link to this blog, as a "behind the scenes" look into our wedding.


Anyways, there are a lot of wedding website builders and I decided to go with this site because:

1. It's free.
2. Had lots of templates
3. Has privacy options if I feel like I want to password protect it.

So check out http://www.mywedding.com!

Details and details!

Checking something off your list is not as easy as checking it off your list. Since penciling our wedding date back in December, we are still in the process of finalizing the details with the Shangri-la. Their wedding packages allow for 5 inclusions in a list of 13 choices. They range from stays at the hotel, to cake, flowers, an emcee or different drink related options. You can check out the full list by going to their website or clicking here.

I had initially picked options by eliminating other options. We didn't want one of their emcees, their musicians, a spa retreat for the bridal couple, or some of the drink options. That left us things that we needed, but didn't care enough to have another supplier. This was flowers for the tables, cake, a lechon (roasted suckling pig - Rodney's choice), and two drink option.

Then of course, my coordinator made a lot more sense, by pointing out that some items I checked off were really expensive and we should consider it.  Namely a stay at their hotel, can easily be $720/night for what they are offering as an inclusion. And then I started to think..ok the morning of the wedding, is Rodney and I  going to be getting ready together in our rental house? Nope, so I'm going to go with the room inclusion now. Isabela and I, and my girlfriends who can make it from Toronto, will spend the night in the luxury suite instead and get ready there in the morning. It'll be awesome for pictures, too.

Next, Rodney wanted a lechon, so I added that in our inclusions. I first thought it would be easier to just have the place do it, but apparently this can be one of the catering items you can bring into a venue. Our initial venue discussions revealed that most venues have you go with their catering and that was that. But since we can get an outside vendor, we might want to look for the best lechon in Cebu to be at our wedding. If you didn't know, Cebu is known for their hella delicious lechon. So if the best lechon in the world is in Cebu, than we could possibly have the best lechon in the world at our wedding!

Finally, I picked cake and flowers to have the Shangri-la do it. My planner asked me to send her some pegs (I assumed that meant jpg examples?) of what I'm looking for to see if the venue can do it. Ok, so that takes some thought into the details. Luckily, I had already been looking at different cake ideas. Anyways I thought I'd get back to her a cake first because what I want is fairly simple. I would like a square shaped cake, layered crooked, with a green ribon on the tiers. Simple no? Rodney looked at a picture of a square cake and he seems to agree too. I think the shape gives some uniqueness, and to have the layers staggered, takes off some of the stiffness.

Here is a picture, I found from The Knot that I liked. Our cake will be similar just without the flowers or French dots.

To add that uniqueness, I am going to be looking for a unique topper when we arrive in the Philippines (the to-do list is growing!). A monogram is not us, because I'm keeping my last name. A bride and groom cake toper, isn't us, becasue us includes our daughter. Maybe it sounds crazy, but I really want to find a cool wood carving in the Philippines that we can top our cake. Obviously, something not that big, but something interesting and worth taking home with us as another souvenir of our balikbayan wedding. A small version of something like this, would add height, keep the simplicity, but add uniqueness and tie into our Filipinana theme. This particular piece, I found by just googling, and it actually looks like two people. But is one helping the other up, or is one a base for the other person? Sounds like what a couple needs to be for one another. I'm sure we will find something that speaks to us.

Operation Hot Body

What the hell am I talking about, I know exactly what I gotta do next! Get in shape!

For years now, I've been going to the gym and trying to get to a body image I like. The only time I really wasn't working out and not watching my weight, was when I was pregnant and in hindsight, really wish I had been one of those fit prego ladies. So now that there is a wedding looming, it's back to Operation Hot Body version 2011.

The Goal: Lose at least 10 lbs and 10 inches all around

The Plan:

1. Count Calories : Reduce my calorie intake to 1200 calories a day (to lose a pound a week) !.... or at most 1430 (to lose 1/2 a pound a week).
2. Drink hella water : I counted and I drank 2 L today, and according to Wikipedia, the U.S. standard is 2.7L for women. However, my cleanse book said we should be drinking 1L for every 30 lbs, so I'm looking at 4.5L!
3. Workout : So this is where I have a little problem right now. One, I am exhausted when I come home from work and two, utter exhausted. In warmer weather, I can run outside, but right now I am at a loss at what to do. Last winter I had a gym membership and was going on my lunch and doing 30 minutes at least 2-3 times a week. I think as the month goes on, and if I'm really not adding enough at home or on the weekends, I think I'm going to have to get a month-to-month gym membership.
4. Yoga: There is this one class I absolutely love on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:50 - 10:00pm. Yes, its a little late, but it is worth it to be flexible, meditated and leaner. My goal is to go to this class at least every other week until March, and then go every week.

So the weight goal I think is achievable more so than I think losing inches. Actually, now that I think of it, I haven't even measured myself in forever. I am really going to have to pump up number 3 and 4 to get that going. My goal is to make some good progress by June 2011. That way if I sent measurements for my dress in June it will be realistic to how I will look in November.

I have excellent support so I think I can do it. Luckily, Rodney is very supportive. Actually he has his own Operation going on. He started doing P90x and was looking at body suits so that he can jog in the winter time (which I think is crazy). Plus, my besties Camaro and Karleen are also very supportive and have signed up for MyFitnessPal with me. It's the app I'm using on my iPod to count my calories. It's a great tool that you can use offline too and it has been really helpful for me to log my calories. I'm still waiting to see if the girls will use it too. Finally, my work buddies are pretty body conscious also so I'm not going to big out with them. They are also generally pretty interested in health related stuff, and we used to go to the gym and yoga and lunch with them too.

So far after a week and a half of Operation Hot Body, I've lost 3lbs. An awesome start so far, but I don't have such easy access to the gym anymore. I guess we'll see how I go, and worst comes to worst, I can also try and cast for Bulging Brides! I just want to make sure that I keep in mind that I'm doing this for me and my health, and not because Filipinos are generally skinny and I will feel huge when I go to the Philippines. I have to try and not compare and also, prepare myself so that I don't have a freak out when I can't buy clothes or find clothing is in XL that fit me. I don't know if repeating it over and over again will be enough.

Back to Life

You know that Soul II Soul song, Back To Life (However You Want Me)? Coming back from the holiday daze made me think of that song. Back to work, back to reality. But the song is really about making a commitment, a positive change, "back to life, back to the day we have". Anyways, its the perfect getting back to the wedding plans song!

Haven't touched based with the coordinator yet but the next thing on the agenda is to send money for down payments. I don't think I reported but I have penciled in a photographer. I had been going back and forth between Rock, Paper, Scissors and Mark Cantalejo. I had been set with RPS because of their vintage looking style and really arty photographs. I thought the vintage look would fit in with our "theme" of Filipinana. But after starring at their portfolio over and over again, I wasn't sure if it felt like us. According to Tisha, Mark Cantalejo had been a fashion magazine photographer in Dubai before coming back home. He is incredibly talented, with a very diverse range and looks, including some vintage looks that could fit with our theme. He has a very romantic look (so I'm going to have make sure the cheese is turned down with us), but also in one of his posts, he talked about a sort of nervous, shy couple. The "shy" couple's shoot turned out beautifully, so I feel he could work with amateurs like us! We recently had our photo taken by a friend for our Christmas cards, and we are not the best with posing and coming up with cool shots on our own. So if someone can bring that out with us, thats talent.

We are penciled in with Mark for our wedding! Actually, as I write this, I just remembered to talk to Tisha about maybe doing an pre-nup shoot as well, because we'd have to book that.

An interesting thing, I talked to Tisha about is how wedding photographers deliver post wedding. I don't know if it came about talking with Melissa, or someone else, but we talked about how in Canada the photographers supply proofs with their watermark so that you can only get prints from them. Obviously, that won't work for us since we're out of Cebu immediately after. Luckily, Tisha told me its not something that happens in Cebu, and she's going to work on making sure we have stuff with us when we leave!

Next thing on the agenda is the videographer. Again, before getting Tisha's supplier list, I already had Digital Minds on the top of my list. Cough, I mean, our list. I had googled Cebu Wedding Videographers, and not alot came up. I did look at videographers based in Manila and danced with the idea of flying one in and shacking them up, but the expense isn't really worth it. I liked DM's on-site videos because of its honesty of the event and of the couple. They were also upbeat and it really brings that sense of joy, rather than that cheesy love feeling you would get when a love ballad is playing. We wouldn't want a video that has us acting anything for the sake of an arty piece either. We want to remember our emotions, and how we looked, and how we cried. For sure I'm going to cry. Just the thought of love stuff brings tears to my eyes. Seriously, I got teary watching some Digital Minds videos.

I think the only major downside from the videographer is that they don't have a Blue Ray option. In all honesty, from my google search of videographers that do have that option, it's way too much. It's literally thousands of dollars more. So I think we will be ok with our DVD. It will last our lifetime at least.

I can't wait to get a "MTV" for our wedding. From the different Philippine videographer's I looked at, they all do a short trailer of your wedding in a "MTV". It's like a music video, with your wedding as the video! For sure, I'll want to pick our song and also minimize the amount of shots of pre-nup items, like our shoes and perfume. Those mostly come up in videos that are made on-site for the wedding reception. Regardless, that's basically my two requirements.

Ok. So... whats next?