the engagement.
On the 28th of June 2013, K & A got engaged at The Resort at Pelican Hill at Newport Beach in Southern California. I just thought it would be fun to ask him to write about our engagement and do it side-by-side. It just gives you a better picture of that day. How we both felt and how it transpired in our heads.
the k sideI distinctly remember landing in Los Angeles and feeling terribly alone. I felt like I left a big part of me in Manila. It was then that I decided to make this permanent. While most men think twice at the thought of marriage, I recalled simple guidelines written by Brett McKay on this website I regularly follow, www.artofmanliness.com. He mentioned five simple rules to help guide a man in finding out if she is the one. They are:
1. The relationship goes smoothly from the beginning. 2. She gets along well with your family and friends. 3. There is nothing major you want to change about her. 4. She is your best friend. 5. The thought of marrying her doesn't scare you in the least. With all the boxes checked, it was time to visit a well regarded store in Brea to meet a man who would become our personal jeweller. He gave me a crash course on choosing the perfect engagement ring, he would also be designing our wedding rings. In between viber calls and skype conversations I looked for venues up and down the coast, in and around the county. I wanted it all to be a secret until the last minute. I remember being supremely impressed by the Pelican Hill Resort and Golf Course. I spent half a day talking to the front desk, resort manager, director of media/public relations, the staff at the Coliseum and we came up with a plan. A sunset proposal at the Gazebo, fronting the wide expanse of the pacific, followed by dinner with the same view above the famous pool the resort is known for. The staff were as excited as I was and were into it all the way. At one point, our server refused to show her the bathroom because the sun was setting and they knew it was about 'time'. I forgot to tell everyone at the restaurant that I had proposed at the Gazebo earlier just before sunset. The box had been pushing my bum all throughout the drive and during the walk around the resort. The rest is history. After 7 years of living in the United States, Manila did not feel like home anymore. Huntington Beach has welcomed me warmly and yet it did not feel like home either. After being with her, I know now where home was. It would be wherever she would be. |
the a sideI was writing my thesis for my masters degree back in the Philippines while watching Property Brothers. I got a viber message from him. He said that we will be having dinner that night. I did not remember any scheduled dinner but well I was thinking maybe I just forgot about it.
So we drove all the way to Newport Beach and slowly ascended Pelican Hill. It was a gorgeous drive. Trees lined the streets. Very few cars were driving up as well. I suppose it was a Friday so not many people would go there at 4 in the afternoon. He said we should walk around first since it is a famous place after all. We went down to the rotunda. I was doing my usual phoneography. It was pretty hard to get a photo since there were a group of people at the rotunda. I did a 360-degree documentation. Smelled the air. Wallowed in the view. By the way, it was FANTASTIC. He said it was hot that day. I saw him sweating. I suppose it was his shirt since it was demin as well. I said ok since you are sweaty, let's go to the restaurant and rest. I was insistent since he looked terribly uncomfortable with the heat. I found the weather fine but I suppose I was still tropical and not used to the climate. Then suddenly, he faced me. Said the usual things we talk about which I reiterated with my replies. "Yeah, yeah, we already talked about these!" Then suddenly, he said "Ok, ang kulit mo!" Then he said, will you marry me. He was carrying the ring in his side pocket which explains why he as sitting on the car so uncomfortably. Eeeeps! I couldn't say anything. I just said "Of course!" I hugged him really tight and my smile was too wide that you can see my molars on the corners of my lips. Terrible for pictures. But who cares. The engagement dinner was not without the usual funny story. We went to the restaurant. I was beaming and so was the manager. I found it odd but I suppose he was just being friendly. We sat at the open space overlooking the golf course. Quite fancy, I should say. Saw the menu. Did I say fancy? I got the scallops and he got the kebabs. The server was too engaged which was quite funny for me but I suppose that is what service is all about at the Pelican Hill. I never had a plate with so many unconventional things placed one on top of the other but it sure worked well on the palate. Scallops with mustard, who knew? I needed to go to the ladies room but I am quite unaware where it was. So, I asked one server and he was doing this patintero thing with me. He said they didn't have any. Well, I saw it from my peripheral vision and I exclaimed, "There! Yey!" I told Kirby about it since I found it both odd and amusing. He said, "Oh, I forgot to tell them I already proposed, maybe he was trying to stall since it would be sunset." Then came our dessert. I was glad the ring was not on the cake. |
the minor details.
THE RESORT at Pelican Hill
22701 Pelican Hill Road South - Newport Coast, California 92657 (855) 315-8214 |
a wedding and then some
THE TEST. They say preparing for the wedding would be the first test of any marriage. How each partner behaves during the planning stage is reflective of how a couple would make life long choices (just watch Bride Wars and you will see). Most of the time, they disagree on just about anything (friends' or family's scary stories). The groom just does not care or the bride is just too fussy or has this dream wedding in mind that is just plain unrealistic when it comes to the realistic budget (bridezilla reality tvs).
THE PREFERENCE. A arranged weddings as a hobby and made some decent cash. Much to everyone's surprise, she prefers her wedding (if she would even tie the knot) to be as simple as you can get -- go to a court house and have dinner with family and friends. K on his weekends did some wedding video stints with his brother and friends. K would often say, after a few weddings, it all becomes the same. A agreed. The fireworks, fancy photos and video clips, extravagant flowers, and many other details just become the same after seeing too many weddings and wedding expos. K just wanted a wedding (if he would even tie the knot) to be simple and elegant. Both agreed that it should have great food.
THE CHOICE. Any woman would be doing cartwheels knowing she would be having two weddings. As for A, after seeing other women stress just about everything, she just didn't want any of that. The only problem is -- A has a hard time choosing a theme as she always had trouble choosing what to eat or wear or just about anything other than career path or treatment plans. K was supportive on any design but also dismisses themes he thinks that are just NOT THEM. Problem solved -- just do both themes.
THE PREFERENCE. A arranged weddings as a hobby and made some decent cash. Much to everyone's surprise, she prefers her wedding (if she would even tie the knot) to be as simple as you can get -- go to a court house and have dinner with family and friends. K on his weekends did some wedding video stints with his brother and friends. K would often say, after a few weddings, it all becomes the same. A agreed. The fireworks, fancy photos and video clips, extravagant flowers, and many other details just become the same after seeing too many weddings and wedding expos. K just wanted a wedding (if he would even tie the knot) to be simple and elegant. Both agreed that it should have great food.
THE CHOICE. Any woman would be doing cartwheels knowing she would be having two weddings. As for A, after seeing other women stress just about everything, she just didn't want any of that. The only problem is -- A has a hard time choosing a theme as she always had trouble choosing what to eat or wear or just about anything other than career path or treatment plans. K was supportive on any design but also dismisses themes he thinks that are just NOT THEM. Problem solved -- just do both themes.
orange county.
K was still in California while A was back in Manila. K+A were preparing with the help of Skype and Viber. Three-hour chats with major googling to look for suppliers in Bacolod. The US wedding would be easier since it would be a simple dinner with family. Even so, they could not finalize until both K and A saw the venue and tasted the food. The wait for July 18 was too long. But both decided on a civil wedding in the US, just a few family and friends then a church wedding in Bacolod. Usually one would think that a destination wedding is such a bother but K is from the city of smiles and luckily one of his cousins own a restaurant. One thing was for sure, the reception would be at The Ruins, cakes would be from Calea, and the food -- seafood and chicken inasal. No issues here.
venue hunting.
Venue hunting in Bacolod was not much of a bother since both K and A already know where to have the ceremony and event. The US wedding was proving to be more of a challenge. Those hours of skype sessions paid off as they zeroed in on five venues.
the hyatt regency huntington beach resort & spa.
Choice 1 was pretty much the most practical since it was just down the street. K and A went jogging one day since it was a holiday and decided to drop by. Gorgeous place. Lots of choices when it came to function rooms. They can cater to an intimate setting to lavish ballroom events.
It was a Sunday so the catering staff were not around but they were very accommodating. K and A had a tour of the function rooms. The most professional as K received emails every week for updates. the minor details.
THE HYATT REGENCY HUNTINGTON BEACH RESORT & SPA
21500 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, California 92648 (714) 698 1234 |
the summit house.
After visiting family, K+A decided to drop by summit house to check out their rates. The GPS on the new car was having a hiccup which directed us to a nearby village with no summit house in sight. After K reorienting himself, K and A arrived at the restaurant.
It was a busy Sunday lunch but they were very accommodating and showed K and A possible areas for the reception. K+A found a nice outside space for the reception but heaters need to be rented as they had December in mind. Over-all, the restaurant had a quaint, log cabin, and intimate feel to it. The food smelled so good and K saw a platter of smoked salmon which prompted K+A to reminisce that mouth watering salmon mousse back at the Venetian during their Macau trip. the minor details.
THE SUMMIT HOUSE RESTAURANT
2000 E. Bastanchury Road, Fullerton, CA 92835 (714) 671 4111 |
the cannery seafood of the pacific.
K and A was not able to visit the Cannery at Newport Beach since they have already settled on a venue. Initially, they both loved the small details of the restaurant and the fact that they have a separate room that can seat 30 people. The cannery was actually an old fish canning facility which was turned into a restaurant with a 90 year old history.
the minor details.
THE CANNERY SEAFOOD OF THE PACIFIC
3010 Lafayette Road, Newport Beach, CA 92663 (949) 566 0060 |
the st. regis monarch beach resort.
On their second weekend of venue hunting. they decided to drive out to Monarch Beach. It was a fairly long drive but passing by interesting views was a perk. When they reached the place, finding a parking slot was proving to be another challenge. Weaving their way through the crowd, they saw a wedding set-up. Highly elegant but too elegant for A's taste. Intimacy was surely their top priority. K and A had a blast checking the dining areas. Passing by buffet tables to check out the food. Getting lost due to the numerous passage ways. Over-all, it was a wedding venue worth the visit but for K and A's needs, it was just too far.
the minor details.
ST. REGIS MONARCH BEACH RESORT
1 Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point, CA 92629(949) 234 3200 |
the clubhouse at anaheim hills golf course.
K and A have been considering the logistics of having the ceremony at a different place as the reception. A suggestion was made by JC to ask the nearby clubhouse.
Since it was still early, K and A decided to take a drive to the golf course. Very scenic for sure. As they went inside, there was a wedding. PERFECT. They got to see an actual set-up. Stephanie greeted us and went through the details of the wedding package. A fan of the no frills event, K+A were sold. They both have a ceremony and reception area which is just adjacent to each other. SCORE! They were very flexible with the number of guests -- no minimum since K and A will be having the event on a weekday. The best part? K and A had a free brunch buffet! the minor details.
THE CLUBHOUSE AT ANAHEIM HILLS GOLF COURSE
6501 E. Nohl Ranch Road, Anaheim Hills, CA 92807 (714) 998 3041 |
invitation ideas.
A, as usual, was reviewing for the national board exams and doing her non-ending thesis. She got tired of doing it for several days already so she started doing the invitation. On week nights while watching TV, both were Pinteresting to see what K wanted for an invite, she got to work. Both wanted to play with several fonts and agreed on making their invites having black, white, and gray tones. These are all wonderful pins which got both K and A excited to make invites.
oc invitation.
Limited by preset fonts but inspired by countless pins. K and A's US wedding invites.
Even if K+A would like to have everyone share their joy, some of their family and friends are in another continent. With their love for postcards, K+A has another wedding postcard for all their family and friends who could not make it to the OC wedding. On the blank space would be a photo from the wedding with a personal note for all the intended guests at their Bacolod wedding. |
reception design .
The Clubhouse at Anaheim Hills had tons of choices but it was pretty easy to choose. Since they wanted black and white, all black linen was sure to be chosen and the damask chair ties was an obvious choice since K+A never wanted anything shimmery. Much to Mina's delight, someone chooses damask because every time A and Mina would pitch this design to brides, they just plain skip on it even with much prodding from both girls. A sent Mina what they wanted for the small details for their reception. Both did not really want to spend much on flowers or styling the event since K+A was having another destination wedding.
the reception details.
A's best friend volunteered to make the menu card, table numbers, and place cards to get that custom feel. Since the wedding reception had a damask theme, A was off to damask hunting. Seeing what she wanted, A messaged M to do some sample works. Sending M some pins to use as inspiration, M came up with a pretty awesome, extremely clean designs which K found to be very elegant and classy. M found it a bit hard to do multiple fonts and overlaps since she was extremely OC but gave way to A's ideas. Well, A just sent her a copy of the exact fonts and styling she wanted. Talk about being a bully. But A and M were just too close that these things were normal. A knowing exactly what she wanted and M working lightning fast. After several email exchanges, the finished and approved design was done within 24 hours while A was doing her thesis and M finishing everything during her breaks at the Philippine Pediatric Center. That's multitasking at its best.
the cake tasting.
For weeks, K+A have been planning to go to Beverly's Best to finalize the cake. It came with the Anaheim Hills package so K+A were not too keen on customizing it as much. Either way, K+A came prepared since they both spent nights pinteresting cakes. Search words were simple -- black and white simple cakes. A, who was never a fan of bows, pink, or bling knew exactly what she wanted -- a white cake. K, who was happy that A was not into the girly stuff pretty much agreed to an elegant cake design. A asked K if they needed an appointment, K said he would make a call. Then came the 19th of October, the agreed cake tasting day. K+A came prepared -- with parents in tow for free dessert after some heavy japanese meal. Both were thinking, for sure there will be too much cake for both of them so might as well bring more people. HA!
The place was packed, K+A and K's parents were looking at all the cake displays. K+A were jokingly considering a Halloween cake or that pink lacey cake with the giant flower. A was thinking, clean work. K was thinking, nice designs as over-all impression. Then came Jennifer S. whom K asked if they could do a cake tasting. Unfortunately, K+A do need a schedule. Either way, they tasted their seasonal cupcakes and made a schedule with the other Jennifer, the owner. The following Saturday, K+A were ready, this time for real. Parents in tow -- yet again. Coming in 15 minutes earlier, they sat on the same picnic table set-up by the corner. Laura seeing K asked if he needed help. K readily said that they were in for cake tasting and hurriedly got the IPad. Seeing everyone was familiar with the device, she went back to work. Carmela greeted the pack and offered drinks. Cool! Dessert time! All four tasted several slices of cakes and cupcakes. There was confetti cake with strawberry mousse (too pink and fun), carrot with cream cheese filling (lots of nuts!), chocolate with chocolate ganache (needed more chocolate for their taste), pistachio with cream cheese filling (goooood!), and cookies and cream (which the kids would love). There were two kinds of frosting: a french butter cream and the sweeter one (i totally forgot the name but it was definitely sweet). After having our fill, K+A settled for pistachio. Mama Pie said the carrot was good and had loads of nuts which was a delight. A agreed. K asked if they could have both. They settled with a design. A two-tier cake. The base would be pistachio cake with cream cheese filling, and the second tier would be the carrot cake. A agreed since not a lot of people eat carrot cake. The frosting will be french butter cream which will be ivory in shade. Now off the the design. No bow. No monogram. No flowers. K+A was wondering, do the vendors ever think they were weird. A told K that a cake should also be the groom's cake so it shouldn't be too fancy and girly or was this just a ploy since she didn't want anything close to girly ever in her life. Either way, K was a happy man. |
the minor details.
BEVERLY'S BEST BAKERY
3020 North Brea Boulevard, Fullerton, CA 92835 (714) 529 3989 |
the officiant.
Looking for a minister has proven to be not as easy as K+A wanted. Stephanie from The Clubhouse at Anaheim Hills gave them a list of suppliers they had but clergy.com doesn't seem to be something K+A wanted to use since a fine print on one page said that the higher we pay the more certain our slot would not be bumped off by the officiant. Talk about unsure. Then what was worse was that there is a fee to ensure a last minute officiant would be available if we do get bumped off. Well, true or not, A was just not too keen on inquiring anymore. So K messaged his brother D who happens to know an officiant. SCORE! Whoever it is, A is sold.
In one of the wedding video gigs K and D covered was the officiant. Cool, K+A could see how he does ceremonies. Oh wait, he won't be officiating, he was the DJ, host, and light director of the reception. FUNNY! But at the end of it all, K+A saw how he engaged the crown. There was never a dull moment. The kids and adults were all enjoying the event.
Fast forward to 23 November 2013 at 9 in the morning. K got a call from the B, the officiant who wanted to set an appointment for us. He said that he would like to get to know us before the event so that it would make the ceremony more personal. It was too early but K+A prepared to meet him at Starbucks Brookhurst. Well, it was a mix-up. K thought it was to be that day but he was talking about the next day. Whoops. Loopy. So both settled on the following day at 11am.
K+A saw him by his lappy steady typing away. Greetings and off to business. B, the officiant, just wanted to ask us a couple of questions and assured we will be done in 45 minutes. No problem. It started off with the usual how did you meet question. Of course we had a funny story. Years of being just across the street during college and never even crossing paths. Well, except maybe for 2 separate occasions. That was it. Talk about working in the same college for years and never crossing paths. Just the usual hi on YM and the once-in-awhile messages whenever K was in the Philippines. After the non-meetings came the sudden rush of calls, skype, and everything in between. That was recalling 1998 to 2013. Too funny. Then came several questions on love and relationship. Wow! Tough ones. Tough because there was too many things to say in so little time and you just didn't want to bore B about your stories.
All in all, it got A thinking. There are always two sides of the story. It was surreal to hear the other side once in a while. And of course we booked B as our officiant. Taking time of to get to know us and give some relationship advise was worth that one hour at Starbucks except that A forgot to tell K that there was a sale of Starbucks tumblers by the corner. $1 each. Oh well.
In one of the wedding video gigs K and D covered was the officiant. Cool, K+A could see how he does ceremonies. Oh wait, he won't be officiating, he was the DJ, host, and light director of the reception. FUNNY! But at the end of it all, K+A saw how he engaged the crown. There was never a dull moment. The kids and adults were all enjoying the event.
Fast forward to 23 November 2013 at 9 in the morning. K got a call from the B, the officiant who wanted to set an appointment for us. He said that he would like to get to know us before the event so that it would make the ceremony more personal. It was too early but K+A prepared to meet him at Starbucks Brookhurst. Well, it was a mix-up. K thought it was to be that day but he was talking about the next day. Whoops. Loopy. So both settled on the following day at 11am.
K+A saw him by his lappy steady typing away. Greetings and off to business. B, the officiant, just wanted to ask us a couple of questions and assured we will be done in 45 minutes. No problem. It started off with the usual how did you meet question. Of course we had a funny story. Years of being just across the street during college and never even crossing paths. Well, except maybe for 2 separate occasions. That was it. Talk about working in the same college for years and never crossing paths. Just the usual hi on YM and the once-in-awhile messages whenever K was in the Philippines. After the non-meetings came the sudden rush of calls, skype, and everything in between. That was recalling 1998 to 2013. Too funny. Then came several questions on love and relationship. Wow! Tough ones. Tough because there was too many things to say in so little time and you just didn't want to bore B about your stories.
All in all, it got A thinking. There are always two sides of the story. It was surreal to hear the other side once in a while. And of course we booked B as our officiant. Taking time of to get to know us and give some relationship advise was worth that one hour at Starbucks except that A forgot to tell K that there was a sale of Starbucks tumblers by the corner. $1 each. Oh well.
the giveaways.
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A always wanted mason jars as giveaways. K just reminded A that he didn't want her to spend so much time doing other things other than finishing her thesis. Once in a while, A would send K photos of mason jars. A even told K she would just buy a few for the wedding and ask her mom to do it when she comes over. A thought K was not into it until one Sunday afternoon after eating at Carl's Jr. K told A they will be getting the mason jars. YEY! Delight was short lived since A had a massive migraine. On their way to the 99 cents store, A told K that she needed to run. Run to the ladies room. A thought she would not make it but she just needed to go as fast as she can because she would hate it if K had to clean the floor. A finally made it and vomited all her lunch. That was the end of eating at Carl's Jr. Still loopy. K was able to get all 25 mason jars for A. A was so trilled because K would always give A the small joys of details. As promised, A waited for her mom to arrive so that she had time to finish her thesis.
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18 december 2013.
THINKING ABOUT IT. Once in awhile K+A would sit back and talk about how easy planning and deciding for the wedding was. K+A do not know if it was because they agreed so much on things or if they both plainly know what they want and are honest about saying it to each other. Either way, planning the wedding, even the smallest detail was fun and was their way to relax. It was never a "let's sit down and talk" moment but more of a "hey what do you think about this" while they watch TV or eat. K was pretty clear that he did not want A to spend so much time and effort on doing a DIY project as he wanted A to concentrate on studying and finishing her thesis. A assured K that it was just an outlet to cut off the monotony of writing and studying. So far, preparing and deciding for both weddings was simply a joy ride. If this was a preview of what is to come, K+A are stoked.
ONE ORDINARY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
bacolod.
bacolod invitation.
Since, the US wedding invitation was the more whimsical and postcardy. The Bacolod wedding would be more formal. Seeing that it would just be home made, K and A didn't want to splurge on too much ink so definitely the inverse of the US invite was in mind -- a white background. After Pinteresting again, both found the pins below interesting. There was still a play on the fonts but more restrained. Of course it would be in turbulence grey and burlap. To date, there is no final design yet but K+A are excited to plan some more. Mina will have another set of invites to make and Tentoh will then have to make the giveaways and other small details for the entourage.