The Big Day - September 16, 2006 (Dinner-Dance)

Fernando was at the helm and stirring us to a lively introduction of the bridal party to the tune of BlackBox's Strike It Up. There was loud applause for the kids as some of them were even waving to the audience. :) And then it was our turn - Mr. and Mrs. N to the tune of Finally!!! by CeCe Peniston - isn't that so fitting?!??! :P

We were seated for a brief time while Fernando gave the guests a quick rundown of what they can expect during the night. (We purposedly didn't leave a Reception Program/timeline) as we want to keep them surprised. Upfront, we told them that there's not going to be the awkward bouquet and garter toss but we have other things we devised in place of this and for them to get us to kiss, they have to answer our personalized trivia questions. There was a murmur and hooting... lol... B's dad said the grace before meals.

The first 5 tables were sent to the buffet line while the rest of the tables would line up to have pictures with us. It was quick and easy - nobody was left fumbling and humming waiting for the next people to get done. Funny how prime rib is a great motivator! :)

The slideshow presentation was divided by Bruce into two. The first that he showed was the one done in November (by Terri) then the next one (with the ceremony highlights) was done after the trivia Q&A. People loved our AVP (although really, there's a LOT of kissing in it! hahaha) - I thought that Bruce did a good job incorporating our highlights - and you can hear people go "oooooohhhhhhh and ahhhhhh" as I think it's not commonly done as our slideshow highlights came complete with the song.

There was a toast after the AVP and trivia - first to come up was K, B's brother. His was short and sweet - and yikes, you can tell that he's very nervous - I thought, at one point, he's going to cry! :) The next one was from my sister, J. Her speech was VERY WELL prepared - it was a 2-pager and boy, it was meaningful, there were snuffles and tears from most people. I cried!!! Funny that I didn't cry during the ceremony - oh, just felt a lump on my throat during our personal vows - but I shed tears on my sister's speech. It's very touching, it's very personal and most of all, sincere. :)

B & I took the podium and shared our speeches. It was mostly a thank you speech and deep acknowledgement from the folks who truly helped us get to our day. At that point too, we shared the spotlight to B's stepbrother who was celebrating his birthday then. We gave him a cake done by Heather. We had our first dance which became a Money Dance - thanks to the Filipino guests who insisted on them! lol

Then it was dancing time. We probably had a good 3 hours of dancing, visiting, chatting and getting boozed out. We ended a hour earlier as we have the place till 1am. We were too tired to keep the things going by 1am - besides, we leave for Toronto the next day at 8am!

Some highlights/bloopers -
1. Fernando was ribbing my coworkers (the girls' table) and it seemed that they (my coworkers) enjoyed it! lol
2. We did not push thru with our plan to have the Shoe Game. It was ok though. :)
3. We told our DJ that as much as possible, no YMCA, Chicken Dance, etc - but you know what, the guests even requested them! lol So, the house rocked with these songs. Yikes! ;)
4. D and M, are great ballroom dancers! Cha-cha, conga, meringue, foxtrot - holy cow!!! ;)
5. B got cold feet and ditched our choreographed first dance! He kept me very close to him and kept whispering to me, "hun, let's not do the choreography - let's just dance slow and kiss!" oh-ha! lol
6. Our first dance became a Money Dance. Apparently, the Pinoy guests would like to start this and Avel even asked the Front Desk for pins! :) We thought that was sweet - and hey, we got an additonal of about $275 from it! :)
7. The boys were having shooters galore!
8. Nobody bothered us for a gift opening except B's mom and she insisted that her gift be opened right away. UGH!!!!
9. The babies were well-behaved! No crying moments to disrupt the whole Programme. (who said you can't have children in the reception!?!??!)
10. Lastly, the next-door party got curious with our own event that at some point, there were people milling around our area. No, they were not gatecrashers. They were women who were curious with weddings and some of them even complimented me for my dress! :) Isn't that nice!??!?!? :)

Post-script: Staging a wedding was a lot of fun, albeit, exhausting and yes, expensive! :) But, we had a great time seeing long lost/distance relatives and friends, and having wonderful vendors who made sure that things are as expected - if not more.

We got a lot of compliments and it was a total surprise because compared to what we're used to seeing at weddings, ours was modest and subdued - no bands, or string musicians, none of the partyfare that is boisterous and yes, we even had KIDS in the party!!!

Some of the best comments we got were:
1. This party is very much the signature of B & M. Very hospitable, inviting (not intimidating), warm and gracious. - B's dad
2. Everything is pretty and elegant. The food is excellent!!! - Co-worker
3. We love the combination of your blue stuff - it enhanced the room and the parasols and lanterns added a touch of class and party-mood to it. - Co-worker
4. Where in the world did you get these umbrellas??? They are a nice touch to the room! - Co-worker
5. The shells (capiz) and the bamboo combination is great! Where did you get them??? (Answer: Pottery Barn and Pier1) - Carol (2nd photographer)
6. We knew we're going to be seated in this number because of the table name assigned to us! - Co-worker
7. You look very beautiful in your dress - Women next door who peeked into our party and that guy in the elevator
8. The ceremony you guys had is by far, the most meaningful and beautiful wedding I've ever been - Sis-in-law of B.
9. The flowers are gorgeous and soooooo fragrant. Oh, so that's what a freesia and stephanotis look like! ;) - Co-worker
10. You guys did a great job with everything - beautiful and solemn ceremony, great food and excellent party! - Wife of B's ex-boss.

Lastly and I guess the most important common theme/compliment was:

We are grateful that we are part of your beautiful wedding. We are VERY HONOURED.

Thank you Lord for showering us with your graces and blessings. We will cherish this day forever and ever. Amen.

Here is the link to the non-professional shots of our wedding day:
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/555016360ieIFwL