Glossies for getting married

This month, I was able to get my wedding-addicted hands on three new wedding magazines.

Martha Stewart Weddings Philippines recently launched its reception issue and like most wedding fanatics know so well, a reception is overflowing with details I love.

Reception halls bathed in colorful light, dainty dishes, cakes created with loving hands and fantabulous flowers. This is what this issue is all about.

A list of the most popular reception venues, from hotels and halls to gardens and gazebos, to pavilions and parks.

Reception etiquette for the clueless couple.



Reception details that make your guests squeal with delight.

We've all heard about the different types of gowns, veils and trains. How about the necklines?




Lovely ideas to preserve your wedding details.

Reception themes that could make your guests feel starstruck. :-)

Since this is a reception issue, it can not NOT feature one of the stars of the reception, the wedding cake! Shown are some of the lovely cakes inspired by fabrics we love.

These cakes are just too beautiful to cut!

Also out this month is the new Wedding Belle issue filled with pretty pictures of the latest wedding trends and inspirations.

First off, a list of details to make your ceremony and reception more memorable.

Next, wedding make-up and hairdos inspired by the stars.

Go gaga with fun, frivolous frocks inspired by the songs of Lady Gaga herself.
No bubble dresses and hoof shoes here. :-)

Pretty little details to perk up your seats.

Lovely bouquets that ingeniously make use of local flowers and leaves. Imagine having a bouquet wrapped with banana leaves!

Cakes inspired by popular honeymoon destinations around the globe.

Of course, this issue of Wedding Belle would not be complete with mock set-ups of ceremony and reception ideas. Since very few event stylists and florists would agree to do sample set-ups, looking through these pages will help brides-to-be make their dream themes a reality.

For the first time, I also bought an issue of The Wedding Planner. Although this particular magazine tackles the same wedding details featured in other magazines, the photos and articles (and the lay-outs) leave much to be desired. It almost looks more like a photographic wedding directory than a real magazine, but I'm sure some brides-to-be might find it helpful just the same.



*no copyright infringement intended

Stop and smell the flowers

About a month ago, I was in a not-so-uppity mood and I knew that one of the surefire ways of getting out of the slump was to buy flowers.

As I was mindlessly going through the status updates on Facebook, Vatel Manila posted that he was selling English Roses for half the price. I immediately reserved ten pieces.


This was the first time I was meeting the man behind the flowers, so to speak. Dylan and I met at a mall in Quezon City for the "drop." Although we didn't have the luxury of time to talk and gush about weddings and flowers, I had to ask why he had "extra" roses on hand. Sadly, it was due to a canceled wedding that weekend. :-(



Before Dylan and I parted ways, he handed me a carefully wrapped "bouquet" of pink David Austin roses. A bit of trivia that Dylan shared with me -- when Nicole Kidman married her current husband, she used David Austin roses at her wedding.

Just like sleeping babies in a blanket, I cradled my roses home.

These were the Cymbeline variety, the size of their blooms could grow as huge as teacups.

Look how big the unopened bloom is compared to my hand!

Overnight, the blooms were so big, they became too heavy for their stems!

The lovely thing about these roses is the intricate petal formation. They almost look like peonies, just a little elongated.

Unfortunately, the roses didn't bloom to their full size, possibly due to the warm weather. But they made me happy during the few days that they were with me. :-)

On a whim, I went to the flower mecca (Dangwa, Dimasalang) and bought a few blooms. I really had no particular flower in mind and was just counting on my flower instinct to point me to what kind of flowers I should buy.

I've always avoided anthuriums because they're often used during funerals but these dainty pink ones called to me.

I opted to just arrange them simply on a low vase without any leaves.

Don't they look like little flamingos in flight?

For my taller vase, I bought red anthuriums, azucenas and big leaves. They lasted a little over a week.

About three weeks ago, I made bouquets for a bridal shower of one of my officemates. Again, I relied on instinct to lead me to the flowers, looking at the available flowers in Dimasalang that night. For some reason, I was drawn to green and white tones and chose green button mums, white alstroemerias, calla lilies and eucalyptus leaves.

The next day, I felt that my flowers were not enough so I bought additional rice flowers and white snapdragons.

And these are the three bouquets I came up with:

Stories about the bridal shower?

That event deserves a post of its own. Wait for it. :-)