Blasco-Borga Nuptials

So glad I was able to snag this dress at the last minute! I squealed when I got it in the mail, you won't believe how stressful it was for me to look for a light dress during winter season. Most dresses I saw were either too short, too big or made with heavy fabric. I already bought an orange dress but the fabric didn't feel formal enough for a wedding, and the fit was not that flattering (i.e. it requires a really tall and lean body, which I do not have).

 Here I am with the groom Raffy and my cousin Ting :) Forgive the awkward pose, I accidentally grazed my dress with lotion and the stain was very noticeable :( I didn't let it ruin my day though, because I was elated for my cousin :)

It's the Parker Pleated Ballet Dress from Land's End, and I used the $500 gift card I won from a twitter contest held by Kmart to buy it. I love the shade of green and the tiny pleats that run across the torso and down the skirt. A perfect dress for a perfect wedding. I paired it with nude peep-toe slingbacks from Joan&David, which I bought for an absolute steal 2 years ago at Off Broadway Shoes.  It gets even better, my lovely cousin Eliza of jewelboxballerina.com gave me a necklace that she handmade years ago (we were digging through her things and when I saw it something clicked and I knew it was the perfect necklace for my dress. Too bad for the tons of necklaces I brought over that never even got considered, this was a million times more beautiful). I plan on wearing it a lot in the coming spring/summer :) It's a little on the heavy side because it's made out of real stones, but it's so gorgeous you won't even notice the weight!

Here's another beauty by jewelboxballerina: the bridal bouquet made entirely of beaded flowers <3

Now, this will surely last forever! A true labor of love :)

I served as an unofficial photographer, and even though I wished that I had a better camera, I think I did pretty well with what I had (this is where you nod your head lol). Here are other snippets of the wedding:

The groom with his groomsmen, acting all dandy and such :)

 Pretty ladies hehehe. Me and my lovely cousins, the bridesmaids!

 With my older brother. I let my hair down for the reception because my bun kept unraveling :( (Note to self: wear hairpins and bring hairspray the next time you do this hairstyle)

 Pretty stairway

 The bride aka newly minted cousin, Bonnie, and her dress.

 My aunt (mother of the groom) in her lovely gown. The pleating and color looked fab on her.

 Sunrise at Taal Lake (with a dormant volcano in the middle. Yup, a volcano!)

Wedding accessories

 Handmade wedding rope/rosary by jewelboxballerina

I did my grandaunt's hair and makeup :) Thank God I found the perfect hair clip the day before! I put her hair up in a french twist and secured it with the clip. Done!

These dolls/cake toppers were made by my brother! The cake was actually a big delicious rice cake with a cheesy icing made by the bride's mother, a nod to the couple's Filipino-themed wedding. The sponsors wore traditional attire: Baro't Saya for women (see the butterfly sleeves. This is probably where I got my love for butterfly sleeves from) and Barong Tagalog (which are either made from pineapple/piña, jusi or banana fiber) paired with black pants for men. Here's a sample shot of my aunts' and grandma's intricately-made Baro't Saya.

Notice the intricately beaded skirt. My aunt bought my grandma sparkly sandals so she would still have pretty and comfy footwear :) (Trivia: My grandma used to love shoes a lot. Like A LOT. One time I took her shopping and she bought a pair of heels she liked even if they were too high for her because they were pretty, but she never wore them I think. She's were I got the shoe-loving genes from hahaha. Oh, grandma!)

I never thought about how I was going to do my hair until the last minute, while I was doing my grandaunt's hair. Mini heart attack! Thankfully, my friend/coworker Thao taught me a simple trick: you put your hair in a loose bun, part your hair in the middle, and tuck the bun there until the bun disappears. Pretty simple with a pretty result! I shall start calling this the Thao/Tuck Bun hahaha.

 A really pretty/kawaii shot of Eliza from jewelboxballerina

And here I will leave you with a final shot of the church (called Chapel on the Hill) in Tagaytay. Remember folks, the wedding is only the start of the marriage, so even if tiny things here and there go wrong, don't sweat it out and make your marriage even better than the wedding ;) Also, make God the center of your marriage, so that your bond as husband and wife will be stronger.

Come back for more tales from my Philippine trip!

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