Julian & Nicole

Official Photos

2008-11-18T22:46:00.000-08:00

We've finally managed to narrow down the official photographer's 2108 photos into 509, which I have uploaded into my Flickr account (click here). I have further narrowed this down to 15 photos posted below.

Nicole

Julian

Ceremony

Newlyweds

Bride's family

Groom's family

Julian & Nicole

Limo

The Ladies

The Gentlemen

Tables

Kiss

Jules and Mom do the boogie

Nicole and Kince bring the house down

Giveaways made by Mom

Click here to view the rest!

Photo Update

2008-10-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

New photos posted by other guests (click here)!

We're still waiting on the official photos from our photographer. They said they'd probably be able to get us the digital negatives by this Friday, or next week at the latest.

Everywhere I'd Want to Be

2008-10-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

On our wedding night, Jules pulled out his laptop and slipped a pair of headphones over my ears.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Just listen," he replied and hit play.

I saw the tracks on GarageBand start to move and I knew. I knew, but I couldn't believe it. I felt my throat close up and my eyes fill with tears. I'm sure I looked ridiculous with a huge smile plastered on my face and tears rolling down my cheeks, but it didn't matter. I closed my eyes, held Jules close, and let his voice and his song sink in.

I thought Jules singing "I Cherish the Treasure" to me during our vows was going to be the highlight of the day, but it was only a close second. This moment, without a doubt, is (thus far) the highlight of my life.

Table Names

2008-10-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

Some guests have asked me to post all the other table names with their descriptions, so here they are. They get a little redundant sometimes because they're really meant to be read individually, not as a whole.

Malvar
On Malvar Street, only a few houses apart, Nicole and Julian lived their separate lives, unaware of each other’s presence. Funny how two people can live so close by for years, yet only meet on the Internet.

St. James
St. James the Great Parish is a magnificent church that houses the community which Nicole and Julian belonged to -- the community that caused them to meet. They always dreamed their wedding would take place here. Nevertheless, it will always occupy a special place in their hearts.

Shine Through
In 2001, the St. James Renewal Movement held a concert entitled Shine Through, for which Nicole danced and Julian played guitar. It was here that Julian first laid eyes on Nicole. It wasn’t until years later, though, that they finally met and learned each other’s names.

Moira
In 2002, the St. James Youth Praise Ministry produced the theatrical play, Moira, wherein Nicole performed and Julian was part of the technical team. This was the second time Julian got to see Nicole, yet he still didn’t get a chance to meet her during the production.

#Shaddap!
In 2003, through the power of chatting on the Internet, in the land of Undernet, #Shaddap! on mIRC, Nicole and Julian met and got to know each other. It may have been love at first smiley. :)

Tequila Rose
After chatting with each other for a couple weeks, Nicole invited Julian to share a bottle of Tequila Rose, left over from her 20th birthday party. It was over a glass of this liqueur that Nicole and Julian first met face to face.

Taft
Nicole and Julian’s respective colleges were located across the street from each other, along Taft Avenue. This made it easy for them to hang out before, after, and in between classes. Their first date was along this avenue.

Pancake House
Nicole and Julian’s first meal together was at Pancake House on Taft Avenue. Julian’s credit card was denied, embarrassingly, and Nicole had to foot the bill. Of course, this gave Julian a chance to owe Nicole another date.

Cuenca
Long walks, talks, and warm hugs were shared at Cuenca Park, located just down the street from Nicole’s house. In was here that Julian revealed to Nicole that he had plans to marry her.

Burg 902
Nicole spent a semester living in Burgundy Towers, just down the street from her and Julian’s respective schools. Julian was a welcome guest, and it was here that Nicole’s roommates witnessed the couple’s friendship bloom.

Baywalk
Nicole and Julian’s first evening date was at Baywalk in Manila. Julian wanted to show Nicole the prettier sights that Manila had to offer. He couldn’t go wrong with a stroll by Manila Bay, lit by colorful lamps and interesting people.

Breakwater
Most of Nicole and Julian's first evening date was spent by Manila Bay's breakwater. They spent hours listening to the crashing of the waves as they talked and learned about each other.

Gothika
After several months of “hanging out,” Nicole and Julian finally went on their first movie date. They chose to watch Gothika over Torque, and quickly learned that they are both scaredy-cats.

Chow King
Nicole and Julian shared countless meals at Chow King on Vito Cruz. So much so that when Christmas came around, management handed them a small token of their appreciation.

10/01
October first is Nicole and Julian’s anniversary. They couldn’t get a wedding appointment on this date, so they settled for the one closest to it... Today!

Santa Ana
Nicole and Julian were civilly wed in the Santa Ana Courthouse on June 28, 2007. It took them a while to save up for “the big church wedding” but they’re happy to finally be celebrating with family and friends today.

St. Denis
Nicole and Julian chose to sanctify their bond of togetherness in St. Denis Church, their beautiful new parish, where they attend mass every Sunday. They are happy and proud to be part of this community.

Gathering for Formal Pictures

2008-10-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite photos so far, taken by Chriselle Santamaria. It perfectly captures the frustration we had with gathering people for formal pictures. Haha, seriously, it was like herding sheep!

Details of the Invitations

2008-10-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

I decided that I owe my invitations a little more blog-time, simply due to the amount of time and money we spent on them. :P In retrospect, it probably would have saved me a lot of grief if I had just picked out one of the ready-made designs I found in magazines and online, but I just had to have my way with the layout and I just had to have all the colors match perfectly. So I sacrificed my sweat, blood, and tears, but came up with an invitation I really loved in the end.

I got the idea of the layout from other pocket invitations I've seen around, except most of those opened vertically, and I wanted my invitation to open horizontally, like a regular card or book. Here's where my new-found skills, adapted from a year of working at Graphic Services, came in handy.

The inner envelope was cream, lined with gold, and a quote from Antoine de Saint Exupéry's The Little Prince printed on the flap: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

I used Stardream Metallic Bronze for the body of the invitation, Astrobright Terrestrial Teal for the borders, and Luxe Cream for the text because it was perfect paper for letterpress printing. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to letterpress all of the text, so most of them were thermographically printed.

On the inside left flap was a picture of Jules and I. This came out even better than I planned. The metallic quality of the paper gave the photo a holographic feel, which gave it the perfect there-but-not-really effect I was looking for.

The main invite was designed around Feanne's artwork. I had her work printed first as a background, then took it to a letterpress printer to have the words done.

I believe it was the inserts that earned me all the, "Nicole, your invitation is so you," comments. What?? I can't help it if I need to give a lot of out-of-town guests a lot of information, and I wanted to do so in an organized fashion! For the record, ~~it was the printer's fault~~ those titles were designed to be misaligned. :P

Hehe. The last insert basically says, if all else fails, just find all of life's answers on my website!

Links to Photos!

2008-10-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

Axel Paras
Elizabeth Avila
Anna and Ryan Aban
Natasja Bautista
Nini Mitchell *new*
Ria Leon *new*
Jojo dela Peña *new*
Kate Hassaram *new*

We didn't have time to take pictures of our own, and we have to wait another couple of weeks for our photographer to give us their digital negatives, so we're currently relying on our guests' photos to remind us of the day's events. Please give us a link to your uploads so we may share it with family and friends. Or feel free to email me at nix.concepcion@gmail.com. Thank you!

Just Married

2008-10-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

I've been staring at a blank screen and a blinking cursor for the past half an hour trying to decide what to say about last weekend. The entire weekend was so surreal, I almost feel like it didn't happen.

The wedding was... I'd like to say "not perfect" due to several things that did not go according to plan, as to be expected. This really disappointed the perfectionist in me, who seriously took into account every last detail (if you know me, you know I would have really planned every last detail). However, quickly got over it. I can't really bring myself to say that the wedding wasn't perfect, because in many more ways than I could ever have planned, it actually was.

There's no way I'll be able to describe the day's events in my own words. If you weren't there yourself, you'll have to wait for the pictures and videos to tell you the story. I, myself, can barely recall most of what transpired. All I remember now are beautiful flowers, chocolate and turquoise decor, smiling faces of family and friends, and Jules by my side.

At the end of the day, I told him that when he took my arm in his after I walked down that aisle, I felt a wave of peace wash upon me. A wave that made me feel like I was safe, I was loved, and I was home where I belonged.

I've caught myself several times throughout these past three days smiling to myself just reliving the wedding in my head.

My favorite part was when Jules took the microphone after our exchange of vows and surprised me (and everyone else) with Steve Green's "Cherish the Treasure," while his mom accompanied him on the piano.

As I obey the Spirit's voice
And seek to do His will
I then can see the wisdom of His plan
For as He works His will in me
I then can love you selflessly
And by His grace, can pledge my love to you

This sacred vow I make to you
Does not contain an "if"
Though I'm aware that trials lie ahead
I will love you and pray with you
And through it all, I will stay with you
Our home will be a refuge of unconditional love

I cherish the treasure
The treasure of you
Lifelong companion
I give myself to you
God has enabled me
To walk with you faithfully
And cherish the treasure
The treasure of you

My dad and Jules' mom also made lovely speeches at the reception. My dad said, while he was flattered that I see a lot of his qualities in Jules, he believes that I underestimate Jules; that Jules will be an even better husband than he. Jules' mom welcomed me to their family as her first daughter.

And I can't forget to mention the song that Jules made for me. As we ended the night with a recap, he slipped a pair of headphones over my ears and played his song. I'll post it as soon as he finishes finalizing it. :)

There was much much more, and I wish I could talk about it all, but I doubt anyone's even still reading as it is.

We want to thank all our guests for the company and good vibes. We apologize for not being able to spend as much time with each of you as we would have liked. It's difficult to be shared among 150 people! To our loved ones who were not able to attend, we thank you for your best wishes. We feel truly blessed and loved.

And of course, thank you, everyone, for your generous gifts and contributions toward our "First Home Fund!" Expect to hear from us soon. :)

I wish I could end this post with a nice picture, but we don't have our pictures from our photographer yet, and everyone was too busy during the wedding to take pictures of their own! So here's one taken from ~~Tita Bunny~~ Mom:

Caption Contest:
What are Nicole, Julian, and the Mother of the Groom saying/thinking? Be creative!

...two words to describe my weekend...

2008-10-06T02:41:00.000-07:00

JUST MARRIED

...since i'm not the greatest at posting the most detailed blogs, i decided to share a short email i typed out for my dad just awhile ago...

Hi Pa,

I apologize for the delayed reply. As you can imagine, things got very crazy very quickly on the days prior to the wedding. But now that things have slowed down, i can finally sit down and type you a short update.

Everything went well. I would love to be able to describe to you the details that made it all a beautiful day, but quite honestly, everything seems soo vague right now. I hadn't slept (as expected) the entire night before. Partly due to anxiety, i'm sure, but also because i had stayed up finishing my wedding gift to her (i wrote Nicole a song and only had the time to record it on that night...talk about procrastination). I was running on pure adrenaline the entire day that when everything was said and done, i could only go back to our hotel room and nap. The night wasn't wasted, though, as i had only fallen asleep for 2 hours. We then had a late dinner at the restaurant downstairs. Soo much for capping the night off getting drunk and waking up with a hangover. The peace and quiet that the evening brought about was a good contrast to the crazy theatrics that occurred earlier on. I had wanted to spend time with our friends, but would probably have been too much of a zombie to be a pleasant host.

I told Nicole just a while ago that it does in fact, feel different, getting married in church...our bond has become validated, in a sense. It's as if i can feel the heavens recognizing our union, making it more pleasing...making it just that much more meaningful.

Now it's back to normal life. I get one more day off, and then it's back to the usual routine.

I guess i really wrote to say that it was a great wedding. I wish you and Marco could have made it. I expect you will be hearing much about it from Tito Vinchy. I will show you pictures as soon as we get a hold of some good ones.

Love,
Jules

PS. I had tried calling before the day, but it would just go to voicemail.

...possibly more when i get my brain back...

...cheers...

Upcoming Nuptials

2008-09-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

Look who was in the St. Denis Church bulletin last Sunday, September 14, 2008...

19 days to go.

Girls Night Out

2008-09-06T23:35:00.000-07:00

These are the invitations that Camille, my Maid of Honor, made for my bridal shower. She's also throwing me a little bachelorette party just before the shower, where my girls and I are going to take a pole dancing class!

2008-08-29T23:11:00.001-07:00

...this is my third post...

...ayos!!!...

Hair and Make-up

2008-08-26T20:19:00.001-07:00

Had my trial hair and make-up done today by Michelle from The Storybook Bride. Let me tell you, she's brilliant. Rather, let me show you:

Invitations

2008-08-21T23:53:00.000-07:00

Our invitations were originally marked on my calendar to be sent out in the first week of July. After all the delays with the printer, obtaining guest addresses, and invite assembly, we finally got all of them out today -- almost two months later. I apologize to all our guests for the late invites, and hope it doesn't hinder anyone from attending. We can't wait to see everyone. :)

We have to thank my mom, Camille, Corinne, and Sachil, for helping assemble the invites. They may call it "slave labor" but I like to call it a "labor of love." :P

The beautiful artwork used in the invite was illustrated by my friend, Feanne.

We can't thank her enough for her contribution. I think it really pulled the whole thing together. View more of her pretty, pretty work at Feanne.com.

With the invitations finally out of the way, I can move on to other things, like the programs, timeline, music selection, giveaways, placecards, table names, proxies, ushers, readers, dresses, tuxes, hair and make-up. That's not so bad. Oh yeah, and school starts next week.

I could use some serious pampering.

Sample Table Setting

2008-08-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

Mom and Camille accompanied Jules and I to our florist, Kim Chi (yes, that's really her name). She had a sample table setting for us when we walked into her shop. I thought it was great from the get-go, but she gave us a bunch of other flowers and props to play with, and we had a lot of fun tweaking her setup to get exactly what I had in mind. This is the floral arrangement we came up with for the centerpiece:

It's basically going to be three glass vases, in different heights and shapes. The mango calla lilies will be the star of the show, backed up with turquoise stones, curly willow, leonidas rose petals, and this other orange flower. :P

Kim is also providing us with our linen. She'll be covering the tables in chocolate brown with turquoise napkins, and the chairs in ivory with a sheer brown bow.

I love it and I'm really excited to see a room filled with 15-20 of these settings.

Downtown LA for Accessories

2008-07-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

Mom and I hit Downtown LA last Friday to buy miscellaneous accessories and fabric for the flower girls' dresses. We ended up buying actual dresses instead because I found the exact design I was going to have made anyway! And it came out cheaper than buying fabric then paying someone to make them. Score!

It's an ivory ballgown dress with pickups and a bubble skirt. I'm replacing the ribbon/flower with a turquoise ribbon that matches the bridesmaids dresses. Mom wants to decorate it a little more with beads and whatnot.

I bought myself a tiara and the garter set (one to keep, one to throw). I just need a veil and shoes, both of which I already found at the bridal store where I bought the dress, and I'm all set with my outfit.

We also bought pillows for the ring and coin bearers and a guest book with a matching pen. We found some veils, cords, and candles for the secondary sponsors, but mom said that they were cheaper in Manila, so we're going to have my grandmother bring those for me.

Engagement Photo Shoot Top Picks

2008-07-17T23:54:00.000-07:00

Inserts

2008-07-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

I picked up the inserts from the printer yesterday! I haven't gone through them because I'm scared. I know I thoroughly proofed them beforehand, and others have proofed them beforehand, but it's still possible that we missed something. And I just don't want to find out that something's wrong when I've already printed almost 200 of each piece.

I'm supposed to get the rest of the parts tomorrow so we can start assembling them. The main invite, which was sent to a letterpress, is due on Monday.

I need to finalize the guests' addresses!

Wedding Coordinator

2008-07-02T23:24:00.000-07:00

Jules and I finally met with the wedding coordinator of St. Denis last weekend. She added a couple other things on our to-do list that we weren't even really thinking of, such as choosing ushers and readers, and the readings for the mass. We were also able to set a date for the rehearsal so I'll be contacting the concerned parties regarding that ASAP.

She brought up a couple of things that kind of hamper my plans such as not allowing flower girls younger than 5 years old (one of my flower girls is going to be 2 years old at that time), and having to wear a dress with straps at least an inch thick (the dress that I already bought is strapless and I don't want to wear a shawl, detachable sleeves, or a bolero over it). It's like all-girls Catholic high school all over again.

But I'll have to think about those things later. Our main focus right now, is gathering pictures and music for our montage. My good friend, Princh, agreed to make it for me and I feel really bad that I still haven't gotten the stuff over to her. :(

And then my family, along with Jules and I, are moving to a new house this weekend. So there's going to be packing and moving and unpacking to do. We're thinking of cutting my 32 hours of work down to 20 so I can get more things done. I don't want to be a stressed and ugly bride. :P

Oh, and we booked the Organic String Quartet to play during the wedding procession and for the cocktail hour of the reception. I'm really excited about them; not only will everything look pretty, it'll all sound pretty too!

...engagement pictures...

2008-06-25T23:01:00.000-07:00

...we had our engagement pictures taken today...it was stressful to begin with, since we were late for our 6pm appointment, but it ended up being a great shoot...the weather was more than pleasant, the photographer was a fairly cool guy, and the company was fun as well (thanks, cree)...

...a significant part of the day was when Nicole and I were asked to kiss (something that we HAD to do a gazillion times)...at one instance, we were asked to just put our lips close together, but not actually meet...and to HOLD that position...

...it was at this time that i could breathe in Nicole's closeness...and immediately, i was transported back in time...back to when Nicole and I were just getting to know each other...up to the time we had our first kiss...it's that warm, intimate sensation of breathing in that other person's...well...breath...

...it was a tender moment revisited...

Engagement Photo Shoot

2008-06-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

Corinne holding the flash for the Lawrence the photographer

Jules and I had our engagement pictures taken at English Springs Park in Chino Hills today. It was a beautiful day; the weather was absolutely perfect, especially considering it was over a hundred degrees just a few days ago.

We were told that the shoot would last an hour, so we're not particularly sure why our photographer, Lawerence, kept us there for over two hours. It might be that he was playing with his new lens, or maybe the park was just so pretty, oooorrr maybe his models were just so good-looking. :P In any case, you can't imagine how difficult it is to smile and kiss and "pretend to be in love" for two hours straight. I don't know how we're going to do it for 12 hours on our wedding day. Haha.

But it was a lot of fun. Lawrence was a friendly and engaging photographer. We also have to thank Corinne for coming along and being so helpful.

In other news, we've reserved a white Chrysler 300 Bentley edition limousine for our bridal party, and the invitations should be all done in two weeks. I'm behind on a lot of other things but I'm getting there!

RSVP

2008-06-01T00:59:00.000-07:00

Please send a response before September 13, 2008 to any of the following:

Aissa: (917) 528-8438 (Philippines)
Noemi: (909) 569-9929 (United States)
Nicole: Nix.Concepcion@Gmail.Com

Or post a comment on this page!

Update

2008-05-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

It's a little weird that my last post here was a month ago. Things have been on hold because of term papers, projects, and final exams. Now that school's out for the summer, wedding planning is in full blast again.

First off, Jules and I booked a DJ/MC from Have Music Will Travel. They were half the price of a couple other DJ's that we really liked, so we were a little hesitant to book them. Quality over quantity, I always say. But after several good referrals and consideration for our empty wallets, we thought we'd give them a go. I hope we don't regret it.

Invitations are almost ready for the printer. We're finalizing the text and tweaking the design here and there. Feanne gave me some beautiful artwork for it, and I'm really excited to show off her stuff.

We're due for our engagement photo shoot really soon, and possibly a sample-arrangements session from our florist. We still need to send swatches and tux instructions to some members of our bridal party, and we need to book a string quartet for our ceremony/cocktail hour. Camille's working on transportation and hair & make up artists, and mom's got the giveaways covered.

Whew. What else? We're pretty much on track, actually, maybe even a little ahead. Which is good, I like that. I enjoy this stuff.

All Dressed in White (take 2)

2008-04-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

I'm a little ticked off that the Jasmine Bridal site conked out as soon as I posted a link to it in my last post, so I uploaded pictures of the dress into my own server. In case you're interested, here they are again (Jules, don't click!):

Front
Back
Detail

It's got a mermaid silhouette with a sweetheart neckline and a good amount of detail. It's pictured with a chapel-length train, but I ordered it at cathedral-length.

I loved the dress already when I first tried it on, but since I'm me, I had to go to every single boutique in the area before I made my decision. In another boutique, I tried on a similar dress that I loved just as much. I was really torn. Until I asked for the designer and found out that it was the exact same dress. :P It must be "the one."

~~I made some calls~~ Corinne made some calls for me, and found that Ferndales Bridal sold the dress for the best price, so we went over there last weekend and had the dress ordered.

I'm so glad it's off my to-do list. There's four weeks of crunch-time left in school and I need to be able to concentrate on my studies.

All Dressed in White

2008-04-20T01:55:00.000-07:00

Oooh! Lookie what I bought today!!! (Except Jules. Jules, don't click the link below!) Hint: It's white with a cathedral train.

Click! Click! Click!

Travel Info Update

2008-04-15T21:27:00.001-07:00

I've updated the Travel Information page to include some tips on cheap/discounted car rentals and airfare.

I'll continue to look for better prices and keep you informed.

The Room and Zoom

2008-04-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

If you're getting a room at Ayres Suites, they have a package called "The Room and Zoom," where you simply need to ask for it by name when making your reservations. The local Enterprise franchise works with them to provide you a standard vehicle (like a Toyota Corolla or a similar car) at a discount rate of $29.99* per day.

Ayres will need your estimated arrival time and a car will be delivered to the hotel, waiting for you upon arrival. The charges can be billed to your room for convenience and Ayres will return the car for you upon check out.

Related: Check out the accommodations page to read more on making reservations at Ayres.

*All prices are quoted in U.S. Dollars and are exclusive of tax.

The Penthouse Suite

2008-04-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

Whoo! Jules and I just reserved the penthouse suite at Embassy Suites for our wedding weekend. I don't think I've ever been in a penthouse suite before. This is where my girls and I will be getting ready before the ceremony. We'll be brought to the church by limo, and after the reception, we're all going to crash here and have a really good time. The boys can join if they want. ;P

Video tours:
Upper Penthouse Living Room
Upper Penthouse Bedroom
Upper Penthouse Bathroom

Tux Fitting (part 2)

2008-04-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

We went back to Friar Tux last weekend so Jules could try on the tux that we had selected. We also decided on the white vest and matching paisley tie for him, the teal vest and paisley tie for the best man, and the teal vest and striped tie for the groomsmen.

Now to find my wedding dress!

Car Rentals

2008-04-06T21:37:00.001-07:00

If you're booking a room with Ayres, click here to read more about their Room and Zoom package, which gets you an intermediate class car for $30 a day.

Otherwise, Side Step is my discounted travel search site of choice. Of course, other travel sites like Expedia, Orbitz, etc. work too.

Keep in mind that renting a car from the airport comes with a lot of tax (about 20% give or take, depending on the airport) so ask for the total amounts inclusive of all taxes before you make your decision.

Flights

2008-04-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

Philippine Airlines has round-trip, non-stop flights from Manila (MNL) to Los Angeles (LAX) in September and October for Php 44,848.00 inclusive of tax, as long as you leave Manila on any day but a Friday or a Saturday. Remember that prices go up the closer you get to your departure date.

For more cheap flights, again, I recommend Side Step, but other travel sites like Expedia, Orbitz, etc. work too.

If you're traveling within the United States, and you're under 26, or you're a student/teacher, I suggest you check out STA Travel. They give pretty decent student discounts.

Finally, if you're in Canada and you live near the border, you might want to look into driving across the U.S. border, park your car at the airport, and take a plane from there. It changes your flight status from international to domestic, and it could save you a couple hundred dollars.

Accommodations

2008-04-06T21:36:00.000-07:00

Ayres Suites
21951 Golden Springs Dr
Diamond Bar, CA 91765 (view map)
Tel: (800) 452-6975 / (909) 860-6290

Location:

Nicole's Review:

View the website

click here

Reservation:

$104

1-800-452-6975

Concepcion-de Vera party

*All prices are quoted in U.S. Dollars at a per room per night rate and are exclusive of tax.

Embassy Suites
900 E Birch St
Brea, CA 92821 (view map)
Tel: (800) EMBASSY / (714) 990-6000

Location:

Notes:

Nicole's Review:

Julian's Review:

View the website

Reservations:

$128

visit their website

*All prices are quoted in U.S. Dollars at a per room per night rate and are exclusive of tax.

Travel Information

2008-04-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

In Los Angeles, September and October are actually two of the best months of the year. There is very little rain, if any, and the temperature averages highs of 80°F (27°C) and lows of 60°F (16°C).

What to pack: Make sure to bring short-sleeved shirts, mid-weight jackets, light-weight pants, and sweaters in case layering is necessary for the drearier days. On the great, beautiful warm days, shorts are always perfect.

Read more about the weather on losangeles.com/weather. Click the links below for more travel advice and information.

Accommodations
Car Rentals
Flights
Local Attractions (coming soon)

Events & Venues

2008-04-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

CEREMONY

St. Denis Church

2151 S Diamond Bar Blvd
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
Tel: (909) 861-7106

view map

view directions

RECEPTION

Orange Hill Restaurant

6410 E Chapman Ave
Orange, CA 92869
Tel: (714) 997-2910

view map

view directions

Map & Directions

2008-04-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map

Directions to St. Denis (ceremony)

From Los Angeles

(view map with directions)

From Orange Country

(view map with directions)

From Ayres Hotel

(view map with directions)

Directions to Orange Hill Restaurant (reception)

From St. Denis Church

(view map with directions)

Registry

2008-04-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

Our Registry
by Julian and Nicole

we sometimes wish for many things
the luxuries that money brings
the simple things that one can hold
and put to use til we grow old
that pretty table, a fancy chair
to fill a lovely home so bare

the things we'd have on registry
are lovely things, but honestly
we have no home no living room
no dining place to host you soon
to buy a home is now our goal
a sanctuary for our souls

with all that said, we'd appreciate
any amount you might donate :)

Nicole and Julian's
First Home Fund

Gathering Travel Information

2008-03-31T15:32:00.001-07:00

I'm currently working on getting you guys discounted travel rates such as for airlines, car rentals, and hotels. So watch out for that.

Also, if anyone has any information regarding this, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

The Bridesmaids' Dresses

2008-03-31T12:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it looks like we've all agreed to adorn my lovely bridesmaids in Butter by Nadia's Signature Wrap Dress, as seen here on Naomi Watts.

Glenda first showed me this dress a while back, and it's a pretty brilliant dress. You can wear it in so many different ways. So my bridesmaids will probably each pick a style that works best for them, allowing them to be unique while still maintaining continuity of the dress style. Or something like that. I don't really know, I'm terrible with this fashion stuff, which is why I turned it over to my best friends.

Below are just a few of the different ways the dress can be worn:

Tux Fitting

2008-03-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

Jules and I took a trip to Friar Tux today to choose the tuxes. We easily settled on this Calvin Klein style for Jules:

And a similar-but-not-as-yummy style for everyone else:

For the vests and ties, we're going with teal for the best man and groomsmen, cinnamon for the sponsors, and gold for the parents and grandparents, all to match their female counterparts, of course. Jules' vest and tie will either be white or ivory. We'll decide when we see them later on, but right now, I'm thinking it should be white to match my dress.

The guys will be in solid-colored ties, except the best man and groom, who'll be in striped ties. I'll have to see how the paisley tie looks on Jules, before we decide if we wanna bump him and the best man up to paisley, and all the other guys to stripes. The kids (ring bearer, bible bearer, and coin bearer) will be in bow-ties, as per Justin's request.

Here are pictures of Jules and Justin getting fitted:

Robles Video

2008-03-20T11:23:00.001-07:00

I'm happy to report that we've finally put in a deposit for a videographer. I knew we were going to go with the HD guy, Robles Video, from the second Camille and I met with them (they had Hershey's Kisses in bowls all over their office). But at that point, we hadn't researched or met with any other videographers at all.

So now, after finding some other guys who were pretty good, just as pricey, and not HD, and some other guys who were okay, cheaper, but not HD, I'm more comfortable going with Robles.

Now, I'm aware that HD-DVD is being phased out, but it's not dead yet. I'd say we have a good couple of years, which is more than enough time to figure out what to do with our current HD-DVDs.

Entourage

2008-03-17T23:24:00.001-07:00

Maid of Honor Camille May Concepcion	Best Man Vicente Carlos de Vera
Bridesmaids Corinne Anne Concepcion Ma. Isabelle Margarita Ereñeta Ma. Glenda Luz Ollero	Groomsmen Marco Antonio Frangelico de Vera Carlo Angelo Goco Mark Philip Flores
Ring Bearer Justin Ma. Concepcion	Flower Girls Annacristina Milagros Fabon
Bible Bearer David Anthony dela Peña	Jasmyn Angelique Ros
Coin Bearer Riley Aiden del Rosario	Maya Elyse Lopez

Principal Sponsors

Mr. Gerardo Ablaza, Jr.
Mr. Eduardo De Sagun
Mr. Rene Leon
Mr. Jose Querubin
Mr. Gerardo Valero
Mr. Vicente de Vera

Mrs. Mary Cho
Mrs. Apipa Paras
Ms. Teresita Locsin
Mrs. Yolanda Mitchell
Mrs. Amelia Samaniego
Ms. Milagros Velez

Secondary Sponsors

Candle
Edmond De Sagun
Cynthia dela Peña

Veil
Ricardo Leon
Kristine Anne Estorninos

Cord
Benito Luis Concepcion
Katrina Sheila Hassaram

Fabric

2008-03-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

Mom and I went to downtown LA yesterday, and we finally finally found the shade of turquoise that I've been looking for! Apparently, it's kind of like teal, but lighter. Yay!

Next step is to finalize my entourage so I can send them swatches. Whoo! Progress!

Contact

2008-03-09T14:26:00.001-07:00

Please feel free to contact us at any of the following:

Nicole
Tel: (626) 757-4700 (United States)
Email: nix.concepcion@gmail.com
Yahoo: nixiecon

Julian
Tel: (626) 679-4098 (United States)
Email: jule@musician.org

Priorities

2008-03-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

Exactly 7 months 'til showtime and all we've got is a florist and a photographer! Things we need to check off the list this weekend are:

DJ/MC
There's one guy who also serves as a wedding coordinator on top of being the DJ/MC; we really like his personality and he seems very dependable. The thing is, he's double the price of a couple other guys. I guess we don't really need that extra service, except that knowing someone experienced will be able to make sure the reception is on schedule really appeals to us (or me). This is up to Jules.

Videographer
The main decision here is if we want to go with high definition. I have only one guy at normal-def who's decent and cheaper than the HD guy. Right now, I'm leaning toward HD because Jules and I are techies, and hopefully, going HD will help the video last longer. If we didn't go HD, I can imagine our kids 20 years from now going, "Are you sure that's you guys? The video's so fuzzy it could be anyone." o_O

Finalize Entourage
This is mainly the sponsors. Jules is pretty much done with his so this is all me. I need to get on top of those calls. Ugh.

Swatches
I've been to so many fabric stores in the area and I can't beleive how difficult it is to find turquoise! The closest I can find is aqua, but the color I'm looking for has a slightly greener tinge than that. I've been putting off going downtown for the fabric because... I'm lazy.

So the first two are mainly decision-making, and the last two just require me to get off my ass. Okay, okay, I can do that. Ready, set, go!

About Us

2008-02-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

NICOLE
A typical expat kid, Nicole attended the International School of Kuala Lumpur, the Singapore American School, and finally settled in PAREF Woodrose School in Manila. She graduated from De La Salle University with a degree in Computer Science, and is currently pursuing her Masters in Business Administration in Cal State Fullerton.

I first laid eyes on Nicole during rehearsals for a church-based concert. I guess in a way I could say she danced to the music I made with my guitar. I was content with simply crushing on her, since i was never the type to approach a total stranger. I hardly ever saw her soon after that.

Our paths crossed a few years after, and this time around, I didn't pass on the opportunity to get to know her better. I have never regretted that decision.

Nicole fills in the gaps that once kept my heart empty. To say she completes me would be cliche, but true. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that's how my heart knew that she was the one, for fondness was felt with every moment that we would part ways.

The abyss that are her eyes gives my soul sanctuary from the harshness of this world, the gentle touch that are her lips tell me everything's going to be alright.

My attraction for Nicole began long before I knew her name. And now that she's about to take my name as well, that attraction hasn't faltered.

-Julian

JULIAN
Julian attended (somewhat) De La Salle Zobel and is a graduate of the Music Production program of the College of St. Benilde in Manila. He currently works at a freight forwarding company in Los Angeles, sending balikbayan boxes to the Philippines.

If I had to describe Jules in one word, I'd have to say that he's a musician. Making music is so natural for him that he used to believe it was just as easy for everyone else.

I met Jules in one of my regular chatrooms in 2003. I didn't know who he was or what he looked like. But, like most of my other online acquaintances, I knew someone who knew someone who knew him (or something like that). After several conversations, we realized that we actually knew each other from several church-related activities -- particularly the 2001 concert in which we both performed; he played the guitar for the band and I was one of the dancers.

With long hair, tattoos, and piercings, Jules looked like your typical "bad boy," while being a musician fit him into the mysterious, brooding artist mold. Two stereotypes that every girl wants to date, rolled into one? Score!

I soon found out, however, that Jules is the perfect example of not judging a book by its cover. I could go on about how sweet, kind, and caring Jules really is, but I won't because those are all typical adjectives of a boyfriend/girlfriend, and I would feel the need to give evidence of each trait, and this write up isn't supposed to be that long.

I'll give you this, though: Jules is a lot like my dad -- gago (mischievous). He never fails to make me laugh and he isn't afraid to be silly. For the record, this is the number one reason why I'm marrying him.

-Nicole

On LiveJournal

2008-02-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

Add Julian & Nicole to your LJ friends list!

Credit goes to Glenda. Thanks Plats!

Tag Board

2008-02-17T13:53:00.000-08:00

My page analyzer told me that there's been 39 unique visitors to this site since I put it up. I didn't know I knew that many people!

So I thought I'd put up a tag board to allow you guys to make your presence known. We're a vain couple so we like knowing when people have come to view our site. :P Leave a comment, say hi, tell me I'm anal, anything. Thanks for visiting!

Slacking

2008-02-17T13:10:00.000-08:00

We're running a little behind schedule. We had to interview more photographers than I thought we would have to because I kept looking for someone with a lower price to fit the budget. Unfortunately, I'm all about the quality, so photographer-hunting turned into finding someone good for the lowest price I could get.

Now that the photographer's done, it looks like the same thing is going to be happening to the videographers and DJ's. Unfortunately, we're all really really sick of interviewing vendors already so we've been slacking.

Plus, it was hard enough for me to go out to interviews myself, it was even harder having to schedule the car that Camille's always using. Now that she totaled that car and it's in the shop, it's near impossible to get free time on either of the other cars.

So yeah, I'm a little stressed but that might just be my perfectionism and OCD kicking in. What I really need is a new car. And maybe a fresh burst of energy for this project. A new car would probably bring about the latter. :P

Photographer

2008-02-11T00:33:00.000-08:00

Aaand that's another vendor down. Harvard Photography.

We've already started meeting with DJ's and videographers, so we should be booking those within the next couple weeks too.

Wedding Planner

2008-02-06T13:39:00.000-08:00

I would just like to share that I'm enjoying this whole wedding planning thing so much that I'm seriously considering a career in it someday (or as they say: ikakarir). I admit I may be a little extreme (like Monica from FRIENDS), as I demonstrate below with pictures, but I love being so organized!

Okay, first is my calendar. I update my Google Calendar practically every second. It's shared with people who are involved with planning and making appointments.

Second is my binder, where I keep all the information I've gathered. Right on top is my weekly calendar, printed from the Google Calendar every Saturday night. If there were a digital sheet of paper that could automatically update itself through the internet (and didn't cost too much), that's where it would be, and I would be so happy. Underneath is a monthly calendar to keep track of things from a further perspective. There are pictures of flowers, decorations, dresses, etc. printed from the Internet or taken from a magazine.

Okay, here's where I get a little freaky. My to-do list also serves as sort of a projected cash flow statement. I know when money's coming in so I can book vendors according to when I can afford to pay their deposits.

Next is my budget summary. This gives me an idea of how we're doing in a glance. The first column tells me how money is allocated in a typical wedding of that size and budget (according to the Internet). The Budgeted column is how I allocate according to the vendors I've visited so far. The Actual column is pretty blank right now because we haven't really booked any vendors yet. The last column calculates how much we're over or under budget.

The budget summary has links to other sheets in the workbook. These sheets contain a breakdown of each part, how much we've paid, how much we still owe, and when.

Finally, this is our guest list. This is ready to mail merge when I need to print place cards, inner and outer envelopes, etc. It can be arranged according to whatever header I need, so I can print lists of... all of my family, all of Jules' family, all of the people who haven't RSVP'd yet, all of the people who are in the entourage, all the people in a certain table, etc.

And! It keeps track of the statistics! As you can see, so far, I'm inviting about 3 times the number of people that Jules is. BUT that's because he hasn't completed his list yet. :P

Okay, that's it. I'm done. I just had to share that because nobody really cares, and I assume that my ~~insanity~~ skills will have a better chance of being appreciated if it's up on the world wide web. :D

Déjà Vu

2008-01-29T22:50:00.000-08:00

Jules called me into the room today and when I opened the door, he was down on one knee with a small box in his hand!! It looked much like the time he proposed last June, before our civil marriage. He replaced my promise ring with this pretty thing:

He also picked out this wedding ring to match it:

It's things like these that make glad that Jules has better taste than me. :P

Invitations: Take 1

2008-01-29T19:22:00.000-08:00

It looks like my coworkers' designing skills might be rubbing off on me. Here's a mock-up design of our invitations.

The fonts and wording aren't final, I just threw them together to make the design more complete. I'm hoping to have the brown part be bronze metallic material like so:

The inserts and the main invite are brown/bronze wording letter-pressed on ivory card, and stuck on turquoise card for the border. The picture is printed regularly, and the quote on the right is letter-pressed turquoise.

Of course, this will all change depending on the cost of printing and other details.

Meeting Florists

2008-01-24T22:58:00.000-08:00

Mom and I visited a few florists yesterday. Let me tell you, trying to convey your entire vision to a florist when you know nothing about colors, flowers, or design is really difficult. We spent two hours with the first girl going through every flower arrangement she could possibly make for us. She mentioned stuff like Mango Calla Lilies, Dendrobium Orchids, Aranda Orchids, Burnt Umber and Leonidas Roses, Protea, etc. (I got those from the quotes they gave me, not off the top of my head. Off the top of my head, all I know there is the Mango Calla Lily.)

In the end, we got about the same quote from the American florists, and half the price from the Chinese one. Plus, the Chinese one will do samples for me beforehand, and play around with the arrangement if I'm not happy with it. So I'm booking Ms. Kim Chi (yes, that's really her name) tomorrow. Oh, and she does linen too, so I won't have to find a separate vendor for that.

I would post pictures to make this post more interesting, but I think I'll just hold back and post pictures of the samples that Kim makes me, instead of pictures that can be found all over the Internet that won't be exactly what I'm looking for anyway.

Reception Site

2008-01-19T20:38:00.000-08:00

So it's official. Our ceremony will be at 9am in St. Denis, and our reception from 11-4pm at Orange Hill (more pictures at their website).

That takes a lot off my mind. I know it's far from over, but I feel like everything else is just details.

...orange hill...

2008-01-19T19:55:00.001-08:00

...we finally booked a reception hall today, i'm soo relieved that we've at least saved a church and reception hall...i could almost care less that all the rest haven't been set...who cares if my bride doesn't have a dress, or if flowers are not present?...as far as i'm concerned, we've covered:

1. venue for ceremony

2. venue for party after

...all else are just che-che-bureche...

...of course, i'm sure "tequila princess" wouldn't agree :P...

Website Up and Running

2008-01-19T00:32:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to fixing the layout of this site. Tweaked the template here and there to match our wedding's theme colors. It's pretty cute, if I do say so myself. I admit the slideshow of pictures is a little cheesy, but maybe Lolo and Lola will appreciate it. :P

It's now ready to have its URL distributed. Of course, the only people who'll actually be interested in our wedding plans will most likely be me and... Lolo and Lola for the pictures.

Oh well. Gotta get ready for bed. Jules and I are going to make a down-payment for our reception site tomorrow. Hopefully. *crosses fingers!*

Booked the Church!

2008-01-05T19:33:00.000-08:00

We met with Fr. Dennis at St. Denis (haha) and booked Saturday, October 4, 2008 at 12:00pm. Yay! Now to find a reception site.