Today’s real wedding was sent to me, along with the sweetest note in the world, by one of our readers. Myrha was married in a Filipino inspired ceremony where most of the details were do-it-yourself touches. I’ll let Myrha share all of the lovely details with you, but here are some gorgeous images for you to devour…
all photos by David Hanson Photographer
From Myhra…
Before getting exposed to Style Me Pretty, I absolutely had no idea how to throw a wedding party. I thought, as long as I had a dress, there were venues and we could provide food, that was already it. But Style Me Pretty and InStyle Weddings Magazine showed me that there are so many options out there, so many themes to choose from, and it’s so much fun to plan for a wedding. Our wedding turned out more than my husband and I expected it to be. It was such a fun and relaxed wedding! Not to mention downright affordable (we only spent about $8,000 total for the wedding). All your DIY features and inspiration boards had given me ideas I could never come up with, on my own. And your blog has inspired me to make our wedding memorable, and not lacking in character.
We only had 80 guests, so our venues were small and intimate. We are Catholic so our ceremony had to take place in a Catholic Church. We chose a small, white chapel in Tagaytay (a small high place 45 minutes away from Manila that has a breathtaking view of the Taal Volcano) for our vows, and a Country-themed inn for the reception (www.discoverycountrysuites.com). Our motif was Cerulean blue, with gold and textured off-white as accents (think brocade). We infused traditional Filipino elements like using Pineapple fiber for the fabric of my wedding dress (Piña, as we call it, has a nice Ivory shade to it). My husband’s aunt made and embroidered it for us. We also gave traditional Filipiniana fans (embroidered Pineapple fabric on rich, dark Narra wood) to the members of our female entourage. To make the look cohesive, we monogrammed our stationeries (menu cards, misalettes, gift tags, table numbers) and seals. We also wrapped our giveaways — $1.5 shawls from China, a gift from my sister-in -law — in Cerulean blue wrappers and tied it in a gold ribbon (my mother-in- law I did this two weeks before the wedding).
There was also the labor of love. My sister and I designed the dresses for the female entourage. We bought the fabrics and had the dress made by a local dressmaker. Total cost is $25 per dress. I designed the Mint-to-Be wrappers in Photoshop and had them printed in a local digital printing store. My colleagues and I packaged the mints ourselves (on a sidenote — and with pride — I wrote the ingredients on the Mint-to-Be’s: a spoonful of love, a sprinkle of magic, a dash of hope, a cup of respect, a slice of commitment, a drop of kindness and patience and a daily dose of endless hugs and kisses!). My sister and I printed the menu cards and misalette covers using her Print Gocco machine.
Our biggest expense was the food, we wanted our guests to go home full and happy. Since we only had 80 guests, we could afford to serve them a seven-course meal and to end it with a dessert buffet.
My cousin and his friends from www.mayadstudios.com, produced for us a video that you can see here.
Again, thank you so much Abby. Your blog is an online bible for all bride-to-bes. Style Me Pretty has made me realize that “style begins where budget ends” is full of hogwash. All brides deserve the wedding of their dreams, but they definitely do not have to pay the high price of executing it. Your blog is a testament that elegance and style need not be expensive.
