After having a little over an hour of rest in the bridal suite with the make-up crew, the harem, ma and pa and a little later, Jones and Ate Joyce, Joen and I made it to the Baltic Room for our much anticipated Reception. When we got there, we were told by Tisha to wait 10 more minutes, which was fine. We went up to the lobby and chatted a bit with the Bitches who were on their way down. Anyway, as we were about to enter the room, Teo
dy was frantically looking for the room keys as he was supposed to pop the big confetti upon our entrance. Haha. Things still went well with our bubbled welcome as both kids and adults met our entry with bubbles and smiles. I knew the minute we were in that it was going to be a fun night.
To start off, Tisha reluctantly agreed to host the reception with Kuya JJ now that Sam confirmed there was no float from Ormoc before 11 pm that night. Too bad because I made a deal with Tisha long ago that in OUR wedding, she was NOT going to host. I just wanted her to sit down, look pretty and enjoy her food. But such was not the case the night of our wedding. It wasn't like I had a choice. She knew almost everyone important and she had read the program with Sam. Good thing Kuya JJ was ok to co-host with her so she
wouldn't feel so alone on the podium. MUCH THANKS, HIJA! MUCH THANKS, KUYA! Going back to how the night started,
Amy's doxology was hair-raising especially on the part when she transitioned towards the "Amen." She really does have a beautiful voice. The food was very good even though I didn't eat very much. We knew almost everyone in the room, which I'm told, is rare in weddings. We took pics of us in each table and we were able to thank the people there for going despite the Typhoon Signal no. 1. Ate Joyce's tagalog song number with John got whistles! Haha. Tito Roy and the choir's song numbers were delivered wholeheartedly and well-practiced and for that, we really appreciated it. The Love Story c/o Kuya JJ was off the script (Eyes pop!) but it was much better because he used his own words based on his "observation" (kuno). An Obsessive Compulsive and a Carefree person, he says, are who make up our marriage.
You don't say... Hehe.
A Video of the Harem before and AFTER Joen snagged me was put together by Leg and it made me cry. It made me realize just how much I miss my best friends who have become like family to me all these years. Haaayyy. Further, videos of our Pre-nuptial shots and of our Childhood to Engagement pictures were looped in the Widescreen. It was our first time to have seen the pre-nuptial pictures taken by Tabong, Dave and Charles Buenaconsejo and so were excited to view them. Joen and I formed a little affiliation with the Buenaconsejos while we were in Cebu because it was fun working with them, especially Charles who has an eccentric eye for the camera. The flowers were very pleasing to the eye as well because they weren't too loud or overbearing to the whole decor theme. Much love to the punctual and professional Eddie Dinapo who
was a delight to meet with. The cake was a surprise treat, that's for sure! First of all, we had no idea it was going to be that big. Haha! I knew it was going to have a 14-inch base but the rest of the layers really WOW'd us. People commented on the cake a lot and I'm very proud of the design we chose and of the pics we had displayed beside it, which were of our grandparents, both alive and dead. The cute "Laughing couple" caketopper fell and chipped the nose of the bride, according to Tisha. Too bad but it hardly hurt the cake's overall appeal. I gave the caketopper to her for HER wedding. Hehe.
The fun parts were indeed fun. Watching my girlfriends bend over for NOTHING,
except for Daphne's case, was very entertaining to me!! They were worried about their cleavagevilles and their dresses but what the hell. As the song goes, "It's my party and I'll LAUGH if I want to.. LAUGH if I want to... LAUGH if I want to!"I had planned to throw it to Daphne but I had hoped she would be at the far side of the group. Unfortunately, she was near me so I had to hit her butt with the bouquet to prove a point! Bwahaha! Sorry Daphens. The Musical Chair game's losers were MY classmates in St. Ben, An and Raymond. Tsk tsk. Sayang. I would've wanted total strangers going at it but I guess it wasn't meant to be. Glad to have finally met An's Fil-Am boyfriend though who was a good sport as An raised the garter up Raymond's leg. Or was he? (Didn't mean to start something guys ok?) Speaking of Raymond, his speech during the toast was baseless, as far as Joen was concerned. But not to me!! I know who HE was tal
king about. Tisha and I went to school with her and we were friends with her! Haha. Poor Joen... =)
Our first dance was very nice. When Tisha announced "Fade Into You" by Mazzy Star as one of our songs, I heard a few gasps. Well, it is one of my favorite songs. Joen and I enjoyed being in each other's arms while dancing to the slow song but when "Happy Together" by the Turtles came on, we enjoyed swinging and winging it! The confetti, which Teody had the hardest time popping, (not in Leg's c
ase, ha!) embellished our pics of the dance. We had fun watching the kids gather the confetti pieces in their arms and throwing it at us or in the air. Megan, Jaja, Juancho and Nino did the rounds in making sure we had bits of paper in our hair. Hehe. Then the round robin dance with the parents began with "C'est si Bon" and a little jazz filled the room. It was all smiles as Papa, Daddy and Joen took turns dancing with Mama, Mommy and myself. But I loved it the most when the rest of the married couples joined us in dancing to "You are the Sunshine of my Life" by Stevie Wonder. I saw the Taylors, the Allegos, the Saniels, but more interestingly, Tito Resil and Tita Sally Mojares! I saw when Tito Resil wanted to sit right back in his chair but I beckoned them to join the group. So so glad they obliged. 
Hehe. I could see that the couples really enjoyed the dance. Those couples who didn't join in were swinging their hips on their chairs nonetheless. I mean, who couldn't with that classic song? Then it was time for Joen and I to sing while my Mom played the organ. We chose "When I fall in love" simply because it is just one of the loveliest classic love songs ever AND it was a song Joen could sing without much effort. And we nailed it! Joen got a lot of kudos for his "brave" performance. I love my hubby, he's such a sport!
The Chicken Dance... now that was interesting. It was the most uncoordinated but the most fun chicken dance I've ever done. The adults joined in, the circle's rotation was chaotic and Megan was in the restroom when the musi
c was on. However, watching the adults do the dance from a distance, especially my Mom, was fun to watch. Then came the Cha-cha Slide. Right before it came on, Beaver approaches me and mouths to me that she's leaving. I gave her a rather Hitler-y order to "STAY AND DANCE!" and that, she did. The Cha-cha Slide was indeed fun as most of those in the dance floor hadn't tried dancing to it yet so they were still surprised at the switches made by the DJ. The part that went, "Reverse! Reverse!" was my favorite because people didn't know which way to turn! Haha. Anyway, more dancing followed after Joen and I gave our Thank you speech. Ate Debra and Ate Joyce might as well have been in a wacky-off because they took turns flooring us with their kinky dance moves. Hehe. 
We were able to talk to almost everyone and as we said goodbye to some of them, we got a lot of comments like, "Lingawa sa inyong reception uy" or "Lingawa ninyong duha uy" or "Very nice wedding. Intimate kaayo" or "Who made your flowers?" or "Ikaw ra akong bride na-ilhan nga nag-ilis sa reception" or "Nice dress!" and "Nindota sa inyong cake uy!" Even Bernardo Flores' team, whom I begged to stay longer than they were supposed to, gave us props for a very candidly fun reception. That truly made us proud.
The night ended around midnight and as Joen and I went through some of the filled out questionnaires and money envelope and greeting cards, we couldn't believe it was all over. We were exhausted since Day 1 and we lacked sleep but the fun we had that night made it all worth it. Thanks to everyone who backed us up all the way from the start of this wedding planning. Tisha for coordinating, hosting and for giving us really good vendors, our parents for sharing their efforts in making sure things were taken care of in Cebu, our families, especially our siblings who were willing to become servants before and during the day, our helpers who join
ed forces in the assembly of the favors and making sure the chocolate fountain worked, Indira for agreeing to become lector at the last minute, Leg, Doogie, Rexy and Teody for becoming Tisha's eyes, ears and legs, our vendors (Papicture, Bernardo Flores, the Buenconsejos, Jonel and Eddie Dinapo) for delivering more than we expected, my Auntie Pyr for taking care of the chocolate fountain dippings, Dimples for sketching the questionnaire, the Bitches for offering, our readers, my uncle Wendell who was our officiating Priest, those who performed during the reception, and everyone who helped out in one way or the other, behind the scenes. Much thanks to you.
I do have a few regrets that day. I wish the typhoon hadn't happened so a lot of our counted guests would've made it. I wish all the Harem Moms could've were around that night but Tita Emy had to take care of Isa and Tita Cathet was stranded. I wish Chime was able to join us in the dance floor instead of doing the rounds with our relatives and coordinating with the waiters after the event. I wish my brother didn't ha
ve an emergency in the office so that he could've enjoyed the reception more. I wish a lot more things to have happened that day but they were all beyond our control. Sickness may not be an Act of God but not the weather. That wass something nobody could have done anything about. And besides, we still had one hell of a party and everybody enjoyed it and that's what really matters!
C'EST FINI! C'EST SI BON!
Pic 1: Our centerpieces
Pic 2: Our bubbled entrance
Pic 3: That cake sure was thick!
Pic 4: Kiss-on-demand
Pic 5: Us at the Vendors' table
Pic 6: An placing the garter higher up Raymond's leg
Pic 7: Bend over, girls!!!
Pic 8: The couples hoard the floor
Pic 9: Pinaka-walay klaro nga chicken dance
Pic 10: The Cha-cha slide
Pic 11: Jaja, Megan and Chime surround the chocolate fountain
Pic 12: Floor shot
Pic 13: Our beverage napkin and kiss bell
