I know every couple calls their wedding team a dream team because these suppliers are really the people behind making a couple’s dream of a wedding come true. But I’d like to share with you how specially this happy bunch of ours have touched us with their passion, creativity and dedication to their craft.

ALFRED MENDOZA - www.alfredoastariomendoza.blogspot.com

Our photographer, Alfred Mendoza is a friend I’ve known way back in college. He has grown from a camera-toting yearbook staff, mountaineer- wannabe (oops, sorry Alfred ) to one of the rising stars in the photography industry. Having a friend as a photographer has brought a very personal touch to our wedding that no expensive lighting or complex lens technique can ever replace. There really is something different when the person looking at you through the lens really KNOWS you. This is what was very much evident during our recently concluded pre-nup session at “Marrakesh”.

The photos were just beautiful. It was a work done by a photographer who knew his craft well but also a friend who genuinely reached out not just to a subject but to cherished friends. Alfred’s photos truly spoke of his passion and his drive for excellence as well as reflect his desire to capture his friends in their most memorable moments.

Special mention too to Dom for loaning Gabby his costume, Nikki for loaning me her friend’s costume, Tanya for her styling expertise and of course to our dear Pao for his amazing house and wonderful food

ALFRED SAMONTE - http://www.philippinemadrigalsingers.com/

I first met Alfred Samonte when I was coordinating for a Christmas chorale series with The Philippine Madrigal Singers. That was the first time I heard them sing. I just stood in awe, eyes brimming with tears, my heart singing. In my heart of hearts then, I said to myself “I wish I’d have something like this for my wedding” (I’ve always been a sucker for beautifully-sung church music, even sometimes getting teary eyed in the middle of a Communion song ).

After that initial event, I had the chance to work with Alfred for other projects. I’ve seen how committed Alfred is not just as a singer but as an advocate of beautiful music. I know that he has not just been active with the Madz but has dedicated his time as well in honing talents from schools from all over the country.

A few months ago, I just mentioned in passing that I will get married in March of 08. Without missing a beat, Alfred offered to sing at our wedding. How could I say no to the Madz? So Alfred, without knowing it, has caught the wish I’ve offered to the wind and the heavens above, and given it back to me. He has patiently worked with me in putting together musical pieces that would make our wedding really special. But more than the expert opinion, what is truly noteworthy is his genuine love for music blended with his instinct on what truly brings out a couple’s harmony.

ENAN ALMANDO - 241 Amapola Street, Palm Village, Rockwell, Makati City 896.3457; 0917.8214183; enanalmando@yahoo.com.ph

We met Enan through our coordinator Liza. The first time we sat down with her, it took us more than two hours just chatting. I guess that laid the precedent for our next meetings for we never leave Enan’s studio without being filled with laughter and stories. With Enan, you don’t just talk about the clothes for the wedding but you can talk about anything under the sun!

Amidst all the talks, you can surmise that Enan is not just a talented and creative designer but also a hardworking one. Enan shares with us instances when she would personally hem a bride’s gown just to make sure that it fits perfectly or when she would spend all night cutting and sewing clothes together with her team just to make sure a deadline is met. Liza also tells us how very particular Enan is to the tiniest detail, ensuring that her gowns are cleanly made, with every seam and tuck in place.

Working with Enan has been a joy because we share the same love for deep, rich colors and penchant for the avant garde (she is the type who always looks “dressed to paint the town red” even when she is just home). Apart from this, I guess what makes our working relationship effective is that we have, in the short span of time, developed an openness as shown in our constant correspondence about suggestions on how to improve the look, what shoes to wear, what color looks best, etc. For sure, Enan will create the dresses that I will wear in the other seasons of my life

ROBERT BLANCAFLOR

I’ve also worked with Robert for stuff at work. He is the stroke of genius and flair that makes the difference in the events that we’ve had. Anything he touches, no matter how simple or mundane gets transformed into a conversation piece after he’s done with it.

In the course of working with him for the wedding, it was quite a surprise to discover that such a creative person can also be very pragmatic and matter-of-fact. He does not dwell initially on what flowers to use or what colors to blend but earnestly talks about all the scenarios that may happen if things don’t go as planned. In short, he plays a very good devil’s advocate first, forcing you to find alternatives should Murphy’s Law strike. Once all plans are set, that’s when he weaves his creative hand and let’s his colorful mind run wild with ideas on how to make your wedding setting picture-perfect.

His professionalism and wealth of experience is one of the foundations we are banking on as we plan for our dream of wedding. We are confident that with Robert at the helm of the design team, bearing with him a not just a creative but a well-planned execution strategy, the elements that we have always wanted to come into play in our wedding will be beautifully carried out.

FORSC INK - www.forscinkph.com

Name all the foreign acts that have been to the Philippines in the last months and I bet you that Forsc Ink is part of that in one way or another – lights, sounds, videos, screens trussing, tents, etc. Forsc Ink is one of the premier providers of event equipment reaching as far down South of the Philippines to service major events and shows. Under the expert leadership of Philip Santos, this provider has churned out quality equipment and service that have made them one of the preferred choices in the industry.

Having seen how Forsc Ink has worked in the past, it was easy to just tap them as the provider of our wedding needs. With the effective coordination of Anne Suner and the ever-enthusiastic Philip, we feel truly blessed to work with such dedicated individuals. We are very optimistic that with Philip’s team with us, the “dream ambience” of a Moroccan setting will not be far from fruition.

LIZA ALVIEDO (Kasalan Coordination Services) - kasalancoordination@yahoo.com

We first met Liza when she did Ate’s wedding five years ago. She jokingly chides Gabby that she hopes to also be there for his wedding. Fast forward to 2008, after friends’ weddings coordinated by Liza, she finally gets to help us for our wedding.

My friends ask me why I still got a coordinator considering I did events for a living. My reply- that’s exactly why we need a coordinator because I don’t even have time to fix my own wedding with the demands of work (I love my work, super, but it really takes up almost all of my time ). With Liza’s expertise, we feel that we are more on track with our preparations. It gives us a sense of security knowing that Liza is there to think of the stuff that get past our untrained eyes. It leaves us feeling more in control of the wedding plans knowing that she can be there to troubleshoot for us on the wedding day. Liza is basically the strong safety net that we have to ensure that all we have to do on our wedding day is have a wonderful time with our closest friends and family.

More than the reminders of stuff to do or the suggestions on who to get as supplier, it is Liza’s professionalism and systematic approach to weddings that are valuable to the come-what-may type of couple that we are. Without Liza’s ever helpful checklist and reliable note-taking during meetings we might forget to feed our crew or leave our wedding rings in Manila

We’ve updated the Honeymoon page containing partial information about our dream honeymoon from Manila to Morocco. We would like to request that your gifts be pledges for this dream trip of ours. We’re still fleshing out more details about the trip, so this page should be updated frequently in the next few days. Please check it out here.

The following post contains tips to help you with your travel to Subic for our wedding. It is also contained in the wedding invitations you will be receiving, we are also reprinting it here so that you’re sure to know as much of the necessary details about the wedding as possible.

1. The ceremony will begin promptly at 2:30 PM. We wish to ensure that you have no trouble getting to the church on time. The estimated time travel from Manila is three (3) hours.
2. A map from NLEX to the Church in Subic as well as to Anvaya Cove has been provided for your convenience.
3. Parking is available at the side of the Church.
4. At the Anvaya Cove gate, please inform the guard that you are attending the Dizon-Viduya reception at the Beach and Nature Club.
5. Inform our coordinators at the registration if you have a driver so that he will be given a meal stub to be claimed at the employees’ lounge.
6. Resort Chic attire is requested. For women’s convenience, flat sandals or wedges may be more comfortable for the outdoor reception.
7. Shawls may be helpful for the outdoor reception as the evenings can get quite cold.
8. The honeymoon registry is available at www.manilatomorocco.com
9. The reception is expected to end between 8:00-9:00 in the evening to allow ample travel time back to Manila. Guests who wish to stay longer are, of course, welcome. We will be having a Rockeoke party after the reception program.
10. Should you be interested to have overnight accommodations, you may contact Travel Smart and look for Lorraine at 02-8978709 or 02-8964678. Please tell her that you are a guest of the Dizon-Viduya wedding.

I got a text message from my boss this evening asking me to start taking it slow at work since my wedding is just ‘round the corner. This simple message gave me a strong jolt to reality that yes, I only have 22 days before our wedding on March 29. I guess every working bride gets to a point when she has to make that deliberate decision to let go of the reins at work and start funneling her energy on making the wedding of her dreams possible. I guess, I was just a bit late in making this resolution J

Maybe working day in and day out handling events has caused me to treat our wedding as just another event. In my line of work, it is easy to get caught in the routine of frantic and hectic juggling of the intricate details that get into a show or event. The energy is always high and our little nook at the office always seem to be abuzz with crazy activity. Along the way, our wedding got entangled in the frenzy J

So now I have revisited our wedding file, carefully updated all entries, painstakingly laid down my wedding to-do-list, sat down with our coordinator and drafted next steps for the next couple of weeks. This has proven to be effective in clearing my mind from all the cobwebs of worries on whether I missed something out or forgot to include an important budget entry (oh no, I forgot to include drinks in the food budget? J). It has also brought some semblance of order to the planning of a chaotic-organized, go-with-the-flow type of couple that we are.

So with my boss’ blessings, I shall start taking a back seat at work for now so I can ride the frenzied wave of my last minute wedding preparations….. so much for taking it slow!

Unlike some couples, we’re not particularly close to any priest, so we didn’t have any idea on whom to get to officiate our wedding ceremony. We asked one of our sponsors, Tita Clemence to ask any of the three priests that officiated the wedding of her son and my good friend, Lennard. Unfortunately, all three were already booked on March 29 and Tita Clemence had mentioned that she had booked them 8 months in advance of Lennard’s wedding. With some panic, we asked some people on both sides to help find us a willing priest for our church ceremony. Tita Clemence agreed to keep on looking for us also.

A few days later, Tita Clemence called back to say that she had found a priest through Tita Ollie, a good friend of hers. The priest’s name was Father Steven Tynan, an Australian priest based out of Don Antonio Heights in Quezon City. On the same day, Mench’s officemate Nori told her that she had found a priest for us. But the priest could not be sure about agreeing to our wedding, because he had another wedding in Subic on March 29 at 2:30pm.

Of course, what are the chances of that happening?! We did a little digging and found out that the priest being recommended by someone on my side and Mench’s side were the same person! So we figured it was meant to be, and happily met up with Fr. Steven in Don Antonio for a short chat. He’s really a cool, non-traditional priest, which really fits the whole theme of our wedding. And because he’s Australian, he really doesn’t mind having some Pinoy traditions absent in the mass, including *gasp* all the duties of the primary sponsors. Yep, there’s no veil, cord, or that “traditional Filipino hoo-ha”, as Fr. Steven told us.

He told us that as long as we didn’t mess with his liturgies, took our wedding vows seriously, and didn’t use any swear words, we’d be fine. And with that, he just gave us the license to pull off the kind of church wedding that we wanted.

What exactly will be in the church ceremony? You’ll find out on March 29!

Inside Subic to San Roque Church

1. From the Tipo Expressway, turn right to Rizal Highway.
2. Follow Rizal Highway. You will reach an intersection with a Jollibee (Aguinaldo St.), turn left there.
3. Follow this road (Aguinaldo St.) until it ends and forks.
4. Turn right at the fork in the road. You will see the church to your right.

Inside Subic to Anvaya Cove (via Morong Gate)

1. From the Tipo Expressway, turn right into Rizal Highway
2. You will reach an intersection with a Petron gas station. Turn left here
3. Follow this road (Argonaut highway) to the International Airport and Fedex
4. Right after Fedex will be a fork in the road; take the left; you will pass Triboa Bay
5. Follow the road without taking any detours and it will take you to the Morong Gate

Directional signs will guide you from the Morong Gate of SBMA to the Anvaya Cove main gate.

Download entire directions in PDF format

To San Fernando via North Luzon Expressway (NLEX)

1. Take EDSA northbound, past Cubao, Quezon Avenue and SM City North and Congresional Avenue
2. You know you are nearing the NLEX entrance when you see a Philippine Rabbit bus station on the right
3. The entrance to NLEX is marked by a sign saying “To Baguio”; turn right here
4. The San Fernando Exit which is 59 kms from the EDSA entrance of NLEX

To Dinalupihan

1. Turn right immediately after the San Fernando exit toll booth
2. Follow the road over a bridge crossing NLEX and over a flyover with metal framing and asphalt paving
3. Stay on this national highway and go through the towns of Guagua and Lubao
4. Be on the lookout for a town intersection with a war monument of gold soldier statues; turn right here
5. There will be a fork in the road; take the left to go to Dinalupihan

To Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) from Dinalupihan

1. This road will take you through fields and up winding mountain roads; keep following this road and signs pointing towards Olangapo and SBMA will let you know that you are going in the right direction
2. You will reach an intersection with large signs that indicate the roads to Olongapo and SBMA; take the road on the left going towards Subic
3. There will be a toll booth to welcome you to the Subic Bay (Tipo) Expressway

Download entire directions in PDF format

To our dear friends, welcome to our own website! This site will follow the course of our lives as a married couple. Starting from our wedding preparations, to the actual wedding and the eventual milestones that we will reach as a married couple.

Why is our blog called “Manila to Morocco?” As a couple we love to travel, and we would love to visit Morocco as part of a European honeymoon. We are asking our dear friends and loved ones to bless us with pledges for our Manila to Morocco trip in lieu of wedding gifts, so that we can make this dream a reality. We will be posting our itinerary here soon, and we’ll be documenting our trip once it becomes a reality!

Come back to this site soon as Mench and I continue our preparations for our church wedding on March 29th of this year.