the lovely lotus

symbols. our world is full of them. some we create, others we find in nature.

the beauty of symbols is that they are wonderfully objective. we all use symbols in our own way. we find our own meanings, apply them to how we live our lives, even use them to forecast the future sometimes. some of us only have one to live by; others have many for different situations they find themselves in.

living in china exposed us to a whole new set of symbols - some we were already familiar with - and others that are not so common in western culture. it was fascinating to learn how lives revolved around auspicious symbols and important decisions were made based on individual interpretations.

because of what is happening in our own universe (read: getting married!), we found meaning in the lotus flower.

based on chinese customs and buddhist beliefs, the lotus flower is a powerful symbol for beauty, faithfulness, and light. they are used to inspire people to continue striving through difficulties, to mirror the way the lotus flower itself grows: bringing beauty and light from the murky darkness at the bottom of the pond.

The words for lotus in Chinese have the same meanings as: to bind, connect (in marriage), one after the other, uninterrupted, to love, and modesty.

who knows how accurate these interpretations may be, but like i said, the beauty of symbols lie in our own ability to apply it to our personal experience.



*thanks to these sites for info*

chinese symbols
lotus legend

a bit of class

i don't know if you quite recall my dilemma (everything with weddings is a dilemma, come now!) regarding the wedding invitation wording? probably not. :P

anyway, we wanted our invitations to exude a slight air of conservative and timeless class, without being too uptight and boring. read: a fine mix to create modern elegance...

i am oh-so-very-lucky that my future mother-in-law has fabulous handwriting, and that she offered to hand write each and every invite in beautiful calligraphy. obviously we were going to let it be a surprise, but i'm just so excited about them that i had to hint a little ;)




looking through so many calligraphy websites, it is astounding what some charge per line for invitations. i guess everything is relative with budgets, but if you have a friend or a relative with great handwriting, this is definitely a super wedding DIY that adds tons of flair to the occasion and just that special touch to make your guests feel special.

just make sure whomever is writing has practiced a lot AND has great pens! good luck! :)

be prepared to marry a mexican...

with all the bureaucracy and paperwork involved in getting married...jeez. it's no wonder couples run on to vegas!

just to give you a rundown of all the red tape, here is what i have to present at the civil registrar's office in cuernavaca:

• original and 3 copies of my birth certificate with the proper stamp or seal of the issuing authority of the country of origin OR legalized by the mexican embassy in the issuing country. documents must be translated into spanish by the officially designated translator of the municipality of cuernavaca.

• original and 3 copies of the authorization to contract marriage issued by the national institute of migration.

• original and 3 copies of my passport.

• original and 3 copies of my actual status in the country (as of now, tourist).

PLUS!!!

• blood tests for sexually transmitted diseases and blood type.

• medical certificate from an approved hospital or health center confirming health (and once you have this certificate, it's only valid 15 days, so rush rush!)

• copy of the id's of all the witnesses (4).

• certificate of attendance to a family planning course.

• all documents have to be presented with 8 days minimun in order to reserve a date for marriage.

do you have a headache yet after reading all that??? i hope not because there is more still...

to get the authorization from the national institute of migration, they need:

• original and copy of the application form signed and approved.

• original and copy of my passport and all pages.

• copy of my migratory card.

• original and 2 copies of the official receipt of payment for migratory services.

• a letter signed by both of us in which we declare that we have no legal impediment to contract marriage, and to indicate when and where we plan to contract marriage.

sigh. i don't even have the energy to write anything more after all that.

if you ever plan to getting married in mexico to a mexican, check out these sites for the exact information:

registro civil cuernavaca
instituto nacional de migracion

my chair obsession

as most other brides-to-be, i have my fair share of bookmarked "wedding websites" that i refer to now and then. but now i am starting to think that their sole purpose of existence is information overload. usually i end up more confused than when i started, and no where near the original idea i had to begin with.

case in point today: CHAIRS. have you really thought about the variety of chair styles that exist? i know, usually we don't pay much attention, but trust me, when the time comes to make a choice between this or that one, you'll start to care ;)

what confused me the most is that there were tons of photos with ideas, but no names for the chairs. so how exactly was i supposed to tell the banquet people which chair i specifically wanted???

thus, my afternoon long search on google images for all sorts of chairs. we'll stick to the typical wedding ones...




to begin with, let's start with the most popular chiavari chair, or better known as the tiffany chair. or sometimes spelled as the chivari chair. usually comes in all colors, including gold and silver for those metallic occasions.









then there is the chateau chair (and reason for my search) also available in all colors, with or without integrated padding.










and of course the typical outdoor folding chair. makes you think about spring garden weddings for some reason.









this one i had never heard of; the napoleon chair. i think i like this one the best though.










and to finish up my chair obsession for the day, here is the no name chair. i call it that because it was filed under the chiavari chairs, but is obviously different. i can find out if you want though.









thankfully, the people at Qingdao Aoxin Wood Industry Co., Ltd. helped me out by being the only company that popped up on a google search to have all these items on hand with exact descriptions and labels to clear up my confusion. You can check out their website here in case you are interested in buying wholesale furniture for events. and if you do buy, let me know. i figure my four years experience buying from china just may help you out ;)

so now the question remains...what will my caterer think when i call up demanding napoleon banquet chairs?

*thanks to my dear friend S. who listened to my chair rant!*

**all photos belong to Qingdao Aoxin Wood Industry Co., Ltd.**

give up sex and blog instead?

ok, well not really. you can exhale now - sigh. plus if i did so - i probably would not have a wedding left to plan.

i should seriously start posting my skype chat conversations with my brother. i find them hilarious - maybe you will too. so this entry was totally his idea (although granted, i did help him come to think of it while venting my frustrations and anxieties!) his suggested title: "in an effort not to get pregnant before my wedding, i have decided to give up sex and blog instead".

why do we discuss topics like these, you might ask? well, last thanksgiving i went to visit said brother in new york, where we promptly visited countless wedding ateliers (with no intention of purchase, of course!) but, alas, i found the dress! after numerous aimless circles around many manhattan blocks, we returned and bought the gown. AAAHHH - at this point mind you, i didn't even have a date for our wedding!

thus, my life since november 2008 has revolved around an effort to maintain the measurements taken of my body that beautiful fall day. little diet here and there, trying to maintain some sort of exercise routine, and bringing a tape measure with me everywhere. you know, in case i need to measure my bust or waist spur of the moment. something like that.

what has me completely panicked every month though is the nerve wracking wait for my period to come. the day it arrives is marked by a sigh of absolute relief and happiness - jeez - i can't remember having these same kinds of emotions since...? i can't even remember...but definitely from the days where getting pregnant would have been a big NO-NO. oops.

and this is coming from me - someone whose maternal instinct has really kicked her in the ass and made it clear that the clock is ticking and it's about time. i really can't wait to have babies and start a family.

i just hope it happens after i look stunning and slim in my gown :)

a little explaining

sorry for the confusing dates. i was writing this blog on our wedding website, but since readers can't subscribe to it, i decided to add it here too so you know when there is a new post. so all the posts from here on down are what was already on the wedding website - if you didn't get a chance to follow it there, read below! :)

new posts coming your way! :)

besos

hot off the press and we're here

May 29 - 1:32pm - Chiconcuac, Morelos

we are finally in mexico lindo y querido!!! it seems the last two months of planning went by so fast and now we are here and can breathe a sigh of relief! SIGH

we left manila a little sad of course...it's hard to leave mom behind, but i know i'll see her soon but for the first time in my life, it really felt like i was leaving home. it's so bizarre actually. even though i've been roaming around for a while now, this move is really a move. i'm making a new home elsewhere!

but anyway, i'm happy to be here and to start getting more wedding planning scheduled in! we hauled the invitations across the ocean with us (we LOVE LOVE LOVE them by the way!) as well as the little regalos or give-aways. and! i also got the material for my veil heehee!

this weekend we have a boda, so i'm sure that will help with more ideas and things to think about over the next few weeks!

we are happy to be home, so watch out for more posts now that i can concentrate and dedicate time to all the wedding ideas and planning!!! yay!

besos!

one step further

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May 18 - 7:51pm - Manila

after a very eventful departure from shanghai (overweight, overweight, and more overweight - sigh), we finally made it back to manila. we've spent the last couple of days really winding down and letting go of all the stress of packing and moving. it's not over yet, we still have one more leg - the journey across the pacific - but at least we still have bout a week to enjoy being in the tropics.

finally being here i can get back to a lot of the wedding details that i have put off over the last few weeks. there is a lot of paperwork and certificates that i need to get, but i won't bore you with that info. we are really excited about two other things though!

1. we pick up the invitations on friday!
2. we chose the wedding favors today - a little recuerdo for the guests of the philippines.

i'm so anxious already to get the invites - the stress is getting to me. i actually have nightmares about them. the other night i woke up with palpitations because all the paper it was printed on was glittery pink! aaarrrgggghhhhh!

aside from that, i'm sure the week is going to fly by and we will be off before we know it. i just hope i'm able to squeeze a round of golf in between...

besos!

good-byes

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May 4 - 12:22pm - Shanghai

we have finally recovered from our RoJo Bye-Bye Shanghai party!!! what a super fun night of great friends, good conversation, and of course the infamous jamon!

we are going to miss everyone dearly! thank you for being part of making shanghai such a great place and important time in our lives...

besos!

first of many...

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April 28 - 11:13am - Shanghai

oh my!!! if last saturday was any hint of what is in store for me bachelorette-wise, then i am one lucky bride! hahahaha!

a very special shout out goes out to diana and krystle and all my ladies who planned a super evening for me! we had games, surprises, prizes, and some other fun stuff (of which i cannot get into the details! ) the evening lasted way into the wee hours...i can't even remember the last time i got home as the sun was coming up!!!

great girlfriends like these ladies are definitely going to be one of the things i will miss most about shanghai! thank you girls! i felt very, very special and loved .

here are a few photos from saturday...i can't post all of them after all!



a few of my 'pink bunnies': noor, ching, elaine, and dianita...

and we can't forget the glowing new mom: alejandra...

eunice, elaine, and ale...and diana's gorgeous orchids in the background...the ladies put me in the hot seat to see how well i know rodrigo! hahahaha...let's just say i'm glad no money was involved!

heidi (another bride-to-be!), krystle, and rosa...krys already holding the next game's 'prop'!

project runway bachelorette style! hahaha...with limited resources to create my dream dress! these girls and their imaginations...

heidi's designers won the challenge!
auf wiedersehen to my girls!!! boo!

my 'veil' didn't hold up!

most of us made it out to m1nt, where we certainly raised a few eyebrows with the bunny ears and all...

ayyyyyyyyyyy! what fun!!! needless to say, sunday i was completely useless! but at least i was able to rest well for monday! the movers came and packed all of our earthly belongings into 25 very large boxes (!) and whisked them away to be shipped to mexico...

so we have an almost empty apartment and 2 more weeks to pack what's left before heading to manila for a couple of weeks...

this saturday we have a little good bye party here at home, so we have to prepare for that too...the next few days are going to fly by...we are running doing last minute errands, seeing friends, and breathing in as much of shanghai as we possibly can...

besos!

get ready!

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April 21 - 11:10am - Shanghai

so this weekend will mark the beginning of what i am sure there will be many of: despedida de soltera a.k.a. bachelorette party: shanghai edition!!! hahaha!

who knows what's in store for me this saturday, but i'm super excited to spend some time with a bunch of lovely ladies who have all been part of making living in shanghai soooo wonderful...so i can't wait! woohoo!!!

details and photo evidence to follow...

besos!

*i'm sure rodrigo will get up to no good as well...

gigil!

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April 18 - 1:04pm - Shanghai

the weather in shanghai is all over the place. one day it's 30 degrees out and the next it's back down to 12. this is really messing with my wardrobe, especially since i'm packing and unpacking our winter clothes constantly. in a week we won't have a choice since the movers will come to pack everything up and we'll be left with just a few basics...

rodrigo and i are getting really anxious to go already...sometimes we feel like we have one foot here, and the other already in mexico, and that is preventing us from getting anything productive done...hahaha

can i just say that i am getting really excited about the wedding!!! hahaha as if you couldn't tell...some friends are already talking hotel bookings and flight reservations, and i'm getting really GIGIL yehay!!! i love you girls!!!

this weekend is shanghai F1...so we are going to see our last live race...one of the many things we'll miss about living here...

be back soon...

besos!

don't forget china

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April 5 - 3:27pm - Shanghai

over the last couple of weeks, rodrigo and i have been pondering over some of the things we are going to miss about shanghai...and of course there are things that we are also going to forget in a second (or better said, things that we don't really want to remember ). our friends who live in shanghai will probably understand what i mean

anyway, thinking it over, we realized that there is a lot we can take advantage of being in china that will definitely help us make our wedding day unique and really, for lack of a better word, US.

chinese calligraphy is so beautiful and we were thinking of ways of how to incorporate it into the wedding, while at the same time not going overboard. well, yesterday, we finally 'executed' our idea and it came out perfectly! so we are really excited and so anxious to see how it will look and what you all will think...heehee

so...that was one more item ticked off the list of things to get done before we leave! time is flying by and before we know it, november will be around the corner. and there is so much to do yet!

by some miracle, rodrigo is in the kitchen (just kidding gordo! ) cooking up our lazy sunday afternoon late lunch, so i'm going to join him with a glass of wine and get ready for the malaysian grand prix! yay!

besos!

too busy

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March 31 - 7:40pm - Shanghai

i've spent the whole week dealing with moving agencies and their quotes to get our stuff across the pacific, so alas, not much time left for wedding planning.

but i'm waiting on some samples to arrive tomorrow. hopefully they will help me solve the 'illumination' issue i have to deal with, since dinner is out in the garden...we shall see.

aside from that,i can't think of much else that i have done the last few days that has to do with the wedding.

OH! wait, i remember (and this has everything to do with planning) - i started my workout routine again! hahaha. i MUST fit into the dress! i just remembered cause as i sit here typing, my triceps are killing me...uff.

i'm going to whip something up for dinner. be back soon...

besos!

our big move back

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March 21 - 2:14pm - Shanghai

i may as well start with the BIG news: we are moving back to MEXICO! crazy, huh? :O after giving it A LOT of thought, we have decided our adventure IN china (not with china) must come to an end for now...

so there you go...if you thought i didn't have enough piled on my plate, now i have to deal with packing up our lives and shipping it across the world. hahaha but i'm not complaining, in fact, it's going to be much easier to plan this wedding now that i don't have to do it across the pacific.

this last week we went to yiwu, about 3 hours from shanghai. we bought all sorts of fun stuff to decorate the reception. i'm excited about it and i want to get there already to see how it will look.

our printer FINALLY sent us the first proof of the invitation. i was beginning to worry we were going to have to find another printer. but the design she presented is actually perfect, we love it, and aside from the necessary minor changes, it's pretty much what we wanted. so we hope to get those printed soon and mail them by end of June maybe...

did you notice that we added a gift page to the website? we signed up for registries at pottery barn and at el palacio de hierro. we figured 2 different places gives people a choice, and really for those of you that are internet savvy, it will be easy to make the purchase online if you don't have physical access to the store...

so that was my week pretty much...it's rainy saturday in shanghai (big surprise), so we are going to sit on the couch, snuggle up, and pop in a DVD.

besos!

who?

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March 12 - 9:27pm - Shanghai

rainy, icky day in shanghai - so i've been sitting at my desk ALL day long and i think i'm pretty much cross-eyed at this point.

i haven't stopped with the tedious task of looking through the whole guest list, revising one name after another, cutting some out ( sorry!!!), adding others (lucky you!). (sigh). it's been a long process. but hey, i guess every couple goes through this 'guest list dilemma'...

the second part to it is how to address the guests! there must exist some middle ground somewhere between too traditional and too ultra modern. i just haven't found that place yet. how do you make sure the invitation doesn't sound either like some stuffy medieval event OR a casual 'hey, come hang out at my place' thing?

hahahaha! these are my issues as of late. but don't judge me when you get your invitation ok!? i'm trying to find a happy medium here!

i'm sure if you are reading this you probably got my 'request' to send me your most updated mailing address. sorry! but with facebook, everything is much easier nowadays, right? but at the same time it's also much more difficult to keep some things out of the loop, oops!

aside from that, i heard from my caterer, which has absolutely thrilled me because her ideas are great and her quote was perfect. so i'm really excited about the food and how it'll be prepared and served and i really think everyone is going to enjoy it. at least i hope so.

so that's it for tonight. rodrigo is out at some meetings, so i'm going to go sit on the couch with my glass of wine and munch on something alone. boo hoo.

besos!