What are the documents you should provide the church with? Particularly if you’re planning to get married at the San Sebastian Cathedral in Lipa City, Batangas, here are the Catholic wedding requirements you should secure first before anything else.

1. Baptismal certificate – for marriage purpose (dated) valid for 6 months coming from the parish where the bride/groom was baptized
2. Confirmation certificate – for marriage purpose (dated) valid for 6 months coming from the parish where the bride/groom was confirmed
3. Birth certificate and CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage) from NSO valid for 4 months (a requirement for filing marriage license)
4. Marriage license coming from city hall (120 days validity)
5. Civil contract with registry if civilly married
6. Certificate of Freedom to Marry from the parish where the bride/groom resides in foreign country
7. Clearance from chancery office (works/lives in abroad 1 year above)
8. If widowed: death certificate of the deceased husband/wife from the city hall and parish
9. Picture of the couple 4R size (2 copies)
10. Interview form (to be filled up by the bride and groom)
11. Requisition note signed by the chapel coordinator *Pre-cana seminar 6:30am-5:00pm at the St. Therese Hall every Sunday except the 3rd Sunday of the month (for San Sebastian Cathedral)

Provide original copy for reference and multiple photocopies of your documents to be safe and sure. For couples who are working and currently residing outside the Philippines, some church would require you to be in the country at least a month before the wedding to perform all the seminars and interview needed. But if you are already attending such seminars with the parish church in the country you are in right now, there are churches here which consider certifications to prove that you have attended pre-wedding seminars abroad.

If you think arranging a wedding is easy breezy, think again. Of course, you have to exercise your organization skills and your flair for getting things done efficiently without raising eyebrows.

Once you’ve accomplished all these documents required, it’s now time to move on to the next task. Check out some of our tips for organizing a wedding. Hope they could help!

Photo: nso.citizenservices.com.ph

It was only me who hosted the event. Thanks to Ate Michelle and Ate Jaime who assisted and reminded me of the program changes and adjustments. Yes, there were few program changes but we all manage to perform our tasks accordingly.

About the debutant, Camille is such a wonderful young woman. I’d like to honor her parents for raising and molding a very humble, generous and kind-hearted lady like Camille. In her speech she said, “My ultimate goal in life is to be a great doctor that would not work for prestige and recognition but work to help others with genuine intentions.” Camille is a BS Biology student of University of the Philippines.

Service: Hosting

The wedding rites was held at Padre Pio Shrine in San Pedro Santo Tomas. Oh, i remember how funny the priest was during the exchange of vows. Fr. Gonda would always say “ehem” whenever the groom speaks.  As if he was doubting Glen’s promises. Haha. (Well, we all know it was just for fun, nothing else.)

At the reception, yours truly was joined by Moutain Rock Resort’s official host, Mark (Oh i can’t remember his last name.) He’s also good. We jived and we had fun hosting this another wonderful event.

 Service: Hosting

Times have changed and women are becoming more and more busy, and it is in these times when less complicated hairstyles are welcome. Knotted buns can also be a nice hair style if you’re attending either casual or formal occasions.

Looking good and well taken care of is crucial especially for women because this maintenance and improving of image is what makes women appear more feminine. Having a perfectly arranged hairstyle every day will make a woman stand out and will contribute to her beautiful appearance. 

In order for a knotted bun hairstyle to look best it is very important to have healthy, shiny straight hair.  The shine of the straight hair will enhance the appearance of the knot, enhancing it’s interesting look. So if you’ve got no time for a nice hairstyle, try knotted bun. I’m sure, you’ll never go wrong.

Admit it, if you came to reading this post, that means you’re the type who goes online for style inspiration and we are please to tell you that you’re on the right spot.

As much as you want to just bury yourself under the sheets all day, there can be numerous reasons why you should not be a slave of your oversized shirt and PJs the entire weekend. An important family gathering may be on schedule or your BFFs might call you for a girls night out or your guy might surprise you for a weekend date!

And surely, you don’t want to mess around your obese closet yet still think that you don’t have anything to wear. Believe me, I get you. Here are some outfit ideas to help you plan for your long weekend wardrobe – whatever mood you’re in.

If you and your friends are planning to spend Saturday by the beach or your favorite outdoor destination, then this first long weekend outfit will save the day. The tiered top is so flexible, you can tuck it in a long skirt to make it dressier or pair it with playful shorts for that casual glam look like this one.

Neutrals and candy-colored hues blend well together. This second outfit suits your trip to a theme park or for chilling out with your friends at your favorite resto or coffee shop on Monday to cap the long weekend in style.

Attending a party on Saturday or Sunday evening? This sheer tangerine mullet skirt will make your outfit dressy but totally not boring. Dare to wear a popping color without losing a point on the sophistication scale.

Sunday can be a lazy day but if you’re going out with your favorite people or your man, opt for this easy breezy outfit without looking uninteresting. Plus, this outfit can ease you from day to night! Wear this outfit with a comfy flat sandals in the morning then slip into a dressy wedge if you have to rush to an evening event.

Even if you swear to all the stars in the sky that you won’t party this Saturday night, you can’t be sure darling. Why not try to don a palazzo pants for a night out instead of the usual mini dress or tight jeans? This printed top has a sheer back so you can play around with your unabashed fashion statement.

Hope these outfit inspirations helped you out to survive the long weekend with style. By the way, all these clothing pieces are available at @BB Online Store. A little online shopping over the weekend won’t hurt the stylish girl in you. Winks.

When I first met the couple, I immediately asked them if their guests would stay for the entire program. The thing about receptions here in Batangas, once lunch or dinner is done, most guests find their way to the exit!

That’s a downside when your reception venue is located near your family’s place. That’s why sometimes it’s a good idea to have your wedding far from your neighborhood. Haha. In that way as well, you would know who would really give importance in attending your wedding.

Clients: Kristian Resurreccion and Milen Endaya
Ceremony: St. Joseph Parish
Reception: Club Victorina, Baseview Homes, Lipa City
Makeup Artist: Georgia Reyes
Service: Emceeing and Program Management

He was considered one of the world’s most brilliant CEOs. In world of technology, he was god. Steve Jobs left us with the technological innovations which are fruits of his ingenious mind. But apart from those tangible devices, he also shared lessons through his words. Lessons about technology, business, and life as a whole.

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”

“You know, we don’t grow most of the food we eat. We wear clothes other people make. We speak a language that other people developed. We use a mathematics that other people evolved… I mean, we’re constantly taking things. It’s a wonderful, ecstatic feeling to create something that puts it back in the pool of human experience and knowledge.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying w e’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.”

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

“.. almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

Same church, same venue as our previous clients’ (Marvin and Arlene) so I was kind of at home hosting the program.

One thing we should always keep in mind when hosting and coordinating in this town are the wedding traditions that the elders will bug the couple about to perform/observe. Don’t get surprised if they cut the program shortly to give way to the “sabugan” (wherein the assigned person will call names of the guests to give gifts or cash to the couple).

But still, it was a memorable day for all of us as we celebrate Ivan and Dinky’s union. They’ve been together since college, been through some rough times but they managed to stick together. And now, they are one happily married couple who treat each other as bestfriends.

Clients: Ivan Hernandez and Dinky Chavez-Hernandez
Venue: Ibaan, Batangas
Ceremony: St. James the Greater Parish Church
Reception: Villa Marines 1
Service: Emceeing and Program Management

Staying for long hours under the sun can cause sunburn, a usual problem of most people during summer. If we can’t afford to see a doctor or a dermatologist, here are some of the effective home treatment measures that could provide some relief from a mild sunburn:

• Use cool cloths and damp on sunburned areas.
• Take frequent cool showers or baths.
• Apply soothing lotions that contain aloe vera to sunburned areas.
• If you have aloe vera on your gardens, you may also take out it’s gel and apply it directly to the affected area.

Sometimes, a sunburn can cause a mild fever and a headache. Try to relax. Lie down in a cool, quiet room to relieve the headache. A headache may also be caused by dehydration, so drinking ample fluids may help.

At any rate, we can avoid or prevent sunburn by using high in SPF lotion or sunblocks. We could also opt to have swimming at night instead.

We have nobody to drive for us that day so we hopped on a bus and relied on the efficiency of the bus driver and the conductor in dropping us off to Casa Corazon in Calaca, Batangas.

That was quite a long ride from where we came from! Good thing everything was set as planned when we got there. Emie and Julis both looked dashing and so much in love. It was a luncheon reception which was attended by guests and friends of the bride’s family all the way from Davao.

Clients: Julius delos Reyes and Lesley Chiong
Venue: Casa Corazon, Calaca, Batangas
Date: March 20, 2011
Service: Emceeing and Program Management