Organizing a
wedding ceremony is a big bomb of stress. Organizing a SECRET wedding ceremony is
a WAY bigger bomb!
When my Aunt
Jackie and her husband, Uncle Bruce, arrived here in Dumaguete for a quick
holiday, nobody in the family was expecting that Uncle Bruce had been keeping a
secret plan. He was planning to organize
an intimate renewal of vows ceremony in celebration of their first wedding
anniversary. When I learned of this plan,
I just died! I knew that I AM the perfect
person to lead all the secret preparations. Not just because I am the most reliable person
for secrets, but because I AM the most interested in organizing events like
this! And the OC in me just can’t
entrust this to anybody else. Okay,
okay, and I am the most excited!!! Colorful
invitations, rainbow cupcakes, vibrant decors, bubbles, and everything lively
and pretty! Oh, I couldn’t wait!
I know that
for exciting stuff like these, there’s nobody else but my team whom I can
trust. We’re an inseparable team of four
– Janjie & Argey, Me & Keith – and we always make crazy things happen!
What made
the preparations all the more harder was that our team just couldn’t be together
then. All three of them were busy with
work, while I was the appointed tour guide/babysitter for the couple. I had to be with them most of the time, while
I look for a venue, coordinate with suppliers and the team, and buy stuff. So, how was all these possible? Well, everything was basically done over the
phone. Transactions were made and plans
were discussed through texts and calls. Thankfully,
everyone was on the same network - Globe – so I got to save on the costs.
The day
before the event was the most stressful.
I had to travel the 121-kilometer distance from Dumaguete to Guihulngan,
where the event would be held, two times in one day! TWO eff-ing TIMES! Then there were the hundreds of calls and
texts to the team, the suppliers, and the members of our family who do not yet
know the set-up. Janjie, Argey, Keith
and I practically had ZERO SLEEP making all the paper flowers, pinwheels, and
all the various decors that we still had to DIY.
Hours went
by so fast. At 4:00 a.m. on the day of
the event, we had to rush to the venue to set everything up. We HAD to do all the setting up in 2 hours
because Janjie and I still had to go back to where Aunt Jackie and Uncle Bruce
were staying to do Aunt Jackie’s hair and make-up. Yes, Janjie and I also did these ourselves.
As I said, we make crazy things happen.
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Early morning view of the venue. Look at that beautiful sunrise! |
Aunt Jackie,
by the way, was made to believe that we were only doing a post-nuptial shoot. Being around Aunt Jackie, I had to communicate
with Uncle Bruce with weird eye movements and awkward hand signals. Gosh, I must have looked really weird!
Janjie did
Aunt Jackie’s make-up while I did the hair.
I was doing it while texting last-minute instructions to Argey and Keith
who were waiting at the venue. Yes, I
had finally mastered the art of multi-tasking by that time.
We then
headed to the venue with Aunt Jackie still clueless as to what was about to
come. When we arrived, and the set-up and
the guests had become visible, Uncle Bruce then faced Aunt Jackie and said, “Honey,
will you be my wife again?” And my heart just melted! The combined surprise and happiness reflected
on Aunt Jackie’s face was priceless!
The ceremony
was intimate with just a few very close family members in attendance. The colorful decors with the green grasses as
backdrop created a surreal atmosphere and emanated vibrancy in the already
romantic mood of the scene. The event,
like everything else, wasn't perfect; yet it is in its imperfection that we
derive the unexpected beauty and fun that even a year’s planning cannot engender.
Despite the limited
time and resources, I was still glad to have organized the event. Everything, however, may not have become
possible without my dynamic team and, of course, Globe, my trusted network
since forever. On that occasion, it has
once again proven itself reliable and unfailing. I’m just glad to be Globe!
Stressed faces alert!
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Thanks team! ;)
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