A Dance of a Lifetime
Planning a wedding, by itself, is challenging enough. More so if you are doing it miles away from each other.
Randie and I had been surviving a longdistance relationship since I moved to the Middle East to pursue my dream to become a flight attendant. While he works for a local hotel as an Executive Assistant Manager, I was in everchanging time zones. Being physically apart made planning even more difficult as it already is. I am one who is especially keen on details so I found myself super stressed out when I could not meet up with suppliers because of time constraints.
But our situation did not in any way hold us from doing what we had to do. As cliché as it may sound, we believed that “where there’s a will, there’s a way!”
Communication. Effective communication and teamwork was the key that made it all happen. Randie and I kept our lines open on a regular basis. While it’s true that I was more particular when it comes to which one should go and which one should not, I made sure that Randie’s ideas were heard and considered as well. When we were deciding on which motif to use, we put in his liking for monochromatic hues and blended in my love for soft and dusty colours. So we came to agree on muted neutral schemes for our motif – white, black, gold, blush and dusty rose.
Logistically, Randie has better access to our local suppliers so he took on the task of coordinating the ceremony and reception venues and entertainment. I, on the other hand, did the elements which required more detailed specifics coordinated – the flowers, the wedding cake, the gowns, suits and the stylists. For a while I felt the need to come home and do everything by myself. But I should admit that Randie pulled it so well as planned.
We both grew up with families who have strong traditional beliefs so we decided to go for timeless sophistication for our theme. The classic wedding style fitted well in the whole idea as it also reflected our own personalities. The calligraphy and monograms on all our graphic designs gave a touch of elegance to our invitations, candles, ring holder, cords and arrhae. The intricate lace on my bridal gown with bead embroidery and cathedral-length veil made a bold statement and gave it the historic traditional mood we wanted to achieve as I walk down the aisle of San Sebastian Church. The Minor Basilica with its gothic architecture was a unanimous choice for our wedding ceremony. And what better venue for our reception but the Grand Centennial Ballroom of Manila Hotel to complete the overall feel of the theme. Its lights and indoor water fountain truly added magic to our reception.
The ten-year difference in our ages did not matter in our choice of the hip hop and boyband music of the 90’s played during the celebration. Dancing was never our thing but the couple’s first dance was most memorable as Randie and I took the floor and did pretty well with our steps.
Then I had an affirmation of how we would do in the face of unfamiliar situations in life. Now I know for sure that Randie and I will just sway it out and dance through whatever music life will play for us.