On normal days I call up suppliers, follow up reservations, update my planner and run here and there doing errands and documents. If I am lucky like today, I’m able to sneak in a few hours of sleep in the office when the workload is at a minimum (today is a holiday and even if I’m on the graveyard shift, people don’t go ballistic over their transpo or equipment requests). Ya, I know ang kapal ng mukha ko di ba? But I’ve been up since 10 am yesterday because Jigs and I had to buy some fabric for my and the ento gowns in Divi and complete our souvenirs. Nahilo ako sa mga tela. I didn’t even know anymore which was the ento’s and which was mine, hehe. I just went home to take a bath then headed straight to the office.
On normal weekends, we still run wedding errands and things for our would-be home. This weekend it was scouting and buying rings in Meycauyan, going to the gown maker for measurements with the ento, meeting up with our agent to hand out a doc for housing, taking measurements of walls and spaces, checking out furnitures and appliances and who could ever forget – the dizzying trip to Divi (which was nonetheless, exciting and fulfilling as all trips to Divi are). We rarely have the time to watch movies, eat an unhurried dinner on time (we always end up hungry and cranky hehe), or spend ol’ sweet quality time like we used to. Weekends always go by so fast even if we’ve spent days together. Parang laging Monday na naman at hindi na naman tayo nakapag-date. Hehe.
True, the whole wedding preparation can be very exhausting. But believe me I’m not complaining (at this rate di pako nagcocomplain niyan, haha). There is a certain sense of fulfillment being a hands-on bride, especially now that Jigs is becoming more involved in the preps (compared before na puro okay nang at kaw na bahala diyan lang siya). When you see the list of to-accomplish-suppliers narrowing down from 20 to 10 to 4, when you are able to envision more clearly how the wedding would look like because of these harworked accomplishments, nakakawala rin ng pagod. Kahit in secret, proud ka for yourself and your husband-to-be because from scratch you were able to build a project this huge together. Because honestly, preparing for a wedding is painstaking and difficult especially when you don’t have a coordinator to take care of it for you. Lahat ng butas sa katawan mo dudugo. Scouting for suppliers that are credible and yield good quality but that would fit the (small) budget, screening all of them, scheduling meetings (and attending them), completing the requirements, making DIYs, going to unknown places and dead-end streets, trying to accomplish everything in time, putting together a vision that would satisfy both of your preferences, together with those of the guests and parents (in our case, sila ang supplier ng budget namin hehe), among other responsibilities. The pressure is heavier on our part because we’re not only preparing for a wedding; We’re also taking care of our applications for the U.S. and in the process of buying a house (na mas madugo pa).
There would be times when arguments and frustrations can not be avoided. We are two entities who came from two different universe, with different beliefs and expectations, trying to squeeze ourselves in one niche, making it work like all couples do. The transition isn’t easy, we have to let go of some things like personal freedom and a moment to yourself, nice little vacations, a good night sleep. Sacrifices are more necessary this time. But this is what we want, what we have decided to commit ourselves to even if we’re up against several odds. I guess we have always known this is how it will begin for us, it was just a matter of readiness. This is the life we choose and believe in, no matter how hard it is and would be. We have not a single regret.
End of nobela – Chapter 1. Hehe
