A wedding by the sea

My college friend Kendal Candice married the love of her life at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza last Monday. The ceremony took place in a garden under the coconut trees, overlooking the sea. It was an afternoon bathed in sunlight, with a cool breeze blowing in our faces. They were blessed with such good weather!

Here I am with my date, waiting for the ceremony to start.

The moment I saw KC walking down the aisle, I burst into tears. I am such a crybaby. But I was relieved I wasn't the only guest weeping!

Isn't the bride gorgeous? And that dress! The crystals on the straps glittered like diamonds in the sun.

The couple's vows made me cry all over again. Beautiful, heartfelt words were exchanged. I was focusing on trying not to bawl like a baby, so no pictures of the couple under the wedding arch, sorry!

I did get this lovey shot as the newlyweds were welcomed by confetti after the recessional! Can you spot the crescent moon?

Cocktails were served before dinner. I was so jealous of Marco and his margarita - no alcohol for me because I'm still nursing little moon.

And here I am with college friend Thea - one of KC's flower girls! You read it right. Instead of assigning little girls, KC got her best buddies as her flower girls! What a crazy but fun idea! (Photo grabbed from Thea, shot by her hubby.)

The reception was held in the Davao Ballroom of Sofitel. The couple got Nyoy Volante to serenade the guests while we ate. The hubby and I didn't stay until the end though, because...

All this time, our trooper of a daughter was in the hotel with our household helper G. The event was an adult affair, so we couldn't bring Ally with us. We couldn't leave her at home either, because we didn't know how long we'd be away. I planned to leave her and G at Gymboree in the hotel, but surprise surprise! It was Gymboree's Christmas party so they were closed! Argh! I didn't know what to do, and was about to panic. Thank God for calm husbands!

We found out there was a playground just beside the garden. That's where Ally and G stayed during the ceremony, and you can bet the little one had fun! We could see her from afar, climbing up and down the steps of the playhouse. Here's a photo of the playground before the event started - that's our baby holding the pink and white balloons.

During cocktail hour, we snuck out to the car so I could nurse the little one. Sofitel doesn't have a nursing station. :(

After Ally had her fill, we whisked them away to Le Bar, one of the swanky hotel restaurants, just above the popular Spiral. I ordered fries and pumpkin soup for the little one, and prayed she'd be preoccupied enough so her daddy and I can proceed to the wedding reception.

Here we are sneaking back to the event. We got to the ballroom just in time - the reception hadn't started yet.

By 7:45pm, Ally had had enough of being away from me for too long, so she decided to cry her lungs out. Haha. Great timing, as we had already finished dinner when we got the text from G. Whew!

This is the first event we've attended without the little one clinging to us. I'm glad to say it was a success! Little moon was well-behaved the entire five hours, and only cried and asked for mommy when it was almost time to leave. Little trooper!

Oh, and this is the first time I've ever posted a photo of my outfit! I wore a pink and white maxi dress from Hip Culture, a beaded headband from SM Department Store, and faux pearls and rhinestones from Forever 21. And for the first time in a long time, I didn't wear flats! I wore these comfy wedges from Celine.

What a fun event! Thank you KC and Manny for having us!

Back to work?

I guess I haven't talked about my old job here in this blog yet. I used to design and create jewelry and accessories for a living. I work with polymer clay mostly, but I've also dabbled in silver and gold.

Since I got pregnant last year, I haven't really had the time or energy to create anything. Until this week! This week, the hubby kindly gave me some time off from mommy duty, so I was able to create these pretties. Even if it was a workday, he spent time with little moon so I could tinker away in my craft room. I am working on souvenirs for my cousin's cotillion, and these earrings are an offshoot from that project.

To be honest, I'm not comfortable with the idea of me "going back to work" yet, even if work just means sitting in the next room. Yes, my work is a lot of fun, and if things were different, I'd spend all my free time crafting. But I don't like the idea of my poor hubby having to babysit when he badly needs to catch up on sleep. I also haven't warmed up to the idea of someone else (read: nanny) taking care of my baby. Trust issues. Separation anxiety. Mommy guilt.

I'm sure we'll figure out something that works for everyone. Until then, I'll find pockets of time wherever I can. But little moon is still the priority, and everything else will have to take the backseat.

How do you working moms do it?

And how do you like these gorgeous earrings? Perfect for holiday parties, don't you think? If you wanna order, you can email me at angelisartbeads(at)gmail(dot)com. The holidays are coming!

I need new flipflops

I am down to my last pair of Havaianas. The last surviving pair is now 4 years old (!) and is begging to retire. I love how sturdy these things are. My first pair - the Limited Edition Cartunista Angeli which literally had my name on it! - lasted me five years. These babies are worth every penny.

 

I just saw the 2013 collection on the Havaianas Philippines Facebook page, and these are calling my name:

 

I'd love to get this for little moon - she loves Minnie Mouse! But she'll outgrow them in no time, so I don't think it's practical.

Dear Santa: I've been a good girl this year! Wink wink!