Less than 20 days before the big day and I have finally felt a tinge of pressure.

I thought we have already settled almost everything when I realized there are a few more things needed to make our wedding personal and extra special. I know we want to keep things simple, but here I am, lumalabas na ang kaartehan ko.

Ang dami ko palang gusto, si Jan napapakamot na lang ng ulo. Here are some:


1. Custom cake topper
Although not necessary, I want a customized cake topper. One that screams who and what we are as a couple, and not some generic "Mr & Mrs" text or worse, the bride and groom figurines.

Designing our own cake topper was a piece of cake.

Looking for a maker that can deliver on or before the target date, however, is a struggle. I was up almost the entire night scouring every post, every ad, and every page on Facebook that could cater my needs. Not one of the four pages have replied to my inquiries yet. And for the first time in this short but sweet wedding planner life, I felt desperate I'm afraid I might resort to doing another DIY for this. But heck, see #2.

2. Laser engraved wedding ring holder
I tried to do the engraving on my own but miserably failed. Haha. I know I love doing crafts and I am fairly good at some. But there are things that are better left to the professionals.

My lame attempt at engraving. I lost this one before I even got to finish it.

As of this writing, one shop said they can do it. I breathe a sigh of relief.

3. Wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tubeman
I'm kidding! But we would need something for our exit after the ceremony.

I did some research and the internet suggests these non-eco-friendly ideas:

• White balloons - My friends have had balloon releases before, but I'm against it.
• Confetti - Highly discouraged because it's harder to clean up. We could do it but the venue would charge us a hefty amount. No thanks.
• Sparklers / Fireworks - Beautiful. But I live in Davao.
•  Bubbles - I would love to do the bubbles because it's fun and they really look great in pictures. But the empty plastic bubble bottles alone are expensive. Meh.

Eco-friendly ideas would be:

• Dried leaves - It's free but it's dusty, dirty, and most probably itchy.
• Rice (traditional) - I'm not sure if the venue will still charge us for the mess made by these teeny tiny rice grains. Better avoid anything that needs cleaning up.
• Petals - I've made clear instructions to the decorator that no fresh flowers will be used in our reception. Having fresh flowers for the bridal and entourage bouquets (it's free, btw) is already too much. I'd rather see the flowers growing beautifully in a pot.
• Paper planes (from recycled papers) - Just because our theme is travel doesn't mean we're doing airplanes.

My idea:
Lightsabers - Cool. But would only bring confusion to our guests what our theme really is.

Hence, the most practical and probably most adorable send off idea that I have seen is the Ribbon Wands. It might make the guests look like the wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube man, but it costs less, does not make a mess, and it is definitely cute. And the best thing is, it is something I could do. :)

image via BridalPulse

(Actually, I can just do away with #3. But then, I would not know what to do with the 90 pairs of bamboo chopsticks that I already ordered for this project. Magkaka-UTI ako sa kakakakain ng instant noodles nyan.)

Yes, I can feel the pressure. But hey, it's not even our wedding yet and our hard work is starting to pay off! Yay!

From our ninong-to-be

P.S. I know nothing in my wedding diaries is helpful right now. But once we pull this wedding off, I'll be writing tips, how-tos, where-tos, and whatnot that might help you prepare for your big day. So keep posted on my wedding diaries series. :)