Happy Valentine's Day! Hahaha! Man, I ought to be shot. =) I received mail from Angel AAze the other day complaining that I haven't been updating my blog. (I have a fan! Yey! Haha. =)) Truth is, my computer (or server) has been on the blink lately. I can't access B! Hmp. Today, apparently, is my lucky day. =)
After reading through my blog--and passing by my blog on Bu & G--I went on a sentimental trip and re-read my blogs about our own wedding. I then realized I forgot to post the last in my-own-wedding series! Haha! (It is, BTW, a repost from my now-defunct Friendster blog. =)) If you want to read Parts 1-4 (for whatever reason, haha), just go to the Sweety & Tweety Milestones folder. =)
Here goes......=)
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The rest of the ceremony went smoothly. Surprisingly, the church wasn't as hot as I thought it would be. If there's anything that my church coordinators got right, it was at least remembering to have a fan directed at us during the entire ceremony. I remember The Hubby & I having a discussion about it. While I also loved the Nuestra Senora, I dreaded the idea of having to go through the entire ceremony wearing a full gown in it. I was concerned that I would end up fainting from heat exhaustion. My cousin got married in the same church. I thought I'd die from the heat at that time--and I was wearing a backless top back then!
Flashback to August 2005 when Hubby S & I were going around Metro Manila, trying to look for the "perfect venues", matching churches with possible reception places. At that time, we still had the illusion that we could keep the entire budget below P250 thousand. HAHAHAHAHA!!! Yeah, right! We rid ourselves of that delusion soon enough. Hehe. Sanctuario de San Antonio was on the list, but it was a nominal one. Being non-parishioners, we would not be allowed to hold our wedding during weekends. Weekends, apparently, were reserved only for the jetset crowd. We were adamant about a Saturday wedding though--to give family and friends every single chance to attend both the ceremony and the reception. We also wanted an afternoon ceremony so dinner won't be too late. Sanctuario de San Antonio was therefore--for all intents and purposes--out. I was all for a Sanctuario San Jose / Edsa Shangri-La match-up. San Jose was simple, but it was airconditioned. Edsa Shang would always be special; it was where The Hubby & I first met up. He wanted us to visit the churches together though before finalizing our choice. One Saturday was reserved for "church-hunting".
Being in the vicinity (although I don't remember anymore why we were in the vicinity), we decided to take a peek at the church in the reclamation area (I forgot what its name was), but decided against it. Mapped against the bay horizon standing seemingly in the middle of nowhere on that particular misty Saturday morning, it looked--for lack of a better word--lonely. The Manila Cathedral and San Agustin were never considered. Their popularity had worked against them because I did not relish the idea of having to rush through my ceremony because another couple was already waiting in the wings for their turn. We briefly toyed around with the idea of getting married at the Malate Church (where my parents got married), but quickly decided against it after flashbacks of the horrendous Saturday traffic in the vicinity. We drove to San Jose in Greenhills next. A wedding was on-going. Perfect, I thought. Kiko was only half-convinced. He did not particularly like the idea of getting married in a church inside an exclusive village. I stifled my protest, choosing to remember instead that it makes sense for us to make the choice together. "Off to Don Bosco then," I told him, deciding in my mind that it was going to be a Don Bosco-New World match-up after all. Navigating through the Saturday EDSA traffic, however, I nonchalantly pointed to a side street at the corner of The Loyola Chapels. "There's a small church somewhere on that street," I said almost unnoticeably. "Then, let's check it out," Kiko said, turning on the eskinita, before I could even protest that the church is too hot for an afternoon wedding. Needless to say, we never got to Don Bosco. As soon as he saw the Nuestra Senora, Hubby Sweet refused to look at any other church! No ifs. No buts. "This is it, Tweet!" he said. Eh alangan namang sabihin kong sa San Jose ko gusto, sa Guadalupe siya. Mali. Patay! Hahaha. 'P
Fast-forward to the present. I'm glad we chose this particular church. It was perfect for the kind of wedding that we wanted. Not too big that it would seem hollow, but big enough to hold all our family & friends. The slight drizzle on that particular day, in hindsight, made the temperature inside the church bearable.
"Francis and Eileen, now that you have received the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony, I admonish you to remain faithful to one another," Fr. Gerry declared, signaling that the mass was about to come to its conclusion.
"Eileen, love your husband and be a good wife. Persevere in faith and love and holiness. Francis, love your wife as Christ loves his Church, and live with her in the holy fear of the Lord," he continued, "The Lord be with you."
"May he bless you by the word of His mouth."
"May he unite your hearts in an enduring bond of pure love."
"May you be blessed in your children, and may the love that you lavish on them be returned a hundredfold."
"May the peace of Christ dwell in your hearts and in your home. May you have true friends to stand by you, both in joy and sorrow."
"May you be ready with help and consolation for all those who come to you in need, and may the blessing promised to the compassionate descend in abundance on your house."
"May you be blessed in your work and enjoy its fruits. May care never cause you distress nor desire for earthly possessions lead you astray, but may your hearts' concern be always for the treasures laid up for you in heaven."
"May the Lord grant you fullness of years so that you may reap the harvest of a good life and after you have served Him with loyalty in His kingdom on earth, may He take you up into His eternal dominion in heaven."
With a smattering of "amens" from our guests after every blessing bestowed, Fr. Gerry finally gave his final blessing, "And may Almightly God bless you all. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
AMEN!!! Yahoo!!! 'P
You-may-now-kiss-the-bride-portion na! Yehey!!! We turned to Fr. Gerry, waiting for the signal (hahaha!), but instead of giving us the go-ahead, he beamed at us, turned his back and asked us to follow him to the altar. "Ha?" I thought, "Ba't hindi pa you-may-now-kiss-the-bride????!!!!!" Hahaha. Slightly puzzled, we followed him nonetheless.
On the altar, the Church manong laid the marriage certificates. Oh. I see.....
"Each of you has to sign first to finally seal your intention to be married," Fr. Gerry explained, "I will only sign after you do. Please check that all the details are accurate....Una na kayo," he kidded, "Pag pinirmahan ko na yan, wala na talagang urungan." Hahaha.
I attempted to double-check the details, but could honestly, at that point in time, not process any of the words written on the sheet. My name could have been spelled Torkwata Manule and I still would have signed the darn thing! Hahaha. Fortunately, I have actually proofread the document a few weeks earlier when I submitted all the requirements to Ate Inday, the church secretary. I just trusted that I was signing the exact same document on that day.
I signed off first. Kiko signed off next. Fr. Gerry asked us a final time if we wanted him to sign it. We laughed and said yes. And so, he finally did.
"Now, you're married!" he declared, and ushered us back to the front of the sanctuary. (Ganun?! Does that mean the ceremony was for pure entertainment purposes? Hahaha! JOKE! =))
Hubby Sweet and I stood side-by-side in front of all our guests, beaming.
"Francis," Fr. Gerry admonished, "you may now kiss your bride."
Finally! Haha! 'P
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P.S. - Dear God, thanks for all the love and the peace and the work and the help and the friends and the consolation and the compassion and the fruits and the abundance and all the other blessings you have sent our way. Still, I'd like to make one more request. Would You mind sending some of the children we asked for our way soon? Haha! =D
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