Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Special Feature: Ge and Kal Gets Married!


After ten years of being together, Ge and I finally tied the knot last November! #mayforever


Though overwhelming at first, preparing for the wedding was so much fun! And what's even more amazing is the fact that we only proved to ourselves (even more than we already know) that we make the best team!

I have always been fond of arts and crafts, so it was only natural that I wanted to do some DIY projects for the wedding. Due to time constraints, I was only able to DIY a few things. Let me share with you photos of the things I made using my labor of love. Hihi!

We went for a winter-inspired theme for the wedding, so fabric flowers were the way to go! (Plus the fact that it cut the cost of hiring a florist entirely, saving us at least 15k.) Materials were bought from Tabora Street in Divisoria, Well Manson in Quiapo and Carolina's in Megamall.

The lace wrist corsages shown below were for the bridesmaids (blue), secondary sponsors (pink), mothers (all white) and the flower girls (white and gray).


Here's a photo of my fabric brooch bouquet!


The wrist corsages for the Ninangs were more of an old rose shade to suit their age.


I made these fabric flowers from scratch using the burning method (view YouTube tutorial here), which is the best method I've seen so far in making fabric flowers look more realistic. 

For the boutonnieres, I used the same method but with smaller pieces of fabric, adding a little piece of white lace and small pieces of hard tulle.



The missalettes and wedding invitations were also DIY, making use of Gerald's calligraphy and my drawing skills for the map. The wax seals on the envelopes were applied by the two of us, painstakingly sealing each envelope one by one. And the names on the envelopes were handwritten as well. It can't get more personal than that!






One of my random DIYs were these wedding day survival packs for the entourage.


Incidentally, the colors I chose for the wedding coincided perfectly with the Pantone Color of the Year for 2016. And Pantone announced it just a few days after my wedding! 

Great minds think alike? I would like to think so! Lol!



And I have to say, the infinity dresses by Cruella & Co look so lovely on my girls! Based on my color palette, I bought pink ones for my secondary sponsors, baby blue for my bridesmaids, powder blue for my maid of honour, and light gray for my flower girls! (And yes, my flower girls aren't children!)

Here's the photo we used as inspiration for our wedding color palette:


And who said pink are only for girls? Our male entourage definitely rocked their baby pink ties!



Last but not the least, my Rosa Clara inspired wedding gown by Mel Orlina was breathtakingly beautiful! I love the scalloped neckline and the intricate details on my off shoulder wedding gown.



I love how the lace of my wedding gown matched the lace on my shoes! I was a classic bride all the way!


 

Here I am feeling more beautiful than I have ever felt in my entire life! All thanks to the gorgeous hair and make-up artist, Ten Franco!




The wonderful photos shown on this blog post were all taken by Manny and April Photography. And these are just the onsite photos given to us on the same day of our wedding! We are actually looking forward to more photos in a few months time. I would probably share more photos once we get everything. 

For the mean time, I would like to end this blog post by sharing with you the same day edit made by our wedding videographer, Dan Mendiola. Let his story telling take you through the most important day in my life! To all my friends reading this blog post, thank you so much for celebrating with us, even from afar!



Saturday, September 5, 2015

Kal Features: Nickita Sweets


-Ber months are finally here, and for most Filipinos, that only means one thing --- Christmas shopping!

And for me, nothing's more festive than good old-fashioned crinkles.

Just the sight of these goodies covered with snow-like powdered sugar make me feel like celebrating Christmas a little bit earlier. So when I discovered Nickita Sweets, it was only natural that I became interested!

What's even more amazing is the fact that their crinkles come in five different flavours: Oreo, Red Velvet, Chocolate, Lemon Cheesecake, and Matcha.



What started out as a small business selling red velvet crinkles soon evolved into what's now known as "everyone's favorite" crinkles, offering five innovative flavors that are sure to pique your interest and satisfy your taste buds.

As I always say, there must be a balance between quality and quantity - for two 1-dozen tubs for 299 pesos, I'd say you are definitely getting your money's worth! (Don't even consider buying just one tub for 180 pesos. These goodies are just too good that I guarantee you'd regret not buying another one.)


I have to say that the packaging is just too cute for words! Each flavor actually has an adorable little cartoon character featured on its sticker label. How cute is that?!

Now, let me talk about each flavor individually.


Oreo Crinkles with Cream Cheese Frosting



Eating Nickita Sweets' Oreo Crinkles with Cream Cheese Frosting gave me a whole new Oreo experience --- it is Oreo like you have never tasted before! It is softer than all the other flavored crinkles, and is actually one of my favorite flavors.


Red Velvet Crinkles with Cream Cheese Fillings



This is the one that started it all! 
Red velvet Crinkles with Cream Cheese Fillings was actually the first flavor that Nice Gomez, the owner of Nickita Sweets, started out with. I love that the Red velvet Crinkles were moist (unlike other crinkles that tend to be dry). It is obvious that Nickita Sweets only uses the best ingredients and makes their crinkles with utmost care and precision.


Chocolate Crinkles with Chocolate Cream Cheese Fillings



Calling all chocolate lovers! This one is definitely for you! When I asked a friend to taste this, after just one bite, she immediately sighed with satisfaction and looked at me saying, "Ang sarap..." ("It's delicious...")


Lemon Cheesecake Crinkles with Cream Cheese Frosting



This is another one of my favorite flavors from Nickita Sweets. I love how it is sweet and tangy at the same time, and its texture is similar to that of silvannas. The exact taste is really hard to describe, but this would definitely become a sure hit for those who are older (like myself!)


Matcha Crinkles with Chocolate Cream Cheese Fillings


Last but not the least, let me talk about their best seller --- the Matcha crinkles with Chocolate Cream Cheese!

Although I'm not really a fan of Matcha, I actually liked this one too, especially for its innovativeness. I asked a good friend (who loves Matcha) to taste this and she told me that she really loved how the Matcha flavor is there but not really in an "in-your-face" kind of way.


After tasting all their flavors, I could immediately tell why Nickita Sweets became "everybody's favorite." Its taste and quality (plus the fact that it is fairly affordable) made me feel like I have no need to try crinkles from other brands altogether!

Nickita Sweets is available online, but you could also buy these in their physical stores at the following locations:

Zaril Lifestyle
- Maginhawa Street Teachers Village, near Streat and Ministop

Fashstore Manila
- Katipunan Street beside Flaming Wings






Thursday, August 20, 2015

Kal Visits: Empire Fashion Cafe (Lilac Street, Marikina)


Avid bargain shoppers like myself tend to lose track of time whenever we are shopping. (Just ask my fiancé.)

This is the reason why I usually do my shopping alone during weekdays. This way, my fiancé won't really need to go (and know) about my shopping sprees. Haha! (Hope you're not reading this, Ge! Hihi!)

love skimming through multiple shelves and racks just to find an item with the perfect balance between price and quality. It takes me hours to do this, I'm not even kidding!

And so when I first heard about Empire Fashion Cafe, I thought it was the perfect place for me to shop!


Apart from being able to see the actual items of online shops I've been wanting to check out, I do not need to worry about my fiancé while I'm shopping because he can simply chill and hang out at the cafe while I do my own thing.


You will see the "cafe" part of Empire Fashion Cafe on the far right end of their space. Everywhere else, you will see what "heaven" probably looks like (to shopaholics such as myself, haha!).

To those who plan to go there, here are some of the photos I took to give you an idea what the place looks like:



They sell items for men, too!

Sophie Love's Honeysuckle is my favourite!

How kawaii are those bags and sunnies!

Captain America Shield Power Bank? Why not?!

No need to go to the U.S. for Trader Joe's Goodies!


Diet Pen: "Sniff, Don't Snack" (ROFL!)


When blogger babe and newly wed, Mrs. Jaqui Perez-Go, invited me to go to the Empire Fashion Cafe Grand Opening last Saturday (August 15, 2015), I got really excited! (And I was right to be excited, too!)

It was such an awesome event, complete with food, drinks, celebrities, and of course, lots and lots of shopping!

We definitely enjoyed our short but sweet stay there! I just wish I wore a little bit of make-up before going to the event though -- so many pictures were taken! I felt and looked "bleh" because I wasn't really feeling well at the time due to work-family-wedding-related stress. (Just 3 months to go before the wedding! Yippee!)

Here are some of the photos I took during the Empire Fashion Cafe Grand Opening last Saturday:


Twinning with the newly wed, Mrs. Jaqui Perez-Go

Desserts please!


Colorful jelly shots from the mobile bar

The beautiful ladies behind Empire Fashion Cafe with Korina Sanchez-Roxas

Me doing some shopping! (So many people came to the grand opening!)

Eye bags! Hahaha!

Personalised Tote Bag c/o Cordes and Totes filled with Empire Fashion Cafe goodies!

With my good friend, Geri (Owner of Pretty Little Blings and Head Marketing for Empire Fashion Cafe)


Empire Fashion Cafe is located at 10 Lilac Street, Marikina City. 
See the complete list of vendors here.


Outfit of the Day

Dress and vest: Forever 21
Fringe Boho Bag: Thrifted
Sunnies: Ripples By Jenny Eyewear
Necklace: Summer Soul Gypsy
Shoes: The Scene Stealer Shop