Letter to Violeta

Dear Violeta,

Thank you talaga for accompanying me to Dangwa, Divisoria and the Star Paper factory a few days ago.

I am so happy with our finds! I know that I would not find a cheaper florist that would produce the same output for the flowers of my entourage. Sobra talaga akong natuwa kay Boy "Lou" Mahusay, ang "Dangwa Flower Arranger" from Bulaklakan ng Maynila. At first I was hesitant to get them kasi baka less than perfect yung floral arrangments nila (ang kapal ko 'no? sa kaliit-liit na budget, nagde-demand ng perfect bouquets) but when I saw them arrange flowers by the side of the road, sobra akong na-impress! Talaga namang mahusay si Mr. Mahusay! Bonus din talaga na ang sarap nilang kausap. Sobrang jologs. Di talaga bagay yung classy arrangements nila sa kanila. Hahaha.

At love ko rin si Manang Wilka ng Carolina's! I know I can find cheaper fabrics, but dealing with her makes you feel that you’re getting what you pay for – alam mo na ‘di ka iniisahan. Natuwa kasi ako sa kaniya when we were asking for Duchesse Satin and she immediately said that what they have is not the pure Duchesse Satin that some people look for. She also recommended the taffeta that we bought even if the other cloth that I liked was more expensive. Mas maganda daw kasi yung bagsak ng taffeta.

Doon ko rin nakita na ‘yung dream fabric ko e ‘di pala bagay sa akin. I found it in one of the shelves – ‘yung creamy na bagsak na bagsak. Nung nakita ko, it was obviously new pero medyo madumi na. Dumihin daw talaga yung fabric. I’m sure if I used that cloth for my gown, gusgusin na ang dating ko pagdating sa reception. E di nga ako makapag-suot ng white pants kasi ‘di pa ako nakakaalis ng bahay, mukha na siyang marumi.

And the pure pina cloth for Fatherlily’s barong – sobra akong happy! I know you were concerned that the cloth was a bit more expensive than that I was expecting. Pero sobra naman kasi akong na-inlove sa pagka-burda. Simple lang pero it looked so nice! Sulit talaga ang bawa’tpisong binayad ko. Added value pa na Manang Wilka introduced us to the designer who agreed to sew the barong for P1,500. Kahit di kami magpapatahi sa designer, I appreciate the effort. (Family friend kasi naming yung may-ari ng Daneche. They agreed to sew the barong at a discounted price of P1,200.00)

When I got home, ginising ko talaga si Fatherlily kasi excited akong ipakita sa kaniya yung cloth that I bought for him. A few months ago kasi, na-mention niya sa akin na sabi daw ng mga kaibigan niya, maganda daw kung may halong pina ang barong niya. Nung nakita niya yung cloth and nasabi ko sa kaniya na I got pure pina for him, sobra siyang natuwa! Kinabukasan, to call agad siya sa friendship niya to ask kung magkano ang discount niya sa Daneche (sorry ha, Chinese talaga si fatherlily, mahilig sa discount.) And, sobra na rin tuloy siyang na-excite sa wedding preps. Nung nireklamo kong di ko type ang scent ng paper na nabili ko for my white cranes, go agad siya sa National Bookstore para magnahap ng ibang papel. Mega-cut din siya ng mga paper na binili ko from Star Paper. Kakatuwa talaga!

And speaking about Star Paper, doon ko nakita ang holy grail ng wedding preps ko – ang burgundy paper na pwedeng pang-origami! Nabili ko na rin ang paper for my envelopes and our programmes. Dami ko talagang na-accomplish!

And of course, sandamakmak din ang wedding tips na nakuha ko sa ‘yo. Pumunta pa tayo sa Cherry para bumili ng Blue Mountain cards na may perfectly-sized envelopes for our 5”x7” invites!

To top it all off, ang sarap mong kasama, tawa tayo ng tawa, walang pakialam kahit mukha na tayong mga luka-loka. I wouldn’t have had as much fun if I went to Dangwa, Divisoria and Star Paper all by myself.

Salamat talaga!