Signing off from WeddingsatWork

Signing off from WeddingsatWork
with a Really Long Goodbye Letter

posted at WeddingsatWork on 20 March 2005

************

Almost exactly a year ago, I joined Weddings at Work. I was quickly
introduced to a world of obsessive-compulsive brides (and grooms) who
spend so much time fussing over the tiniest details of their weddings
yet still have time to help out other brides and grooms.

A few days later, I found myself in Fernwood Gardens during the W@W5
(W@W's 5th Anniversary) as a reader for the mass, then as the
assistant of Mel Cortez at the marriage booth. There I met former
w@wies Clarice (ni Bernard) and Christine (ni Joseph). A few months
later, Clarice and I started doing our wedding preparations together –
we went on trips to Dangwa, Divisoria and the Star Paper warehouse. We
also went to Welcoat to have some of our wedding stuff laminated.
Shortly after her wedding, Christine joined the fun and gave us
helpful tips in finding raw materials for our D-I-Y wedding projects.
Around that time, another w@wie, Rhodora (ni Ryan) sent an e-mail to
W@W asking where she can find a minus-one of Panunumpa. I has one so I
answered her e-mail and a few days later, we met for lunch and had a
really good chat. A few weeks later, Clarice, Christine, Rhodora and
I, with a few other friends, were all working on wedding related stuff
together – we wrapped Rhodora and Ryan's soaps, tied ribbons on
Clarice and Bernard's home-made gel candles and folded the sleeves for
our CD souvenirs.

From that time on, we became friends. We organized bridal showers for
each other, attended each others weddings and enjoyed each and every
moment together. Along the way, they all became wedding suppliers –
Christine set-up Out of the Box Events, and Clarice, together with
Rhodora and a few other partners, set up An Event to Remember.

Clarice has been asking me to help her out in her venture but I have
been hesitant to do so – I have a demanding day job and frankly, I do
not think that the financial return in a wedding coordination business
is sufficient to pay for all the work, the stress and more
importantly, the risk of a bridezilla ruining your name.

But a few days ago, Clarice gave me an offer that I couldn't resist –
an opportunity to witness the wedding of a w@wie who had cool ideas
for her wedding. Unfortunately, I had a family dinner scheduled on the
same day of that wedding so I had to beg off. However, at the last
minute, or more specifically, at the last hour, our family dinner was
cancelled. So, at 6:30 pm last night, I arrived at Heritage Hotel to
help Clarice and her partners give the couple a reception to remember
(the wedding ceremony was done by that time). The work was
back-breaking and it required a lot of patience, but after turning
over all the wedding paraphernalia to the bride and the groom and
there was nothing left in the ballroom but memories of yet another
beautiful wedding, I had so much fun hanging out with my friends as we
basked in the high of accomplishing another task (it felt like I
signed a contract with a wedding supplier for our wedding!). And so
when Clarice asked me to help her out in the wedding of another w@wie,
I couldn't say no. (But I did tell her that I can only help her out
once in a while and insisted that I get to choose the couples that I
really like. After all, helping her out isn't business for me. She
agreed.) I also couldn't say no to Christine when she asked me to help
her in her new venture.

So I guess that makes me a wedding supplier. Which means that I will
have to say goodbye to the W@W family.

And I do so with a little sadness.

I really enjoyed being a w@wie. Through W@W, I was given the
opportunity to (a) have free pre-nuptial pictures taken by at least 10
photographers (and realize after the 8th photographer that I really
need a photojournalist as Rey and I both got headaches posing for the
camera), (b) appear on TV (and realize that I look terrible on screen
so I shouldn't have dreams of earning millions as an actress), (c)
have our wedding announced in the papers (and manage to pick a really
cheesy picture too!), and (d) have our caricatures made for free (I
refuse to comment about the finished product!). All these, I owe to
John and Benz. Thank you, guys!

The w@wies have also been a good source of information. Among other
things, I learned to (a) post our pictures online, (b) start an online
journal, (c) create our own wedding website, (d) make luminaries, (e)
line envelopes, and discover (a) the advantages of having a diamond
peel and (b) the next-to-heaven taste of Polly's chocolate cake. I
will definitely miss receiving my daily dose (in the hundreds!) of
e-mails from w@wies.

But more than that, because of W@W, we were able to meet friends and
suppliers who not only helped in making our wedding as beautiful and
as fun as we found it to be, but who continue to bring joy to our
lives.

For that, I will forever be grateful. Thank you.

I still owe a few more supplier ratings. I guess I'll just have to
send them through Benz.

Until then,
Abie ni Rey - the wedding addict
27 Dec 04/Mandarin