The Pre-Wedding Party

The reason we had this party was to celebrate with those people we weren't able to invite due to constraints to our number of guests. We also had the rehearsal in the afternoon, so it's a chance for the entourage to get together [although, of Dar's entourage, only one secondary sponsor and a groomsman made it to the rehearsal, while the groomsman was the only one who went to the party :P] This party was also the first time since forever [April, Darice's birthday party] that both my family and Dar's spent some time together.






Click on the image for a bigger version.

My brother Don gets a big heap of spaghetti; Dar's friends contemplates the food; Mom tastes her own cooking; Dad makes laughs heartily.

Good thing I was able to persuade my mom a few months ago to host the party. I told her she can show off her garden with the party in her house, hehehe. Unfortunately, it rained buckets that day, and Dad had to haul ass to move the chairs and tables from the garden to our garage. So touched also by my Mom because she even made small flower arrangements for the tables.

My mom prepared a feast! I told her I was expecting 50 guests, but as usual, I overestimated hehehe. We had spaghetti (her specialty!), chicken lollipops, afritada, buttered vegetables (super yum!), and her fruit salad. She ordered some of the food from Albergus, but I know she prepared and cooked the majority of dishes.




Time for the family pictures! We asked our wedding photographer Rene Gaviola and our wedding videographer Buddy Gancenia to cover the party. It was a chance for them to meet our families, and our families to meet them, so that they'd be more at ease with each other during the wedding day itself. My Dad was such a socialite during the party -- he was chatting up a storm with both Rene and Buddy, hahahha!



This was the highlight of the night. Kat (my friend and coordinator) asked Dar the night before to make an appreciation speech for me -- which is the last thing Dar would want to do hahaha because he hates writing his own speech and saying it in front of people. But then, lo and behold, Kat was able to persuade him, and here he is (look at image on the left) trying to internalize his speech during the party. I was so touched by Dar's speech because it was the first time he made a real public display of affection for me, and he sounded so sincere, I think even my Mom believed him nyahahaha. Mommy Paul (practicing as our host that night) made Dar sing "I Wanna Make It With You" and I was dragged to the front for a duet. Then it was my turn to show (and say) my appreciation for Dar, and it was pure babble because I didn't have any idea this was going to happen :) Thank God Buddy and Rene was there, they were able to capture everything -- I know this was the first and last time Dar would do that hehehe.



P.S. Darice striked many poses that night!



P.P.S. All party pictures by Rene Gaviola. More pictures of the party here.

obssessed over wedding preps @ 8:40 PM

---

...back to the seventh year hitch...