Singalong Nature Campsite, Antipolo, Rizal

 

Celebrating 2nd year of Marriage

Singalong Nature Campsite, Antipolo, Rizal

December 19-20, 2022

 

December 20 is our wedding anniversary.

And we’re off to another adventure on the days of December 19 and 20. For these days, Hubby and I took vacation leaves from our work. And our destination was at Singalong Nature Campsite in Rizal.

We left home at 10 in the morning.

From Eastwood City, we rode a jeep going to Lifehomes then we rode another jeep going to Tanay. We told the driver to drop us off at Alfamart Mayiba Teresa.

Then from Alfamart, we rode a tricycle going to Singalong starting point.

Back to Nature and my heart was happy!

It was a thirty-minute trail going to the campsite and we mostly passed through streams.

We rented a tent as our sleeping room for the night.

When we were already settled, we had our lunch.

Hubby cooked Adobo before we left home and that was our lunch.

Then we hiked to the top of the campsite to see the amazing view.

The signal was limited there and the best thing to do up here is to enjoy nature.

And then we had a swim in a natural pool.

 

After swimming, we already washed off and took a short rest inside our tent.

Just before the sun sets, we cooked for dinner and also had our early dinner.

 

We also had the chance to have a bonfire and roasted marshmallows over the blue sky.

This is my favorite kind of night.

 

We slept early.

In the middle of the night, hubby woke up to eat.

And then we went back to sleep again.

 In the morning, we had coffee and bread for breakfast.

We left the campsite at 10 in the morning.

We just had lunch when we were already at Rosario.

Our anniversary celebration was simple yet we’re happy.

We are grateful for our marriage. This is a blessing we truly treasure and a partnership we work on every single day.

I want to thank my husband for agreeing with me to go on trips like this to celebrate our union. 

One Year of Marriage (An Open Letter For My Hubs)

One year.

It was bliss. 

Who would have thought that a year has swiftly passed? 

And as they say, it was a roller coaster kind of ride. 

Same day last year, I saw your most joyous tears when you saw me walking down the aisle with my mom and brother towards you.

And for me, the happiest part of our simple wedding ceremony witnessed by our close family, relatives and friends was when Reverend Jay announced that we're officially husband and wife and then we kissed and then we hugged each other so tight with full of happiness in our hearts. I consider this as one of the loveliest moments of my life and this forever rewinds in my memory lane. Whenever I am stressed, burned out, feeling hopeless or mad, I just keep on refreshing my mind  that certain special day of ours and it makes my day lighter and brighter. That is my happy vibes pill! 

Our wedding day was not perfect. It was the simplest as it could be (and budget-friendly actually). 

But it was what I prayed for and I couldn't thank you enough for making one of my dreams turned into reality - and that was to marry you. 

Our journey as a married couple for the past year had its ups and downs, challenges, happiness and celebrations. 

To highlight some, one of us got Covid and had to be isolated for 14 days - it was the most challenging that happened this year actually. We were in LDR for 14 days. 

And then another not so good highlight was when one of us packed the clothes to almost run away (true story - this actually happened). 

There were petty and huge fights, and then there were tears but by God's grace, most of our moments together were laughter and craziness  (in a good way) and just love. 

Yes there were bad days, but there were also happy days like salary increases (pa-SB ka naman dyan!), new job acceptances, new gadgets/stuffs for the house, dining outs - the Al Fresco type, grocery days (Yes, those are happy times for us because we have money to spend on), running or walkathons together, modifying and improving our future plans, more cuddle times, and a lot more! 

Marriage is truly a lifetime of hard work and one thing I've learned this year is that it should also be smart work.

Wise enough of who should do the laundry and dishes (Ha-ha-ha!). 

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my husband for accepting the lifetime duty of taking out the garbage.

I may not be good at cooking (because it's your job by the way) but at least I'm the best wife in helping you prepare for work. 

You are brutally honest actually when I tried cooking but it didn't taste good. You'd say that you couldn't swallow the food but you'd still eat it anyway.

I also do the laundry when I know that you're tired from work. 

Since you love cluttering and I'm the one who cleans your mess, thank you for sweeping inside and outside of our home when I told you to do it. Keep up the good work!

Our marriage is also a lifetime learning experience and I'm happy to learn new things and improve more with you. 

I will be forever grateful to the universe and to the Lord because I've got to get married with the love of my life since I was 18. 

Our paths have crossed in one of the most famous fast food chains in the country and since then both our lives have changed forever. 

Our first meeting and dating place also reminded us of our humble beginnings. 

It is still a long journey though but I will be forever grateful to have this lifetime spent with you. 

Cheers to our goals waiting to be reached! (The soonest, praying and claiming it!)

Happy 1st wedding anniversary, Mahal! 

This is me showing and telling what 'I love you' means. 

One down forever to go!

Yours, 

Lablab.

Mount Espadang Bato

March 12, 2022 - Saturday

Montalban, Rizal

Reunion Hike with TeamTraverser!

After two years, I've finally done two things I love the most.

First, hiking! I love exploring mountains,

enjoying the trails, the breathtaking view,

the stories shared with co-hikers.

Second, bonding with friends!

It was never a dull moment when you spend time with friends,

especially if you haven't seen each other for a long time. 

Team Traverser has been my friend since 2016,

back when I started joining hikes

and stepping out of my comfort zone to meet new people.

These people eventually became my friends. 

For this day's reunion hike, we went to Montalban, Rizal

via a friend's car.

Our destination: Mount Espadang Bato

at Barangay Mascap, Montalban, Rizal.

We met in Cubao at 5 in the morning. 

We had a stopover at 7/11 to have some coffee

and while waiting for our other friends - Jan and Joy.

Right there at that time,

we decided to hike Mount Espadang Bato.

It was all our first time going there.

We even lost our way going to the jump off area

and started our hike a bit late. 

After more than two hours with lots of  ‘take five’

or short stops to rest, we reached the summit.

The mountain has become well known

because of its rock formations that look like a giant sword

and also the scenic backdrop when you take a photo here. 

It felt good to be back on top of a mountain.

I didn't hike for the last two years

so I easily got tired during the ascents.

But the pain was worth it when you're on top.

And I also missed the forestry trail. 

Since the pandemic and several lockdowns,

hiking has been prohibited.

When we went there,

we were the third group to hike. Unlike before,

hundreds were flocking to the mountains

especially on weekends.  

Looking forward to seeing more people

will go back to hiking soon. 

Current tour guide fee is 500 pesos for 5 pax. 

And we paid 100 pesos each since we were 6 in the group. 

We also paid a registration fee at the Barangay of 20 pesos each. 

By 1 pm, we were back in the jump off area

and had our lunch in a nearby cafeteria.

Then we headed to Wawa Dam where we rented a cottage

and had a dip on the river.

After that, we also had dinner at SM Fairview

before we finally parted ways. 

I was happy reconnecting with nature and friends

and I can't wait to have more moments like this

as we are eventually going back to normal. 

Fingers crossed.

Thank you Lord God for keeping us safe and for always providing for us.

Thank you for the time spent with friends

and we were able to see your creation's beauty once again on a higher view.

Our Intimate and (Mostly) DIY Kind of Wedding (worth 30K)

(This is Our Wedding Journey and Budget)

Date Written: January 16, 2021

Hi! I’m officially Mrs. Regaspi and this is our wedding journey. 

We’ve decided to be practical yet still fulfilling our dream wedding so most of the things we need for our wedding was DIY and some were even sponsored. Thank you, loved-ones!

Current global crisis and a bit of a hard financial situation made us do it this way. He-he!

We got engaged last July 2020 (our 12th year of being together) and had our wedding in December 2020. It was a five-month preparation and we’re happy with the outcome. After all, we consider that being content is one of the keys to stay happy.

Here’s the list of things needed for our Special Day and how we did it:

Requirements

Legality needs papers so basically, it’s the first thing that we processed. Due to the pandemic, most of our transactions were done online. Same with getting our documents. 

These are the basic requirements needed (for a civil wedding) 

1. PSA Birth Certificate of the couple – 1 copy each

2. PSA CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage) of the couple – 1 copy each

These documents were delivered to us in two weeks right after we registered and paid online. 

Wedding Officiator

We looked for a wedding officiant on-line and luckily, we found Reverend Jay Arvin Mangilinan. He’s the one who processed all our documents. We just gave him the original copies of our birth certificate and Cenomar. Marriage License/Marriage Certificate will be just delivered to us after the wedding. Hassle-free it is. Yes. 

Wedding Theme/Motif

Well, my favorite color is orange so most of our stuff during the wedding was in this color. I just mixed it with white to be neutral. We requested our guests to wear any semi-formal with a touch of orange and white. And we required our entourage to wear white. White long sleeves and black pants for gentlemen while white, knee-length dress for ladies. We just provided orange suspenders and bow ties for men and orange head dresses for ladies as accessories. 

I am also fond of Baybayin, an original Philippine alphabet system so we’ve decided to include this on our wedding theme.

Wedding Venue/Catering

We looked for the most affordable but still with high quality catering services. We’ve found Lin’s Catering! This was recommended by a close friend of mine. They also offer free use of their venue for three hours so we eventually grabbed their promo package. Their venue also has bridal rooms that we can rent. We rented one room. 

Here’s the inclusion of our package: 

• Food (of course, He-he! 1 set of vegetable dish, chicken, fish, beef, pork, juice, rice and salad) – buffet style for guests and plate served for Principal Sponsors

• Free use of air conditioned wide venue for three hours

• Basic sounds and lights system

• Wedding cake and wine

• Tables and Chairs following our motif

• Basic table design with flowers

Our add-ons (with extra charge) 

• Lechon – sponsored by my Mum

• Rental of Bridal Room for 24 hours

• Rental of projector for the AVP

The venue is located in Sta. Ana, Manila. Our bridal and groom's prep, wedding ceremony and reception all happened on this event place.

We were only 30+ pax.

Venue Design

Venue styling was provided by our catering service. We just requested for a white and orange theme. And we just added some designs. 

Souvenirs for Guests and for Principal Sponsors

Some of my friends sponsored this. I personally requested these to them as their gifts for our wedding. 

We gave heart-shaped alcohol spray for guests and wine for principal sponsors as souvenirs. I just designed and printed the Thank You note with Baybayin words and we just bought ribbons to match our wedding motif. 

Gown and Suit

One of our Principal Sponsors gifted us my wedding gown. Thank you, Tito and Tita! 

For my heeled shoes and earrings, they were all borrowed. Thank you, Ate Joy! I still bought flat shoes because I am more comfortable in wearing flats. 

For the groom’s attire, we borrowed his suit from a friend. My mum bought him his long sleeves and blue handkerchief. We just bought his black slacks and white shoes. We also bought his orange bow tie and dried flower boutonniere

Wedding Ring

To follow our wedding theme, we ordered a personalized ring online with Baybayin words at a very affordable price. They were set of black rings with Baybayin words engraved to it on top and our wedding date engraved on the inside. We skipped a fancy ring as of the moment and we’ll just get it next time once we have the funds. 

Bridal Bouquet

I ordered it online. I bought two bouquets (one for me and for the bouquet tossing) and one boutonniere for my groom. It was affordable and the seller is very kind and accommodating. Shout to Ms. Mina of Fiorella by Mina. Thank you so much for the beautiful arrangement I personally requested. It was a preserved flowers bouquet!

Photographer / Videographer

We were so grateful to my cousins who served as our personal photographer and videographer! 

But we still looked for a photographer for the ceremony. Thank you, Snaps Ave! We hired Ms. Fil for two hours. 1 hour for the prep and 1 hour for the ceremony.

Hair and Makeup Artist

Shout out again to one of my cousins who made my hair and make-up for free! She’s also one of the bride’s maids. She even did my mum’s make up. 

Thanks, Shan!

 Event Host

One of my best friends since college served as our event host and he’s also one of the coordinators. 

Thanks, Bessy! You’re the best!

the one who's holding the mike. He's our host. ha-ha!

On The Day Coordinators

Two of my cousins served as our wedding coordinators. While my brother’s girlfriend played the projector and sounds during the wedding march. Thank you, Girls!

The following list are the things that I personally planned, designed or created.

AVP / Projector and Sounds 

Aside from the program flow that flashes on the screen, I also created a slideshow of our journey as a couple. We also compiled some video greetings by our friends and watched it at the event. 

Songs to Play

I personally chose songs for the wedding march and directed it to our coordinators. 

Song for Entourage: I Was Born In Loving You by: Tori Kelly

Song for the Bridal March: Sa Bawat Daan by Ebe Dancel

My mum and bro walked me down the aisle

Program Flow

By searching online, I found a program flow and some traditional wedding activities for the wedding. I used it as an inspiration to do our own program. We actually fit all the activities in three hours. Shout out to my best friend Marky aka our host who helped me with this plan.

Here’s the program flow that I made:

Time	Program
5:00 AM	Wedding Prep
	Photo op  (Pre-Wedding, Prep)
9:00 AM	Couple Photo op at the venue
10:00 AM	Arrival of Guests
	Seating Arrangement of guests - care of Coordinators
	Guest List / Dedication Book
10:45	Wedding March
11:00 AM	Wedding ceremony
	Exchange of vows and ring ceremony
	The signing of the marriage contract
	Presentation of the newlyweds
	Bridal kiss
	Photo Op per group
	Newly Wed Exit
	(post photo op - bride and groom)
12:00 NN	Wedding reception
	Welcoming of guests by the host
	Acknowledgments of the following: Reverend, Parents, Principal Sponsors
	Acknowledgment of the newlyweds, their brief history, etc. (with MVR)
	Re-entry of newly weds
	Words from parents (done during the ceremony)
	Speech of Bestman and Maid of Honor before the toast
	Wedding Toast
	Cake-cutting
12:30 PM	Prayer before meal; Serving of food/buffet line up
	Newly wed’s rounds for the photo op per table
	(distribution of money pin)
	Song number for the wedding dance – live song by the maid of honor
	Father’s Dance with the bride - (we skipped this)
	Couple's First Dance and Money Dance
	Souvenir distribution - care of coordinators
	Well-wishers - Principal Sponsors / Video Messages from family and friends
	Couple Game (Who's the Most)
	Bouquet passing game
	Garter passing game
	Speech from the newlyweds
	Closing remarks by the emcee
2:00 PM	End of Program

Wedding March

Here’s the wedding march order list that I made:

• Wedding Officiant

• Bestman 

• Groom Parents (stop in the middle – wait for the groom)

• Groom 

• Principal Sponsors (by pair)

• Secondary Sponsors (by pair)

• Bride Parents (stop in the middle – wait for the bride)

• Bride

We skipped the kids (flower girls, ring bearers, etc.) in the entourage as it is still pandemic.

Photo Ops Order

Since this is DIY, I also made some photo order that our personal photographers can follow: 

Wedding Preps

With Bride

Bridal HMUA and prep

With Matron of Honor

With Cousins and Friends

With Family

With groom

Groom Prep

With Bestman and Friends

With Family

Ceremony Photos

Wedding March

Couple Photos, Vows, Contract Signing

After Ceremony, group photo

Couple Photos

Couple with Reverend

with Family - Lain's side

with Family - Rish's side

With Principal Sponsors

With Friends

With Relatives - Lain's Side

With Relatives - Rish's Side

Reception

Introduction of Newly Wed

First Dance

With Parents

With Principal Sponsors

With Bestman and Maid of Honor

Cake and Wine

Games

Couple with Friends and Family

Group Photo

Reception

With Couple per table

-end of photo ops list-

Prenup Shoots

Our prenup shoot was done in BGC. It was mostly street and park photoshoot themes. Shout out to my cousins and friends who served as our make-up artist, stylist, photographer and director.

Guest list

We opted to have a maximum of 40 guests only. And for the wedding day, I made a scrapbook like a guestbook wherein guests can write their wishes for us. 

Wedding Vows

The day before the wedding, we wrote our vows on this handmade card made by yours truly. 

Invitation

Shout out to Canva for the available templates and designs that I used for our digital invitation. I just printed one set for photo ops and remembrance as well. We have just sent this online to our guests.

Breakdown of Budget 

Here’s the total breakdown of expenses that we had for the wedding. We initially allot Php 30,000 as our budget for the wedding but we actually exceeded. He-he! 

Description	Amount
Requirements	1,500.00
Wedding Officiant	5,500.00
Food, Venue, Bridal Room	44,000.00
Personalized Wedding Ring	2,000.00
Bouquet/Boutonniere	1,000.00
Wedding Attire:
Black Slacks	500.00
Long Sleeves	500.00
Men's White shoes	500.00
Bride’s Flat Shoes	300.00
Entourage Accessories	1,000.00
Photo and Video	2,800.00
Prenup Expenses:
Prenup Shirts	600.00
Grab and Food	2,200.00
Wedding Transpo	900.00
Photobook	540.00
HMUA	-	Care of my cousin
Wedding Gown	-	Care of Tito and Tita
Souvenirs	-	Care of Friends/Cousin
Grand Total	63,840.00

PS. My mum sponsored a total of 19K; My hubby’s family sponsored a total of 10K. 

So all in all, we personally paid Php. 34,840.00

We still have stuck to our initial budget! Wow. 

Thank you, Fam and friends! We all love you!

So, there you have it. 

Additional Tip: Make an Excel File for all your plans and checklist. It helped me a lot!  

Message me if you want a template. I can give it for free! From list of guests, things to buy/prepare, needed stuffs, budget (especially), program, updates, etc.; Excel Sheet is a life-saver! 

Our intimate wedding was far from perfection but we loved it just the way it was. It was simple, nothing fancy, nothing costly, just pure love and joy.

And what truly matters most was our promise and commitment to each other plus the fact that we celebrated it with our closest family and friends.

We wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

To my now husband, here’s a short message for you. 

I love you, my better half. Thank you for letting me reach one of my dreams and that is to marry you in the presence of the people we love and who love us. 

On this day, we honored our parents with our vows to each other. 

On this day, we fulfilled one of our dreams together and that is to marry each other. 

On this day, we celebrated with our closest friends and family. 

On this day, I saw you with tears of joy as you saw me walk down the aisle. 

On this day, we strengthened  our bond. 

Thank you and I love you, my forever roommate, housemate, ex-boyfriend, dream buddy, best friend, husband and lifetime partner.

Insert song of Ebe Dancel, “Sa Bawat Daan”. This was my bridal march song. 

Sa pagkumpas ng iyong kamay

Aking landas, ginagabay

Nag-iisang tiyak sa isang libong duda

Silong sa iyak at pagluluksa

Kung puso ko ay imamapa

Ikaw ang dulo, gitna't simula

Nahanap din kita (Kay tagal kong naghintay)

Nahanap din kita (Kay tagal kong naghintay)

Ohhh

Maligaw man

At mawala

At umikot man

Sa kawalan

Sa bawat kailan

Sino't saan

Ikaw lamang ang

Kasagutan

Bawat kanan

At kaliwa

Kung timog man

O hilaga

Ang bawat... daan ko

Ay patungo (ay patungo)

Ay pabalik (ay pabalik)

Sa 'yo

Kay tagal nang lumulutang

Walang pupuntahan, walang dahilan

Parang ulap na, walang dalang ulan

Kamang walang kumot at unan

Bihag ako ng pagtataka

May saysay ba ang paglalakbay

Ngunit

Nahanap din kita (Kay tagal kong naghintay)

Nahanap kita (Kay tagal kong naghintay)

Ohhh

Maligaw man

At mawala

O umikot man

Sa kawalan

Dahil sa bawat kailan

Sino't saan

Ikaw lamang ang kasagutan

Bawat kanan (Kay tagal kong naghintay) at kaliwa

Kung timog man (Kay tagal kong naghintay) o hilaga

Ang bawat (Kay tagal kong naghintay) daan ko

Ay patungo (Kay tagal kong naghintay)

Ay pabalik (Ay pabalik)

Sa 'yo

Sa iyo

(Kay tagal kong naghintay)

Ooh ohh

Kung ang puso ko ay imamapa

Ikaw ang dulo, ang gitna't simula

Ikaw...

Ikaw...