Why do we call it The Big Day aside from the fact that a wedding day is one of the most important events in a relationship? Literally, although not all weddings are grand, it is big in happenings – there’s so much going on maybe not enough to contain in one day.

We have dated our wedding to be a year from the time we got engaged. Our preparation for it officially started on January 2013 and ended until that very day.

If we’ve been preparing for The Big Day, let me call the days leading to this moment The Small Days. As the great philosopher, Aerosmith once said, “Life’s a journey, not a destination.”

Countless bonding times we’ve savored in making this happen even for only a day.

He Said

By ideals, I consider myself an early morning person. If I am a day – I am Sunday, an hour – I am five in the morning. In this part of the day, everything was calm and I was ready once again to continue writing and wrap up my wedding vow.

A surprise I had for Jaycelle was a soundtrack saved in a flashdisk and to be played thru a portable speaker. I asked Glenn (her brother) to bring those items to Jaycelle. They were all enclosed in a house-shaped box which I gave her during the night of our engagement. Along with the box was a letter to greet her a good morning.

Our suppliers came by one after the other – the make-up artist and his team who got there by land, the the photographers whom I personally welcomed at the entrance gate of the garden, and the coordinators. One minute, I was sipping a fragrant taragon tea in all peacefulness, the next I was following a tight schedule of a celebrity – the photographer would call me for a photo shoot then the videographer for some clips and the coordinators for some coordination. This must how celebrities feel when there’s a lot to accomplish in so little time.

Luckily, I was able to catch up with my father and brothers having breakfast halfway through. All of us were almost dressed up while all the women were still prepping up.

Having been able to wake up early and continue on my wedding vow, I still had to transcribe it onto a clean sheet of paper and that’s the last thing I did before going to the chapel.

Everyone

When we were designing the invitation, we joked about what we should put in the ceremony and reception venues.

Ceremony at Nasugbu, Batangas
Reception at Alfonso, Cavite

We both laughed at the idea thinking that this might discourage guests from confirming attendance, thus lower cost. It was ridiculous. To make it clear, we simply said, “We’re getting married in Tagaytay, see you there!”

When all you need is to relax, time flies by twice as fast. Thirty minutes to ten, our family drove up to The Transfiguration Chapel of Caleruega. As I walked up the stairs, everyone emerged into view. I was very surprised that most of our relatives and friends came to celebrate with us.

Tagaytay. Yolanda. Yet there they were and I felt blessed.

To be continued…