9.10.11 Yaptos Engagement Party Luau Weekend Review

First of all, Marc and I would like to thank everyone that celebrated with us at our Yaptos Engagment Luau Picnic Party at Randall Oaks Park on 9.20.11!  We were worried that it was going to rain, but we were so blessed with absolutely perfect weather.  It was special having everyone travel to West Dundee and enjoy not only the celebration but the beauty of the outdoors.  A lot of people that live closer to the city commented on how green everything was.  Thank you to those people because it made me take a step back and appreciate the beauty that surrounded us! Again, another huge shout out to Marc's sister, Sara, and my cousin/sister/twin, Jacel, for flying in for all of the engagement festivities! And I can't forget a ginormous thank you to my little, Kathy, for taking pictures for us! Love you ladies!

There was A TON of food at our potluck.  I don't think Filipino parents understand what a potluck is because both of our mothers made enough food for everyone that we probably didn't even need it to be a potluck! I got full just simply looking at the food.  But all of it was incredibly delicious.  I need to get recipes from everyone so I can cook it all for Marc once we're married ;)

Maid and Matron of Honors helping set up :)



The Tiki was a hit! Thanks for letting us borrow your friend, Kuya!

With the parentals

Ate Jacel: Be a lion! Me: Ok! We're pros at being crazy



Arianna guiding me to the playground







Marc was so helpful and drew these on all of the goody bags <3

Origami Picture Frames <3

On Sunday, we went to Bridal Expo Chicago at the Renaissance Hotel in Schaumburg with my bridesmaids.  It was definitely helpful knowing exactly what we needed so it wasn't too overwhelming.  The fashion show was fun to watch.  A lot of it was so over the top for me though, but I did see a couple  of dresses I liked :)  Pictures of all the girls will be posted soon!

Now, Marc and I are taking a break from the wedding planning and concentrating on planning our marriage.  Friday nights are dedicated to our Two to One Workshop at Willow Creek Community Church.  We've already learned the importance of how our past has shaped who we are, our values, our personality types, how to communicate effectively, and how to celebrate each others' differences rather than wanting to change our differences.  Next week, we get to learn how to fight fair ;)  It's been a great journey so far, and Marc and I continue to learn more about each other and us through these workshops. 

Sunday evenings are dedicated to Financial Peace University (FPU) starting tomorrow.  This is a 13 week course being held at West Ridge Community Church taught by Dave Ramsey.  Financial issues are usually a struggle for couples, so Marc and I are going to make sure to tackle this obstacle head on to prevent the issues.  

Yaptos is well on our way with our journey from two to one!

Kuya: When you guys married, you're going to have a hard time walking!

Me: O_o What are you talking about?

Kuya: Because you're going to lose your "tos" from Yaptos!

Like I told everyone in my two to one group... my brother is definitely my "most colorful relative." lol Ciao!!

Wedding Bands And What Not To Do

I used to think that when the day came I would be choosing a wedding band that would be somewhat blinged out with cool designs and a diamond or so.

How little did I know...

A few weeks ago, Eiffel and I went out wedding band shopping.  While it's obvious from the get-go that a wedding focuses on the bride, one of the few things that the groom gets to participate in is with the wedding band choice.  It's a way that the groom can show that he's willing and able to help out and do his fair share with whatever his wife-to-be needs help with.

Seeing the vast designs that were out there, the one thing that struck me as interesting was little I truly did know about the world of wedding bands.  There are basically enough designs to deal with every single type of personality out there.  From basic molded pieces of metal to skulls (I swear I saw a skull wedding band!)

Based on what happened with Eiffel and I when we went wedding band shopping, I've put together a basic list of do's and don'ts:


Do - Go with something that's comfortable with you and your style and will last forever

Don't - Go with something that's trendy or flashy.  It will only date you and show how much of a loser you were back in the day.

I personally went for a simple wedding band made of Cobalt.  There are 5 major types of wedding bands for guys in terms of hardness from soft to hard:

1.  Gold
2.  Platinum/Silver
3.  Titanium
4.  Cobalt
5.  Tungsten

Cobalt is harder than Titanium and not as hard as Tungsten.  I went with my band as I liked the design and it appeals to the manly side of me with being rugged LOL. 

Eiffel found her ring (a wrap) and didn't want anything after that.  We plan on having it saudered together with her engagement ring just before the wedding and then having me put it on her during the ceremony.


After we found bands we liked we also did some comparison shopping.  I had never spent so much time in jewelry stores in all my life (with exception of when I was searching for Eiffel's engagement ring)  After doing a bit of comparison shopping we finally decided that on the specific rings we wanted - I put down some money for the rings and am looking forward to the day when I have Eiffel put the ring on me =D

Happy "1 Year Until Our Wedding Day" Day!!!

Holy canoly... exactly 365 days until we become Mr. and Mrs. Marc Yap! It has been a fun, crazy, and exciting time wedding planning so far :)  I cannot believe we have already been engaged for 3 months! Within the past 3 months, we have accomplished the following:

• Set up a wedding bank account
• Reserved a date and put down a deposit for our reception venue
• Found our wedding photographer and paid the deposit
• Reserved a date and paid for the Engagement Party venue
• Found our wedding bands, paid a deposit, and will be paid off this week
• Have a detailed vision for the wedding day
• Marc has done a ton of research/contacted  DJs and videographers, but the research continues!

It's easy to focus on what NEEDS to be done rather than what HAS been done.  So YAY for staying ahead of our timeline, staying within budget (so far...), and saving saving and more saving!

We're anxious for our Engagement Party coming up on Saturday, September 10th, and I get to attend a bridal expo with ALL of my lovely bridesmaids the next day!  We are extremely fortunate to have Sara (Marc's sister from CA) and Ate Jacel (my cousin from CO) flying out for all of the festivities next weekend! We love you ladies, and we're so grateful that you both can partake in our celebration <3  Then I'm taking off on Monday and Tuesday to spend time with my cousin/sister before she flies back to Denver. We're going to pretend like we're 10 again and jam out to Hanson while wearing matching clothes and rocking the side ponytail. lmao

So what's the plan after the Engagement Party? NADA! Marc and I are going to enjoy being engaged, enjoy being in love, and enjoy being Yaptos <3



Everyone have a phenomonal Labor Day Weekend!!!!