Point Of Grace

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Surfing Down the Aisle

I wrote an article for Pinoy expats, a web magazine for and by Filipino expats all over the world. The article was about the use of technology in planning a wedding and how the technology helped me as an overseas bride.

You can find the article here .

I enjoyed writing the article because it allowed me to reminisce and remember the planning, the preparations and the wedding day. :0)

| Gracie G. posted at 4:13 PM | | 0 comments

Surfing Down the Aisle

This is the article I wrote for Pinoyexpats about planning a wedding in the Philippines while living in the US and how technology portrayed a significant role in that wonderful journey.

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Surfing Down the Aisle
By Gracie G.

Photo taken from www.forbesbookclub.com

Planning a wedding is never easy and it’s doubly harder when you are planning a wedding from halfway across the world. When we got engaged, it was understood that the next step would be to plan the wedding -- a wedding that will be held in Manila, Philippines. That means we had to do the entire wedding preparation process from thousands of miles away.

One thing I knew for sure was that planning the wedding via “remote access” was going to be an adventure; one that is time consuming, exciting and perhaps even frustrating and that it would take a lot of energy, patience and careful thought. There were a lot of options to be considered, traditions to be preserved and figures to be calculated.

Having been away from the Philippines for about 5 years, I wasn’t certain if my idea of what a Filipino Church wedding was still accurate. I know that trends are always changing and there are probably new things that are being done at weddings in the Philippines in general, may it be a church wedding or a non-denominational ceremony.

Time and again, we would hear that planning a wedding is always filled with the most wonderful and stressful moments and I knew that it is going to be quite a ride planning a wedding from overseas. I immediately turned to the World Wide Web or the internet as a tool and guide when I started the journey of wedding planning.

The internet became my constant companion when more than ever, the wedding industry has grown at a tremendous pace. The boom in the industry has given brides all over the world with more ideas, suppliers and new trends to make weddings more personal and interesting. I was so thrilled with all the things and elements that could add character and pizzazz to our wedding. Though there were times when what the internet offered was overwhelming, it was very nice to have everything accessible and plan the wedding overseas whenever and wherever I could go online.

The technology has become a major part of the most pivotal moments of our wedding preparation. I could not count the many times that the internet, emails, instant messaging (chats) has been a part of our journey. It allowed me to check out the various suppliers both here in the US and in the Philippines that I can choose from to provide the goods and services for the wedding. It paved the way for me to not only hire our suppliers but to be in constant communication with them about the wedding details, however big or small it may be. Although seeing the venues during ocular inspections and meeting the suppliers face to face remain the ideal approach in wedding preparation, being able to visit websites, view online photos and correspond via emails and instant messaging was a nice option, a practical solution that offered convenience and accessibility to the couple and the suppliers as well. It gave us a chance to explore our options, to know what and who is out there in the wedding arena and the suppliers also get to step up to the challenge of working alongside an online bride who is planning a wedding remotely.

There was a tad of a drawback. Sometimes, there are things or details that you only notice when you talk to someone in person, when you touch something – the color, the texture, the effect, and the sound of the things that will be seen, felt, noticed and heard at the wedding. Sometimes, it takes a face to face chat, a handshake, an hour or so of talking to someone before you feel the level of comfort that is very much needed when it comes to entrusting someone to handle a part of what is to be the most wonderful day ever. But that concern is oftentimes lessened with communication and a good relationship that is built electronically and transcends into something more personal.

As time went on, family, friends, co-workers and even strangers offered not only their congratulations, but also their suggestions. But the internet also offers an opportunity to hook up with groups of people who can be a source of support. In my case, and in the case of many other Filipino brides and grooms, I became a part of the W@W (weddings at work) community and found an online haven where every single day, brides and grooms from all over the world, from all walks of life, talk about weddings. It was a virtual space where you can freely talk about weddings, ask even the mundane questions, relate with each other and openly discuss the ups and downs, the highs and lows and in-betweens of wedding planning and preparation. It was like having friends and allies, supporters and a cheering squad, helping you regardless of the time difference and the distance. The W@W community has become a resource center available night and day with tons of brilliant, practical, smart and warm people sharing their insights and actual experiences in planning a wedding.

Weddings have a way of enveloping everyone around you and this is doubly felt with the outpour of support, help and advice from the W@W community. I know for sure that there are hundreds if not thousands of friendships and “sisterhood” that have been formed because of W@W and these are friendships that go beyond the wedding and lasts even after the wedding planning and preparation is just a vivid memory.

The internet bridged the distance between where I was and where the wedding would be and allowed me to get in touch with fellow Filipino brides in the Philippines who were more aware of the wedding suppliers, trends and practices that are currently available and done in the Philippines. It even allowed me to be easily coordinate with the members of our wedding party and get everyone connected and well informed with the progress of the preparations.

More than ever, the wedding industry and community has grown in tremendous pace, the boom in the industry and the interest in wedding and anything wedding related has given us brides all over the world with more ideas and ways to connect to make the wedding of our dreams to happen. The World Wide Web has allowed me and tons of brides across the world to plan a wonderful wedding even via remote access. It’s allowing many of us to have the wedding we want with a world of possibilities at our fingertips. So to all the engaged couples and newlyweds, congratulations and happy surfing!

Grace is a newlywed living joyfully in Mount Joy Pennsylvania with her Italian- American husband, Patrick. They got married in Manila, Philippines 10 months ago. She loves baking, broadway musicals and her www’s - - the web, winter and weddings!

| Gracie G. posted at 10:35 AM | | 0 comments

Monday, January 23, 2006

Matchpoint

Last Friday, Patrick and I decided to catch a movie. We always try to watch a matinee so that it wont be as crowded and its cheaper. We couldn't decide which movie to watch together so we ended up watching a movie separately. He saw End of the Spear, a true to life movie of Christian missionaries who tried to reach out to a tribe in Ecuador but ended up being speared to death. Their attempt to evangelize in that area of Ecuador paved the way for Christianity to be known and for more missionaries volunteering to open the mind and hearts of the tribe.

I decided to catch Matchpoint, a movie by Woody Allen. End of the Spear is undoubtedly a good movie but because I know the story, having read about the life of Nick Saint, one of the missionaries killed, I knew I was going to find the movie a tad predictable so I went to see Matchpoint.

Matchpoint is cleverly done by Woody Allen. It kept me guessing and wondering whats going to happen next and it kept giving surprises till the very last scene. Though I personally think that the "solution" to the main character's dilemma was so unthinkable. They also did a good job in casting the movie. This is by far my favorite Woody Allen film.

| Gracie G. posted at 6:03 PM | | 0 comments

Monday, January 02, 2006

The 35th!

Happy 35th Birthday, Patrick!

Because time in itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year;
The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again.
~ Menachem Mendel Schneerson

| Gracie G. posted at 12:11 AM | | 0 comments

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