Online Confessions of a Stay-At-Home Mom: Nunley

I love weddings! I love seeing the blooming bride have her moment while walking down the aisle. I love all the romantic vibe that it showers in the air!

That's why I was really excited when we received a wedding invitation, one October weekend. It was from Karen (Cupid's classmate/ batchmate from the Ateneo). Karen is now based in the U.S. I met her at a couple of get-togethers that Cupid's CS (short for Computer Science, their major in college) friends/ classmates organized.

Upon seeing the wedding invitation, Cupid said "Finally!" You see, Karen and her husband Terry were supposed to have their church wedding here in the Philippines last year. Everything was already set but eventually canceled because of Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana), which ravaged the house of Karen's parents in Provident Village, Marikina (read also our story here). But, like all things...life must go on! I think that a wedding, the year after the big storm, was just THE perfect way to move on, and celebrate life and love!

I really looked forward to this wedding. And though it was still weeks ahead at the time, I started to prepare for what I will wear. You should understand...as a full-time wife and stay-at-home mom, I do miss dressing up, putting on make-up, and attending formal occasions like this. I needed a break from the routine. But that doesn't mean, however, that I could break our budget just so I can look decent to a wedding! So, instead of buying a whole wardrobe, I decided to search through our attic; looked for my old dresses and formal blouses; and then hoped and prayed to find some that still fit me nicely. Thank goodness I found one! Then I just asked Cupid if he could have it dry-cleaned along with the black suit he planned to wear to the occasion. To complete my look, I opted to borrow some really nice pearl earrings and a formal purse from my mom.

November 27, 2010 (Saturday). The day of the wedding arrived. Even after looking up the location of St. Michael the Archangel Chapel in Fort Bonifacio via Google Maps, we still missed the turn leading to the church grounds. (That's what you get if you ask someone who is bad at directions [me] to help you navigate, honey. Hehehe!) Good thing Cupid trusted his instincts and made a U-turn. It set us a little behind and we so we missed Karen's walk down the aisle. In the mild confusion, we also forgot to sit at the bride's side of the church. Pretty soon, I relaxed and started appreciating everything around us: the cool air conditioning; the intricate and golden designs at the altar; Karen's lovely off-white wedding gown and diamond-studded head piece; the army-clad sacristans; the white flowers along the aisles; the lights, video and camera action; the beautiful songs and voices of the a cappella choir; the bridal entourage and the little flower girls and their escorts; and all the guests in their best formal wear. I guess Cupid got so caught up with everything too, as well as seeing all his college friends that he forgot to take a single photo during the ceremony! Sigh!

Reception followed at the Rizal Ballroom of the luxurious Makati Shangri-La Hotel. It got more exciting as we started to see more of Cupid's friends from college arrive, exchange hellos, take pictures, laugh, chat, catch up, and the like.

Having our picture taken by the lobby of the Makati Shangri-La Hotel, while waiting for the reception to start.

Cupid's CS friends/ classmates: Photo (1) Clark and Grace [who were members of the entourage], (2) Retchie [entourage member] with wife Alpha, (3) Temmy and Jamar, (4) Chuchay with husband Gerry, (5) Tricia with husband Chino, (6) Gerry with his wife and son, (7) beautiful ladies Chuchay, yours truly, Grace and Alpha.

The wedding coordinator assigned two 10-seater tables for Karen's Ateneo classmates, which were conveniently and strategically placed near the buffet spread, pasta and carving stations. Though it was still early in the evening, the menu cards placed in front of us only made me feel hungry than I actually was. I mean, won't you be when you see something like this on the menu?

I've retyped everything below, to give you an idea of what's on the menu. (I've also assigned asterisks [*] to those I tried!)

Cold Appetizers

Assorted Maki Rolls and Sashimi
Seared Lamb Loin on Couscous Salad and Mint Mayonnaise
Grilled Asparagus and Lobster Terrine
Duck Pate served with Sauce Cumberland

Salad Bar

Seasonal Country Greens
Selection of Dressing and Condiments
Roasted Baby Potato Salad
Fresh Greek Salad
Barbeque Chicken and Penne Pasta Salad
Pesto Marinated Peppers with Roasted Corn Kernel Salad
Ceviche Acapulco Style in Shooter Glass

Soup

Lobster Bisque with Papadum Chips
Selection of Specialty Breads and Rolls with Butter

Carving Station

*Roasted US Rib Eye
*Peppercorn Sauce and Two Kinds of Mustard
*Roasted Potatoes
Roasted Vegetables

Pasta Station

*Penne, Spaghetti served with your choice of Condiments (*Ham, *Onion, *Garlic, *Fresh Tomato, Bell Peppers, *Parmesan Cheese)
*Tomato Basil Sauce, Pesto Sauce or White Cheese Sauce

Hot Entrees

*Stir Fried Chicken with cashew nuts and young chilies
*Mini Breaded Veal Tenderloin with Fried Parsley and Tomato Chutney
Roasted Lamb Rack with Hoisin Glace on Ratatouille
*Sea Bass Medallions Steamed on Cabbage Tomato Ragout with Chimichuri Oil
*Stir-fried Prawns with Tequila and Cilantro
*Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratinated with Three Cheeses
*Vegetable Fried Rice

Sweet Desserts

Assorted French Pastries
Rum Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding
Apple Strudel
Tropical Sliced Fruits
*Panna Cotta

See what I mean?! There were so many items in there! Mind you, I'm not complaining. But as much as I would've liked to sample everything on that list, I just couldn't. Instead, I opted to skip the cold appetizers, salad bar, and soup...and went straight to the Rib Eye, pasta, got some items from the hot entrees, and finished with a deliciously, creamy Panna Cotta. Cupid, being my husband and soul-mate, had the exact same idea and ate almost the same things as I did! Hahaha!

My order of penne pasta, in tomato basil sauce, sauteed in onions, garlic, tomatoes, ham and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. It was a winner! Cupid's (top right) was almost the same, except that he used spaghetti for his pasta and he opted to add some bell peppers in his sauce. Bottom left, you see my plate of juicy and very yummy, roasted U.S. rib eye steak drizzled with peppercorn sauce! To its right was my plate filled with hot entrees (my favorites were the vegetable fried rice, sea bass, prawns, and the brocolli and cauliflower gratinated with 3 cheeses!)

The live band was so good! They played standards, as well as other danceable tunes for the young old, and even in-between! And while people were busy dancing, the "gang" thought of having their pictures taken by the photobooth. It was so much fun making wacky poses and donning on wigs with Cupid's friends. They are so cool and down-to-earth!

Cupid and I tried out the photobooth first...

Then it was just us, girls...but then Cupid decided to join...and ended up replacing me in the photo :-)

And so the other boys joined in, too! I returned also, of course. Retchie and Gerry were so funny...I couldn't stop myself from laughing! :-D

Pretty soon, Cupid and I, Chuchay and Gerry, as well as Retchie and Alpha, started saying our goodbyes to everyone. It was getting late. And since we left our babies (with their yayas, of course!) at home, we all wanted to be able to tuck our little ones to bed ourselves! A round of picture-taking with the newlyweds ensued. Then the people comprising the Computer Science majors from the Ateneo de Manila Class of 1995 promised to make an effort to keep in touch and to see each other whenever possible.