Piece of Cake.

I have just recovered from a bad case of the flu.

I'm on the verge of losing my voice.

My throat is sore and I have a painfully dry cough.

I am one step short of going to the doctor's clinic again.

I didn't know organizing a wedding was a hazardous job.

And I don't think I'd want to do it again.

It started out pretty simple. My uncle was getting married in Muslim rites and we had only about a month for preparations. My grandparents had put down a list of names as principal sponsors to the wedding, but with my grandmother's handwriting, one's eyes would bleed first before actually deciphering whatever was written on the paper so I thought I'd extend a gesture of kindness by volunteering to have it encoded to make things easier. Realizing that my grands are too old for this sort of thing, I told them to take a chill pill and leave the invitations to me.

So, I did my part. I put down the names and decided on the wordings as to how my uncle's invitation would come out. I was the one who chose the paper and the look of the invitation, of the envelope and of the RSVP cards. But no one would accompany my uncle to the printers, his fiancee couldn't take time off from work because she was due for promotion and was supposed to take this bunch of tests. So I was left with no other choice, so I went and we had the invites ordered.

Then Tita Yasmin and Tito Boy invited us to lunch at the Diamond Hotel where the wedding/reception was to take place. Of course where there's free food, there's tag-team Hamza and Jodi with sidekick Raja! (LOL) I knew we were going to check out the place, have an ocular inspection of the ballroom, but I didn't know that I was going the contact person of the events coordinator of the hotel. Imagine my horror...hahaha! All the food I devoured on the buffet, the feeling of fullness all went away the second my Tita pointed the finger at me when asked who was in charge of the wedding.. My God. What do I know about organizing weddings? I didn't lift a finger when I got married, and there I was, "organizing" a high-profile wedding for my uncle. And to make matters worse, it was only about three weeks to the decided date.

I spent the next few weeks making lists, editing and re-editing lists of the people to invite, looking for contacts and asking quotes for the photo and video coverage, and the bouquets and arranging the seat plan. It was quite hard because I was working on these all by myself and I didn't know how much my budget for the expenditures were supposed to be because no one told me where to get them. Aside from not knowing where to get money for spending, I had people barking directions at me, complaining, inquiring, and what-have-yous...I had a marathon migraine the whole time this was happening. I was spending less and less time with my family and was missing them and I was literally losing my hair! I bet I could have made a wig with all the strands that fell or broke off. I was like a cat shedding fur. It was like going through chemotherapy... Believe me, it was scary. In fairness, I didn't have to worry about what the bride's maids, the groom's men, the kiddos and the bride had to wear because I'd probably lose my mind if they gave that task to me. I didn't even had time to prepare my outfit--I wore a blouse I had custom made a year before and just matched it with an old skirt. The only new clothing article I had on me was the obi belt that was a tad tight for me. Que horror!

So the wedding date arrived, I had butterflies in my stomach and was expecting the worst. We bumped into a detour when we were just a couple of kilometers away from the hotel. Who knew a parade was going to take place that afternoon?

I gotta give props to Lola Zenaida P. Gania for her decorating genius. I only had her to turn to, and she didn't let me down. Besides, her friends were also sponsors at the wedding, and they also knew of her expertise in this part. The ballroom looked really great, but my seat plan was "mutilated" because she re-arranged the tables. Still..the ballroom did look pretty amazing.:)

Guests started to trickle in, and my nerves were all a wreck. Ya Allah, Ya Allah! Please let this event flow without any glitches! I was running around barking commands at the groom and his groom's men, and to the bride and her maids up at the 29th floor. I was welcoming guests, talking to the crew and was struggling with this 'sibling/parent' encounter that we were supposed to execute (it's a whole different story, can't blog about it, sorry). When the ceremony started, I went with the groom to fetch his bride, downstairs 'directing' and all that. I was everywhere. And it was hella tiring!

I would like to think that it turned out okay, because the people enjoyed the whole thing. I had fun too, I was hob-knobbing with people I usually see on tv. Senator Gordon even pulled out his own camera and told his aide to take a picture of him with my sis-in-law and me! Well, it sucked a little because I didn't get to entertain my in-laws properly (but they knew what I was going through) and more importantly, I didn't get to eat! Of all the darnedest things! I didn't even get to have a slice of cake! And they said the food tasted great too. Boo.

Hmm...summing it up..I think it went all right. I learned a lot of things during those weeks I was running around like a headless chicken (or a HAIRLESS chick, if I may). I have made new contacts and I have learned new stuff It was enjoyable... But next time... next time someone asks me to help them out with the wedding preparations... I'm gonna have to get a crew and ask for some sort of fee, a "thank you" simply just won't do for me! JUST KIDDING! LOL XD

-->for wedding pics check out this link:

http://johannah.multiply.com/photos/album/35/Pangandaman-Nusug_Nuptials