Purple Day At Ibarra’s Garden

“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you…I could walk through my garden forever.” – Alfred Tennyson

I can’t believe it’s almost a year now since my daughter’s wedding which we called Purple Day . Time flies certainly and in two months we’ll have our own bundle of joy! Nissa just texted and said she’s playing classical music to Nate and when she does, the baby turns  a lot in her womb and seems to say, “I like the music Mommy”. The wonderful world of the unborn, he probably knows that we are all waiting  to see him and we are praying  for his safety too.

Nissa shared and showed us the pictures they have chosen for their wedding album. And I simply love this shot, the two of them in front of  their wedding reception at Ibarra’s Garden.

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Sing Me Your Song Again Daddy

I’d love to  borrow Jose Mari Chan’s words just for this blog.If a mother has that everlasting affinity to her daughter, a father has that special bond  that only he could fulfill.

Sing me a song again, Daddy
Sing me a happy verse.
Teach me those clever lines you sang
As you carried me on your shoulders.
Sing me that hymn that you so loudly
Sang in church with mom.
Sing it again to me and fill me
With all your words of wisdom.

Comforting words of love when I
Would get home from school in tears.
Somehow your songs have stayed within me
Down through all the years.
Once when my younger heart was broken
Your shoulder was there to cry on.
Sing me those songs I know will linger
Long after you have gone.

I am standing at the threshold
Of a chapter in my life
I am asking for your blessing
As I’m about to be the wife
Of a man I know who loves me
And I’m proud to be his bride.
Dad the time has come for me to leave your side.

So, sing me a song again, Daddy.
Sing me a lullaby.
Wrap me inside your arms, Daddy,
‘Though this is not goodbye.
Your songs will live forever
In my heart. When times get rough
The ones I’ll most remember
Are your songs of love.

Our good friend Fr. Aly Barcinal officiated the mass during Nissa’s wedding. We have known him since  Nissa was still in first year high school, when we transferred to our new home back in 1995. He was the one who blessed our house and we have maintained the friendship until now. There was a part of the mass right after the wedding rites in which he asked hubby to say a few words  to Obet, his son-in-law. We didn’t know about it and hubby was not prepared for it. I am glad though  that he was not because what he said was a spontaneous sharing and speech that I know came from the heart. He emphasized two points – the good news and bad news. When he mentioned that, I was looking at Fr. Aly and he was looking back at me smiling. I was wondering what could be the bad news because for me, the wedding itself is good news to all of us.

He said that the good news  was , “I am  very happy that I am  not losing a daughter but gaining a son. Lumaki ang pamilya ko.”  Then he added, “Welcome to the family Obet.”  The bad news was, he won’t be able to see his daughter as often as he wants because she’ll be starting a new life now. I heaved a sigh of relief. Some of the guests applauded. Then Fr. Aly called Obet in front and urged him to say his response. We were all laughing when he said “Thank you Papa, this is the first time I am calling you Papa. And I promise to take care of Nissa.” They said a lot more than these but  I could not exactly remember. I saw some friends shedding copious tears. It was a lovely exchange between father and son.

At the venue at Ibarra’s Garden, one part of the program was the traditional father-daughter dance.  Josh (our musician) and his group played Sing Me A Song Again Daddy. It was so touching, and it made me feel  so nostalgic. I remember the times when she was a little girl, the years when hubby has to go abroad and stay there for sometime because of work and the only communication we had were through letters, voice tapes and occasional phone calls.

We are glad that she has finally found a man to love and to spend the rest of her life with. We were teasing each other yesterday, we told them, we want to have grand kids soon. 🙂

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My Daughter’s Wedding

It was all so surreal! So that was how it felt, letting go and seeing your daughter married to the man she loves.  It was a beautiful and lovely Purple Day.

The day prior to the wedding, we checked in at the Pearl Garden Hotel which is very near the wedding venue renting four rooms including Nissa’s junior suite. I asked hubby if I could stay with Nissa together with her maid of honor and hug her while asleep just like those times when she was still a chubby little kid, one last time before tying the knot with Obet.  We had a grand time exchanging stories  and that she felt nervous but  happy that finally the day has come for her to say goodbye to being single. We slept late but still woke up early to meet other members of the family who were billeted at the same hotel like we were.

She was a little-teary eyed when I told her that I will pray the rosary for her wedding before we go down for the complimentary breakfast provided by the hotel. It’s a prayer and a wish that the “happy ever after feeling” would hold throughout their married life, that they will be happy as they begin their journey together as husband and wife. Believe me, it was a fervent prayer of a mother for  her loving daughter.

Call time for make-up and photography was at 9:30 am.  I was happy to meet Tippy, Nissa’s make-up artist and friend who made us beautiful during the wedding 🙂 I didn’t know  that photography shoot for the preliminary preparations would take that long, with all the details  – Nissa’s wedding dress, their rings, the Bible, and all the paraphernalia that go with every wedding. There was this symbolic gesture of holding the gown for Nissa for her to put on, the two of us together facing each other under her veil. There were several shots of her while holding her bridal bouquet – the pensive look, the smiley face, the happy expression while looking at the distant waters of Manila Bay. It was all so lovely.

We left her hotel room around 2pm  and had some photo session in another area of the hotel before going to the church at exactly 2:30pm. The wedding started at 3pm with our family friend, Fr. Aly officiating. It was a perfect Purple Day at last – an intimate gathering of relatives and friends to celebrate a special day at the historic Paco Park Chapel. Everything seemed all like a dream, a perfect ending as engaged couple and a new beginning as husband and wife.

Their official pictures are not in yet. Just got this from one of their friends’ album. This is the traditional “Kiss the bride” right after the wedding.

A  picture of bliss with her little girls and little boys….oops, one is missing.

I didn’t cry when we were at the church because it was such a happy affair but when Nissa and Obet started dancing while they were playing  The Gift, I was teary-eyed.  When they played Sing Me Your Song Again Daddy during the traditional father-daughter dance, I had a big lump in my throat, it was so beautiful. Thanks to Josh for the lovely music, a combination of piano, flute and violin.

I love this one, not only because of Nissa but the two people dear to me were captured in one  frame. I also dream of the day when Lovell would be ordained a priest. He’ll have his Diaconal Ordination this coming November 30, another event that I will surely treasure.

I wonder what she was thinking while she was on her way to the altar. It’s  a new journey for her, being married and all.

I just love the play of light here. A perfect afternoon for a lovely  and wonderful wedding.

It was indeed a memorable Purple Day for all of us!

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Friday Comes And It’s Ninety Nine Days To Go Before Christmas

For a while there I was looking at the blank screen  with nary a thought in my head. I was thinking earlier of doing a review on Safe Haven, the latest book I’ve read of Nicholas Sparks.  I am not really an addict (for want of a milder word) but I am a fan. I am the kind of reader who won’t seek his latest bestsellers  just for the sake of saying, I have read them all. It’s actually my daughter who started me on collecting his books, she was the one who bought all those paperback editions and gave me as gifts on my birthdays and Christmas. We watched the movie adaptations and enjoyed them all though. Cliche  as it may sound, the book is always better than the movie.

Time flies, too soon and we anticipate another event which has always been  and always will be so important to Filipino families.  Celebrating Christmas here in our country is probably the most joyous season of all.Nowhere else  can you find a place where it is most celebrated the longest, from the early days of September to as late as February of the following year.  Christmas celebration is the only thing  which I always blog the most.  This morning,  Umagang Kay Ganda, a morning show on TV, featured a Santa Claus collection of  someone whose entire third floor is full of different sizes and designs of  it.  There were unusual fork and spoon shaped like Santa, plates, mugs, you name it, he has more than a thousand Santa features.  I wonder how they keep them clean  and all in shape because  they’re displayed all year-long. Christmas is a very meaningful affair because most Filipino families who are apart during the rest of the year gather together during the Christmas season. There’s  nothing more touching than celebrating Jesus’ birth with the whole family. I am doing my Christmas list. It’s not as if I have lots to give gifts to but I just want to make sure that family members, some close relatives and close friends are included in my list.

Will go have a visit at Ibarra’s Garden at Padre Faura St. in Manila. It’s the venue for my daughter’s wedding this coming November.  It will be my first time to visit the place and I am excited since Nissa told me that she likes the ambiance of the place although the food is a little on the expensive side.  Here’s a photo I found at their site. Their brochure says that it is “a classic antique house built in the 1920s inspired with American Art Deco and a quaint garden converted into an ideal place for social and corporate events. The historic ambiance reflects the grandeur of wealth and beauty during the olden period. Now, Ibarra’s Garden is the most sought after venue in the Metropolis having been famed for its mouth-watering approach to International Carte du jour.”

Have a nice weekend everyone!

 

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