A's Bridal Shower

I love intimate gatherings like this bridal shower in honor for A. Her sister N threw this party for her as a surprise. It's truly challenging to keep a party a surprise to the bride because they were very close.

There were only ten of her best and closest friends and I was very pleased to take photos of everything. So much fun and laughter that it felt like I was part of the group.

Bachelorette parties usually have very naughty themes and decorations but this one is quite nice because it was wholesome. It was just pure fun and celebration for A and everything to remind you of how fun girls can be around each other.


Look at Nom

Dumaguete is growing so much especially in terms of new places to eat! I recently had the opportunity to take photos of this lovely new place just beside the popular backpacking hostel, The Flying Fish.

Nom has a great interior combining industrial with wooden elements. There are indoor plants both by the doors and windows as well as on the individual tables. There is a nice and big round-shaped mirror near the main door which I really like; a unique touch. Native rugs. Plant baskets. 

In the morning, the sun bathes the place with lovely warm sunshine that's just perfect with coffee and croissant. All you need for a great Instagram photo, I promise!

The place serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, coffee, drinks for happy hour and evening gatherings. They serve a number of healthy options for vegans and vegetarians and sweet fruity bowls they call as "Nom bowls." Great to look at and even better to eat! You can hear yourself say "nom nom nom" while you enjoy the sweetness of fresh fruit in your mouth.

They care for the environment so they use nothing disposable as much as possible. Food to takeout is ok for a minimal fee for the container (also not plastic). Wine bottles are used for service water which is great. It's something other food places have also been doing but it's great to know more are doing the same.

Something that I really appreciated here is how they allowed the tree to stay in the middle of it. Great design in adding a short concrete bench there. Win win. No trees were harmed and it even added a cute spot for short meet-ups.

When you're in town. Be sure to go here, I highly recommend. They are open everyday except Mondays from 7am -3pm and 5pm - 10pm.

Special thanks to Jane for the lights!

Handmade placecards using deckled paper

Here's something I want to see in weddings: placecards on deckled paper. Deckled paper is a rare find in local Dgte weddings. If you're anyone who loves these kinds of detail, this is for you! Handmade is the way to go because there's little chance you can mass produce anything like this with a machine.

Perfect project to apply calligraphy! For these samples, I'm doing earth colors with gold accent and the ever lovely pastels.

{ Family } Gonzalez at Cana Retreat

The weather was perfect for this afternoon shoot with Vic and her family. It was the perfect time as we practically had the place to ourselves. Cana has a wonderful room with an overlooking view of the sea and nice white furniture to match the light and airy feel to the place. Rhys was the beautiful baby boy which made the afternoon more enjoyable for everyone. Oh, how a child can really take out the tension in any situation with some people you've just met. I'm thankful for that.

Some highlights below.

{ Krafted } My very own wax seals!

There are some of us, who are "old souls" who get excited over things that remind you of the good things people saw, heard, felt or used in the past. You've probably heard of wax seals. They are tiny circular flat objects made of wax the size of a one peso coin. In the past, they were used to seal letters and would bear the family crest or emblem of the sender. They are still made today more of an accessory for aesthetic purposes than functional. But you have to admit — they are classic, elegant and would make lovely additions to traditional mail and these days, it can be added to invitations, packaging and other craft projects.

Sealing envelopes with wax is easy but it takes a bit more time to produce (compared to how we seal envelopes these days). You need a few important supplies — the wax, source of heat (candle) to melt the wax and a stamp — the stamp being the most expensive of these.

What makes the seals so close to people's hearts is the fact that it's representative of its owner or sender. The appeal of wax seals is from the fact that you see your name, or alphabets of your initials ora a family crest when you send out something – anything that says it's from you. Very much like signing it before sending it out.

I went looking for resources because I was definitely wanted to design my own. I will tell you now, and I think you already know it, that it's not cheap to have a wax seal stamp custom-made. But the crafty person that I am, I had to give it a shot and satisfy the curiosity.

I drafted options. I didn't want it to be too specific (due to the cost), so I decided on designs that other people can use. And I wanted it to be in calligraphy because I'm big on personal touch. My final designs were inspired by countless pins saved to my Pinterest boards... all those amazing work and photography always gets me excited and craving for more.

So far, my wax seals are:

1. with love 25mm
2. handmade 25mm
3. thank you 30mm
4. Krafted "K" logo for personal branding needs

Here they are!

Expecting { Ling and Anton }

This has been a long-awaited blessing for Ling and Anton. Soon they will be welcoming a bouncing baby boy. Ling and I know each other through a common friend and have seen each other occasionally in events and gatherings in the past. It was only this warm but nice Saturday afternoon that I got to sit and talk with her and her hubby ever since we were introduced.

This maternity shoot allowed for us a chance to chat about her anticipating a child and a few stories about the world of weddings and event photography. A friend of mine was with us that afternoon who is also a mom, which was great because it was a perfect time for them to exchange stories of motherhood and anticipating the journey of caring for a child.

Ling and Anton are not used to having photo sessions and they told me they chose not to have a pre-wedding shoot. I thought of giving them a little bit of those couple moments along with intimate shots with Ling's beautiful baby bump. They were willing to go an extra mile for the photos but I kept it safe and relaxed because I wanted them to be comfortable and not feel shy or awkward. This was a very low-key session, no fuss at all. Actually just the way I liked it.

We wrapped up after an hour. We spent the rest of the afternoon over pizza and pasta, enjoying the sand in our feet and the breeze under a shade. We're sending warm congrats to both and we look forward to meeting this baby boy, praying for a safe delivery for Ling!