Guimaras Getaway

TJ and I both love traveling and exploring places. Instead of splurging on luxurious hotel food or expensive gifts, we plan affordable trips at least twice a year and make the most of it. This year, there was no better way to welcome our 30^th month together than our Guimaras Getaway.

Guimaras has been on top of my must-see places. Because TJ had been there a few years back and heard stories about the place directly from him, the more I wanted to go. Thanks to his best friend who gave us impromptu invite to an Iloilo trip late last year, we booked tickets on sale in no time.

Iloilo is the primary gateway to Guimaras. After a 45 minute flight from Manila, we took another hour and half boat ride from Iloilo port to the island. It was way past lunch time and our tummies were growling of hunger, but the picturesque Guimaras kept us distracted the whole time. I was immediately in love with its clear blue waters and beautiful rock formations. I couldn’t wait to dock.

Upon arrival at Alubihod Beach in Nueva Valencia, we checked in at Raymen Beach Resort and had our late lunch at its in-house resto where we had daing na bangus and tortang talong, not to mention the filling and delicious mango shakes. Guimaras is known for its produce of the sweetest mangoes in the country. We were too lazy to take a dip and go around the island at 5PM, so we decided to take some rest, chill at a nearby videoke bar, sang our hearts out while enjoying some booze.

We were up early the next day for the most awaited Guimaras adventure. First stop was the Guisi Point, home of an 18^th Century Spanish era lighthouse. The bumpy 20-minute tricycle ride and hike was no joke, but upon reaching the peak, the view was simply breathtaking. The ruins were picture-perfect just as what we expected. The conserved but rusting lighthouse showed us how locals revered their history and the modern one just a few meters away showed us how things have changed through generations. The view of Guisi Beach from the top made us want to take a plunge into its lovely waters.  We were so thrilled, we wanted to see more.

Next stop was the Turtle Island,where we met a pawikan and a unique puffer fish at its Turtle Sanctuary. It was good to know about government efforts in protecting wildlife on the other side of the country.

Final destination was the Ave Maria Island – named as such because of its famous cave likened to the Virgin’s grotto. True to its name, it was the most pristine part of the island that we’ve been to where we enjoyed pure white sand. Its waters were luring us for a swim, shifting from light to dark shades of crystal-clear blue as it got deeper.

The Baras caves were another tourist destination and may be explored further by the braver ones. Other must-go spots were the Trappist Monastery, the Mango Plantation and the Inampulungan Island to name a few. There was just too much to explore Guimaras and an overnight trip definitely would not be enough. It was quite a quick trip, but a very memorable one indeed.

Well at least we have more reasons to come back.

Budget Weddings for Dummies

Planning your dream wedding does not entail spending your entire family fortune on it. Most Filipinos would say that it is a once in a lifetime event. True. But it IS still just ONE DAY. If you have the resources to spare, sure, splurge all you want. But if you’re the more practical couple like we are, initially setting a budget would be the first (and most intelligent step) you’d both have to make. Kay and I both believe that it doesn’t take a bloated budget to make our special day SPECIAL. It’s how you manage your available resources and allocate them in such a way that you get the most out of your money. We won’t go divulging how much our actual budget is here. We’ll just share some tips that would help you minimize (and maximize) your budget just as much as these helped us.

1. FREEBIES ARE FREEBIES: Filipinos are naturally proud individuals. We wouldn’t admit that we’re in dire need of help until everything is almost lost. So, if someone offers to sponsor something for your wedding, grab that opportunity by the balls (pardon the expression)! There’s nothing shameful in accepting help that was offered. Another alternative is going out there and actually looking for help. We don’t mean you forcing people to sponsor something for your wedding. If you really need help, go out and look for it. Whatever you need’s not going to be served to you on a silver platter. Revisit all of your business contacts, closest friends, and relatives, and trim down your options. There’s no harm in asking. You may get “NO”s but we’re willing to bet that there will be at least one who’ll sponsor something for your wedding from all the people you’ll approach.

So far, we’ve got 4 sponsors already, significantly slashing our budget.

2. REVIEW “WANTS” AND “NEEDS”: Most couples exceed their target budget because they fail to distinguish between these 2. I want this, that, those. “WANTS” will definitely ruin your budget. “NEEDS” have to go before these “WANTS” if you wish to keep within your budget. Carefully plan how you both want your wedding to come out. And during the planning process, distinguish these 2 from one another. To cite examples, string quartets, OTD coordinators (external), a reception host (external), would merit WANTs. Your basic wedding necessities would be your NEEDs (i.e. Church, reception venue, caterer, etc.). The 3 WANTs we shared above are 3 examples of what we weeded out during the planning process. Instead of those 3, we were able to get alternatives, at ZERO cost. If you’re really bent on getting your WANTs, best advice would be to only get them in the end, when all of your NEEDs have been accounted for, and IF you still have resources left after. Having a “PRIORITY LIST” would immensely add to your cause of keeping your budget to a minimum.

3. THE EARLY WORM, CATCHES THE WORM: As cheesy as this may sound, but yeah, the earlier you act, the better results. In planning a wedding, time is GOLD indeed. The earlier you scout for potential suppliers gives you ample time to review each one, trim down your options, and finally decide on what suppliers you’re both going to get. Another point is that the earlier you decide on your suppliers, the earlier you can reserve their services. Booking your suppliers 1 year before your wedding date, at a minimum, assures you of securing lower rates than booking them 6 months before. Take us for example. We booked our date with our church 1 year and 2 months before the actual event, sparing us from their year to year increase. Usually suppliers increase their year to year rates by at least 15%, depending on current economic trends.

4. HAGGLING DOESN’T MAKE YOU A CHEAPSKATE: When meeting with a potential supplier, don’t say YES outright. Let them present what they can offer and how much it would cost. Afterwards, bring out all your haggling skills which you honed through the years in all your “DIVISORIA” and “GREENHILLS” escapades. Or if you’re really not that much of a haggler, the next best thing for you would be BRIDAL/WEDDING FAIRS. Discounts are abound during these 3-day events. Just explore all options before finally deciding on one supplier.

Hopefully, these tips would work for you guys as much as they did for us. Happy planning.