And I am now calling our growing family, the V Family ;p
Do i feel different? Not really, but... yes maybe!
It's been 2 weeks and it's been great.. It's like we're lovebirds all over again (cheesy). Well, the big day is over, but we look forward to other great things ahead of us. There's Lili coming in 8 weeks, and that's all is important to us :) In fact, I could hardly concentrate on planning the wedding since I was also dealing with a lot of pregnancy issues then. But just like how we envisioned our wedding to be, it turned out simple and very memorable to us.
Outside the city hall after the civil ceremony. |
Here's some inside stories about our special day:
Our wedding was held in our garden, right next to the river, the bridge, the tunnel and a huge mountain-sized rock! It offered the best view and I would not trade it for anything else.
Looks magical, isn't? |
This pre-wedding shoot was one of the best decisions we made. The photographer is very humble and talented. First, we had the crazy idea to shoot ourselves but obviously that's not possible. And since we are both fascinated with natural light, he was the only choice! Same style, maybe even better! You know when you see wedding photos these days and they are just way "too altered or photoshopped", i know in 10 years they will not be appealing to me. So we met w/ him, and he exactly had the same equipment as us even, and in our conversation he said: "I don't edit photos huh, of course I enhance a little bit", and I knew we could really trust him!
So since we could not get him for our wedding day, we decided to keep it simple and just relax on the actual wedding day. We thought maybe we should just get disposable cameras for our guests to use. "Let them shoot", haha! This is not an original idea, I've seen it before in movies, on ships, and it's really not bad at all. And since we have enough great photos together, we didn't bother hiring somebody to cover it.
Of course, Tata had to match me in colors so we had his bow tie & belt made in a similar shade. Very Pogi! |
We agreed for this concept since we met in San Francisco, fell in love in Sydney and are now in Uzice. It represents us and our travels. |
I have to give credit to my loving husband, Ivan for all the efforts he put into all these. I don't speak Serbian, I am pregnant so he really took care of everything w/ some help from his parents and friends. He's really amazing, that's why I really love him! :)
Just perfect! |
What also made our wedding interesting were the presence of 3 friends from ships, and finally meeting another Serbian-Filipina family. When you make connection w/ people on ships most of time you don't think you're gonna see them again. Surreal as it is, 2 old friends came all the way from Bosnia, and of course, there's Marko from Belgrade. 2 of these 3 are photographers so even without asking they were taking photos around. Adelle, a Filipina, also a photographer, with her family based in Belgrade confirmed their attendance days before the wedding. And it was not difficult to bring them over, all we had to do was to ask Marko to take them w/ him. And to ask another friend in Zlatibor to accommodate them. Like blessings from the sky, things fell into place.
It was but natural to invite Adelle & Vladimir over, even if I didn't want this occasion for us to meet for the first time. But like she said, we need each other here in Serbia. How could they not come, if they could. Oh, my paisana!!! The minute she arrived, we both were talking endlessly in Tagalog. We caught many times our husbands, Vladimir & Ivan, staring in amazement I guess! I enjoyed their company, their presence and am thankful that they did not mind shooting our wedding. She was right, there has to be someone to shoot, as this is once in a lifetime! :) A lot of the shots in the wedding were c/o them!
With Zeljko. |
With Marko. |
With Adelle, Vladimir & Ai Sofia. |
Stojanka, my mother-in-law was a big big help. She was everywhere during the wedding day that we don't have a decent photo with her. She took care of the table design, the flowers, and everything else in between! Amazing woman :)
Radisa, my father-in-law, was in charge of landscaping and did a lot in making sure that the garden was polished.
LJUBAV: Biljana, Radisa, Ivan, Teodora, Diana, Stojanka, Ivana & Srdjan |
IT hurts me somehow that I got married without the presence of my father nor my bestfriends, but with all the love & support I get from Ivan and his family, despite my imperfections, I know I am in a right place.
It was a beautiful day, that pictures are not enough to document it.
I don't even have enough words to thank everybody for all their assistance & best wishes!
AHA! Here's me & Stojanka going crazy w/ the trumpets. We were dancing like there was no tomorrow! |
OTHER PEOPLE TO THANK:
Nevena Simic for my hair & makeup (lakas maka-celebrity, akalain mong may mag sponsor sa akin dito). She's the best in this town, and our brides really are very pleased with her talent. |
And Aunt Rada for our lovely wedding cake! LAVET!! |
Ivan, my bestfriend, my husband and the father of my child! |
5 years before meeting him, at 23, I was praying to meet someone extraordinary. He is my first boyfriend and God has truly answered my prayer!
Now my 30+ something self is saying: It's truly worth the wait!!! |
Mr. & Mrs. Vidic |
Cheers to a HAPPY EVER AFTER.
Not only for us, but to all our family & friends who have met and will soon meet their soulmates.