Again, Pinterest has really help me with all different kind of information and ideas during my pregnancy. I also asked my husband to have a look at all the pictures and articles I've pinned. I also drag my mom to the laptop, showing her all kinds of cute and easy sewing D.I.Y.s that she can help me with. Yupe, that's the beauty of having a sew master around :))

One of the nice information I had from Pinterest is this:

I never knew this before! And guess what, apparently we still have a little jar of coconut oil at home :) I also asked my mom's help to make some new virgin coconut oil for me.


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Our schedule today is for wedding rehearsal at St. Fransiscus Xaverius Church in Kuta.

We have send all the documents needed for the big day, both documents for the church and also for the civil marriage. That really kept us busy! Pak Nyoman from the church was very very helpful and willing to just print out all documents we sent via email. Oh yeah, he totally deserved a little bag of Hollandse stroopwafels ;)

It's something different, this.. wedding rehearsal. The pressure is almost on hahahahha..

But at least we kinda know what to do and where to go.. and we bring some of our stuff to the church already. Pheeew...

Well.. two more days to go! 

Busy. Super excited. Nervous. Panic. Overwhelm. and very very happy :)

Wish us luck! ;)

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The clock is ticking.......

Wow!!! Just 3 WEEKS left and it's there... the BEST day of our lives! The day we will unite as one and start our own family.

Time goes so fast. According to me, we have covered most of our activities and ticked all the boxes in our list... but according to her, there is still much to do :).

Well you know what they say, "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus".

I'm looking forward for this beautiful day to declare my love and soul to the women I want to spend the rest of my life with. But I'm also looking forward to meet my family (my brother, my niece, Paivi) and friends, enjoy and unwind in Bali, and leave the busy lifestyle and business in Jakarta.

The fact that it's only 3 WEEKS don’t really scare me (which some people have). Slowly,  day by day, well I think about the life we will have in the future and the decisions I need to make and responsibilities I will have towards my partner.

I look at the future... and it looks bright and positive and I know I want to be there with Valentina J

Well I hope to see you all in May and share this happy moment together with you.

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Here are some links for good (and our chosen) vendors if you want to celebrate your wedding in Bali:

Photographer and Videographer:
- 3Datu >> We're using them. Cool and creative people, fun to brainstorm and work with.
- Ricky and Co.
- Axioo

Make up artist:
- Wawan >> My chosen MUA. Got his details from my friend. His price is not as expensive as others. Unfortunatelly he got no website to look at. You got to go see him in person. Contact me for more details.
- Lona
- Sherlya

Decoration:
- Dekorindo, Felix Rusli  >> Our chosen vendor. Contact me for more details.

Catering and Wedding Cake:
- Sarana Dewata Group >> Our chosen catering, specialized in Indonesian food. Very reasonable prices. They can also do all around wedding decoration and organizer. But I suppose more to Balinese/Indonesian style.
- Ruth's Dessert >> Our chosen wedding cake provider. Their cakes are to die for!
- Bali Catering Company
- Bali Deli

Transportation:
- Bali Seasons Travel: Gus Ade. I have been using his service for years. Contact me for more details.

Venues:
- Villa Pandan >> Our chosen venue. Spacious, serene, and got reasonable price! We're the first one to ever held an event in this villa :)
- Villa Atas Ombak

Wedding Dress and Suit:

- Indonesian Kebaya: Anna Avantie
- Indonesian tailor-made suits: Wong Hang

Design for invitation:
- ask me! ;)

Wedding Organizers:
- ask me! ;) read more

You and Me Song by The Wannadies is my ultimate song for my college years in Holland :)

It started as one of the songs from the movie Romeo + Juliet back in 1996 but around 2003 was the time that I seriously fall in love with this easy listening song. Oh soooo many memories.

After quite some time, I happen to accidentally hear this song on a mall. Flash back and smiles. And curiously this song will always makes me in snap into a GOOD mood. So, now I'd love to share this happy song with my beloved fiance.. and also to you all.

 

The Wannadies - You and Me Song lyric

Always when we fight
I try to make you laugh
Until everything's forgotten
I know you hate that

ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba

Always when we fight
I kiss you once or twice
And everything's forgotten
I know you hate that

I love you Sunday sun
The week's not yet begun
And everything is quiet
And it's always

You and me - always - and forever
You and me - always - and forever
ba ba ba ba ba

It was always
You and me always

You tell me I'm a real man
And try to look impressed
Not very convincing
But you know I love it

Then we watch TV
Until we fall asleep
Not every exciting
But it's you and me
And we'll always be together

You and me - always - and forever
You and me - always - and forever
ba ba ba ba ba

It was always
You and me - always - and forever
You and me - always - and forever
ba ba ba ba ba

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Happy Easter everyone! :)

I suppose most of you are busy with all different kind of Easter stuff and events, egg decorating, or chocolate bunny, or even egg hunt!

Here, we're are rather busy in getting T ready for... his baptism! Yeah, after quite some time following the course on the path to become Catholic (which he's done for me especially), he's got a dispensation from the parish to have three holy sacraments given to him all in one: Baptism, Confirmation, and (first) Communion. Big day, indeed. We're happy that Father Ignatius (the one who gave us our pre-marital counseling) were the one who presented T his sacraments.

Dressed up in white t-shirt and dark blue pantalon, he seemed ready to rumba! We were seated at the front of the front row haha.. He asked me to sit and accompany him throughout the mass. Besides him, there's also another man who had his Confirmation.

Everything went well and smooth. And now he's a legit Catholic :)

One of the reason that he became Catholic is to ease up with the marriage process in Indonesia. In most cases, if the partner is a foreigner, the partner will be the one to "convert" to whatever religions held by the Indonesian spouse. But personally, I myself would love to have a partner that can go together with me to the church.

One step closer to the wedding!!!

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Yeah! The wedding rings are here!

As a lot of people know, wedding rings are one of the most important parts in weddings and also in marriage life. In ours, too.

A wedding ring is a metal ring indicating the wearer is married. Depending on the local culture, it is worn on the base of the right or the left ring finger. The custom of wearing such a ring has spread widely beyond its origin in Europe. Originally worn by wives only in the United States, wedding rings became customary in that country for both husbands and wives during the 20th century. In Western countries, wedding rings are often made of gold. Common engravings on the inside of the ring include the name of the partner or the names of both parts in the relationship, and/or date of the wedding.

After marriage, the ring is worn on the hand it had been placed on during the ceremony. By wearing rings on the fourth finger, a married couple symbolically declares their eternal love for each other. This has now become a matter of tradition and etiquette. - From Wikipedia.

So, we were scouting and hunting for wedding rings in malls and stores (and local markets even) last month. From our little trip and my lot-of-drooling sessions in front of those shinny ateliers, we always found that the rings are always paired, matched to one another.

He always wanted to have a simple plain gold ring (with my name engraved on the inside, of course). Me, too. It's also what both of our parents have for their wedding. But I wanted it in a different way than him. 

After some time, we decided to just go back to the one of the first shops we visited. The name is Glory, located in Grand Indonesia East Mall. The staffs are nice and helpful and not like some of those cocky we-only-want-to-sell-all-around-diamond-rings-to-certain-people staffs you encounters sometimes on wedding ring shops. So, if you live in Jakarta, you can go there to look for your ring. 

Anyway, we went for the basic ring, with a little something especially for me. In just around a week, our rings are done and fit nicely. Oh no, it's not that ones in the picture. But it's almost as different to one another, just like in the picture.

In my humble opinion, I think wedding rings doesn't have to be totally paired and matched and the same (in the contrary to my mother), because every person is different. He is different than me. He appreciates different things. He wanted a different design, and that's ok. As long as he will still choose me as the one he's gonna spend the rest of his days with (aaaaaawwwwwww...). 

After we had our rings, one he was doubting and wanted to make his ring a little similar to mine. "Well, it's twice your size and it's totally different. Different shape and all. Don't you think it will be very weird?", he said. But apparently, the owner of the wedding ring shop also had the same opinion and convinced him eventually.

With this ring I thee wed, indeed. read more