My Grandparents’ Renewal of Vows Ceremony
10 years ago, my Lolo and Lola had their 50th wedding anniversary / renewal of vows ceremony. The purple motif was similar to the purple-navy blue theme we went for on their Diamond (60th) Wedding Anniversary in October 2022. Because, obviously, my Lola’s name is “Violeta”. 💜 Both ceremonies were presided by the same priest, Rev. Fr. Miguel Garcia, SSS.
OCTOBER 2012
OCTOBER 2022
What I Wore
The event was special to me as well because I planned/DIYed almost everything from the floral hoop and bride bouquets, hair and makeup, balloon decors and venue bookings. So much time was spent in planning, designing, coordinating, crafting, budgeting and just making sure that everything is okayed by the whole fam.
THEME
Mood Board
FLOWERS ARRANGEMENTS
I bought artificial flowers, rattan rings (size 8″ and 12″), mesh wrapper and ribbons from Shopee PH. I’ll list where you can buy them after the photo gallery below.
Disclaimer: color may differ due to camera flash / lighting.
What I Used
BALLOON ARRANGEMENTS / DECORS
For the balloon arrangements, I had a previous stock of party decors (white & silver balloons) which I used on this setup to add contrast to the navy blue-purple themed balloons I purchased.
What I Used
WEDDING DAY HOTEL
We booked the Majestic Twin Room for 2 nights at the Manila Grand Opera Hotel in Sta. Cruz, Manila via Booking.com. It’s an ideal location to check-in the night before the event because of its close proximity to the chapel where the ceremony will be held. The staff is lenient with guests going in & out of the room especially on the day of the wedding when we were doing our makeup and making other preparations inside the room. They were helpful and quick to provide assistance when needed. Even though we had issues with on-going constructions in front of the entrance (at the time we checked in), an old dripping aircon and a defective mini fridge in our assigned room, they were quick to resolve the reported issues and didn’t cause too much inconvenience. The breakfast was mediocre but the overall experience was just fine.
TIP: If you have a senior citizen guest whose also checking in, I suggest booking directly with the hotel to get the 20% senior citizen discount.
CHAPEL
The Vow Renewal Ceremony was held in a small Chapel inside of Our Lady of the Pillar Parish (Sta. Cruz Church) in Sta. Cruz, Manila.
Wedding reception
Now, looking for a restaurant that is near the church, the hotel and can accommodate all of us was a challenge! I contacted so many restaurants that time and most of them are already fully booked on the day of the wedding. Good thing that I was able to reach out to Grand Cafe 1919 in Binondo, Manila. On the pictures I’ve seen online, their place and menu looked promising. Thank God, they did not disappoint and have exceeded our expectations! Everything was perfect, from the ambiance, the service and especially the food! I definitely recommend going there for intimate occasions. The wedding cake was of course from the one-and-only baker in the family, Donna of Sweet Snaps PH. Based in Pasig City, check out her Facebook page for your custom cake needs.
I may have posted about this too late, as I was busy at home tending to my family, career & personal life but it was always on my to-do list. I want my family to be able to look back at this special and momentous occasion, not just by memory, but with captured photos and videos also where we can pause or replay indefinitely.
I hope my content here is able to help others who are doing their own “on a budget” DIY event planning, too. If you find this post helpful or you have questions, please comment below. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!
