Turns out, it was a different bride.. a new one. What are the chances of meeting another bride with the same name?

Anyway, for now, let me talk about this 2nd Joanna Mendoza.

To be honest, all I can remember in our first meeting is the laughter after every remark I made. I feel like I have found my second calling or fall back career, kasi parang tawa na lang kami ng tawa. hehe.. for some reason, I’m attracting brides who share my strange humor.. I’ve been blessed with cheerful brides lately, and Joanna is one of them, paired with an equally humorous groom Dan. Walang katapusang kalokohan at katatawanan.

Usually, the brides (or couples) who decide to book me are the ones who are already sure what “look” they want for their wedding gown but are open to alternative options - usually, the unconventional ones (which is the magic word for me =). Just a simple variation from the classic designs, a little whimsical detail, but still very bridal. Joanna’s preference was an elegant bridal design, not too princess but still classy and feminine, with a touch of peculiarity in detail and color, and just a subtle transformation for the reception proper.

Photos taken from Nice Print Photography Blog and provided by Joanna through Facebook.

Her wedding took place in probably one of the most windy churches in Metro Manila.. but on their wedding day, for some reason, the winds held their breath… and the venue became the hottest wedding I’ve attended. Either it was my hormones reacting or iba talaga ang bagsik and ganda ni Joanna. =D

Supposedly she’ll be wearing the one strap detail for the reception as an add-on, but she decided to wear it for the church. Di na nakapag-antay. =P

We also did the gown of her mom.. And she was equally happy with our work. Unfortunately I don’t have pics of her (or I do have some pics but hindi ata clear, nablur sa sobrang excitement!)

I read in Vera Wang’s wedding book about the different kinds of brides. She mentioned that there are several types of brides depending on their personality and it usually reflects the kind of gown she would want to wear for her wedding. I feel Joanna is one of those brides who is already confident of herself therefore, she does not feel the need to wear a very detailed or complicated wedding gown. To be honest, I didn’t need to do much but make sure I deliver the gown we agreed upon. Coz if she looked spectacular on her wedding day, it was all thanks to how she carried herself. - very classy, demure and very confident plus a hint of funny attributes on the side. She carried herself very well and even if she wore a sack for potatoes, I bet she will still look stunning! heheheh… but thankfully, she didn’t do that. I am just so grateful that she wore a gown I designed. Thanks Joanna for the happy meetings and for trusting us your wedding gown. =)

]]> http://blog.jeanavellanosa.com/?feed=rss2&p=304 http://blog.jeanavellanosa.com/?p=280 http://blog.jeanavellanosa.com/?p=280#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:17:02 +0000 Jean http://blog.jeanavellanosa.com/?p=280 Soraya or Aya for short, is a friend/office mate of Janice (flashback June 2007 wedding). Natouch ako nung naalala pa ko ni Janice. =)

Turns out, Janice referred to me a GORGEOUS COUPLE. Lumalaban din sa attention itong si Vic. Sino bang magaakala na sa Africa ka makakahanap ng groom na parang pinsan lang ni Piolo Pascual. hehehe..

To know more about Aya and Vic’s interesting story, CLICK HERE.

Aya, together with Alex, her equally fabulous coordinator met with me less than 1 year before her wedding. Before we met in person, I already prepared some sketches.. and for some reason, the print out Alex was holding is somehow similar to the one I sketched.

Aya decided to go for a gown with a layered skirt. Supposedly, the layered skirt when removed will reveal the mini dress for her second look. In short, 2 pieces lang dapat ang gown nya, but because some plans don’t turn out as planned (lol) the mini dress (the upper piece) slowly evolved into a top. And the layered skirt, still a layered skirt.

But the question was, what about the 2nd look I was babbling about? Of course I had to provide what I promised, so I made her a revised 2nd look… I gave her a pencil cut mini fru fru skirt for the reception!

We also did Vic’s Barong. His barong is made of Silk Cocoon, paired with an inner  shirt that’s also shaped like a Barong Tagalog so it has this Barong Suit effect, but more breathable and well suited for summer.

Their wedding took place in Pampanga. This is one of the couple’s weddings I wasn’t able to personally assist. Super mega thanks to Alex for being such a wonderful coordinator to work with and for making sure Aya looked fabulous all the time during her big day. I can only imagine what happened from the pictures I saw from Nice print Photography’s blog where I got the pictures shown in this entry.

Super thank you Aya and Vic for trusting me your attire! I hope I get to see more of your wedding pictures (and if ever get high resolution copies of your pics for my printed album! hehehe). Congratulations for your upcoming baby.. I’m sure kasing ganda nyo yan. hehe..

We’ve successfully transferred back to Sta. Ana. Our meeting and fitting space is adequate but not as spacious as before, so we had to do a little adjustment. But what’s good about our new space is that it’s cozy, private and WAY COOLER (in terms of room temperature!) hehehe..

And I feel so terrible I haven’t blogged about my brides since MAY… so many pending posts I need to blog about. It’s always at the back of my head and I hope I can finally find the time and the moment of inspiration to do it soon.

As of now, here are some things to look forward too (and this list will serve as my reminder to actually do it)

1. BLOG: May Weddings
2. BLOG: June Weddings - 2 parts
3. BLOG: July Wedding
4. DPC Photoshoot (photos coming this september!)
5. One La Salle Capsule Collection - my new rtw formal wear line prototypes! (August 26 show!)

Maybe that’s the list for now.. but it’s actually longer!

I’ve been doing a lot of work lately since I’m taking advantage of my available strength this 2nd trimester.. oh yes.. by the way, I’m pregnant! almost 23 weeks! hehe.. so i’m taking advantage of my relatively small tummy before it expands to a huge size… I do wonder how I’m gonna do patterns come october/november! hehehe… so better finish everything early.

Anyway, it’ll be difficult to schedule appointments with me this coming 2 weeks.. but do contact me through email or contact us if there’s an open sched. I’ll be happy to entertain your concerns, but my priority for now are my -BER clients and orders. =)

Just doing a little update for now… I’m off to finishing my capsule collection!

again.. hehe.

Starting next week, we’ll be packing our shop stuff and relocate to a more convenient space.

I’m gonna miss our shop in San Marcelino. But we’ve got a good reason why we’re moving. We’ll let you know soon.

For the mean time, this coming week, pls. keep in touch with me thru email and our shop cellphone number.

Our land line number will also change.

I’ll post another update soon. For now I need to take my lunch.. gotta go assist in another wedding. =)

But I’ve been planning to post this for a while now.. but I haven’t gotten the other pictures yet.

Here’s a sneak peek of my May 8 & 9 Wedding
Both photos are borrowed from Nice Print Photography

Vic & Aya
May 8, 2010
Chapel Angeles Pampanga & Grand Palazzo Royale

Dan & Joanna
May 9, 2010
Shrine of Jesus & La Castallana

Complete kwento next time.

Anyway, good thing, i opened my email. Because I was just wondering how Philippe’s wedding turned out. I received an email from him with a bunch of his pictures during his wedding. It was overwhelming! Thank you so much Philippe!

I’ve met this lovely couple early 2009. Before that, I think Philippe had already inquired via email. And he described to me the embroidery he wanted for his Barong Suit. I made a sketch for him, and I think he liked it, therefore, when He and Christine flew here from Australia, they dropped by to visit me in my old shop.

This was the initial sketch for his Barong suit + Philippe’s notes & doodles. (I love how Philippe is hands on with his own attire.. well, i guess that’s what you can expect from someone who’s French!)

What’s very unique about this design is that the embroidery is not symmetrical and that the embroidery on the right shoulder is continued on the sleeve up to the back.

At the same time, the embroidery on the inner cuff is located at the seams.

It’s a good idea from the groom. As good as it sounds and as it looks on the sketch, I had only the vaguest idea on how to execute this design. I’m still not yet a pro when it comes to Embroidered and Pina materials, but I really wanted to work on this so I was so happy when Philippe and Christine booked my services.

We started on his suit around October (I think, i just don’t remember!) And we had to do it differently. Jgo, my friend, designed the embroidery (because between us, she drew better floral patterns). So I had this embroidered (which Thank God turned out better than my greatest fears!). There were some glitches with the schedule, but luck was by my side, it was ready in time for Philippe’s fitting, less than 2 weeks before his wedding.

And after some few alterations, they finally got hitched, and here are some of the lovely pictures he sent me!

Christine, the lovely bride with her equally handsome groom, Philippe!

Thanks Philippe for trusting me to do this!

More creative grooms to come! =)

I’ve told a friend before, that I have realized I am a monogamist when it comes to relationships - in love, friends and family relationships, but when it comes to work, hobbies and other aspects of life, 1 thing is constant - and that is change. I am committed with my work, but once I get tired of it, I will move on to the next exciting adventure. And that is the main reason why I chose a DESIGN career - all projects may seem the same, but each one is always different - ever changing and ever growing.

And so for this year, I had prepared myself for a drastic SHIFT. 2 years ago, I worked as a Wedding Planner on the side and I designed and created Formal attires as well. A year ago, i concentrated on designing, and as a hobby pursued private lessons for classical music. For this year..

I went back to school. =P

Both as a student and as an instructor.

I had to pursue and become a pro in pattern making. Cecilio has always advised me to personally handle all patterns for my designs. It was late last year that I finally decided to be HANDS ON with it after having to deal with a lot of trouble with my staff’s attendance at work. So I’m taking serious lessons in pattern making which I enjoy going to once every week.

And since I’ve always wanted to teach, I happily applied for a teaching job at my school.. of course, the subject is still in fashion design, and though it’s fun, I just didn’t think it would take that much time to prepare for a 3-hour lesson every week. I’m still adapting, and I do hope I get to teach again next term. =P

And of course, aside from these new additions, I’m getting more exciting wedding and non-wedding projects everyday!

And since my weekends are equally busy as my weekdays, I did notice that I am neglecting to take care of myself - in terms of looks.. hehe.. so if ever you find me wearing my lazy outfits (jeans with shirts, or whatever strange clothes I might be wearing), bad hair day, no-make-up face and slightly over-sized tummy, I would just like to remind you, that I am still a decent person and a reliable supplier to work with. It’s just that I am so focused and I so love my work that I often spend more time with it than with myself. =)

January 23, 2010

San Agustin Church 9AM

Century Park Seafood 12NN

Their wedding was supposedly scheduled on April, but it was moved to January. They were referred to me by my sister, who is a close friend of Linzi (Gerry’s sister & bridesmaid). I was so happy they chose me to do the gowns coz I really got to do my thing with the designs of their attires.

And luckily, we still had around 2 months to do 12 gowns, 2 vests and a bunch of ties for their wedding.

I will NEVER forget the very critical schedule we had with this wedding.. it almost drove me nuts!! But the experience and the stresses were ALL WORTH IT!

Sonia’s Gown and the entire entourage were inspired by cherry blossoms.

The details of Sonia’s gown are all hand cut fabric flowers, embellished with beads and pearls.

It also comes with a detachable 6-yard train.

The color motif we used for the entourage are a deep shade of Coral Pink (Bridesmaids & flower girls), Aqua blue (Secondary Sponsors), Lilac (Maid of Honor) and Deep blue green for the moms. The ties of the male entourage matched their female counterparts. Bearer’s wore navy blue vests. The color palette for Sonia’s wedding very much reflects a cheerful spring season.

I really LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE working on designs from scratch. If you notice with my designs, I don’t use a variety of fabrics, nor do I use a lot of colors in one garment (I usually play with color themes for the entire entourage). And I don’t use much bead work most of the time (not unless it’s clearly specified by the bride). I always like to maintain a CLASSIC yet a FRESH take in designing gowns - fancy but not overpowering, crafty but still practical, DREAMY and EDGY at the same time. =)

More UNBRIDALED designs to come!

It was my first time to join a competition after college and I’m happy to have been a part of the Top 27 Finalist in the recent Miss Earth 2009. It’s also a breath of fresh air having to design something completely different from what I usually design in my regular work.

This was my entry. With a help of a friend we named it - Space Floura (for the lack of a better title.. haha)

It’s made of used FLOUR sacks and the detail (the silver thingies you see at the hip line and back) is made of pleated juice tetrapacks, the foil side. I also used some Plastic cup base and lids for the skirt/bag. I made this entry myself, with the help of some friends doing the minor cuttings and stitching. Good thing I did not have to alter any parts during the show.. it fit Ms. Pakistan well and decent enough. =)

My friend Jgo also made it to the TOP 27. We constructed her entry made of crystal pleated Pina Jusi. =) She made the flower details using corn husks.

I’m not really into competitions, but it was a really fun and cool experience to have made it to the finals considering there were a lot of really good designs during the show. I am happy to have made it to the top 27. I look forward to the next competition I can join.

Right now, I’m swamped with work (& play of course! =P) I don’t think I’ll be able to release new Ready made designs during this yuletide season.

And I’m looking forward to our plans for 2010. I applied for a teaching job 2 weeks ago, and I was given 1 subject to teach next term, so this will be an addition to my busy-ness. hehehe..

It may also take a while for me to respond asap to clients emails, so pls. bear with me until the peak season is over.

Advance Happy Christmas to all! (And note to all my clients.. watch what you eat.. we don’t want to do a lot of unnecessary alterations this peak season! LOL) =P

I could not wipe off the smile on my face. =D

This is my first time after a long time to join a competition. And it was already enough for me that my sketch made it to the top 50 and then I get to do the actual design. The experience of designing something different from my usual formal designs was already cool for me. Also, the experience of getting to do the garment myself + the opportunity to work hand in hand with my hubby, my friend and my staff in doing a personal project (which we did in less than 3 days) was already equally rewarding.

I don’t only get to do a concept design, i also get to use non-fancy materials for my entry - Flour sacks, juice foil tetrapacks and plastic cups.

It’s a more personal project for me, because I think the design I came up for this competition shows my untainted vision. Probably more out of this world or fantasy like but also practical. It’s such vision that I enjoy weaving into reality. I’m very happy with what I came up and even happier that some people liked it too.

The month of October has been tough and made me realize a lot of things. It’s good that again, I am finding myself in my craft and enjoying it all the more. And finding inspiration is no longer as tough (actually, overload na nga ata, i don’t know what to do! hehe) pero I guess more choices means more chances.

Anyway, that’s it for now…

I leave you with a video of one of my favorite songs and classical tunes.. from one of my favorite animes.. played by one of a new favorite violinist shot in the cities I dream to visit.

TOKYO ET PARIS

Vocals: Solita
Violin: Miyamoto Emiri