'Marriage requires a person to prepare 4 types of "rings": Engagement Ring, Wedding Ring, Suffering, and Enduring.'
Author Unknown
Sitting on one of the black leather couches in Pauline's office, I randomly picked up a Metro Weddings magazine and flipped through the glossy pages in order to kill time while waiting for Andrew to show up. Andrew and I had decided to meet here instead of him picking me up at the office. This way, we would be able to save time since we were both commuting on public transport. Danielle had to work overtime that day, that's why he couldn't drive us.
As I was browsing through the magazine, one page caught my attention. It was a written article that featured one of the most sought after wedding planners in the Philippines- Posh Parties. On one full spread was a picture of Pauline Reyes sitting on her office table in a wrap dress. She looked very professional and beautiful. No wonder she was Andrew's first love, I thought to myself. I felt a pang of jealousy all of a sudden.
I continued to read the article, and I found some interesting facts about her.
She built the company on her own three years ago, and was known for her signature stylish touch by using her clients' vision and her creative instincts to customize the event.
She was a workaholic and a perfectionist in her profession.
She got her inspiration by all things visual; namely movies, magazines, books, etc.
On the personal note, she had recently broken up with her boyfriend of two years.
I was not yet done reading when I heard my name being called.
"You're Aleiah right?" Pauline extended her hand and she gave me a firm handshake with a big warm smile on her face. She looked more beautiful in person than in pictures, and I looked so plain sitting next to her.
"Hi! And you must be Pauline,” I returned her with a smile. I briskly put down the magazine into the rack, fixed my hair, sat as straight as possible, my hands placed firmly on my lap, with my legs slightly crossed. I showed her my signature sit, like when I joined our school pageant way back in college. I won first-runner up that time. Somehow, I always placed second or third in every contest that I joined. Even in my own family, Mom always regarded me as second, next to Kendrick. For once in my life, I wanted to feel how it was to be first. And I could only do that at my own wedding. "Andrew will be here in a few minutes. I guess he's caught up in traffic.”
"It's okay, he's only a few minutes late. Would you like anything to drink? Coffee or tea?"
I shook my head and said politely, "No, I'm fine. Thanks!"
"So, how did you guys meet?" She asked this, as she settled in one of the ghost chairs across from me.
"We first met in a computer fair at SMX Convention Center three and a half years ago. I remember it was raining hard that day, and I was accompanying my brother to buy a computer. He happened to pass by the booth of his company, where he got my number. That was when he started calling me, and asking me out."
Pauline said this with a note of unbelief, "Really? Why he was never that aggressive back in high school. In fact, do you know that I was the one who did most of the courting in those days?"
"Um, I didn't know because he never mentioned it,” Andrew was very selective in what he told me about Pauline. He only mentioned by passing that she was his first girlfriend, and that she was willing to work for us for free. That's all.
"Well, let that be our little secret then," she winked at me as she said this.
I let out a nervous laugh. She had no idea that I was the one who proposed to Andrew, otherwise, she wouldn't have thought what a big deal it was to court a man.
Just before she could ask any more questions, Andrew came knocking at the door. Her face lit up when she opened the door for him, "Hi, Drew!"
"Hi Pauline, sorry for being late," he said apologetically, then turned to me with a huge grin on his face, and gave me a hug. "Hello, sweetie."
Once he released me, Pauline ushered us to sit in front of her office table. She didn't waste any minute and fired off a couple of standard questions at us while she jotted down our answers. "Okay, before anything else I would like to know your budget for the wedding."
Andrew and I looked at each other. We had already discussed about it the other day and we agreed that the ballpark figure would be around four hundred thousand pesos. He insisted that he would pay for everything, and would not accept any dowry from our family.
When Pauline heard about the budget for the wedding, a frown pulled her brows together, as she leaned back on her chair to address us. "Okay, I want to be totally honest with you guys. But your budget is way too low for a church wedding, and a reception of three hundred guests in Manila. Remember, you still have to pay for the invitations, favors, make-up artists, gowns, suits or Barong Tagalog, whichever you prefer, flowers, photographers, and cake." When she saw that we didn't respond, she continued, "Unless, of course you would like to move the wedding ceremony in the restaurant or other private venues for us to save some money for the rentals, and flower decorations."
I was starting to get a headache as I listened to Pauline talking. Andrew must be going through the same thing as I saw him slouched in his chair by the time she was finished. If only he would accept my dowry, then our problems would go away, but boy was he stubborn on this.
I heard him finally say to me and Pauline, "What if we move the wedding to Laguna, in the backyard of my cousin's house. She has a catering service there. That would save us some money for sure."
Pauline thought for a while and nodded. She and Andrew both looked at me eagerly waiting for my reply. I fumed inwardly over with Andrew's suggestion because all my family and friends were in Manila. In order to attend my wedding, they would need to travel an hour and a half hour to get to the province. That would be a big hassle on our part. On the other hand, I didn't want to quarrel in front of Pauline, so I heard myself say yes under the circumstance.
Pauline printed out some worksheets for us to fill out. When we were both done, she agreed to another appointment with us, this time an ocular inspection of the venue in Laguna, where our wedding was to be held.
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