The Art Of A Good Marriage

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.
A good marriage must be created.
In marriage the little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted;
the courtship should not end
with the honeymoon, it should continue through the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice,
but in the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation
and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience,
understanding and a sense of humour.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow old.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal,
dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.


By: Wilferd Arlan Peterson

On Bridesmaids

Did your close friend just asked you to be her bridesmaid on one her most important day -- her wedding? Are you at lost as to what bridesmaids do? Then this site is for you:

Learn about how the wedding goes, about the wedding planning, and your most important role as bridesmaid.

Meanwhile, these are some things a bridesmaid can do for the bride or for the couple:

BRIDESMAID DUTIES:

♀ Assist the maid/matron of honor in planning a bridal shower.
♀ May also help the bride with wedding planning
♀ Walk behind the ushers during the processional.
♀ They stand to the left of the maid/matron of honor in the receiving line.
♀ Sit at the head table with bride and groom.
Source: Massachusetts Wedding Guide


Others Sites that Might Be Useful:
Wedding Org
Wedding Help Line
Birmingham Site

Cheers Bridesmaids! ^_^

Color Palettes

Some color palettes generated from Big Huge Labs Palette Generator (really amazing stuff there, thanks!):


Our first motif really was pink and green. But then I decided it would be charming to just mix two of my favorite colors, pink and purple. So green have to be left behind. And besides, Bonsai Garden is green in itself, we just have to accentuate the greenness of the surroundings with our pinks and purples.





Below are the more pinks and purples that we're talking about:

Generated from our Save the Date Card.



Color Palette generated from an earlier version of our Save the Date card. Equally charming!

First Session

Last Saturday, we had our first counseling session with Manong Bel (Pastor Bel to others). He is our church's Senior Pastor and will be the one to officiate our wedding. We've had problems before with his schedule on December 28 and feared that he might not be able to officiate our wedding. We even already talked to Kuya Jong to officiate, we even scheduled already our counseling sessions. But upon returning to his US trip, he (Manong Bel, that is) told us to not close the matter yet. And so, our first pre-marital counseling session began. Hehe.

3:00 PM at the Bonsai Garden (our wedding venue, hehe). We studied the Genesis account of marriage, gender equality and leadership. This covers Genesis 1 and 2. We read what would be the passage for our wedding, Genesis 2:18-25 ---

18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

23 The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called 'woman,'
for she was taken out of man."

24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Here are some of the key points that we were able to discuss:

♥ Matthew 19:1-6 -- 1When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" 4"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

♥ Matthew 22:30 -- 30At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

♥ Genesis 1:26-31 -- 26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." 29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

♥ In Genesis 1: 26-31, there is a slowing down from the creation narrative; because it's the final creature.

♥ Egalitarian Thesis:
.....1 - Both were created in His own image
.....2 - The ruling over other creatures was given to both, i.e., "said to them"
.....3 - The filling of the earth (multiplication) was given to both.
.....4 - Eve is the only suitable partner for Adam: Only woman can provide him the human fellowship and only another human is capable of personal fellowship with the Maker. "Suitable" means face to face; "Helper" means hindi utusan na katulong but katulong na deliverer/ rescuer.
.....5 - They are both made from the same stuff "bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh". Adam is a passive participant, not the maker of Eve.
.....6 - Both are to leave their parents.

♥ On Leadership: Man is the leader of the household. Although God created man and woman equally, He designed man to lead. Adam expressed his authority when he named her "woman" on 2:23 and "Eve" on 3:20.

♥ Equality needs to be affirmed; man to be a leader.

Things to Ponder: HOW DO YOU KNOW HE/ SHE IS THE ONE?

All Bible passages in this post is in New International Version from Bible Gateway.

Marriage License Reqts

Quezon City Government
Application for Marriage License and Registration of Certificate of Marriage
(Windows 6 and 10)

Contact Information:
City Civil Registry Office
Marriage and Registration Division
929-7813

Requirements (for Marriage License) – Window 10:

☼ Birth or Baptismal Certificates of both applicants. If widowed, death certificate of demise spouse, if previous marriage was annulled, copy of Court Decision and Absolute Decree of Finality from the Court.

☼ Community Tax Certificates of both applicants, male and female

☼ One (1) ID Photo (colored or black and white) of each applicant, male and female

☼ Certificate of Family Planning and Marriage Counseling

Requirements (If applicant is a foreigner):

☼ Valid Passport

☼ Certificate of legal capacity to marry issued by their respective diplomatic or consular officials

☼ If divorced, copy of Final Decree of Absolute Divorce

☼ Certificate of Family Planning and Marriage Counseling and Responsible Parenthood


Marriageable Age: 18 years old (male or female)
Persons below 21 years old need parental consent
Persons 21 years old and below 25 years old need advice from parents


Registration Fees:

Application form	50.00
Filing Fee	100.00
Marriage License Fee	100.00
Registration of Marriage Certificate	70.00
CTC Marriage Contract/Marriage Certificate	50.00
Late Registration	150.00

Marriage License shall be issued after 10 days of posting from the time Marriage Application was filed. License expires 120 days from the date license was issued.

Note: Releasing of marriage licenses is up to 4:00 p.m. only.

There is no age limit for Family Planning, however, couples 24 years and below need to attend Family Planning Sessions, and Marriage Counseling. These sessions are scheduled for one-half day within the premises of the City Hall. (Inquire from any of the office clerks at Windows 8,9, &10 about the details)

To apply for a marriage license with the Quezon City Civil Registry Office, at least one of the contracting parties must be residing in Quezon City.

Persons at least 18 years of age who have not contracted any valid marriage in the Philippines and has capacity to give consent, may apply for marriage license.

Additional Requirements (for presentation to the Civil Registry Office upon submission of marriage license application):

☼ Those at least 18 but below 21 years of age are required to obtain parent's consent to the marriage. Download Form
☼ Those at least 21 but below 25 years of age are required to obtain parent's advice to the marriage. Download Form
☼ Persons 25 years and above, need not get either of the two abovementioned forms


Downloadable forms:

Parent's Advise
Affidavit of Non-Church Wedding
Marriage License Application Form


Source: http://www.quezoncity.gov.ph