riannagalvez

04.19.15: Almost Time | Finestra @ Solaire

Hello, dolls! Haaaay what a month!! May has been an eventful month, mostly negatives but we are trying to not focus on the bad side of this month. I am open about my obstacles because truthfully nothing  really upset me that made me say “why?”. Whenever something unlikely happened, I would just think about the “great reward” that is yet to come. I’ve been telling A that this is the reality of life, pain and happiness goes hand in hand.

I’ve been trying to think of a perfect way to kiss this month goodbye. Luckily, I get to have a nice “long” weekend with #MyABoys — definitely the best way to end May! So as I wait for A to finish his game, I am going to blog and reminisce about our rehearsal dinner in the Philippines. (was supposed to post this on Friday 05/26 yikes)

Fiancé

We had our rehearsal dinner at Finestra. We couldn’t decide where to do it because truthfully, I did not have enough time to plan it. I asked A what he thinks would be the best since his family is also in the Philippines for the first time.

He told me he wanted to go to a nice Italian restaurant. Since I haven’t been to the Philippines for a while, I couldn’t give him a lot of suggestions. We researched and came across Solaire. We thought it would be perfect since it’s newly built, everyone could see how gorgeous it is! 

I have to commend Finestra for being able to pull this off in a short amount of time. I called them 4 days before our rehearsal dinner! There were at least 35 of us. A and I know how stressful it is to accommodate 35 people for dinner. Let alone know about it  days before the event. Everything went smoothly and we are both happy we got to experience a memorable rehearsal dinner at Finestra.

The little things matter! I did not expect Finestra to have customized menus for us. Executive Chef Salvatore De Vincentis even came up to our table to congratulate us and signed our menu. What a very heart warming moment.

Finestra was the perfect choice for us. From the chandelier, beautiful interior, and to the polished dishes.

Seafood Cioppino

One of my favorite Italian dishes. Flavorful tomato broth and fresh seafood! YUMM!

Primavera Salad

Gnocchi Sardi Con Polpettine

meatballs in rich tomato sauce, gnocchi, and reggiano cheese

Everyone’s favorite!

Bronzino Aqua Pazza

seabass with pomodorino pachino, olives and mashed potatoes

Tiramisu

The creamiest tiramisu I’ve had! ahhhh so good <3

Fam <3

Really grateful that we had Tita Monina as our wedding coordinator. It was really challenging to plan a wedding 8539 miles away. My parents did so much to make it the perfect wedding for us, but I have to say Tita Monina helped us make it happen.

<3 <3 <3 So much love for my family!!!

My girls <3

Our friend Jeorny is one of the busiest people that we know, but he made sure that he will be available in any wedding related event. <3

My flower girl <3

VS for my bridesmaids <3

Favorite couple <3

The best memory I have with Jayce was summer 2008 when we had a month long sleepover at my house. If we did not have to go to HK I probably would’ve asked her to stay longer! lol

I remember feeling out of place at some point in HS. I remember Ruth being obsessed with my kilay/ eyebrows! She wanted to groom it like every week because it was just always a hot mess! The weekly hangouts turned into a beautiful sisterhood <3

“How do you keep your hair straight and shiny?” I asked Chelsey in 4th grade. Hair tips at a very young age! We were both the “new kids” that year. Everyone knew to hangout with, the names of our teachers, and basically how to survive the day. For the 2 of us? We were just figuring out where the grade school cafeteria was! Can’t believe it’s been more than 15 years since then.

Heartbreaks bring friends closer, especially if you are going through the same thing at the same time! That summer that half of the girls in our group cried and struggled to pick up the pieces, we found comfort in each other. Late night talks consoling each other, activities that made me figure out who I want to be, and friendship that became stronger. I survived that summer with the help of D <3

Maricor and Jo’s would be on a separate post since we do not have pictures that night 😉

Love my girls!!!! <3

Had my trial hair and make up that before our rehearsal dinner! Perfect because I was all made up for dinner <3

I don’t even know where to begin. I miss you so much Boobie!!! <3 <3 <3

Almost I do!! <3

So blessed to be able to share amazing memories with the love of my life!!! <3

I left the dress that I was supposed to wear on our rehearsal dinner. here in the US. I did not have enough time to look for the perfect one, so I decided to what I know best whenever I need a new outfit and I am pressed for time — invade my sister’s closet!

I like how I do not look too over the top but still classy. I wanted to wear white so this was perfect <3

Paired it with my Ted Baker shoes <3

xx

R <3