These days, hiring a wedding planner is almost a given for that hassle-free, Pinterest-perfect celebration. But this couple, Jian and Charlene Arguelles of Fulfill Zero Waste decided to take on the challenge themselves acting as their own planners, coordinators, and even hosts.
In a Facebook post, the couple shared how they managed to pull off their July 25 wedding in Olongapo City, with 50 of their closest family and friends in attendance. They did everything, including singing at their own wedding!
“Ang kasal din namin is also DIY Wedding. We are the planner, coordinator, hosts and heck pati singer. so it’s really hard let alone organizing an event during this typhoon na may biglaang change ng schedule,” they said.
But it wasn’t easy. Organizing a wedding is already a massive undertaking, but they had to deal with the added stress of Typhoon Carina, which forced them to reschedule from their original July 24 date. The typhoon also caused flooding in the church, but the pair took it all in stride.
“But we think all of these are God’s plan for us. Reflection din siguro to sa life natin na kahit anong plano and gusto natin sa buhay, God is ahead and all knowing,” they added.
As if that wasn’t enough stress, Charlene had an even tighter deadline as she only had three weeks in the Philippines before heading back to Germany for work and studies.
“Ang schedule nya lang dito sa pilipinas ay 3 weeks at babalik na sya sa Germany by July 29th this year kaya nung ma cancel ang kasal kinabahan kami na baka tuluyan na hindi matuloy,” recalled Jian.
Despite these setbacks, the couple saw the delay as a blessing in disguise, allowing them to keep things super intimate, and with their DIY approach, they were able to incorporate their advocacy into their special day.
As environmental advocates, they made unconventional choices that aligned with their eco-friendly lifestyle, which included ditching the church decors, opting for wooden rings, using dried flowers, choosing an AirBnB for the reception, and sticking to candid photos.
“We believe weddings should represent the groom and the bride,” they said. “We only follow traditional things we felt has a meaning and aligned to our values. We also cut unnecessary cost that most weddings have,” they added.
