If I can't have Tom Brady...

...I can at least get married in the same church. The same church where Gisele and Tom got hitched, that is.

I have my heart pretty much set on St. Monica Church in Santa Monica as the venue for the ceremony. It's about four blocks north of where I live, so it's in the neighborhood I call home. I also really love its style -- it looks traditional, unlike most churches here which are more modern and angular a la Church of the Gesu in Ateneo. Oh! And it's across the street from this pretty park. And I read in a bunch of wedding websites that the priest is really witty, smart, and funny! Parang too good to be true!

Talked to them about the process for getting married there, expecting that they would be as strict as the churches in the Philippines. But...

1. They don't require both the bride and the groom to be Catholics. All that is required is that one of us was baptized and that we agree to raise all our future children in the Catholic faith... which is what I was planning anyway.
2. They don't have any restrictions on wearing strapless gowns.
3. They only require one written compatibility test, one priest interview, and one counseling session to be cleared for matrimony. I was expecting multiple counseling sessions over several months.

From a cost standpoint, they are also very reasonable, with a package for the church, officiant, organist, vocalist (extra if more than one), and two mass servers.

I really, really, really hope that they have availability for when we are planning to get married. Have heard that they get booked up really fast -- and September is a peak month for weddings. Marty and I will need to attend an info session next Wednesday and then meet with the priest before we are assigned a date.

Keeping my fingers... and toes... crossed.