My Surprise Bridal Shower with Philippine Wrestling Revolution

Hello, September! I can’t believe we’re down to the last stretch before the big day. August suddenly seems like a blur, that even I had to quickly browse through my last two updates (Finding our Temporary Home and Completing our Marriage Requirements, and My Bachelorette Weekend in Seoul) to remember what happened. Hahaha!

Since then, the Cupcake and I have been spending our free time buying things that we need for our condo unit—like extra storage and furniture, essentials like shower curtains, a hamper, a dish rack, trash cans, and cleaning materials, and CCTV cameras for Booboo and Bellatrix so that we can easily monitor them while we’re at work. We also started slowly moving in some of our things from our parents’ homes, and had our unit deep cleaned, because I’ll admit—I have sooo much to learn when it comes to doing household chores. To be honest, the most I can do right now is wash the dishes. I know that eventually, I’ll figure out how to clean our home based on the standards of Monica Geller.

This is good practice for when the Cupcake and I move to a bigger space next year. Another priority for me is to learn how to cook and expand my knowledge of recipes—because right now, I can only cook eggs, canned goods, pasta, and two kinds of sauces.

Anyway, enough of me expressing all of my little domestic worries into writing. Let’s get to the real story of this post, which is THE MOST ONE OF A KIND SURPRISE BRIDAL SHOWER OF ALL TIME. It was executed so well and so thoughtfully, that I still feel like tearing up every time I remember it.

So just a quick backstory—it happened last Saturday, August 31. The Cupcake and I had a few wedding errands, which included picking up my bridal gown in the morning, and accompanying my bridesmaids to the final fitting of their gowns after lunch. Now, that week was a particularly stressful and emotionally draining one for me at work, because a cover girl shoot that had already been set in place suddenly had to be pushed back to the Friday before the wedding, and one of Calyxta’s most hardworking employees who had become a good friend, filed her resignation and had her last day. All of this, on top of really minor wedding issues, pushed me to pay P10.00 at the Shangri-La Mall Lounge to get a good, much-needed cry during lunch.

If you’ve been following me on Instagram or watching my stories, you’ll know how close I was to the former Calyxta Crew. We became like one big barkada of kikay girls who loved their jobs and each other, and who still remained friends even after everyone else moved on to new chapters in their professional lives. If you want a clearer backstory, you can also check out my article: When Your Dream Job Has an Expiration Date, What Next?

I really wasn’t expecting anything else to happen that Saturday afternoon. After our wedding errands, the Cupcake casually mentioned that he needed to pick up something in San Juan. We were coming from Valle Verde, but because of the traffic, I fell asleep—oblivious to the fact that he was already messaging the Calyxta Girls who were waiting in Origins Athletics.

Seeing them together for the first time since they all resigned, in their GLOW-themed outfits and with the decorations in the background, caused me to cry for the second time that day. I really missed all of them, and it meant so much that even though we’ve all gone our separate ways, they still took the time to put together a bridal shower I’ll never, ever forget. A bridal shower that was so me.

It’s common knowledge that I’m a huge WWE fan, and that I’ve been a fan since I was a little girl. It’s this inexplicable love for wrestling that prompted me to also follow the local wrestling scene—particularly Philippine Wrestling Revolution. It’s a pretty small world that a former colleague from Glamourbox is now one of their professional wrestlers, and a Creative Writing block mate from the Ateneo is also a very active fan—so it was easy for me to jump on the bandwagon, follow the story lines on social media, and keep up. I caught a live show once, and after that, my respect for all of them doubled. I got so invested in the story lines, was amazed by the production value, and there was just something so magical about everything that I didn’t realize I had finished watching a four-hour show.

I instantly had favorites. My friend, Evan Carleaux, is my default of course. But also in my list of favorites are “The Senyorito” Jake de Leon (aka Mr. Philippine Wrestling), Chris Panzer, and Jhemherlhynn. I’m also really intrigued by Imabayashi, Nina, and Jaye Sera, and I love heels like the YOLO Twins and Cali Nueva. And even though I know a couple of them in person, for some reason the MSG Faction (including Mr. Sy and Sandata) gets on my nerves. Hahaha! Each character is just so cool and so unique, that I feel like the 12-year-old Gretchen who once dreamed of becoming a wrestler is living vicariously through all of them.

This dream was turned into a short reality when I was told during my bridal shower to get dressed—because we were going to learn how to wrestle! And the other part of the surprise? Our coaches that afternoon were “The Senyorito” Jake de Leon and Sandata from Philippine Wrestling Revolution!

It was such a fun afternoon of learning how to do a proper bump, lock up, and choke hold. I also got to do a schoolboy pin, and the La Magistral Pin on the Cupcake (who got dragged into joining the boot camp because I made him).

Everything was just thoughtfully planned and executed—from the decorations inspired by the wrestling show on Netflix that I once binge-watched, GLOW (which stands for Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, and which the Calyxta Girls changed to Gretchen’s Ladies of Wrestling), to the custom food and merchandise, to the cute games. I really felt the genuine love and support of my friends (and family, who they connived with). This was the perfect pick-me-upper to a long, tiring week. I’m so grateful (especially to the girl who spearheaded everything, Margaux Cortez.)

Anyway, I really just wanted to share that story. And since we’re on the topic of wrestling, I’m inviting you guys to check out Philippine Wrestling Revolution and their shows. It’s highly entertaining, and I promise you, even kids and families enjoy watching them. Their next show, PWR: Beautiful, will be on September 22 at 2pm in 500 Shaw Events Pavilion. Tickets are on sale here. There’s also going to be a huge show, PWR: Homecoming, happening on October 12 at the ABS-CBN Vertis Tent, where Filipino-American and former WWE Superstar, TJ Perkins, will be flying in to go against Jake de Leon. I already bought my Gold Tickets (with Meet and Greet) here.

So that’s my update for now! I can’t promise I’ll be able to write again soon (because of all the remaining wedding errands we need to finish), but I’ll try my best. Maybe by my next update, I’ll already be a Mrs.!

My Surprise Bridal Shower with Philippine Wrestling Revolution