Start of a Joyful Marital Journey

John Garcia and Judy Dizon

Santuario de San Antonio

The Peninsula Manila

John and Judy’s nuptials could be typified as sentimental but enchanting and regal.

Judy was the last bride I accepted before I closed my 2008 schedule. She was just excited to have me for her wedding coordinator, and so was I to be chosen. Every now and then, during the planning stage, I would get reassuring messages from her. When I met her for the first time, she greeted me with a warm smile and hugged me tight like we had known each other for a long time. I planned for her wedding as if I was doing it for my best friend’s wedding.Fast forward to the magical wedding day. The atmosphere in the hotel preps was a pure delight. With friends of the bride joining in the preparations, the air was permeated with contagious laughter. The bride’s parents were so appreciative of the details which were one by one brought out of the box for picture-taking. Some of the beautiful details of her wedding were as follows:

The invitation suite was printed in blue ink on silver paper.

Iconic snowflakes were silver-stamped on metallic blue paper which served as cover for the missalettes.

The gifts for the entourage were wrapped in ice blue paper and tied with navy blue ribbons. Gift tags reflected the same patterns used for the invitation.

Some bouquets were interlaced with bracelets fashioned from monochromatic blue trinkets; others were adorned with snowflake brooches made of ornamental crystals.

Judy carried a dainty bouquet of white roses, carnations, and tulips with a “J” pendant highlighting the handle.

The shoes featured snowflake patterns to go with the theme.

The unity candle had a big silver brooch. The candles used to light the unity candle had blue crystals which were actually earrings.

Veluz Reyes designed an off-white beaded pina cocoon gown for Judy. Note the letter “J” embroidery which was cleverly incorporated by Veluz in her lovely creation. The gown fit Judy to a tee. Judy rode in her old car with a personalized plate number bearing her name.The 92AD rendered church songs which made the ceremony more solemn. Christmas carols were also sung at the pictorials portion of the mass.

Instead of the traditional confetti and shower of petals at the recessional, guests sprayed artificial snow on the newlyweds. Guess who had more fun with the snow sprays?

At the cocktail area, tables were decorated with white blooms, small glass balls, and snowflake cardboard cutouts.

Guests enjoyed the M&M candies in blue and off-white.

They were also directed to their respective seats through the tags attached to small bags containing nuts. At the back of these tags, trivia about the couple were written.

Jing Tanada spruced up The Conservatory for it to exude its naturally relaxed and intimate ambiance. She placed all-white roses on blue table linens. It was perfect! White Tiffany chairs completed the clean and clutter-free setup.

On the tables, place cards with names of guests were tucked in silver- and crystal-encrusted snowflake place card holders.

Snowflake parchment paper cutouts were pasted on glass containers serving as votive candle holders. The same snowflake cutouts were spread as well on the tables.

The ice carving had–-you guessed it right! --the snowflake design.

To create a unified look, napkin holders were crafted from blue metallic paper with the same design used in the missalettes.

The table numbers and buffet table labels manifested as well the winter wonderland theme.

The five-tiered cake was done in varying shades of blue. The topmost layer also featured the bride and groom figurines in winter clothes. Snowflakes in fondant icing were also utilized to decorate the cake. Claycakes by Karla Magbanua created this wonderful wedding cake. Ditto with the bride and groom cake with snowman and snow woman as a special request of the newlyweds.

Mineral water bottles, with blue and white labels to match the wedding color motif, had a silver ribbon with snowflake trinkets tied on both ends.Silver bells were also placed on tables. They had note tags enjoining the seated guests to ring the bells.All pictures courtesy of Mimi and Karl.

A few weeks after the wedding, Judy sent me a very touching note with a heartwarming poem. An excerpt follows :

No amount of words can truly say,

How deeply thankful we are everyday.

This wedding became the talk of the town,

Because of you, how else can we wear a frown?

We've planned this wedding for two years,

That big day, we breezed with no fears.

Up 'til now, we hear nothing else, but raves,

Our event has become everyone's fave.

Even the smallest of details you always knew,

All the ideas you've shared were never a few.

Concepts only you can pull off with your creativity,

You've constantly surprised us with your ingenuity.

Judy and John, I truly value your trust and friendship. Thank you for meeting me in LA. See you both when you visit Manila soon.

Real Weddings: A Perfect Day

John Calipjo and Heidi Castillo

Manila Cathedral
The Peninsula Manila

John and Heidi’s wedding was as contemporary as it was captivating, with its distinct charm and appeal.

How do I start with this blog post? Heidi and John have a special place in my heart for being one of those couples who have placed their full trust and confidence in me as their wedding coordinator. Just like some of my previous clients, John and Heidi are based overseas. Heidi is ever bubbly. Her bright ideas brought out the best in me. Needless to say, her wedding details were nothing short of tasteful and sophisticated.

John, Heidi and I were in unison in creating details that revolved around their theme–-modern romance with a twist. Thus, hot pink and silver chosen as main colors. The letter C, representing the groom’s and the bride’s surnames, was also incorporated in the motif.

All four corners of the main invitation featured a lace-cut design. Text and graphics were done in ash gray ink on white board. The main invitation was then placed on hard hot pink-painted board matching the envelope lining with the same lacy pattern. A stylized letter “C” was printed as part of the band which held the inserts together.

The missalette introduced vintage icons printed in silver gray ink with the names of the couple conspicuous in hot pink ink.

Veluz Reyes created an intricately embroidered pina gown with a five-meter train. The underlining of the gown featured a hand-painted “C” which was patterned after the invitation suite–-following the tradition of having something blue for the wedding. Apart from the monogram, the wedding date was also painted to add a bit of nostalgia.

The bridesmaids wore pink gowns while the female secondary sponsors wore plum-colored gowns. All female entourage members were given vintage brooches to accentuate their elegant gowns. Their bouquets were embellished with crystal and pearl bracelets which are usable even after the wedding.

On the other hand, the bride carried a bouquet of all-white peonies tied by an off-white, grosgrain ribbon.

In keeping up with the theme, the bride, a self-confessed shopaholic, provided products from Victoria’s Secret which were gingerly placed in pink and silver bags.

Repacked chips and pink-colored drinks were the giveaways for wedding guests. At the cocktail area, guests were in for a lot of treats as well as surprises. Guests were instructed to look for their seat assignments from cards hanging from twigs. Each place card was decorated with crystals.

The cocktail table was laden with a variety of snacks and finger food whose monikers started with the letter “C” –-chex mix, cappuccino wafers, cookies, chocolates, chips, clusters, Cayman Island rum cake, and carabao’s milk pastillas. Light cupcakes with real lemon peel and strawberry puree, topped with pink-tinted lemon buttercream and silver dragees or candy sprinkles prepared by Chef JB Cada completed the food available for cocktails.

Jing Tanada proved once again that she is the stylist to beat with her clean and elegant setup of crystals and lush floral arrangements. The Rigodon Ballroom of The Peninsula Manila was draped with organza cloth that softened the look of the vast hall.

The presidential table was festooned with pink blooms–-tulips, hydrangeas, liliums, roses, and cabbage roses.

Truly a conversation piece: the tall organza covered lamps and smothered with blooms.

Off -white delicate lace tablecloths covered the tables and silver Tiffany chairs added a touch of elegance.

Some guest tables were adorned with tall arrangements in antique-finished, white pedestals while other tables had low and round arrangements.

Everyone was given a pink rose tucked in napkins which had the programme cards.S ilver resin plate chargers were used for all guests.

Table numbers rendered in pink complemented the table arrangements.

Even the food labels on the buffet tables bore the same color motif and fonts used for the other printed materials.

Alex Franco whipped up a 5-layer cake decorated with pink hydrangeas and silver ribbons.

One of the wedding highlights was the couple’s first dance. But before this, the bride danced with her dad, and the groom danced with his mom. A surprise audio-visual presentation was introduced by the bride prior to the mom-groom dance. The AVP featured photos of the groom’s departed father, and used the latter’s favorite song “You’ll Be In My Heart” as background–-the same music the mother and son danced to. I swear, all were teary eyed–-including the program host, Tetta Canada.

True to Jason’s blog on Heidi’s wedding, the bride was “terribly excited, hyper and happy” – in fact, so contagious that the feeling rubbed off on almost every one. In my book, this is one of my favorite Jason Magbanaua’s videos – a refreshing take on onsite videos using an Instax camera.

Thank you John and Heidi for the wonderful experience of planning your wedding. All pictures courtesy of Mimi and Karl.

---

This is the same wedding featured in the Beautiful Weddings 2009-2010 of Wedding Essentials.The bride remarked:

“I think the most special thing about it was that I finally got my dream wedding and I had the best suppliers. I was sad when the wedding was over because I would surely miss the members of the wedding team. They were Ernest Pascual, coordinator; Jason Magbanua, videographer; Mimi and Karl, photographer; Oly Ruiz, post-wedding photographer; Alex Franco, cake; and Karen, Joel and Steve of Make Up Studio Team for my hair and make-up.

“My fave details:

1. Everybody had only one word to describe the reception: fabulous. Thanks to Jing, who filled our venue with flowers, crystals, candles, and drapes.

2. My crystal-adorned escort cards; the VIP table was filled with gorgeous flowers, crystals, candles, plate chargers, menu and table and place cards which were all coordinated; cocktail tables on which we served food whose names began with the letter “C” like cupcakes, cappuccino wafers, carabao milk candy, chex mix, and Cayman Island rum cake.

3. The best part of the program was my surprise to my husband: a mother-son dance while his dad’s favorite song was playing. There wasn’t a single dry eye. His dad died almost a year ago. Photos of his dad and their family were also shown during this dance. The song was ‘You’ll Be In My Heart.”

“I trusted Veluz completely with the design. I just had two requests: a really looong train, and to make the gown fit for a fashionista like me. Favorite feature: the asymmetrical ruffles with feathers, back detail, and the beadwork of my train.”