When Fashion and Romance Met

Choy Nuñez-Jill Sabalo
Our Lady of Lourdes

Taal Vista Hotel

The wedding of Choy and Jill was undeniably fashionable, detailed, and personal.

Honestly, when I first met the couple, I was smitten by their good looks and natural charms. Choy can easily be mistaken for a movie star while Jill has the bearing of a refined and well-bred hacendera. Warm smiles and pleasantries abounded during our first meeting. The couple had a clear vision of what they wanted for their wedding. Our talk was finally sealed when they said, “We trust you, Ernest.” It was the magic phrase expressive of their confidence in my ability , style and taste. After that, everything, as the saying goes, was smooth sailing.

The couple decided to take their wedding a notch higher than the typical and the mundane. They wanted fashion to play a role in the festive occasion – from the outfits of the participants to the reception program. In fact, they liked fashion infused into the tiniest of details.

Details? This wedding validated again the fact that there is always room for a myriad of elements to make an event special, unique, and personalized. With the couple listening to all of the suppliers’ ideas and suggestions, there was no way that the wedding could fail. The affair was a huge success as far as everyone involved was concerned – most especially for the newlyweds.

Brace yourself for all the wonderful wedding minutiae, and the amazing photographs taken by no less than Pat Dy and Francis Perez.

The couple chose mimosa and brown as wedding colors to exemplify the warmth of the sun. A lace pattern provided a dramatic backdrop for the text-laden letterpressed invitations. I replicated the pattern and used the copies on the other components of the invitation suite. The couple opted for a handwritten font to evoke a formal yet fun wedding. Don’t you just love how these patterns appear so becoming in letterpress?

The wooden arrhae box with gold and silver metal plate carving matched the theme. The arrhae was composed of six coins from 1980, the year when Choy was born, plus six coins from 1982, the year when Jill was born, and one coin from Weddings at Work.A golden brown-textured pillar candle served as unity candle. Decorated with brown and gold trimmings, gold tapered candles completed the unity candle set. Gingerly handcrafted by the bride, the couple’s gifts for their entourage members reflected the same color scheme and the patterns. Veluz, once again, left me breathless with her bridal lace creation. It perfectly fit Jill. Featuring an asymmetrical neckline, the gown had seed pearls, Swarovski crystals, and lace cutouts as accents. The veil had similar lace-like patterns which were hand-sewn on the helm line. Multiple layers of delicate lace completed the standout look – suited for a fashionista like Jill. I have already said this so many times, but I look up to Veluz not only as a mentor but also as a paragon worthy of emulation. I always strive to approximate the passion, creativity, and quality service she invests in all her undertakings. I owe this lady bigtime.Make-up was done by Gela Laurel. She enhanced the natural beauty of the already stunning bride. Red bag and brown pillows for the rings were courtesy of Niko for Veluz, of course. Bejeweled Ecada shoes – Lovely!Choy was not to be overlooked. He appeared dapper in his Randy Ortiz classic suit with a twist. I just adored his white long-sleeved shirt with textured details on the chest area. And did I say that he looked dapper? Niko was a winner hands down for creating those wonderful entourage gowns in soft flowing chiffon accentuated with cutout fabric flowers and tea-stained lace. The flower girls looked innocently cute in their gowns that mirrored the color motif.The bridal bouquet, inspired by fireworks, was an arrangement of exotic flowers exquisitely created by Zenas Pineda. With the signature Ernest touch, a brooch was placed on the ribbon to hold the flowers together. Brooches were similarly placed on the bouquets of the entourage members.
Jill demonstated the ideal bridal gait. She walked down the aisle gracefully, elegantly, and effortlessly. The embroidered embellishments on her veil appeared radiant against the red carpet. Choy could not contain his emotions when Jill sashayed toward him. Here are pictures of the couple during their portrait session. Don’t they look good together?Right before the guests gathered inside the main dining hall, the newlyweds had a pictorial session in the ballroom. They gushed at how Zenas beautifully created the look the couple had envisioned for the reception venue – formal yet warm, romantic but not cheesy. The dance floor was illuminated for the entrance of the couple and their entourage.

The stage was covered with fresh green kamuning leaves accentuated with the initials “C” and “J” made of yellow flowers. A lovely couch covered with delicate fabric and tied with a yellow band completed the setting for a great photo op.

On the right side of the stage was mounted an enlarged photo of the couple taken during one of their trips.

Gobo lights depicting the same pattern brightened up the otherwise boring walls of the ballroom. Lights and sounds were provided by Sensitivity Lights and Sounds headed by Juancho and Meanne Fondevilla.At the cocktail area, guests looked for their escort cards which listed the different countries the couple would visit for the duration of their honeymoon. Hence, the table was aptly labeled “Find your destination.” A wish tree, painstakingly crafted by the mother of the bride, was another activity for the guests during the cocktails.Trivia about the bride and the groom were framed and placed on top of each of the cocktail tables.At the dining area, guest tables were decorated with square glass vases wrapped with thick lace and containing yellow flowers – liliums, alstomeria blooms, and cymbidiums. The brown table number cards/program cards coordinated well with the other wedding stationery – from the pattern to the fonts used. Silver wooden candelabras exuded a warm glow on the tables. Scattered white pebbles accentuated the table set-up. For the VIP tables, square menu cards were tucked in crisp white napkins placed on top of golden, square-shaped plate chargers.Specially wrapped candle holders with a print of the pattern were used as additional decorations on the VIP tables.The cake was a sight to behold. Penk Ching proved once more that she is the queen of fondant cakes. She was able to replicate the pattern (down to the minute, intricate peaks and whorls) using sugar. Truly, the cake was an amazing, edible art piece.Handmade custom butter cookies baked by Judy Uson were given out to the guests. Bright yellow icing looked perfect on the flower-shaped cookies.Before the couple’s grand entrance, the entourage members made their way to the illuminated dance floor accompanied by a specially made audio-visual presentation. The finale, of course, was the walk of the bride and groom. Heartfelt speeches of selected entourage and family members dotted the program. A wonderfully choreographed dance number by the couple capped the night's merry-making.Jill and Choy, I would run out of vivid adjectives to describe your wedding. Simply put, your wedding is really a testament to your sense of style and romantic nature which are innate in both of you. Thank you for your friendship, and cheers to a married life filled with laughter and love! Here are some outtakes of the wedding. And here is the awesome onsite avp by Bob Nicolas.