Patrick and Candy Tuliao
Magallanes Church and Palacio de Maynila
The wedding of Patrick and Candy could be characterized as sweet, whimsical, and l fun-filled.
Believe it or not, I was given less than two months to plan for this wedding. Panic attack? No. Why should I? With a bride like Candy, who showed me a look book the first time we met, I need not panic. But while I was going thru the files, a question crossed my mind: Would I be able to execute all her plans? Her mom (she with the aristocratic bearing and features, and well-coordinated outfit and jewelry) pointedly asked me, Hijo, magaling ka bang talaga? (Are you really good?). I paused for a moment, looked at her, smiled, and proudly proclaimed, Yes, tita! Magaling po ako. Magaling na magaling! (Yes, Tita! I am good. I am very, very good!)
As if it was not pressure enough, Candy pulled me into a corner and told me, “Ernest, you already know that we have Dino (Lara) as our official photographer. But since you are now our wedding coordinator, Pat and I have decided to get another photographer just for your details.” Whaaaat? A photographer just for my details? I inquired, “Who is the ‘details’ photographer?” Candy quickly retorted, “Mimi and Karl.” Upon hearing the reply, I just wanted to die. So, it was back to the drawing board for me. Thinking of how to make this wedding worthy of a details photographer, I had sleepless nights. I had to deliver, so to speak.
Let’s start the ball rolling with these details for the ceremony.
Look at these gorgeous offertory candles – beaded appliqués attached on plain white candles. Matches decorated with bead-encrusted lace.
Unity candles tied with a simple organza ribbon and accentuated by a pair of silver earrings with crystals. The main unity candle featured a crystal brooch in the form of a ribbon. A ribbon brooch on top of an organza ribbon – truly a visual delight.
Candy is a certified crybaby. I remember her shedding a few tears during my concept presentation for her wedding. For that one unabashed display of raw emotion, I was quick to quip that we needed to hand out small packets of tissue paper in customized organza pouches and aptly labeled, “For your tears of joy.”
The pillows featured a brown embroidered lace ribbon gingerly placed atop a blush pink pillow, and capped with a champagne silk rose.
You might have heard a generous dose of superlatives showered ad infinitum on designer Veluz, but this is no exaggeration. I, for one, would not get tired of saying that this lady always pushes me to the limits. Candy’s wedding gown attested once again to the dynamics of Veluz’s artistry and creativity. This time, her inspiration was the 40-year old train of the bridal gown of Candy’s mom. The train was restored and made an integral part of the ensemble. Veluz copied everything – down to the zero beading found on the train – on the sleeves, bodice, and the back portion of the gown. Pieces of cut stained lace were added to give texture to the new gown. Even the manner the bow was tied was very ‘60s. The result? The gown – as Candy would aptly describe it – was “perfect, inspired, and had a bit of history in it.” 
The flower girls wore cute pink dresses with gold beadwork. Gold ballet shoes completed their collective look.
Candy had difficulty choosing between the two bouquets Badang Rueda prepared for her – the virginal all Ecuadorian roses with gypsophilia fillers or the pink and green dreamy bouquet of snapdragons and blush pink imported roses.
Candy, after picking the white bouquet, requested that a small silver cross be placed on the bouquet handle. This small cross contained ashes of the bride’s dad who passed way four years ago.
The entourage members carried pink bouquets with pink tassels and a huge pink button adding a touch of whimsy.
\Make-up artist Denise Go Ochoa was a perfect choice to prettify Candy on her wedding day. She was certainly a radiant bride oozing with effortless beauty. :)
Since the bride and the groom got dressed and spruced up ahead of schedule, they had ample time for their pictorial session at the church. Pat was dapper in a black suit It greatly contrasted against the white aisle provided by Badang.
The flowers were placed on towering white vases with cascading crystal beads and lined with white asters in customized boxes. 
Look at the dazzling, magnificent train!
The beautiful sunset set the mood and provided the glow to the lovely portraits.
I just couldn’t wait to blog about the reception details. Where do I start?At the entrance of the Palacio de Maynila, a candy buffet awaited the guests.
Both the young and old enjoyed picking different candies/chocolates/sweets personally selected by the bride herself who brought in two balikbayan boxes full of assorted items for the candy buffet alone.
These pictures showed what a marvelous candy buffet it was.
Guests were given Chinese take-out boxes where they could put in their loot. Crafted again by the bride, these boxes were adorned with quotations about sweets and stickers containing the monogram.
At the registration, guests were asked to look for their personalized place cards actually bearing their names attached to candy sticks.
Each card had a checkered, polka-dotted, or striped background – to be cohesive – in the same pale pink and brown, and in the same fonts used for all the cards.
Guests wrote their messages for the newlyweds on small cards which featured caricatures done by the groom. They were also asked to hang their congratulatory notes on the wish wall courtesy of Badang Rueda. The wish wall itself was labeled by wooden letters embellished with the couple’s prenup pictures.
Even the ballpens were decorated with a simple brown ribbon with this inscription: “We tied the knot.”
Cocktails overflowed. To match the motif, pink lemonade and mojitos were served with stirrers handcrafted by the bride.
Prepare for a visual treat.
There were two types of centerpieces used. One type of arrangement featured a square box covered with textured brown cloth and filled with monochromatic pink roses and white asters.
These boxes were lined with pink and white polka-dot ribbons. Clear cake stands with small cupcakes with frosted icing in pink were set as additional decor. Table numbers made from fondant icing were perched on fresh wheatgrass.
Other tables were decorated with tall bamboo poles painted in gold and wrapped with thick brown ribbons revealing a portion of the gold paint – mimicking candy sticks. Grouped together in threes, these poles were placed in tall glass cylinders – a perfect way to match the high-ceilinged reception venue. The small cupcakes on clear cake stands and fondant table numbers were also the components of the tall centerpieces.
The presidential tables were lined with pink and lilac flowers made to look like giant lollipops. Steel kettles were hung strategically and crystal beads appeared to be flowing from these kettles.
Pink and champagne striped napkins were rolled and wrapped with rings made of crystals and pearls. Menu cards were designed and printed for each of the guests on the VIP tables.
Clear votive candle holders were covered with blush pink beaded lace. Seats for the VIP tables were decorated with beads and ribbons.
The couple came up with reception rules printed on cards neatly placed on every table.
Pat and Candy did a waltz, but midway through the couple’s traditional dance, the music shifted to a funkier beat.
The couple then proceeded to the cake area for the cake-cutting ceremony. The three-tiered cake by Clay Cakes was a sight to behold – brightly colored fondant icing flowers carved from cookie cutters covered the entire cake. Each layer was overlaid with jelly beans.
K by Cunanan Catering provided the scrumptious dinner consisting of broccoli and cheese soup, barbecued chicken salad, baked penne pasta with tomato and creamy pesto, grilled red snapper with mango salsa and coconut cream, Japanese rolled chicken stuffed with cheese and leeks, crown roast of pork with Cajun rice and, of course, the bestseller (and my personal favorite) – grilled pepper-crusted tenderloin steak with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables with feta cheese.
Both the young and old enjoyed picking different candies/chocolates/sweets personally selected by the bride herself who brought in two balikbayan boxes full of assorted items for the candy buffet alone. These pictures showed what a marvelous candy buffet it was. Guests were given Chinese take-out boxes where they could put in their loot. Crafted again by the bride, these boxes were adorned with quotations about sweets and stickers containing the monogram.At the registration, guests were asked to look for their personalized place cards actually bearing their names attached to candy sticks. Each card had a checkered, polka-dotted, or striped background – to be cohesive – in the same pale pink and brown, and in the same fonts used for all the cards.Guests wrote their messages for the newlyweds on small cards which featured caricatures done by the groom. They were also asked to hang their congratulatory notes on the wish wall courtesy of Badang Rueda. The wish wall itself was labeled by wooden letters embellished with the couple’s prenup pictures.Even the ballpens were decorated with a simple brown ribbon with this inscription: “We tied the knot.”Cocktails overflowed. To match the motif, pink lemonade and mojitos were served with stirrers handcrafted by the bride.Prepare for a visual treat.There were two types of centerpieces used. One type of arrangement featured a square box covered with textured brown cloth and filled with monochromatic pink roses and white asters.These boxes were lined with pink and white polka-dot ribbons. Clear cake stands with small cupcakes with frosted icing in pink were set as additional decor. Table numbers made from fondant icing were perched on fresh wheatgrass.Other tables were decorated with tall bamboo poles painted in gold and wrapped with thick brown ribbons revealing a portion of the gold paint – mimicking candy sticks. Grouped together in threes, these poles were placed in tall glass cylinders – a perfect way to match the high-ceilinged reception venue. The small cupcakes on clear cake stands and fondant table numbers were also the components of the tall centerpieces.The presidential tables were lined with pink and lilac flowers made to look like giant lollipops. Steel kettles were hung strategically and crystal beads appeared to be flowing from these kettles.Pink and champagne striped napkins were rolled and wrapped with rings made of crystals and pearls. Menu cards were designed and printed for each of the guests on the VIP tables.Clear votive candle holders were covered with blush pink beaded lace. Seats for the VIP tables were decorated with beads and ribbons.The couple came up with reception rules printed on cards neatly placed on every table.Pat and Candy did a waltz, but midway through the couple’s traditional dance, the music shifted to a funkier beat.The couple then proceeded to the cake area for the cake-cutting ceremony. The three-tiered cake by Clay Cakes was a sight to behold – brightly colored fondant icing flowers carved from cookie cutters covered the entire cake. Each layer was overlaid with jelly beans.K by Cunanan Catering provided the scrumptious dinner consisting of broccoli and cheese soup, barbecued chicken salad, baked penne pasta with tomato and creamy pesto, grilled red snapper with mango salsa and coconut cream, Japanese rolled chicken stuffed with cheese and leeks, crown roast of pork with Cajun rice and, of course, the bestseller (and my personal favorite) – grilled pepper-crusted tenderloin steak with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables with feta cheese.The program was highlighted by a special song number by the bride.
Not to be overshadowed, Pat surprised the bride with a rock song by Sugarfree, complete with a moving cartoon (that he prepared himself!) about “things you should know about Candy,” playing in the background.
To date, no groom has ever pulled off an endearing surprise like that. I think Pat did a great job. (Just look at how Candy gave Pat the “look of love.”)
Arroz caldo, fishballs, and pan de sal with adobo and kesong puti were served as an after-party buffet to guests who decided to stay a while longer and enjoy the music of the Compose Band.
Not to be overshadowed, Pat surprised the bride with a rock song by Sugarfree, complete with a moving cartoon (that he prepared himself!) about “things you should know about Candy,” playing in the background.To date, no groom has ever pulled off an endearing surprise like that. I think Pat did a great job. (Just look at how Candy gave Pat the “look of love.”)Arroz caldo, fishballs, and pan de sal with adobo and kesong puti were served as an after-party buffet to guests who decided to stay a while longer and enjoy the music of the Compose Band.Summing up, the celebration was a whopping success brought about by the rocking reception that mirrored Pat’s and Candy’s personalities, the sumptuous food and overflowing drinks, and the personalized wedding details that would make even Martha Stewart smile. But more than these, the couple found priceless the fact they were surrounded by people they love.
Writing about the wedding, a euphoric and sentimental Candy enthused: “Months after our wedding, it still feels like a dream. I know that years from now, the pictures will still make me giddy. The memories will still make me smile. Because on that day, I married the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And that, for me, is the sweetest thing in the world.” Awww… now, isn’t that really sweet like candy?
Writing about the wedding, a euphoric and sentimental Candy enthused: “Months after our wedding, it still feels like a dream. I know that years from now, the pictures will still make me giddy. The memories will still make me smile. Because on that day, I married the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And that, for me, is the sweetest thing in the world.” Awww… now, isn’t that really sweet like candy?Thank you, Mimi and Karl for the beautiful pictures.
Click here for Dino Lara’s take on the wedding.
Click here for Threelogy’s Onsite AVP.
