PREP TALK: By John & Benz Rana
For our year-ender column, we asked several wedding suppliers which wedding they considered the best among clients they handled this year. After all, who better to judge the year’s best than the very people took part in and witnessed countless weddings in 2006?
As for the criteria, we let each supplier set their own; it could be the attention to details, the budget, the client’s social stature, the relationship they established with the couple, or a combination of all of the above.
Dino Lara, photographer, www.dinolara.com
Tim Urschel and Patricia Pecache allotted quite a big budget for their Tagaytay wedding. They wanted to make sure all would be perfect, from the makeup by Patrick Rosas, gown by Monique Lhuillier, the church in Caleruega, and the best dinner at Antonio’s.
They also rented a vintage car to complete the classic theme. However, the weather was not very cooperative; in fact, there was a typhoon, which made some roads at Tagaytay difficult to pass because of the fallen trees and fog. Still, everybody enjoyed the whole day. There was no hint in their smiles that they were bothered by the weather. All I could see was that they were having the best time of their lives.
I’d have to say Claudine and Raymart’s wedding: glitz, glamour, and celebrities, yet the ceremony maintained its intimacy.
Jody Liwanag, wedding planner, www.events-expert.com
As a wedding coordinator, I am always fond of wedding surprises, and Arvie Osial and Lorelei Quiambao’s wedding boasted a number of surprises from the bride and groom for each other as well as for their guests.
Everyone at that wedding was amazed as the bride made a truly grand entrance before her bridal march. A helicopter hovered over the lawn of the Coconut Palace, showering petals while the guests waited for the bride. A few minutes later, it landed and the bride came out of it. Her walkway was lined with red petals as she was serenaded by her groom, who was playing a guitar and singing "Grow Old with You". It was a surprise for Lorelie to hear Arvie singing, as he’d vowed to do no such thing, but love can really conquer all things. It took all of Arvie’s to perform that afternoon and this made Lorelei cry.
The weather cooperated during the entire Christian ceremony. The sunset pictures were beautiful. The reception followed immediately, and everyone enjoyed the food and the program. Arvie and Lorelie’s first dance was capped with extravagant fireworks. With a little under than 200 guests, it was truly a wedding to remember. So much effort had been poured into the success of the wedding. I fondly remember seeing, at the end of the night, the happiness in Arvie and Lorelei’s eyes and in those of their families’. Guests were elated as they left the reception; some said that they would like to fall in love again and get married all over again, inspired by the wedding they just witnessed.
Bong Sare, videographer, www.threelogy.com
It was pretty overwhelming when one of the most important weddings of the year fell into our hands. We consider Bing Arenas’ and Kristine Ochoa’s wedding our biggest for 2006 (and probably to date) since it was the wedding of Boy Ochoa’s daughter and Ms. Baby Arenas’ only son.
A good number of prominent political figures and businessmen were there to grace the occasion, with no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo standing as one of the principal sponsors. Bing walked down the aisle alongside his mom and Speaker Jose de Venecia.
Starstruck may just be the word, but with only two and a half years of experience in the industry, you can’t really blame us.
Izy Jingco, Boracay-based wedding planner, www.bellsnblooms.somee.com
What I consider the wedding of the year for 2006 is the wedding of Nicole and Nigel, who are Australian and British nationals. What made it unique was the fact that it was my first time to work out wedding preparations for three different venues: the wedding ceremony at the Boracay Terraces Resort, the cocktails at Diniwid, and the reception held at Nami Private Villas.
The reception was very special, thanks to the magnificent and relaxing amenities transformed into a pampering haven for all. It had the widest array of selected expensive wines, champagnes, sodas, and beers, all for the 60 guests of the couple!
Nicole and Nigel even brought in their own yacht to the delight of their friends who flew many miles just to witness this grand wedding of the couple. Instead of the usual golf cart in lieu of the bridal car, we opted for a motorized banca decorated with white linens, white flowers, and tropical bouganvilla petals) as their bridal carriage. As the bride alighted from the boat, she was holding a single white calla lily tied with ivy vine (depicting drama and simplicity of heart). The finale was a spectacular and breathtaking display of fireworks that lasted between 30-45 minutes. Truly a fete to beat! It was like New Year in February!
I consider my daughter’s wedding in Boracay my Wedding of the Year because that was the only wedding that brought me close to tears. Would have poured buckets if I weren’t the photographer!
We chose the Saratan-Yap wedding as our 2006 wedding of the year. We truly admire them because despite their stature (the groom is the mayor of Talisay, Bacolod and the bride is a member of a prominent family in Bacolod), they remained very simple and down-to-earth. Their wedding was very well-prepared. Everything was organized and very orderly.
The wedding was attended by thousands of guests ranging from members of Negros’ finest families, politicians, and businessmen. Some came from other countries and other parts of the Philippines. What awed us was the setup of the reception area. A vast gym/activity area was transformed into a tent, draped with white fabrics. The place was made to resemble a hacienda with plants, antiques, and wooden furniture. The presidential table was the longest we’d ever seen, accommodating 60 persons and designed to be fit for royalty. The stage looked like a park with towering palm trees, lights, and capiz lanterns.
I saw how much effort Nap and Rhea Apolinario put into making their wedding a memorable one, from making miniature picture confetti to doing their own AVP. Note that the AVP they did was conceptualized, shot, and post-produced by them. To top it off, the emotion-filled evening was just truly exhilarating. These two people are not celebrities but that night they were!
Buddy Gancenia, videographer,
Pong Ponferada and Lyne San Juan’s semi-formal, European-themed wedding at John Hay Manor was a big one, with an after-dinner party at the John Hay Golf Club and a welcome dinner party the night before at the Baguio Country Club.
Well-wishers said this couple might well be the future President and First Lady of the Philippines. A friend also said that he would keep his invitation as proof that he was indeed a friend of the couple. As their videographer, I’m also going to keep their video as proof that I covered their wedding. Pong was a bar topnotcher and class valedictorian of the UP College of Law Class of 2001 while Lyne is a lawyer and successful businesswoman.
Emily Uy, cake designer, www.ilovesugarbox.com
I would consider the wedding of Junjun & Ken Binay to be my Wedding of the Year, not only because of the enormous cake they asked me to create for them, but also because of the humility I saw in the couple. They trusted me and my work despite the fact that compared to other cake shops my company is just starting to build a name. I picked them not because of the grandness of their wedding—which I felt was every bride’s dream wedding—but because of the relationship I established with them.
Dan Pamintuan, videographer, www.shierdan.com
Angela and Serafin Lalas’ wedding, because they were the first
W@Wie couple who made me realize that great things can happen
at W@W (WeddingsAtWork.com)!
A Christmas Wedding Affair
CHU-U-YEN EVENTS successfully held A Christmas Wedding Affair at the ground floor Eastmall of SM City North Edsa last November 30 –December 13.
The holiday-inspired, two-week exhibit featured BA STUDIO, CRYSTALLIZE SOUVENIRS, DANNY CAPISTRANO, ELOQUENTE CATERING, 1 ESPLANADE, HIZON’S CATERING, JUSTIC WINE CORPORATION, KNOTS ELEMENTAL EVENTS MANAGEMENT, LOUIE ALLAN PHOTO, MICHELLE LIM, NICE PRINT PHOTO CO., NOBEL’S CREATION, NX MANILA WEDDINGS, PARTY CHANNEL, PHASES N FACES, PRINTRADE SOCIETY PRINTERS, RMV FLOWERWORKS, ROBERT CAMBA CATERING, SUAREZ WEDDING RINGS, SUSIE BONAOBRA, TOP CAKES, and VS & F CLASSIC FOOD INTERNATIONAL.
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