REAL WEDDING: BOGS + JEN (May 18, 2010)

Our first contact with Bogs & Jen was via email around November of 2009. They booked The Mango Farm first and several emails after, the details of the entourage flowers & and the reception upgrade were eventually threshed out.

We have always been partial to citrus colors and the choice of black was really what made this event a cut above the rest. The black & cream damask runners have been cut and sewn months ahead by K. by Cunanan Catering for use in one of their events at the Farm, but my heart was really set in using it with chartreuse and what do you know? Jen's color scheme was champagne, chartreuse & black! @_@ The universe, indeed, has a way of granting the most secret wishes of our hearts.

We enjoyed working with Bogs & Jen because they really were into the whole planning thing, and although it's a universal truth that it can be rather tiring to keep on changing floor plans, all the changes made sense to me and I didn't mind doing it at all. There's nothing like an event that's well thought of.

Although this particular wedding wasn't entirely green (in its environmental sense, that is), the spirit was pretty much there. Thank you, Bogs & Jen, for the book, GREEN WEDDING by Mireya Navarro! It really opened my eyes to the possibilities of doing a really green wedding. Methinks it's a concept whose time has definitely come. :-)

This event also saw our reunion with Lei & Jo of Daniel Lei Studios at the same spot where we first met months earlier: the Seven Suites Hotel for this wedding. Amusing! Lei & Jo are a really nice couple who are passionate about their craft. It's been great working with them again. We also look forward to working with Core33 Studios again. I really hope that you guys update your blog more often. Seriously. :-)

In this post, Jen Ilagan-Ombania, the bride, looks back at her dreamy wedding on a humid but nonetheless beautiful summer day in Antipolo City, the Philippines. :-)

Watch the Same-Day-Edit (SDE) Video here.


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How did you two meet?

On my first day of work in Dubai, I was given wrong instructions on how the public transportation works. The company is holding an orientation for newbies that day and I arrived at the scene at 10:30AM instead of 8:00AM. Haggard "me" sat at the single unoccupied seat in front.

Later that day, I was relating to the guy beside me how annoying my taxi driver that morning was. I also gave him my unsolicited opinion that his upset stomach is all his fault because he ate all the biryani served to him as free lunch. Obviously, I had no clue back then that I'll be marrying my orientation seatmate after a few years.
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My favorite memory of the day was:

One of my favorite memory was when I saw our families and friends arrive one by one as I sit concealed inside the bridal car. It was like watching a movie starring all the important people in my and my husband's lives.
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Tell us about your photographer / videographer:

Daniel Lei Studios, our videographer, was really professional and warm. Their team showed up really early at the hotel and made us comfortable during the shoot. Core33 Creative Studios, our photographer, had been very accommodating from the start, making us feel cared for as their clients. We'd plan about meeting up again in the UAE. Who knows we could throw in a Trash The Dress pictorial (at the sand dunes!) one of these days.

I appreciate both team's effort to bring about the best in their craft despite the difficult conditions of that very humid day. I learned about DLS and Core33 through their websites which pretty much tell how good they are. At the end of the day, it's great to see how the two teams build rapport as they went about the day's work.
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My favorite detail(s) of the wedding was / were:

Hands down, Vatel Manila's reception styling. I think we surprised each other, Dylan, on how the setup came opulently together with the Farm's outdoor environment. There were just too many details to mention that I love about it. It brought sheer delight to anyone who was able to witness it.

Runner up would be my bandeau veil by Myra Callan of Twigs and Honey. It was her first Philippine listing and we had trouble with its shipping at first but she went out of her way to get the veil just in time. It's funny how it never failed to get confused looks as to how does one put it on. I like how this modern veil suited my personality just right.
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Tell us about your color scheme.

It's champagne, chartreuse & black. My gown's champagne train shade dictated the dresses color for the bridal party. Dylan (of Vatel Manila) drove the initial olive green palette, in a more effective way, to more lively hues of green. Black added a kick of dynamics in the setting.
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What was the design inspiration for your wedding?

One dinnertime with Bogs, on the subject of clothing, he suggested that I wear black gloves with my white dress. I told him how ridiculous and brilliant that idea was. I got back on my wedding research the next day and saw Vera Wang's (Bogs doesn't know who she is at all.) Fall 2010 Collection's muses strutting in opera length black gloves. I told myself then that I won't box my wedding with themes or rules anymore. The wedding was a collection of curious and exciting visions that I'd encounter during its planning phase.
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Tell us about finding your wedding dress.

Once I was lucky to chance upon a wedding shop during its non-peak hours and got to fit as much as I can (Shops here normally require an appointment to do so.). Influenced by the accessories I had in mind and my fear of looking like there's too much going on with my outfit, I noticed myself approving every non-beaded piece I saw especially that of Alfred Angelo's design. I immediately searched for his other minimalist creations and found the perfect no-frills satin-taffeta two-tone gown. I had it shipped directly home.

Anything D-I-Y for your wedding?

My sisters, I and Bogs made the favors' wrappers and stickers. The loot bag for the kids print design was from Amy Moss' generous style blog Eat Drink Chic. The downloadable templates on her website are just too pretty not to make. I was enjoying DIY-ing too much and found myself using Pa's bulky sealer to pack tiny pink heart candies. The black throw (bouquet) flower was supposed to be the brooch for my gown but I noticed the fabric is falling apart as I stitch it so I just decided to use it for the reception game.
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How does it feel having to travel so far to get married in your homeland?

It had been a privilege to have a legitimate excuse to visit and reunite with people dear to us. It was intuitive for us to share our joy with our loved ones.
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What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding?

Ironically, it's keeping things about our relationship, first and foremost. We needed to stop every now and then to check if the direction we were considering for the wedding is really of value to us, as a couple.
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What was your biggest splurge?

Our pre- and post-wedding travels. There were just too many places to go to get things accomplished and get our guests informed about the wedding.

Tips to overseas-based brides-to-be?

Make use of local products you can bring home. Our sand frame favors that filled half of our luggage were all worth carrying. Their novelty were a hit with the guests.

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SUPPLIERS//

Preps: Seven Suites, Antipolo City
Church: St. Thérèse of Lisieux Chapel, Filinvest East
Reception: The Mango Farm, Antipolo City
Photographer: Core33 Creative Studios
Videographer: Daniel Lei Studios
Bridal Dress: Alfred Angelo
Caterer: c/o The Mango Farm
Entourage Flowers: Vatel Manila
Reception Styling: Vatel Manila

Photo Credits: Photos 5,6, & 7 are by Daniel Lei Studios. All the rest are official photos (both processed & raw) from Core33 Studios.

REAL WEDDING: MARK + PAOLA (April 24, 2010)

ENTOURAGE FLOWERS by Dylan Gozum


This bouquet (left) reminded me of how much of a village the world has become in recent years. Since the eruption of the volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland, Wednesday April 14, all flights between Europe and the rest of the world were suspended. Needless to say (but I'm still saying it), the only remaining connection of Manila to Europe via KLM was cut off for a few days. Florists scrambled for alternatives, some brides weren't able to arrive, etc etc. That is why in times like these, we have China to thank for. In this bouquet, replacing flowers originally ordered from Holland, are fuchsia roses and single whorl-Matthiola from China. Wax flowers were already available prior to the flights suspension. The Matthiola incana is one of our favorite flowers. They smell good, and come in various colors (i.e. pink, red, yellow, lilac & purple). They are the Cinderella of the Brassica family to which the kale, mustard and cabbage belong. We normally order the Holland variety because of it's double whorl (which makes it look thicker), although that genetic aberration makes it a little expensive than the China variety.

The flowers for the flower girls (right) used Carnations, Roses, rice flowers, Queen Anne's Lace & bundled together in a red tin pail.

Starting with this wedding, Vatel Manila has adopted a new look for Summer 2010. Our principle of lush + plush remains, but this time using new materials. The local version of Queen Anne's Lace has been very abundant this year and we've used it a lot to create these "little gardens" that you can hold. The idea is to create bouquets with lots of texture versus those commonly made by other florists which are either too solid or two-dimensional. We've also been exposing more of the stems lately to create an illusion of height. So far this look goes well with pinks and yellows. We'll be doing this again using pomelo pink in May. We're continuously experimenting with combinations that work so you can get arrangements that are unique and one of a kind.

CEREMONY at the Plaza Gat Tayaw


When we found out that that Mark, the groom, has a bonsai garden, we thought of having a bonsai-themed wedding to which he immediately took a liking. The problem initially was transporting (you have no idea how heavy a pot of bonsai is), so 10 pieces of plants of various species were brought to the farm in two batches. We used six for the aisle (right), two for the altar as backdrop (left), and two for the couple's table backdrop at the reception. I think the whole idea was pretty swell and unique! I am sure it will never happen again in my lifetime. I just so loved the idea of using elements that are dear to the couple and in this particular wedding, the groom was very hands-on in all the aspects of the wedding preparations. He visited the Farm a lot to observe other weddings, he met with the caterer, and discussed the concept with us during his every Farm visit. Don't you just wish all grooms were like him? Ha ha!


RECEPTION at the Glass Pavilion (Flowers & Setup by Vatel Manila)


The setup for today's reception is a study in restraint. To be sure, many would be tempted to use all pink flowers available to color this reception, but the Vatel Manila school of thought thinks otherwise. We took advantage, too, of seasonal flowers from local farms to highlight the fact that this is a Summer wedding and second, to bring down the overall cost. Left: For the centerpieces, we created full topiaries using Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus), a short-lived perennial. We added crystals to those located at the VIP table and topped the topiaries with Aranthera James storei orchids, the only imported component of this reception setup. I have long wanted to use this smashingly beautiful orchid specie, made possible by a cross between the Arachnis + Renanthera species. I can't wait to see it's yellow counterpart! In between the tall vases are short vases of light pink Alstromeria to break the monotony of dark pinks. We also made sure that the caterer didn't put ribbons on the Tiffany chairs.

We are not very fond of fabric ruffles. We think it's way too old school, that is why we made a very simple cake stand in solid fuchsia with just a short vase of Sweet William and a candle for accent (right). This way, this really cute cake stood out for everyone to appreciate.

Candles are a must in all our events. There's nothing like the drama of candles that is why we make sure we have lots of it on our tables. We always use the V#2 because it lasts for hours compared to the usual tea lights.

Left: The couple leads the guests in prayer. Right: The bride's father performs 'Sunrise, Sunset' from the film, Fiddler on the Roof. If you haven't seen the 1971 film adaptation of this musical, you must. You can listen to the song here. I think it was a very touching thing for the bride's Dad to do this. A line from the film: "Love", Teyve says, "it's the new style." (Teyve is the bride's father-character in the story). It emphasizes a shift in paradigm: from arranged marriages (a cultural thing) to actually falling in love with the other first before deciding to get married. :-)


We have always been wary of topiaries because they have the tendency to block the view of the visual experience that is the wedding so for this project, we tested the view by sitting on different tables around the room and looking at the AVP screen. We haven't seen anyone standing up, necks craning or anybody removing the centerpieces during the SDE screening, which is just great!

Allow us to make a short comment on photog lights. Many brides ask us about special lighting, but in smaller venues like the Farm's Glass Pavilion we rarely recommend it because the moment the lights of the photographers go on, everything else is blotted out. My ideal setup for this project was for it to look cozy, warm, and romantic (right), but this is already impossible in this day and age where weddings have become production numbers. *sighs*

SUPPLIERS//

Caterer//
Lina Vitan Catering
40 Judge Jimenez St., Kamuning, Quezon City

Photo / video//
Nice Print
Unit 204 Emerald Place, 604 Shaw Blvd., Pasig City
Telephone numbers: 6365505, 6333812, 6385206

Ceremony Setup//


Entourage Flowers//