Weddings by Vatel Manila

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

SDE: MITCH + LEO

I used to review films for Yehey.com in my past life and managed a full-blown film blog, Pinilakang Tabing. Those were the days.

Lately, in between film festivals in Manila, I content myself with watching wedding videos. There are wedding videos, and then there are films. Lately, I have been quite attached to DLS films. The emotion is palpable and most importantly, there's a story line (to date, this remains to be my favorite)!

I can only blame DLS for making me cry buckets in private, and I envy the couples whose stories have been recorded on film for them to enjoy over and over again all the rest of their lives.

Watching Daniel Lei's films reminds me of Victorio Edades who once said,"Art is when the heart guides the hand." I feel that DLS's aesthetic is one that truly comes from the heart.

Mitch and Leo from MWCDLS on Vimeo.

Monday, April 26, 2010

REAL WEDDING: SHERWIN + KAT (April 25, 2010)

What can I say. I forgot to take photos of the flowers made for this wedding because I was gelatinous with fatigue (to borrow a line from Orwell's 1984) from the wedding the day before. But one thing's for sure: I shed tears when I saw the bride walk down the aisle (left) as the groom awaits at the altar (right). I don't know, but she looked really really happy. Kat was beaming and beautiful. Her gown (by Manny Mondelo) was smashing.

For the aisle, we used lots and lots of goldenrod (Solidago) chosen for their bright, golden flowers. In between pots of goldenrods are minimalist arrangements of Oncidium which pretty much connects the rites to the reception thus establishing the continuity of the design.

Inside the Pavilion, Macy Dy of K. by Cunanan Catering, played with ash & yellows to create that soft, laid-back look.

Apart from yellow / orange roses, she also used lemons and rose cacti (left) for the centerpieces. In keeping with the theme, the couple gave away dried mango balls in these cute little bags which carry the design of their invitations.

The caterer also used yellow damask for the lamp covers (left) while Vatel Manila used cream & white damask at the ceremony for the seat covers and the pillow kneelers. We were able to photograph only one kind of floral arrangement for this wedding. Here (right), the bouquet was composed of yellow roses, two-toned orange Carnations, Queen Anne's Lace, & multicolored rice flowers for that garden-y feel. This was the bouquet for the Mothers & the Maid of Honor. :-)

Looking forward to the official photos!:-) Thank you very much, Sherwin + Kat! You will be terribly missed.

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P.S. I rarely do this, but the coordinator for this event, Making It Happen, deserves special mention. I've worked with so many event coordinators before, but here's one that's not only efficient, they work quietly behind the scenes (as coordinators should), and were really really nice to everyone. No throwing their weight around or anything of the sort. And they speak great English, too. *laughs* I know that's hardly a qualification, but it is for me.
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Ceremony Setup//

Entourage Flowers//

Accessories//
Dotie Diaz
Email: dotie_diaz@yahoo.com

Caterer//

K by Cunanan Catering
c/o Kaye Cunanan
Tel. Nos. 711.0940 (look for Meg)

Photographer//

MANGORED
info@mangored.com
Landline +632 631 3060 | +632 496 7591
Mobile +63 921 485 0838
Studio Address #28A General Capinpin
Street San Antonio Village
Pasig City, Philippines 1600

Videographer//

Threelogy Digital Video
54-E Mapagkawanggawa cor. Magiting St, Teachers’ Village, Quezon City, Philippines
Telefax - 02-4344428
CJ - 09189139627
Jon - 09175396148
Bong - 09209506558
inquiry@threelogyvideo.com
Open Mondays to Fridays from 9am to 6pm.

PHOTOGRAPHER FOCUS: DANIEL LEI STUDIO

It must be true, the saying that says,"Two heads are better than one." This applies to weddings more, of course, when two people decide to live their lives together. This, however, applies to certain things like photography, too, when a team of two people churn out photos as heart-warming as these.

I knew of the Daniel Lei Sarmiento + Joannie Candi tandem by way of a (now-amusing) conversation with the bride, Mitch.

Me:"So who's your photographer? Sana magaling naman."
Mitch: "I think magaling naman. You can check out his blog."

I became an instant fan of Daniel Lei Studio the moment I saw his blog (so much for my haughtiness, sorry!). I connected to the photos almost immediately, and I felt so much by just looking at them. The chosen color motif have also played a major part in this event: black for the groom's serene attitude, yellow to reflect the bride's joie de vivre. DLS has captured those characteristics perfectly.

Photographs are sui generis. They are unique for that specific time and context. They remind us for all lifetime of the importance of every event in our lives, that is why it's always a good decision to get someone who will do the job of recording well.

At this point, the decision-making process should be a lot easier already. Check out more of the series here.