I just bought a copy of the latest Wedding Essentials Beautiful Weddings issue and as usual, I’m having a hard time putting it down. There’s nothing quite like reading heartfelt wedding stories from the brides (or grooms, in Dino’s case) themselves and, as it always have been, that is the beauty of WE magazine. The sincerity and glowing happiness of every couple that is featured just radiates through. And like always, the magazine is chock-full of real-life anecdotes and features about everything any couple will ever need to know about wedding planning.

And that is because Ed-in-Chief Marbee, Managing Ed Kitten, Art Director Jepoy and the rest of the WE team are very passionate about what they do and they genuinely enjoy bringing you all these stories so that you too may have the wedding of your dreams. This passion shows in the way they put the magazine together. This enthusiasm never falters, come rain, shine or deluge (speaking of deluge, check out the fantastic feature on page 84 about how some wedding vendors came through at the weddings scheduled on the day Typhoon Ondoy hit our shores).

Yes, I do know about this enthusiasm and passion, I was there too.

This picture was taken in November 2004 at the launch of WE’s first ever issue.

Longtime readers of WE may (or may not) have noticed that this is actually the third issue where I’m no longer the Design Director after working on WE for 5 happy, fulfilling years. I still love weddings — that’s why I’m here — but Marbee and I have always been a believer of following dreams and our hearts’ desires so she understood completely when I knew I had to follow mine. (Love you Marbs!)

Make sure to get yourself a copy of the magazine (and all the magazines under the WE brand) because it is truly, always a labor of love.

***
By the way, we’re sorry about our sporadic blogging but we both promise to write more frequently from now on. Also, a surprise celebrity bride blogger will grace this website with her musings soon. Can you guess who she is?

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been,” a quote by English novelist George Elliot is a mantra that Marbee and I have been taking to heart, especially now that we’re in our *ahem* 30s.  And apparently it’s something J Lucas Reyes, a friend and colleague in graphic design recently realized when he bravely gave in to the allure and romance of his first love, photography.

From J’s about page:

This year, he came full circle rediscovering his first passion, only after 10 years – photography. Coming from film, he has now embraced digital, and has refined his skills shooting weddings side by side with one of the Philippines’ best wedding photographers, his colleague and good friend, Nelwin Uy.

Photography by J Lucas Reyes

J just got married himself, having wed his longtime sweetheart Catherine Magsaysay in January of this year (we featured their lovely origami crane-themed invitation in a previous entry). And so I asked him if, being a newlywed, he can offer something unique to the couples he photographs.  His answer:

I love shooting weddings. Despite the frantic pace, it relaxes me, being reminded of my own and the few things that really matter – the bride, the groom, and the love. Funny thing is though, in the short span of time I’ve shot weddings, I think my photography style brings out the brides more. Well after all, like my wife used to say then, it’s the only special day in her life when she wants to be a princess and so I’m all happy to oblige.

Photography by J Lucas Reyes

Looking at J’s photographs, I can tell that he has kept his graphic design sensibilities in the way he angles and crops his shots. He keeps just enough of the image to retain the essence of the moment but leaves out some bits so that something is left to the imagination. And he makes sure to keep things simple:

Thankfully I come from a film background where you have to know photography and its history before you can call yourself a photographer. Despite using almost all-digital tools in exploring design, I do 90% of my work at the time of shooting and use the computer like I’m in a darkroom. I don’t utilize Photoshop layers, textures, plugins and stuff, which are quite the common thing everyone now buys off the street after a dslr. I try to keep things simple, frame steady, and let my mind be free to create pictures.

Photography by J Lucas Reyes

So with J, what you see in real life is what you get. And isn’t that just how we want our big day captured in stills?

See more of  J Lucas Reyes’ beautiful photography on his website. There’s good news too: he now accepts bookings.  Leave a note on his contact form or text/call him via 0919.8363620.

Dear We *Heart* Weddings reader,

It’s been a while since our last entry but as you know, Typhoon Ondoy happened. We sincerely hope that all of you and your loved ones are safe and well, and that your wedding preparations are still under way.

A lot of people still need our help though. On this note, may we make a suggestion? In lieu of spending on and  giving away souvenirs at your wedding, why not volunteer or make a donation in behalf of your guests to a foundation/rescue center/ relief goods operation helping the victims?  Even just a little will go a long way.

By now you’re probably aware that another Super Typhoon is on its way to our shores and the best thing we can advise you is to prepare a basic emergency kit.  That, and to keep calm and rock on.

(via The Poster List)

And of course, pray.  Please take care everyone.

I love it when brides recount stories about how collaborating with their designer united them with the gown of their dreams. This is because more often than not, the exchange of ideas and fusion of personalities will produce a gown that’s entirely unique & original and, simply put, “made just for you”. This very kind of magical fusion happened when my friend Niña Villa-Herman asked fashion designer James Reyes to create the gown she would say her “I dos” in.

Niña and her groom Carlo are graphic designers and so the theme for their entire entourage in their May 2008 wedding was paper. James came up with a stunning design that was nothing like we’ve ever seen. Niña raves, “After showing James photos of styles I liked, he came up with something beautifully modern, with very clean lines. The back of the dress had an exquisite origami-inspired knot and folds – sculptural details that I absolutely loved.”

The gown is made of Ivory Duchess Satin and the skirt was designed to appear like its one big piece of fabric made to wrap around Niña which then ends up in a shock of crumpled paper in the back.

The gown’s neckline has a slashed V-neck and a standing collar. The skirt’s front panel is also designed to lead the eyes to the origami detail at the back. Photo at the bottom shows husband and wife Carlo & Niña Herman at the Chapel on the Hill in Batulao, Batangas.

For the rest of the entourage gowns, subtle Japanese details are also in place with the use of dupioni silk to make the gowns look like crumpled and folded paper and Samurai-inspired cuts for the collars and necklines.
***

Looking at the photos in James’ website, you can easily see the passion he throws into the creation of something unique and personal for each of his clients by the careful thought and detail he puts into each gown he makes.

Clockwise from top left:
1) Gina’s full terno gown in piña and ecru silk chiffon. The skirt is composed of layers of silk chiffon with full bias inserts creating a serpentina silhouette. As a dramatic, final touch, the skirt flares out into a full swirl at the back. “This is one of the gowns I’m proudest of because it was the very first time I made a terno and it turned out great.

2) Aimee in her champagne-colored wedding dress. The back of the gown features a huge assymetrical bow that falls in a dramatic cascade onto the floor. “The reception was outdoors and Aimee wanted something light and airy to catch the cool Tagaytay breeze. Thus, the butterfly became my inspiration.”

3) Cathy, Pao, and their entourage. Cathy was inspired by a play she was doing that was set in Florence hence their theme Florence at Sunset. “Immediately, we pinned down the colors of her entourage and my theme for all the gowns would be Florentine jewelry. The Moms wore shades of gold with crushed crystals as accents. The entourage came in beautiful colors inspired by the romantic city: wine red, burnt orange, champagne and gold.”

James was actually my classmate in college and it really makes me proud to see how far he’s gone from the talented, cheerful Fine Arts student who would happily design our Lantern Parade costumes to the talented, cheerful, acclaimed fashion designer he is now.

See more of his wedding gown work on his website.

Get in touch with James Reyes at:
Mobile: 0917-6236183
E-mail: jvreyes@pldtdsl.net or jamesvreyes@yahoo.com
Website: http://jamesreyesdesigns.multiply.com

Related post:
* I wrote about my own wonderful wedding gown experience with designer Tippi Ocampo in a previous entry.

Our friend and regular Wedding Essentials contributor, accessories-designer/crafter Ming Ong has a new collection under her Obra line called “Sakura”, inspired by the beautiful cherry blossoms she saw in bloom on a trip to Japan early this year.

Sakura a.k.a. cherry blossoms only bloom once a year, in spring, and they only stay in bloom for a week.

Ming is known for crafting her unique accessories by hand and for the Sakura collection, she uses thin acrylic sheets, a mix of fresh water and synthetic stones, velvet ribbons and of course her trademark copper wires. The accessories pictured below are varied styles of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, and hair clips.

She successfully launched the collection at last weekend’s Urban Bazaar in Rockwell and you can avail of the pieces at Backstage (Serendra) and online via her website. I think these would make great accessories for a Japanese-themed wedding or you can also get them as gifts for your bridesmaids. And because Ming makes everything by hand, you can even ask her to customize them for you! (Oooh, won’t a bouquet of her hand-made sakura look fantastic? Just an idea.) Shoot her an email or send her an sms at +63917-804-ming.

Ming Ong’s Kathang Kamay
website: http://mingkathangkamay.multiply.com
mobile: +63917-804-ming
email: obraniming@yahoo.com

Thanks to Luis K., I’m currently addicted to watching episodes of Target: Women, this hilarious web show that analyzes and, for the most part, pokes fun at everything women ’round the world obsess over. You know, pressing concerns like chocolate, diets, Botox, yogurt, Twilight, and — you guessed it — weddings. Check out the video below and see what some women choose to go through just to have the perfect nuptials of their dreams.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, wedding music doesn’t always have to be of the tired, “near, far, wherever you are” variety. In fact, these days you can even customize your ceremony music with a hipper, wittier playlist that’s reflective of your personalities. Take the JK Wedding March video I posted sometime ago as an example.

Having said that, I thought I’d provide you with a smattering of alternative songs that you can rock out to when you say your “I Do’s”. I‘ve also written down suggested uses for each song but go ahead and mix & match – have a fast song for your first dance, sing a duet during the exchange of vows — it’s always the unexpected little twists that make each wedding stand out from the rest.

Love Will Keep Us Together (Nickelback)

I will, be there to share forever
Love will keep us together
I said it before and I’ll say it again
While others pretend
I need you now and I need you then
Just stop, ’cause I really love you

Granted, Captain & Tenille’s sunshiny version of this Neil Sedaka song is a classic but Aussie rock band Nickelback gives it a cool, modern edge you & your guests won’t be able to resist bobbing your heads to.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Play during: your first dance, table-hopping

Real Love (Regina Spektor)

From this moment on I know
Exactly where my life will go
Seems that all I really was doing
Was waiting for love

This is a beautiful, almost haunting version of John Lennon’s Real Love as interpreted by singer-songwriter and pianist Regina Spektor. I can almost imagine a bride walking down the aisle as the song gently plays in the background.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Play during: bride’s entrance, exchange of vows, first dance

The Luckiest (Ben Folds)

And where was I before the day
That I first saw your lovely face?
Now I see it everyday
And I know
That I am
I am
The luckiest

One of musical genius Ben Folds’ loveliest, underappreciated gems is this earnest ode to a loved one. “I love you more than I have ever found a way to say to you” just about says it all.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Play during: bride’s entrance, first dance

I Was Made For You (She & Him)

‘Cause I have been waitin’ for a long, long time
For a boy like you
I won’t be waitin’ any more cause I know
Baby, baby
I was made for you

Indie singer-songwriter M. Ward & actress Zooey “hipster poster girl” Deschanel’s project band She & Him’s charming pop love song sounds like it came straight from the sixties. The bouncy melody and Deschanel’s joyful vocals are guaranteed to make your guests head to the dance floor.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Play during: first dance, reception

Falling Slowly (The Frames)

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We’ve still got time…
Falling slowly sing your melody
I’ll sing along

The tender, Academy-Award-winning acoustic duet by Glenn Hansard & Marketa Irglova was made famous by the movie Once. This is a slightly more upbeat version as interpreted by the Frames, Hansard’s band.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Play during: first dance, reception

Young Folks (The Kooks)

I can tell there’s something goin’ on
hours seems to disappear
everyone is leaving, i’m still with you
It doesn’t matter what we do
where we are going too
we can stick around and see this night through

I’m sure most of you are by now, familiar with the popular and catchy Peter, Bjorn & John hipster anthem “Young Folks”. This is the Kooks’ more laid-back version and is a cool duet to sing together or dance to.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Play during: first dance, reception

How Deep Is Your Love (The Bird & The Bee)

I believe in you
You know the door to my very soul
Youre the light in my deepest darkest hour
You’re my saviour when I fall

Yes, it’s that one by the Bee Gees. But before you turn up your nose on me, you *must* listen to this breathtaking version by The Bird and the Bee.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Play during: bride’s entrance, first dance, reception

Love You Madly (CAKE)

I don’t want to doubt you
Know everything about you
I don’t want to sit across the table from you
Wishing I could run
I want to love you madly
I want to love you now

This is an awesome, feel-good love song by alternative rock band CAKE with a crazy funk-pop vibe that’s guaranteed to get everyone on their feet.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Play during: first dance, reception

The Way I Am (Ingrid Michaelson)

If you are chilly, here take my sweater.
Your head is aching, I’ll make it better.
Cause I love the way you call me baby.
And you take me the way I am.

The beauty of this song lies in the sweet, honest lyrics about growing old with a loved one (“I’d buy you Rogaine when you start losing all your hair, Sew on patches to all you tear” – now that just makes me cry), in the snappy, clap-your-hands beat and simple, bare-bones musical accompaniment, and in Ingrid Michaelson’s warm, pillow-soft vocals.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Play during: first dance, reception

Love Me Like The World Is Ending (Ben Lee)

This is the first day of the future
And all I want is you
I wear a pair of socks you left here
And I know, I know, I know nobody can ever fill your shoes.

I absolutely can’t make a playlist without indie rock poster boy Ben Lee in it and in this song here, aptly enough he makes a plea for everlasting love with an infectious, almost-anthemic pop song that radiates with joy, warmth, and positivity. Isn’t that how all wedding music should be?

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Play during: recessional, first dance, reception

Love Among The Stars (The Cherry Orchard)

A love like ours was meant to be…and all these stars shine just for you and me
This is how it should be, you and me yes you and me
Love among the stars, love among the stars

If the sugary lyrics I quoted above doesn’t make your heart melt, then maybe the breezy, summery boy/girl vocal harmonies and Bacharach-influenced pop orchestrations will. It’s just the right amount of sappy, sweet but not cloying.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Play during: first dance, reception

More to follow next week!

~ Cynthia

Download the tracks at

Registration is free and you get 25 downloads upon signup at no cost.

Aside from weddings (and countless other stuff), another thing Marbee & I have in common is our love of, tadah! EATING. AND trying out new restaurants — the further away from the malls, the more exciting actually. I’m sure a lot of you feel the same way, what with all these new restos popping up in every nook & cranny of the metro. And now, I am about to show you one of my (not-so)-recent “discoveries” in the QC area.

Despite living roughly 7 minutes away from it, I only came to know about Adarna Food & Culture in August of 2008 via my friend Earnest Zabala. She told me that they served Filipino Heirloom food… heirloom food? Oooh. I was intrigued. But before we get into the, ahem, meat of this blog entry, let’s talk about the setting first.

You can find Adarna along Kalayaan Avenue in Quezon City, just a stone’s throw from the Quezon Memorial Circle. Enter the courtyard garden and you get the feeling that you’ve just been invited inside a warm & cozy Filipino ancestral home somewhere in a far-off province. Once you set foot inside the restaurant, you are greeted with a vast, and I mean vast, collection of assorted knick-knacks and memorabilia including an antique, pre-war piano that will make your mind wander and wonder about those days when life was less complicated.

The first time I was in Adarna, the first thing I asked was if the place can serve as a venue for wedding parties, be they engagement dinners or wedding receptions. Good news dear readers, the answer is yes. Chef Giney Villar was kind enough to show us around and I saw that the main dining area along with the adjacent lanai and courtyard can house a party of around 75 to maybe 100 people. They also have a smaller, private function room that can house a group of 25 or so. I think the nice thing about having your wedding here is that the experience will definitely be more homey & intimate than, say, holding it in a hotel ballroom.

But even without a big party to plan, you can always go to Adarna for the food (which is what my husband & I have been doing for the past year). In fact almost all our project meetings, small gatherings, and catch-up sessions with friends are held there and don’t think we go just for the ambience (and free wi-fi!), oh no no no.

Clockwise from top left (All photos except that of the Kesong Puti & Langka Fry and Banana Peanut Rolls are c/o Adarna’s Multiply site):
1) Adobo Batangas (P176), slow-cooked pork in flavorful adobo sauce. (I don’t eat pork at all… until I met this dish.)
2) Rich and chunky beef Kare-Kare (P370) & Adarna’s take on the Bicol Express
3) Roasted Pepper Soup (P163) (A smoky global Pinoy soup made from grilled bell peppers topped with crisp grieben and parsley) and Sigarillas Salad (P140) (Light and refreshing winged beans, onion and tomato dressed in a citrus vinaigrette and sprinkled with Ilocano bagnet bits)
4) Kesong Puti & Langka Fry (P86) (Malolos, Bulacan carabao cheese and home-sweetened langka in a crisp wrapper with mango cream sauce) and Banana Peanut Rolls (P63) (Ripe saba banana with roasted peanut cream in a crisp wrapper drizzled with old fashioned caramelo sauce)

*You have to forgive me for not having enough photos of the glorious food, my camera takes a back seat automatically once they’re served. The following are lifted from the feature by ClicktheCity.

Food you cannot NOT order (or try at least once):
1) Piassok (P304) (An Exotic Sulu dish of beef chunks cooked slowly in smoked coconut cream and ten spices – buttered, grilled and sliced just before serving.) My favorite thing to eat here, the beef is slow cooked until tender – so tender in fact that the meat just falls off when you pierce it with a fork.
2) Ang Morena (P67.20) (Subtly-flavored chilled coffee flan with coffee syrup and cashew nuts served in a Carnival coupe). My husband’s favorite, imagine a silky coffee-laced leche flan that melts in your mouth. The chopped cashews on top provide just the right amount of texture and balance to the flan’s sweetness.
3) Felicidad (P120) (A special cold luxurious drink made from eggs, cream and milk with a splash of rhum and vanilla) — just like a native eggnog, lip-smackingly sweet and milky.

Adarna Food and Culture
119 Kalayaan Avenue Diliman, Quezon City
See the MENU

What do you get when two advertising industry writers fall in love and decide to get married? Why a wedding chock-full of creative, personal touches and lots & lots of PAPER of course! Pardon the type-casting but isn’t paper (apart from pen) supposed to be a writer’s best pal?

When Dino Ocampo, a friend & colleague back from when I worked in the industry, mentioned that he was to settle down with fellow creative Pia Roxas, I knew their wedding was going to be anything but cookie cutter. With the help of stylist Candy Reyes, they managed to infuse their wedding with elements that reflected their personal fancies – a shared love for travel, diving, photography, curios, and of course, writing. What struck me most about the decor is the predominance of paper elements – quite appropriate for a marriage between two people who weave words for a living, yes? – so that’s what I chose to feature here:

Dino Ocampo & Pia Roxas' wedding

Clockwise from left:
1/2. Custom postcards featuring their photography were handed out for guests to write messages on (what a great idea!)
3. Instead of bouquets, the bride her entourage carried bags with a “paper flower” on top.
4. Huge paper flowers made by hand by an urban poor community.

Dino Ocampo & Pia Roxas's wedding

Clockwise from left:
1. Paper flowers abloom all over the tables in the reception area.
2. Paper bag luminaries light the path to and from the garden.
3. Another shot of the guest postcards.
4. Folded paper hats & stars printed with the couple’s writings for guests to take home.

Read more about their wedding in an upcoming issue of Wedding Essentials magazine. They also have a wedding blog filled with comprehensive wedding preparation step-by-step photos and tips [here].

It’s no secret that freelance writer Chinggay Labrador is a very good word-weaver, after all she’s the one responsible for making most of the Dream Themes come to life on the pages of Wedding Essentials magazine. But did you know that she makes perfectly wonderful, melts-in-your-mouth and oozing-with-chocolatey-goodness chocolate-chip brownies? She calls them Superfudge — yup, after the beloved Judy Blume book — and Superfudge-y they truly are:

Chinggay doesn’t put nuts in her brownies because she wants to keep them pure & simple and I can’t agree more. Being a chocoholic myself, I know how the presence of nuts can interfere with the chocolate-savoring experience and I assure you that none of that interference ever happens here. All you will taste is layer upon layer of deep, rich chocolate which is how it should always be. I still remember the first time she brought a tupperware of these goodies for me & another friend to taste — they were so good we completely forgot what we were talking about before she took them out. Needless to say, we finished them all before you can even say “Superfudge!”

If you’re racking your brains for something premium and homemade to give as gifts (these would make great gifts for your sponsors and/or bridal party actually) or to serve at bridal showers and engagement parties, I would suggest you check out Chinggay’s brownies. She sells them for P380/pan; they come in 2×2 squares and a pan contains 8 pieces. You may contact her directly at chinggaylabrador@yahoo.com or via her mobile 0917-8111034.

In fudge we trust,
Cynthia