I can't believe it has been almost four years since I tied the knot with my SO! This also means it's been four years since our families reunited. Friends and relatives all over the world flew to the Philippines to celebrate this once in a lifetime moment with us.

Our wedding was planned a year and a half ahead. As soon as Bani proposed in July 2015, we immediately decided on a date, so that gave our families, relatives and friends ample time to plan and apply for their vacation leaves.

We didn't want our special day to focus on us alone. For us, it was all about being surrounded by people close to our hearts.



Choosing our theme and motif was easy; Bani and I didn't have a hard time thinking about it because we both wanted to incorporate our mutual interests: green, nature, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Thanks to our favorite supplier, Eye Candy Manila, for making this dream come true possible!


It was clear to us that we wanted the Manila Hotel as our wedding venue. Not only we could do both the ceremony and reception there, our guests could also stay at the hotel so everyone's just billeted in one place. It's also near the airport and there are a lot of other hotels nearby too.

Wearing my wedding robe from Ate Beng

Unlike the usual tradition, we didn't want to give each other gifts during the wedding preparation, not even a letter. We thought, we're going to get married anyway, why do we have to spend for gifts when we're spending our lives together? Besides, it wasn't practical for us at that time. We had to save up for the wedding itself and for our future home.



Preparing with my MOH, Ate Kristel

Bani and I were over the moon when we found out that most of our guests were attending the wedding. Many were from the US, London, Australia, and Japan–and some even went just for the wedding alone.

Our best man, Ryan, arrived on the night before the wedding and literally flew back to California the day after!

Photo shoot with these fine gentlemen: our groomsmen and best man from the US, Japan, London, and Australia


Hundreds of eyes in the room, taking all those photos and videos, really made me nervous. I can say that I'm not really fond of this much attention since I'm more of a behind-the-scenes kind of gal.


It's all in the details. Our big day wouldn't be complete without Frodo Baggins, our ring bearer! Once we told Ate Taffy (Bani's cousin) about Hunter's outfit, they were so excited and even had it custom-made! How cute is this cape?!? Thank you Ate Taffy!

Hunter with our nieces as flower girls: Kathleen, Jacie, and Elisa

And it was extra special because Bani's dad was our officiating minister.



And here was the much-awaited magical kiss!



We wanted to be fully-hands on with the planning, but we were also in the middle of making a documentary film at that time. I can still remember how difficult it was, but we somehow managed it! We designed our seating chart a few weeks before, edited it (as some guests changed RSVPs last-minute) as days passed by, and had it printed two days before the wedding. We even used the Lord of the Rings soundtrack as our music and ambience when I walked down the aisle and when we had our first kiss.

Our guestbook was also one of my favorites and crowdsourced. My sister-in-law bought it online and instead of random presents, I asked our families and close friends to gift us with Instax films and lend us their Instax polaroid cameras.

One of my bridesmaids, Khaija, who flew from London, writing down her message in the guestbook

We also dedicated a week of rehearsal for our first dance in the tune of I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons.

In background is our Ninong Noel and Ninang Eliz

It was an emotional dance with my dad

Mother and son dance, in background is our Ninang Charimel and our fantastic host, Missy Ferrer-Litao

I loved my mom's speech

The parents-in-law

One of our games was the Wedding Shoe Game with a twist. Instead of us actually playing the game, we asked our guests to answer a series of questions about us, and the answer was either "Mai" or "Bani." Each table had our name cards and they assign a representative to hold up the name of the correct answer.

It got pretty interesting because many of the tables had wrong answers at the beginning of the game. lol.



Aside from the small LOTR details, we got the cake we really wanted; a Minas Tirith-inspired cake. I remember Bani showing a printed copy of this photo at a wedding fair at SMX Convention Center and the cake suppliers were giving us blank stares as if we were joking.

Photo from LOTR Fandom

We were losing hope, but several months before the wedding, we met this talented food blogger who owns a cake shop. I wasn't expecting much but when we showed her the photo, she said an all-edible 7-layer cake could be done and to top it off, it wasn't even that expensive.

And it turned out so perfect!

Customized cake by Duckies Cakes and Cupcakes

One of our very special guests, Manang Tutang

And here are our families, reunited after so long.

Post-ceremony photoshoot with my new family

Pre-wedding photoshoot with the Guillermos (My 2nd brother and his family could not attend)

My sisters-in-law: Ate Deb, Ate Dois, Ate Jamie, Ate Elena, and Jericah (my niece)

Our wedding was not perfect, but it's the most unforgettable moment of my life. Not only I did marry the love of my life (as cheesy as it sounds), we were also around people who love, guide, and inspire us in so many ways.

Special thanks to our principal sponsors, families, relatives, and friends, for joining us in celebrating our marriage.


Love,
Mr. & Mrs. Logroño