by Allain Dumon Fonte
Soltana Nature Residences host the grandest wedding destination expo for 2021. In their grandiose Events at Soltana venue, wedding suppliers, event coordinators, events stylists, fashion designers, and exhibitors gathered to showcase their best to excited couples and clients. The grand expo was opened by the Chairperson of Lapu Lapu City’s Tourism Commission and first lady of this historic resort city, Madam Cynthia Cindy King Chan; she was with city counselor, Hon. Queenie Malingin Amman; Taft Properties COO and Vice President, Myra Lynn Gilig; Taft Properties CFO, Feliz Tiukenhoy; and Mr. Justin Gaisano of Taft Properties.
Philip Rodriguez
To set the event’s mood, AD models Kevin Lahousse and Gingie Alducente acted as newlyweds joining the expo and leading the guests to the exhibitors’ booths. Yet, the highlight of the event was the glamorous fashion show set in the world’s most visited wedding destinations, as the mannequins of AD models paraded the haute couture creations of Cebu’s A-list fashion designers.
Dexter Alazas
The show was opened by Miss Earth 2008, Karla Henry-Amman, wearing a bridal gown designed by Hanz Coquilla. Her wedding mood was the historic streets and sceneries of Vigan, Philippines. Coquilla created a Filipiniana-inspired bridal dress with perfectly constructed butterfly sleeves, exquisitely clean lines, and masterfully crafted bias skirt of balanced cones and flows. Valerie Alvez showcased a bridal dress made of vintage Chantilly lace. Alvez proved her skills in manipulating laces to be impeccable; the bow detail at the back added glamour to the dress, exuding luxury to the bride wearing Alvez’s masterpiece. Wendell Quisido set her wedding theme to the dreamy beaches of Ipanema; and as her model glided on the runway, everyone in the audience dropped their jaws to the intricately detailed bridal dress that Quisido made. Quisido designed a bustier dress with well-balanced panels that wonderfully fitted the model’s figure; but what made Quisido’s dress jaw-dropping are the countless Swarovski crystals that covered the dress. Dexter Alazas joined the fashion show with a 1920’s inspired wedding dress of vintage tulle and embroidered in the decade’s popular baroque patterns. Alazas has shown the wonders of working with delicate fabrics and the opulence of vintage embroidery patterns.
Wendell Quisido
Valerie Alvez
The fashions show also brought us to the rich sceneries of Mallorca, Spain with Ren Manabat’s three-tiered wedding dress. The labor-intensive layers upon layers of soft English tulle made Manabat’s artwork stand out, among others. Another head turner is a dress that was carefully planned and architecturally constructed, the bridal gown designed by Protacio. Protacio has obviously studied well which fabrics to use and how each fabric is sewn to the other to create an illusion of nudeness under layers of vintage Italian mesh. The dress was architecturally constructed like the Burj Khalifa where every piece sits perfectly with each other in harmony and balance. Fashion connoisseur Marichu Tan-Geson created an extremely detailed bodice lined with Swarovski crystals, and a skirt made from layers of dotted soft English tulle. Tan-Geson’s manipulation techniques on the soft tulle and how she delicately draped every layer of the tulle upon the other is interesting and intriguing. With a work of art as beautiful as that, I could say that Tan-Geson is the Madame Gres of Cebu fashion. The show ended with a groom and a bride wearing a 19th century English-inspired wedding ensemble by master couturier, Philip Rodriguez. Rodriguez has proven once again his artistry and expertise in fashion by creating an empire-waist gown with ruffled sleeves made from dotted Italian mesh of 100% silk and vintage silk taffeta. Rodriguez presented a truly elegant wedding dress; lesser on the intricacy but more on the richness of the materials being used. The rarity of Rodriguez’s fabrics already makes his dress worthy to a MET gala exhibition.
Ren Manabat
Protacio Empaces
Philip Rodriguez
The models wore the timeless and recherche jewelry collections from Royal Gem to match the bridal dresses of the featured designers. Every jewelry piece is made to complement a woman who loves fashion and whose self-awareness dictates her own style. From green sapphires to yellow diamonds, every jewelry piece is stunning. No wonder why socialite and fashion icon, Heart Evangelista, loves and promotes Royal Gem. All models are wearing Shandar bridal footwear.
Philip Rodriguez
Marichu Tan-Geson
Hanz Coquilla
The Grand Wedding Destination Expo at the Events at Soltana will run until the 24th of May 2021 with exciting activities: a maquillage session with Jessie Glova, a bridal make-up competition and show, a financial literacy session for new couples, a talk on real estate investments, a session with Rod Bautista and Eddie Jamin from the Centerpiece Weddings and Events about wedding destinations in Cebu and the new norms in wedding celebrations, and a whole lot more of raffle prizes from Plantation Bar Resort and Spa, Solea Mactan Resort, Savoy Hotel Mactan, and others.
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Wedding season is almost over, which means you finally get to go on a break from all those wedding invites, which also means you’ve probably lost ideas on what to wear to the next one. As what the girl scouts say, it’s best to be prepared especially for outfit ideas for your friend’s special day.
Whether you are a bridesmaid or groomsman, sponsor, or guest, weddings are always a chance to dress up and feel fancy. Yet we all know that dressing up takes a lot of careful thinking, time, and money.
Here are a few tips that will help you make up your mind on what to wear for the next wedding.
DO. NOT. WEAR. WHITE!
Unless of course the all-white theme permits you to, then you can. But it is wedding taboo for a guest to wear white so as not to compete with the bride, and drama is one thing we want to avoid in weddings (it is her special day after all!).
Don’t wear too skimpy dresses
Here in the Philippines, weddings are mostly associated with religious affiliations. So it is also good to respect that note and not wear too skimpy or revealing outfits. We also wouldn’t want you to keep on pulling down that mini.
Black is all right
That beloved LBD you wear to cocktail parties or dates can be worn to any wedding event. Pair it with the right necklace and it instantly gives a touch of class, perfect for a formal wedding.
Better safe than sorry
That’s just what our mama said, and so do the wedding outfit gods. It might be better to come overdressed than underdressed. Be careful not to play matchy-matchy with your bag, belt and shoes though.
It’s good to bring a blazer
Yes, the Philippines is a tropical country, perfect to wear dresses with light fabric. The reception, however, may have a very good air-conditioning system that turns the room into a winter wonderland. And unless you’re Queen Elsa who is unbothered by the cold, it’s good to bring a blazer that goes with your outfit. An oversized blazer over a party dress or a cardigan with a fancy brooch pinned over it instantly becomes a chic modern look and cold resistor.
Rock your colors
Stick to your personality; it’s a good idea to go with bold colors during weddings, but not all out. Go with dresses that adds a pop of color with some simple patterns, pair it with comfy pair of heels, and you’re good to go! Always put into mind that you do not want to take the spotlight away from the bride and groom.
Wear comfortable shoes
Even Vogue suggests their readers to wear a pair of platforms or wedges. Grab your favorite velvet flats for when your heel starts to give, without compromising your look.
Forget the clutch!
A small leather strap–handle bag is chic and goes with you easily. Plus, it drapes by your elbow elegantly for when drinking champagne. Clink!
One last tip: it’s not entirely bad to wear the same outfit twice or thrice especially when you’re on a budget. Take note to go with it differently and match it with different accessories.
]]>Some girls are just born with it—beauty and brains, as the expression goes. When she graduated from Los Angeles’ Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in 2010, Mia Arcenas was determined to “build a business empire,” as an Instagram post of hers stated not so long ago. Her future groom, Jacques Branellec, seemed to be on the same trajectory. At an early age, he was spending school holidays at the Jewelmer Pearl Farm in Palawan cleaning oysters.
So when their paths collided, it was at a time when both were concentrating on building their careers. But destiny, and Jacques, was persistent, and soon it became clear that this was a serious affair.
The groom’s mother Francia had always told him 32 was a good age to get married; and she was a little worried that Jacques wouldn’t make the deadline, until he brought Mia home. Family is a very important part of both Mia and Jacques’ lives—in fact, when Jacques proposed, he’d actually proposed first to her parents Dindo and Iris, who immediately burst into tears.
“When Jacques proposed, minutes after I had said yes, he added, ‘by the way, the wedding will be in France!’” Mia recalls with a laugh. “I had no time to grasp everything that had happened and what I had agreed to.”
The wedding was specifically going to be in Saint Pol de Leon, a coastal village in the Brittany region of France where the Branellecs are from. With about a year to plan out the event, the couple decided to split the tasks equally to make sure everything would be taken care of. “I did all the creative planning, while Jacques took care of the technical and logistics side,” Mia shares. “The biggest challenge was communicating with the suppliers since they all spoke in French!”
On his part, Jacques was busy working out how their family and friends would be there. “My main challenge was making sure everyone got to where they needed to be—from the airport to the hotel, from hotels to the wedding events, and back, and around everywhere.”
It all turned out alright, as the four-day event began with a happy bunch of friends and family from around the world gathered in Roscoff one bright June afternoon chattering in front of the postcard perfect Brittany coastline. Roscoff is a rustic town in the northwest region of France, an hour’s drive from the airport in Brest or a three-hour train ride from Paris. Not exactly in the tourist path, it is famous for its oysters, caramel, the Breton striped shirt, and the creamiest, most delicious salted butter that you can ever taste.
The locals were probably wondering about the festive group that had converged—aside from the bride’s bevy of extended family from Cebu, there were guests who flew in from Italy, Australia and other parts of the world. After all, Jewelmer has made a name for itself as the best purveyor of golden South Sea pearls in the international trade, after the groom’s father (also named) Jacques Branellec settled in Manila in the 1970s and founded the pearl farm with Manuel Cojuangco in the south of the country—long before there was an El Nido or the Spratly Islands.
Mia had decided early on that she was going to create her entourage’s dresses, and her own wedding gown. “It was the most amazing experience!” Mia exclaims. “Jacques, from the beginning, pushed me to create my own dress. He said it would be even more special and unique, especially since I’m a designer and not many brides could do the same. He was right!”
The festivities started with the civil wedding, attended by close family and friends. Jacques came dressed in his Philippine Coast Guard uniform, and Mia created for herself an ensemble of soft tulle, with a floral brooch and a satin sash in the same pale blue hue.
As the guests started coming in, the couple hosted welcome cocktails on an outdoor property. It was prettily set up with white tents and long tables filled with cheese and patés, and champagne and rosé all sourced from nearby vineyards. Guests toasted the soon-to-be-married couple, and cheered as they gamely performed their famous duet—Mia sang, while Jacques played his saxophone. They looked gorgeous in white, Jacques in a crisp shirt while Mia wore her long-sleeved top with a soft tulle paneled skirt with embroidered elements that hinted of their story: Jacques and Mia, gugma, je t’aime, the saxophone, gumamela flowers, and hearts.
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The wedding ceremony itself had guests taking private trams through a scenic five-minute ride to the centuries-old church Eglise Notre Dame. Father Bernard Holzer had flown in from Manila to officiate the wedding ceremony. It was a personal and solemn affair with the bride’s cousin Matteo Guidicelli and maid of honor Holly Dychangco singing a beautiful, angelic rendition of The Lord’s Prayer.
“I couldn’t even comprehend how I felt,” says the bride’s mom Iris Arcenas as she recalls seeing Mia walk down the aisle. “All I could think was that my only child is now a bride. There was just so much joy and happiness, that her prayers were answered and that God gave her the man of her dreams.”
For the wedding, Mia wore a form-fitting dress with intricate lace details, while Jacques had a three-piece Jun Escario suit on.
It was a festive sight after the mass, a scene that featured ladies in elegant gowns and gentlemen in their summer suits, had overflowed to the town square. The-wishers then proceeded to the reception at the Penfao manor, where the celebration lasted until the early hours of the morning.
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Just as a bride is the centre of attention and the epitome of elegance and grace in a ceremony, a wedding cake dresses up the table with its delicacy and charm, worthy of every bite and click of the camera. Swirls of dreamy frosting or buttercream, layers draped with intricate confections and a vision of bespoke artistry — a wedding cake is the crème de la crème of your menu.
It is very rare that guests don’t look forward to having a slice of the last course. However, there is no sugar coating to that fact that, similar to a wedding gown, the price of this dessert highlight is quite high. Yet, no one has ever taken a cake out of the Top 5 must-haves in a wedding.
Brides and grooms need not worry about shelling out so much for their dream cake. When you book a wedding package at Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu, you get not only your dream resort wedding, but also a classy and delectable three-tiered cake at no extra cost. The hotel’s own chefs have created a special variety of cakes for couples to choose from, which come as a treat for event packages, even for a group as small as 50 guests.
The wedding packages come complete with all the essentials and a well-crafted menu created by their culinary team, as well as additional specials such as the three-tiered cake, floral centrepieces, bottles of wine, an overnight accommodation, boxed treats and a room voucher as an anniversary gift. These packages can be individually customised to include premiums and all the extras you need, for only a little extra.
The hotel’s Events Team is dedicated to making your dream day a grand and unforgettable one, paying close attention to the small and big details.
MOVENPICK HOTEL MACTAN ISLAND CEBU
Punta Engano Road, Lapu-Lapu City
6332. 492 7777, 799 1111
e-mail | Facebook | Instagram
photography Matt Pinkian and Gerald Yuvallos styling Clint Holton Potestas makeup Scarlet Tumalon models Stacy’s Model Management setup Pink Flora
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To all soon-to-be-wed couples and soon-to-be-debutantes, come up to Nivel Hills on November 28, 2015 and be part of One Sweet Day: A Day of Wedding & Debut Exclusives. This will be held at the newly renovated Cebu Grand Ballroom where our Banquet Sales Team will be at your service from 9AM to 6PM.
Why are we calling it One Sweet Day?
If you book your 2016 wedding or debut with us on this special day, you will get all the benefits of our well-crafted celebration packages, plus the added One Sweet Day advantage. This includes a 20% discount on the celebration package price. You will also get to choose two more premium benefits from the following: waived corkage for wines and lechon, additional complimentary night’s stay before or after the wedding or debut, a gift certificate for Chocolate Indulgence Spa treatment for two, in-room Champagne Breakfast during your hotel stay, or a gift certificate for an overnight stay with breakfast for two at Marco Polo Davao!
This irresistible offer is only valid on November 28 with the following terms and conditions: a reservation fee of Php 30,000 should be paid on that day, this is valid only for new bookings, the wedding or debut must be in 2016 and the benefits can only be availed on date of event upon confirmation and full payment on or before March 2016.
Sweet things can happen in one sweet day. Allow our team of professional event specialists to help you make your dream celebration come true.
MARCO POLO PLAZA CEBU
Nivel Hills, Cebu Veterans Drive
6332. 253 1111 loc. 8109 | email | website
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Following its successful debut last year, this year’s Of Veils and Trails will begin with personally guided tours around the resort’s most sought-after wedding venues: the Swarovski-detailed Mactan Ballroom, the ivory-draped The Marquee, the glass-enclosed Ocean Pavilion, the scenic Ocean Terraces and the pristine beachfront.
From rustic or extravagant, traditional or chic to flirty or dainty, Cebu’s top wedding stylists will lend their stylish and elegant touch to turn these venues into picture-perfect wedding settings. A visit to the deluxe Bridal Suite with its panoramic view of the Mactan Channel’s calming blue waters will also be part of the guided tour.
Moroccan Vibrance at the Mactan Ballroom
Meanwhile, The Marquee will serve as a staging area for the city’s top wedding professionals. Doors to The Marquee will open as early as 11 a.m. to give guests more hours to freely consult with the city’s finest florists, hair and make-up stylists, pastry artists, decor providers, printers, photographers, videographers and lights and sound experts. To capture the romantic spirit of the day, Cebu’s chosen wedding entertainers will take the stage for a mini performance at 5 p.m.
Elegantly Yours at The Marquee
The event’s highlight will be the enticing culinary showcase to be staged by the resort’s experienced team of international chefs led by Executive Chef Frank Bohdan. Tasty nibbles – from dressed-up comfort food, lively, flavorful appetizers and light-hearted alternatives to classic main entrées – will be on full display for the enjoyment of all guests. With much thought placed on each dish and its presentation, this culinary experience has been designed to tempt taste buds through flavor, texture and presentation.
“We appreciate that weddings continue to merge the couple’s personal style with traditional touches, and wedding menus are no exception. Our food showcase will demonstrate our culinary team’s creativity, ensuring that our reception menus are as unique as every other element of the wedding,” said Executive Chef Frank Bohdan.
Red Rose Ceremonies at the Ocean Terraces
To inspire engaged couples onto their beautiful beginning, participation in the Of Veils and Trails wedding fair is complimentary for both in-house and walk-in guests. Special savings on regular wedding reception packages await couples who confirm their wedding plans with the resort during the wedding fair.
To fully enjoy the exclusive privileges offered on-site, couples are required to pre-register by sending their names, email addresses, mobile numbers and planned wedding date to events.mac@shangri-la.com.
Courtesy shuttle service from the city is also available to and from the resort at predetermined schedules.
SHANGRI-LA’S MACTAN RESORT & SPA, CEBU
Punta Engaño Road, Lapu-Lapu City
For inquiries, call 6332. 231 8158