WEDDING EVENT DESTINATION DIARY - A GLIMPSE

A union of two people in love culminates by exchanging eternal vows through a sacrament called marriage with their guests as witnesses joining the solemn affair. A wedding is always a special event and the presence of relatives and friends fulfills the happiness of the married couple.

This was evident during an early afternoon wedding at Sanctuario de San Jose where for my observation was an organized one. The wedding started at exactly 2 pm and all guests as expected were around to witness the bridal march of Charisma choosing an original Pilipino song, “Ikaw Lamang.”

Special wedding music is an integral part of the ceremony and the couple were very exact with their choice. Yes, it was a part of their wedding checklist to regard important music integrated during the ceremony. The traditionally popular “Take and Receive” was chosen during the offertory and the widely-used communion song “Lead Me Lord” was sung.

Augustine Music Ensemble, dedicated wedding musicians of the Philippines added solemnity for the ceremony doing the best they could to maintain a certain blessedness as the proceeding went. When the ceremony culminated popular romantic music were performed as they had group pictorials that lasted around thirty minutes. The good thing with Sanctuario de San Jose is they let you take your time for pictorials when there is no other wedding to follow not like other churches who'll not let you extend time.

The reception venue is about 30 minutes to reach from the church. Glass Garden is becoming a famous Philippine wedding destination. They have two venues, the wedding reception of Willard and Charisma was set at the Emerald Hall that can house 250 to 300 guests. But the lesser guests, the better for more space but this reception had around 200 guests, more or less.

The wedding reception program started around 6:30 pm doing the most important parts of the program first before dinner. Well, the guests kept up with the time enjoying the first parts of the program prepared by the couple.

When they were introduced, they danced to their chosen music cascading downstairs to their seats at the presidential table. It was fun to watch their guests enjoying the moment. All of us felt the joy from the newly-married couple, enough to say that their wedding celebration was a hit.

The food was very good with three stations. One for the main buffet. Another for salad and desserts. A separate buffet of different pasta with eight sauces to choose from. It was really a big feast and everybody not only enjoyed the program devised by the couple but a superb dinner amidst the lush of the reception venue, subdued spectrum of lighting effects and world class physical set-up similar from foreign styles.

This event is a keepsake worth scribing about to say to ourselves, “We were a part of a wonderful wedding affair.”

WEDDING PLANNER AND COORDINATORS PHILIPPINES - VIEWPOINT

Wedding management is recalled when a good job is done. It simplifies the idea that knowledge always plays pivotal role in any achievement of event planner holding the banner of acceptance and added list to document no matter the celebration was not that grand compared to lavish ones by the rich and famous.

For us, there is no big or small wedding. A wedding event for us is sacred. We accept a service basing from a real need of help. Sometimes, we hate to discuss the fee but the soon-to-be-bride mentions this off hand and we go with the deal basing for what is fair. And most of the times, charity reigns in our hearts and just enough for the other members to have. The head coordinator always thinks that he is the brother of the groom or she is the bride's sister uncompromising.

Normally, our group consists of four coordinators and one wedding program host who is also on the go making things right for wedding preparations to materialize the best possible way by offering needed helping hand. The members are not there to display holding every now and then their radios and mumbling as if detectives. That is not our game. For us, every moment is precious and try damn hard not to waste any. When you are a wedding planner, you are there on your toes as if you are a family member of the couple. Of course, by then the bride feels the same way.

How to choose people to handle your most special event brings us to cast adjectives about your choice:

Sincerity - the bride feels this when she talks to one
Approachable - the bride immediately knows upon meeting one
Knowledgeable - the bride senses this when they discuss
Emphatic - the bride discerns this feeling for sure
Bubbly - the bride wants to deal with someone happy

These are only few traits a Wedding Coordinator must have and considered as the most practical way to find out the best person to hire. Beware to the ones who spread their credentials on a broad sheet mentioning so vividly the celebrities they've worked with, the places they've been to, the expensive weddings they've been with.

You are not there to tell your story. You are there to make history. When I say history - an event to mark as something to remember. Special events like weddings are chronicles to live by and treasure as PRECIOUS MEMORIES. One thing sure, a Wedding Architect to put it nicely is the prime mover.