Weddings

Chris & Ena

LOVE IN AN OPEN WOODLAND

St. Joseph the Worker and Baguio Country Club

Chris and Ena wanted a destination wedding and they chose Baguio City—one of Ena’s favorite places—as the ideal site. “Rekindle old friendships and create new, beautiful memories—this is how the idea of planning for a Baguio wedding started for them.

Admitting that the planning was more hard work that she originally anticipated, Ena enlisted our help.

Since Ena had already seen some impressive weddings, there were a number of non-negotiable items on her “want” list. One was an al fresco garden reception with lots of greens. The Infinity Garden of the Baguio Country Club fitted this venue requirement to a tee. A crisp and cool palette of white, lilac, and dove gray was used in the printed materials for the wedding—from the invitation, menu, and place cards, to the “just married “sign. Eight bridesmaids dressed in dove gray long gowns preceded the bride down the aisle. When it was her turn to make an entrance, Ena walked to the altar in a body-hugging, fully embellished, off-white gown with a detachable train, created by fashion designer Cecilio Abad. In her hands was an all-white bouquet with crisp silver leaves arranged by Nikki Chatto.

“One of my favorite ceremonial moments was my bridal walk,” Ena fondly recalled. “I was a bit emotional since I lost my dad just a few weeks before the wedding, and I knew he would have been the happiest person to see me get married. In the end, it was decided that my teenage son would escort me to the altar.” During cocktails, paper bags with cookies in them were handed out. These bags doubled as escort card holders: the names of the guests and their seat assignments were written on the cookies’ packaging. As the guests enjoyed the beautiful sunset, the twilight air got chilly. The heaters were opened and guests gathered around drums filled with stacked firewood, while shawls were distributed to keep everyone warm.

After spending some time mingling during cocktails, the guests were ushered into the main dining area for a four-course meal prepared by the club. Wanting an understated and formal, yet relaxed and fun theme for the celebration, the reception was conceptuallized in greens, grouped crystals, and chandeliers to create an intimate atmosphere. DIY projects such as the number markings and the napkin rings lined the tables which were festooned with lush blooms, including lisianthus, liliums, and imported roses.

For both the bride and the groom, music was crucial to creating a party atmosphere, hence 3rd Avenue played songs from the 80s and 90s nonstop. The band had great energy and kept the party going. “Everyone seemed to enjoy the playlist we prepared and did not want to stop dancing all night long,” Ena enthused. In retrospect, she concluded: “Since we had waited so long to get there, it felt so natural to be surrounded by our family and friends who were sharing the momentous event with us. Keeping this in mind, we were determined to make our wedding truly worth the wait.”

Article lifted from Wedding Essentials Magazine Feature

Photography:
The MVMT

Videography:
Jason Magbanua

Invitations:
Amis Print

Bridal Gown and Entourage Gowns:
Cecilio Abad

Music:
3rd Avenue

Host:
Tetta Canada-Lazo

Event Styling:
Nikki Chatto