Some things never change

I like the fact that weddings seem to reinvent themselves over the years. The wedding gown and entourage fashion, the cake flavors, changing doves to butterflies, changing cords to crystals. It just speaks of how we can all make wedding celebrations personalized and more special depending on how adventurous the couple can be.

Who would've thought that flower girls can sprout angel or butterfly wings as they march down the aisle? That your cake's height could match your bridal gown train's length?

I like the idea that a lot of new designers, younger photographers and stylists are coming out of the woodwork. They incorporate a lot of new trends but still manage to stick to some classical pieces that won't make your grandchildren say "Lola, ang baduy naman ng pose niyo" when they come across your wedding pictures someday.

Here are some pics during my parents' wedding.
Still the same types of poses, right? Mother and maid of honor helping the bride in her preps, father taking bride to aisle. I do like the thought that photoshop can now make wedding albums more dramatic by manipulating colors, even focusing on details like the rings, flower petals, the shimmer of the arrhae and even beads on the bridal gown.












I know that most photographers have the usual shots but I admire more the photographers who are able to capture moments that are not staged. These are photographers who really "capture moments," unlike others who "shoot poses." These are the same photographers who work on what's available rather than moving heaven and earth (consequently barking orders and stressing everyone) to achieve the poses that they have in mind -- chances are, these are poses that they've seen other photographers do hoping that if they duplicate them, they'd be regarded as avant-garde or cool too. NOT.

Some of the wedding photographer sites I like looking at are the following:

www.dinolara.com by Dino Lara
www.fotogra.ph by Mimi and Karl Abesamis
http://www.photonski.com/paulvincent/weddings

See for yourself the kind of photos that make you go "awwww..."

All that matters

Last night, hubby and I went to the wedding of our best man, JB. JB and his now wife, LZ were so excited like most couples, about this wedding. It was, after all, the culmination of their boyfriend-girlfriend relationship and the beginning of their life as husband and wife.

Since both are Christians, they decided to hold it late in the afternoon at the gardens of the Church of the Risen Lord in UP Campus, Diliman. The ceremony was supposed to start at 5pm but when we got there, all the tables and chairs and food stations were moved up to a cramped room beside the garden. We got word that the set-up was beautifully done by Batis Asul (good food by the way) by 4pm but then it started to rain. Since there were no provisions made for tents, everything had to be moved indoors and there was an hour or so delay to the ceremony.




By the time the ceremony started, it was already dark. I kept on thinking, what a waste of natural light -- the garden could've been perfect -- there were wild white lillies and hanging flowers perfect for the backdrop of the ceremony but they were not seen due to lack of lights. Since the main sound system was moved upstairs for the reception, we only had to settle for a karaoke machine that didn't give justice to the wonderful intro for the entourage and the live guitar music.

Would people consider the wedding a disaster? I personally think not.

It was because this intimate gathering was focused on the ceremony, the real reason for the event, not the frills of the celebration. I didn't see an agitated coordinator, a complaining or whining parent or flowergirl -- everyone was so composed, even the bride and groom. Everything and everyone that mattered most was there. All the guests were saying that the rainshowers should be thought of as a blessing, not a party pooper.

One of the reasons I enjoy going to weddings nowadays is because it reminds me of the reasons why my hubby Rahyan and I got married, why we should stay married, why we should continuously work on being married. Weddings remind me again of the symbols and the responsibilities of husband and wife, as God planned it to be.

The pastor also recounted one of the most celebrated unions in the 1980's -- that of Prince Charles and Lady Diana -- where millions all over the world watched as the royal couple pledged their love for each other. Who could forget the beautiful dress, the horse-drawn carriage, the hundreds of potted flowers, the smiles and waves on the balcony of the newlyweds. Well, we all know what happened to that pledge.

Seeing JB and LZ get married reminds all of us that even with all the preparations, sometimes , we still don't get the wedding of our dreams -- but I guess what is more important is to get the MARRIAGE of our dreams. After all, at the end of the day, that's what really matters.