Manila Bulletin

Sixth time’s the charm

Everything was set. It was going to be a big May 30, 2020 wedding with friends and relatives flying home across the Globe—closing a chapter in our lives and beginning another one to last a lifetime, or so we thought. We were caught off-guard by the sudden community quarantine memorandum released mid-march that suddenly prohibited mass gatherings. Covid-19 cases were on a sharp increase. It was a nightmare we woke up from, first being in the middle of so much uncertainty about this invisible enemy posing a threat on everyone’s safety, but also navigating through a wedding cancellation in such a short time.

After the initial shock, we got to work quickly. While we wouldn’t be able to celebrate as planned, we decided to at least have a civil ceremony, still scheduled on our original wedding date. Within a month, we were able to rearrange plans, rebook suppliers for a future still-unknown wedding reception date, and pare down our guest list from 600 to 10 people. We got married at the Mandaluyong City Hall, and simply had lunch at home with our immediate families.

Nobody expected the pandemic to last as long as it did. We were eyeing a July 2020 date for the church

wedding. And again in October, and in January the following year, and then in June. To say that we were persistent despite the countless delays would be an understatement. There were days we wanted to forget about the wedding and the thought of walking down the aisle would just remain as a dream.

Finally in December 2021, all the stars aligned and we were finally able to get married in church and have a reception. Only 200 out of 600 people witnessed the event but what made it extra special was having our 10-month old daughter, Heather, join us.

While we gave our suppliers almost a free hand in styling the wedding, we asked to have twinkling lights and a lot of flowers in bloom. There wasn’t a usual theme. The decor wasn’t limited to a

carefully handpicked color palette. We wanted instead to focus on the hope that despite everything we all had to go through—the fear of uncertainty, the loss of loved ones during the pandemic, the pain of adjusting to a new normal—there is something beautiful and magical waiting to happen.

It was memorable. From start to end. A year and a half from our original wedding date, despite all the twists and turns in the plans, we were blessed to be surrounded by love, light, and hope.

REAL WEDDINGS

en-ph

2022-05-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://manilabulletin.pressreader.com/article/282548726885871

Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp