Our Niche: A HAPPY,HAPPY WEDDING

the happy, happy newlyweds ;)

FINALLY, we got married, tied the knot,settled down…

Rey and I had the wedding of our dreams last December 29, 2004 at Redemptorist Church Bacolod City. It was a perfect day; a happy day… The day was bright, the sky was azure! I don’t know if I was just imagining it, but the sky seemed particularly bluer that day (maybe the 4 dozens of eggs Rey and my brother offered at the Carmelite Monastery did the trick!).

a very sunny day,azure skies

with the lovely bridesmaids

Looking back, we know that all the efforts we put in, in planning this wedding: all the magazine cut-outs, internet research, numerous phone calls with suppliers, and repeated deliberations of each detail (hey, what colors go well with chartreuse? Pink and orange right? Does this fabric look nice in pictures even w/o nice lighting? What songs should the band play during the guests’ arrival at the hotel?) were all worth it…What I may have thought as a major detail, was a nitty-gritty for Rey...And the other way around too, mind you ;)

Rey was more on the technical aspect of things; the logistics, and of course I was tasked on the aesthetics and presentation… It was a partnership that worked great. We were very precise; and so we had the wedding that we both wanted. Not just catering to all the bride-to-be's whims and caprices :) All the elements (gowns, flowers, cake) were just as we expected them to be. At the end of the day we were overflowing with joy, it seemed surreal. Again, it was perfect! Never mind, that the stargazers I wanted for the cake flowers did not arrive; or that the make-up artist was more than an hour late; or that one of the groomsmen didn’t get to march ‘coz he forgot his undershirt; or that the beautiful pen we bought for the contract signing was misplaced during the ceremony(luckily cousin Fr. Brodie had a pen). These mishaps did not affect the wedding mood at all, for everything else went smoothly during the wedding itself.

The bearers and flower girls were all at their best decorum(thank God!). They marched through the entire aisle; none of those usual toddler tantrums you see in most weddings…(A flower girl though, wanted to bring her toy fishes in her basket during the march…so we let her! Thankfully they were orange fishes, so the colors went well with the chartreuse color scheme of her basket).

with her fish...err,flowerbasket

(good thing, orange was a part of the florist's (Rodriguez) color scheme...)

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I walked the aisle (whew,didn’t trip while doing so) in my dream wedding gown; simple yet elegant. I loved my veil, ‘twas extra long and wide, soft-as-a-whisper…The bridal march song, The Prayer, was beautifully rendered by a friend…It was touching and made everybody teary-eyed. I felt like crying too, but I remembered I had mascara on ;) Ha3x… Rey, was looking especially dapper in his pina-barong… When my mom gave me away, everybody seemed very emotional about it…Maybe it was because she was giving away her only girl…

mother and daughter

father and son

the aisle

The nuptial mass, was very special and touching because the officiants were family! My uncle, Rev. Fr. Norman Segovia, flew all the way from California to celebrate this wedding. He flew in together with my aunt and uncle, Tito Andy and Tita Mildred to attend our wedding…A first for the family… My cousin, Rev. Fr. Norman (nope, not typo error, they are namesakes) “Brodie” Segovia, had previous commitments at Dumaguete, but made it in time to concelebrate the nuptial mass… Msgr. Victorino Rivas, had an aneurysm operation months before the wedding, yet he was there despite the fact that he was still recuperating…The homily given by Tito Norman, was very moving. His message on why they went home for this wedding, was especially touching. Well, it was simply because I was a favorite niece, period… GOTCHA! JUST KIDDING ;) They went home and he decided to celebrate this wedding, so their presence could somehow help fill the void left by our beloved parents who passed away: my father Papa Nene, and Rey’s mother Mommy Minda. A void that would be very much felt during this significant day in our lives. The moment he said this, I was moved to tears… Rey and I held each other’s hands…It was a beautiful sermon; a very apt message for the affair…And oh, while he was giving his homily, two adorable little boys were running to and fro the aisle and altar pretending to be Buzz Lightyear and Superman (pushing imaginary buttons and fighting with imaginary foes)...Didn’t I tell you it was perfect? He3x…

Msgr. Vic Rivas, Rev. Fr. Norman Segovia & Rev. Fr. Norman "Brodie" Segovia

We professed our specially-written vows for each other…said our thanksgiving prayer…given the seven-fold nuptial blessing…signed the contracts and was finally declared husband and wife…Whew! Finally ;)

the look of love...Mr. & Mrs. Garriel

It was a wonderful wedding for everybody. We married each other’s first love, we’re surrounded by family and friends…Everyone had a great time at the reception, the floral arrangements were beautiful, the food was delicious, the band fantastic …PERFECT!

And to all of you who celebrated with us, THANK YOU!!! Thank you for celebrating our love and sharing our joy...

Thanks to everybody who flew in from the US and Manila, just to be with us on this special day. We know that the plane fares were at their highest; airlines at their busiest during that time of year…Yet you celebrated with us! It made it all memorable...

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The Bride's Family