Downplayed and Happy

We met with Noy's med school buddies last Saturday to celebrate the wedding of Louie (whom they fondly call Badong) and Cat. We were late as usual, and found it weird that most of the male guests weren't wearing barong. As it turns out, they have been informed by word of mouth that the couple did not want to require their guests to be oh so formal on their wedding celebration.
Noy flinched at this, wanting to go back home and change. The church, the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart, is located in Makati and was just a bridge away from Mandaluyong. I saw several other guys in barongs, one in a coat and tie even. So that settled Noy.

I figured, maybe the couple did not want to make a big fuss out of their wedding because of the numerous natural calamities and all. The church flowers were all of white asters. You know, what's usually used as fillers are now the big star. They lined the aisle and were strategically placed everywhere else. It actually looked beautifully simple.

the lovely couple - Louie and Cat

The female entourage wore simple pink gowns. The female secondary sponsors came in their own gowns/dresses - no forceful wearing of hideous gowns by the bride here. I thought it was really practical. Untraditional, but works pretty much the same.

The bride wore her hair down. Her gown was simple and pretty. No ridiculously long train or tacky beads.

Were they short of budget somehow? I don't think so. They served an amazingly delicious lunch at the richly decorated Manila Function Hall of Makati Shangri-la. I could have eaten appetizers all lunch long, but the problem was that the roast beef was really tender and tasty and the salmon was insanely delicious. Im not a big fan of salmon but this one made me eat a whole piece. It's sad I didn't get enough seared tuna to satisfy, but the shrimp and mango salad kind of made up for it. Plus, I discovered that bamboo shoots and olives could make an awfully wonderful salad. Yum yum yum.

Noy and his med school buddies at
Louie and Cat's wedding reception in Makati Shangri-la

Badong and Cat didn't have traditions on their reception program, if you can call it that. His brother made a speech, two friends sang, and that's it. They hopped from table to table to chat with their guests and have photos taken. That was it - no games, no lousy speeches. Simple and happy.

Which reminds of Noy's cousin Greg's Dumaguete wedding, which was downplayed too. Their reception at the bride's family's beach resort didn't have much of the corny stuff, but the food was spectacular and the guests chatted endlessly since there was free seating. Anyone can come to the microphone and speeches weren't restricted to important people. There was no stage, no spotlights, no wedding cake! The couple mingled well with their guests and enjoyed every bit of their day.

"Our" table at Kuya Greg and Let's Dumaguete wedding in 2008:
guests were allowed to sit anywhere they liked, and food was everywhere

Starstruck: Christine Jacob's husband Paco Sandejas was Kuya Greg's best man

My wedding was all tradition, somehow. It wasn't downplayed, but we kept it simple and true to ourselves. I believe the guests have seen our personalities on the details, together and as individuals. Most of all, we had fun. Dowplayed or not, weddings are meant to be happy.