I moved to Manila in April 1997 few weeks after graduation. I lived with my cousins in Sta. Cruz while I was attending a three-month training for my first job. My relationship with Grace had made a long way. Grace stayed in the province but I encouraged her to join me in Manila. She decided to come to Manila in September that year to look for a job. She stayed with her sister in Pasay City. That time I started my probation in my new work. She started also working the next month.

It was fun for both of us working and seeing each other at the end of each day. Our relationship continued to be strong over the years. We have been discussing marriage once in a while but no serious talks.

One day, we had a thought that came into our minds—to have her wedding gown ready. It was just a joke but she dared me. She thought I wouldn’t buy it! I brought her to a textile store to select for an elegant cloth. She couldn’t believe she was having her measures taken that very moment. So do I!

That was the start of it all--plans came little by little.

The Preparation

We wanted it to be a simple wedding. Our guests’ list included only our immediate family and very close friends. Because we both stayed in Manila, we decided to have the rites here. The hardest part of the preparation I guess was looking for the reception place. We stopped by every good restaurant that is considerably near the Church. It took us two weeks to find the place. What we got was Señor Alba, Cherry Blossom's fine dining restaurant located in Ermita, Manila.

We asked the manager to draft a proposal that would include all that we need. After several visits, we finalized the menu, the setting, and the schedule and paid the reservation fee. During our free time, we would go out to look for a fine paper for the invitation. We also arranged for the footage and video coverage and other sort of things.

After all these, we went to her parents in Bicol for their blessing. We returned to Manila and arranged for our marriage license and attended a marriage counseling and seminar at the Church in Tayuman. We talked to our friends who would stand as witnesses. We finalized with the minister our schedule and had the invitations printed.

It was very unfortunate that the company had to release me brought about the Asian economic crisis that affected many investments in the Philippines. It was a wrong timing for us but everything was set and there was no turning back.

The Day

I met two of my friends in Monumento early that morning who were arriving on a trip from Bicol. We went straight to Libertad to get the flowers, which we ordered a week before. I never knew there are flower shops in Laong-laan that are much nearer to our place. We went to the chapel to make flower arrangement along the aisles. With the help of our friends and relatives who arrived a day before from the province, Grace and I were able to put some decoration.

After lunch (or did I have lunch?), we went to the hotel where Grace prepared herself for the ceremony. The makeup was simple yet elegant. She was wearing a knee-high bridal dress with a long veil that she designed her own. While everything was being done for her, I sat on a chair and made her a bridal bouquet of 24 red roses. Red. That was our motif. It took her about three hours to complete everything including some pictorials.

At 4:30pm, we went to the Church for the ceremony.

The Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) wedding resembles any other wedding ceremonies except that there are no candles, veil, coins, cord and the elaborate traditions of the Catholics. The core of the wedding is the teaching of the duties and responsibilities of a husband and wife by a minister, the acceptance of these commandments, the exchange of vows and the wearing of marital bond. Ours was very simple yet an intimate ceremony witnessed by our family and friends.

This may be silly but you have to look at your name before you sign as it appeared on the marriage certificate; mine was misspelled when we got hold of our copy!

The wedding rites completed in about an hour and a half including the pictorials. The visitors moved their way to the reception. The bridal car, which we rented, was nowhere to find when we got out. We just found out it was stuck in a traffic jam on its way back because this driver sent the hairdresser home. Imagine! I became very impatient waiting over 30 minutes. It was getting too late that we decided to take a taxi to the reception! Unusual? Indeed!

The guests were settled into their seats when we arrived. The reception hall is enough for our friends and family and was perfectly arranged. There was enough romance and cheer that kept the spirits high while we enjoyed the dinner with our visitors.

There was a feeling of anxiety that visitors wouldn’t come and half of the seats would be empty, what a pity of us. I also thought of getting more visitors that we won’t be able to accommodate. I only found relief after all the visitors have gone...and a feeling of contentment that finally we own each other.

The night ended up with a bottle of champagne in our room.

Post

We got a full refund of the amount that we paid for the bridal car and we never thought of getting more from the company because of their failure to deliver the services required.

Remember, we took a taxi to the reception; we forgot to retrieve some of the gifts in the taxi's trunk. We were able to trace the taxi owner/operator. She said his driver parked two hours late that night but the driver denied he had them. We never insisted and left after a short talk.

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