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Friday, December 22, 2017

A Chronicle......The Wedding Reception

The wedding reception of Emil and Sui-ling was held at Shangrila, Mactan. The couple planned the reception to be intimate and memorable. They invited about 140 guests only, no children except for Dylan, Yuri and Precious (Sui youngest sister from Vietnam). After the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom moved from Marco Polo Hotel to stay at Shangrila Resort Mactan, together with the groom's siblings and some friends. Since it was decided before hand that there would be no liquor served during the party because of some liquor issue, Emil and Sui instead opted to have an after wedding dinner drinks with siblings, cousins and close friends at the bar. My children and some of Emil's friends moved to stay from Marco Polo to Shangrila as well, to enjoy the after dinner drinks with the couple. They invited Lucas and me to stay overnight at the resort too, but no, we had to go back to Quest to be with our own out-of-town guests. Let the young ones enjoy themselves.

For for the reception, Sui-Ling  put on a big lavender colored flower on the left side of her hair. She was truly a beautiful radiant bride in sight. Diverting from the norm, the bride and groom instead of sitting down, did their own hosting. They were emcees of their own wedding reception. Emil and Sui performed one dance before dinner. During dinner, there were entertainments like pre-nuptial video, ballet, violin play and vocals from friends who volunteered for the wedded couple. That evening, Mr. John Sarmiento took to the floor and danced with her daughter. And to cap the evening's affair, very uniquely, (My first time to witness) the night's program culminated by a delightfully lively line-dance; done by the bride herself, her bride's maids and friends. (I was secretly told to join the line dance but alas, I couldn't because of a sprained ankle.) For me, it was totally a unique, beautiful and memorable wedding party.

 At the reception hall.
 The bride and groom
 Emil and Sui hosting their own wedding reception.
 The couple dancing.
 Mr. John Sarmiento dancing with her daughter.
 Heddy, Lucas, Nelly and Abra at the reception.
 The wedding menu
 The menu
 Pictures courtesy of Luz Co. This salad was simply divine.
 One of the main dishes, rack of lamb.
 Second main course, chicken dish with mushroom sauce.
 Cousins of the groom enjoying their after dinner drinks.
After dinner group and friends. Champagnes courtesy of Raffy and Desa See.


Tuesday, December 19, 2017

A Chronicle....Wedding of Emil and Suiling

November 19, 2917 - Wedding of Emil Gabriel and Sui-Ling Matthanya

A. By the morning of November 19, the guests had mostly arrived Cebu. We helped our visitors get billeted in their preferred hotels through wedding package and/or special group discount. The following were the hotels where everybody stayed:
1. Marco Polo Hotel - patronage hotel of the bride and her family, the groom and his siblings and the wedding entourage.
2. Quest Hotel - This is a business hotel, the location which was more convenient for the Tans and the Ledesmas, and our friends from Cotabato. The brides' mother Violet Tan also stayed there, and Hymna (Suiling's friend from United States) and her American boyfriend.
3. Shangrila Mactan Hotel - The wedding reception was to be held at Shangrila Mactan, hence forth my cousins and their spouses (wedding sponsors), niece Dessa and her husband Raffy, and Alberto and Mildred Lim and family opted for Shangrila.

B. Schedules of Activities at Quest Hotel:
1. 6 to 10 AM - breakfast at hotel.
2. 10 AM to 1 PM - hair and make-up inside the room of Violet Tan. Rest and free time for others.
3. 2 PM to 3 PM - departure of assigned vans and their occupants to Sacred Heart Church.
4. 3:30 PM - Wedding mass begins.
5. 4:30 to 5 PM - end of wedding ceremony, picture taking.
6. 5 to 5:30 PM - departure of vans and respective guests from the church to the wedding reception at Shangrila Mactan, Cebu.

Sacred Heart Church was a beautiful church. It was well lighted and air conditioned. White Chrysanthemum flowers and orchids adorned the aisles to the altar. Lucas and I purposely arrived early to see that everything was in order. The offertory gifts were placed near the center pews. They were all wrapped in lavender colored cloths. The groom came in. He was busy and happy as ever. Violet Tan, the mother of the bride talked to me intimately inside the church, but soon everybody else began to arrive. I became busy greeting and talking to the arriving guests. Then we were instructed to queue in line for the cue of  bridal march to begin. The organ played and I could not even remember the exact wedding tune.......

I knew I would be emotional. As a mother, I was happy that at long last Emil was getting married at the age of 38. Sui was good for him, but how I wished she were a healthier girl. I had only the best of the best wishes for them both. Emil was so happy! As a mother, I knew my hold for this boy ends today. I would be completely turning him over. I prayed for everything to be right for him. There was a pang in my heart. My tears began to swell from the start of the wedding march. It was hard to fathom for I also cried when Tom got married. This was like graduation. I raised a child and now I am formally turning over my accomplishment. Hard to let go, I guess. Maybe it was just the mother in me. I was actually very happy and eager for the ceremony to begin and the mass to be done. Everything went accordingly well. The choir was beautiful. The presiding priest Father Isagani Ejido was a personal friend of Emil, his classmate and roommate during their masteral stint in AIM. The rite was solemn and meaningful. It had a feeling of family and personal touch. I felt the calming presence and love of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for your kind and gracious blessings!

Below are random pictures of the wedding......
 
 Mother of the groom at the hotel lobby.
 Parents of the groom and mother of the bride, ready to depart for the church.
 Emil and his parents waiting for the guests and bride to arrive.
 Bestman Frederick Rara and Tom, brother of the groom.
Dixon, Emil and Bernard
 The bride's maids in lavender all excited.
 Ninang Adele arriving.
 Uncle Wilson and ninang auntie Diane
 Businessmen: Ninong Edgar Lao, Frank Ching and uncle Lucio Tan
 Heddy, Nelly, Adele, Marion and Martha
 Parents of the groom marching down the aisles.
 Abraham Co and Michele Abalos
 Edgar Lao and Adele Siy
 Sam Baker and Diane Ledesma
Dylan and Marion

Father of the bride John Sarmiento walking her daughter, the radiant bride Sui-Ling to the altar.
 Offertory by Mr. and Mrs. Lucas Tan and family.
The wedding ceremony is done. Signing of the marriage contract.
 Picture taking after the rites. The newly weds and the parents of the groom.
   Newly weds and the relatives of the groom.
 Friends and relatives from Cotabato and Cebu.


Saturday, December 16, 2017

The Chronicle...November 18, 2017

The morning of November 18, 2017 - Lucas and I, Roy and Martha were to meet with Emil and Sui and the wedding coordinator at Abaca Restaurant near Ayala Mall for breakfast. Since the place was kind of classy,  I opted to wear my more presentable semi stiletto Naturalizer shoes. Ayala was walking distance from Tom's place, so we took to go on foot. But where exactly was Abaca Restaurant? Roy and Martha took different paths to find it. Lucas was walking slowly and I was my usual self, always in a hurry. As I was walking down a building stairway, in my hurriedness, I failed to see one step down the way, so I stumbled. My semi stiletto heels did not support my heaviness, so I twisted my ankle first and fell. It was a heavy fall, my buttock was hurting but it was superficial. My ankle was sprained but I got up and continued walking. I thought I would be fine but Roy told me to recheck after an hour or so, since he said my Adrenalin rush after the fall must still be working. It actually took about two to three hours before I felt the pain and my right foot started to swell. I could still walk but with a limp. Thankfully I had packed some pain relievers in my medicine bag. After the breakfast meeting with Emil's wedding coordinator and lunch at Tom's place, Lucas and I transferred to Quest Hotel and the children to Marco Polo Hotel. Upon reaching my room, I took a light dose of Arcoxia and rested.

In the afternoon of November 18, 2017, the museum tour was scheduled at 3PM. The meeting place was at Quest Hotel lobby. Roy and Martha came along to help Lucas and me host the affair. The lobby at Quest Hotel was a cheerful meeting place. My guests for the tour began trekking in at different time after three PM.  I purposely divided the big group into three sub groups: 1. The Ledesma  2. The Tan/LCT group and 3. Lucas and heddy and guests. There were likewise three vans to shuttle the properly assigned groups. Each van was respectively labeled 1, 2 or 3 with their numbers posted on the windshield to be identified. My daughter Martha was very efficient. She got all the names and cellphone numbers of the van drivers, as well as their van plate numbers for further identifications and instructions. I actually had a paper copy list but I was kind of slow with my mobile and thankfully Martha took over. So Roy and Martha came with us for the tour, while Marion went to fetch her boyfriend Marion Olmillo who was arriving from Manila. Tom and Angel and Luz decided to stay home to clean up and send our used clothes to the laundry mat. Emil and Sue on the other hand were at their abode, waiting for us to visit them after the museum tour. Some guests were disappointingly unable to join due to delayed flights from both Manila and Cotabato such as Marion Olmillo, Ben and Adele Siy, Lucio and Conchita Tan, Ledian Ting and Ivy Tan. My cousin Nelly and her husband Abraham Co however decided at the last minute to join, but separately in their own company bank car. Abraham Co was by the way the president of Asia United Bank and he came in, just in time after his bank meeting.

Meeting my kins at the hotel lobby.

We departed in 3 vans. In Van 1 were Imelda, Jeanette and her grand daughter Kay, Jun and Jean, Helen and her son Bernard, Wilson and Diane, Ollie and Solan. Inside Van 2 were Tina, Apollo and Liezle, Dominic and Carol, their son Calyx and his yaya; Joan and James and their 3 kids, and Jocelyn and Jackie. Van 3 were seated Roy and Martha, Lucas and I. In a separate car were Nelly and Abraham Co.

We got to our museum at around 4 PM. Jesuit House was a museum inside an existing, working hardware bodega. I visited and blogged about it some two years ago. It was the most unique museum I have ever visited, hence I specially chose to tour my visitors there. I was sure they would find this place very interesting. I meant for this tour to be cultural and educational to all concern. So I divided ourselves into two groups with one guide per group. Apparently the tour guide of my kinsmen was better. I could see them getting engrossed except for Imelda and Jeannette who wandered around and about and getting lost. Hahaha. The LCT group though, I reckoned, coming from the same hardware business, related well to the old rusty and musty surroundings. Hahaha. I wonder which of the group enjoyed more?
At the end of our tour, we were brought to the museum library, where we were met by the owner of the museum and hardware himself, Mr. Jimmy See. It was was really very nice and gregarious of him to meet us. Thank you Mr. See.

 At the Museum office waiting for my guests to arrive. You could clearly see me in slippers with my right foot swollen. I was very excitable though and animated. The adrenalin rush maybe. Hahaha.
 First batch of tourists, my kinsmen. Hahaha.
 Martha horsing around. Hehehe.
 The second batch of tourists, the Tan's family.
 Inside the hardware warehouse is the entrance to the museum.
 My relatives were all ears!
 Photo opportunity for the Tans. Hahaha.
 Walking the museum: the walls made of sea corals, the posts from original molave trunks, the wooden floor planks, old furniture pieces and the Ano 1703 sign on top of the door passage.
 Martha horsing around, hehehe.
 Mr. Jimmy See the owner meeting us at the museum library.
Photo opportunity with Mr. Jimmy See, Abraham Co and Nelly Co.

To be continued. The day's account is not yet over. Hehehe.

Continuing.........
After the museum tour, Nelly and Abraham and my sisters Imelda and Jeannette left the group to go to Shangrila Hotel to fetch Adele my cousin and her husband Ben Siy, whose flight from Manila was delayed. The remaining groups, upon my suggestion were to visit Emil and Suiling's new bridal room inside the Sarmiento's old Mansion. My purpose was to bring a kind of house warming to the couple. Kind of giving them our best wishes and warm blessings with our presence. Emil and Sue prepared refreshment for us. Lucas, an old male dragon (Chinese zodiac sign) rolled over the bridal bed for good luck and prosperity. Everybody was amazed at how big the area was. I was not able to take a picture of the interior though. We were however able to have a photo opportunity at the Sarmiento's sala.

Emil and Sue at the center with relatives from the Tan and the Ledesma.

After the visit to the Sarmiento's house, we all proceeded to Uno Restaurant, Marco Polo Hotel for a pre-nuptial dinner. That night, Lucas and I were treating the family of Suiling who came from Singapore and Vietnam, as well as our families and guests from Cotabato and Manila to a buffet dinner. The Tan and the Sarmiento families were actually meeting each other for the first time that evening. The pre-nuptial dinner was very lively.  I was busy greeting and talking to my guests. But because Lucas and I were busy that night, we were not able to take any pictures from our cameras. Thankfully my sister-in-law Conchita took some. Although not everybody was included in her lenses, yet at least there were some photos to remember by.

I had more than 70 guests. They felt free to choose their seats. Everybody just mingled happily. When everybody else were comfortably seated and eating, I took my seat in front of Helen and had my fill of the evening buffet. Even with my sprained ankle and walking with a limp, I was quite happy that the day's event and the evening affair was a success.

 From right to left: Conchita, Roy, Geje and her daughter Genna.
 Lucio, Edgar and Lucas
Left to right: Conchita, Jeannette, Nelly, Imelda and Tina
Jun, Ben, Adele, Conchita, Abraham, Nelly, Tina, Jeannette and Helen.
The Tan family members on this side of the table.