Today's Dose of Cheese

You can be assured that your husband loves you when you tell him about your new email address and he reacts like this…

Real men are not afraid to express their kilig :D

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! May you all find real love — ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can’t-live-without-each-other love (channeling Carrie Bradshaw, haha).

Celebrity Wedding: Drew and Iya

Okay, everyone’s gushing over Drew and Iya’s engagement and wedding video by Jason Magbanua, and I myself can’t help but gush over it too! How can I not, when there are just so many things to love about this wedding! Both of them are famous celebrities, but on their wedding day, they’re simply a man and a woman so madly in love with each other. Haaaay, love is such a beautiful thing :)

Iya Villania and Drew Arellano's Wedding from Jason Magbanua on Vimeo.

I adore how absolutely heartwarming their vows are, especially when Drew said: “In this journey, I will hold your hand. I will always be there. So don’t be afraid to follow your dreams, and all the sacrifices I will bear.” I teared up at this point because WOW, WHAT SELFLESS LOVE. Also because it reminded me of what my husband told me when he proposed to me — he assured me that our marriage (and consequently building our own family) will never be a hindrance for me to pursue my dreams for myself, and promised that he will be my ultimate supporter and encourager. Now, how can anybody say no to a proposal like that? :D

Back to Drew and Iya. I find it very charming how they’re not afraid of looking funny and making silly faces, to the point that Iya comically hit Drew on the head. That was funny and super cute! Hahaha. I love that they’re as real as they can get. I don’t think a lot of brides would want to be captured makeup-less on their wedding video, but she did, and she still looked very radiant! I also loved how Iya ended her vows with “It’s ridiculous, honey. I love you so much.” Two simple, seemingly ordinary sentences that actually spoke so much more than it ought to.

It’s amazing how Drew and Iya made it through nine years, considering that it’s a rare feat in the world of showbiz. I read somewhere that they actually remained pure and chaste in those nine years — now that’s even more amazing (if it were true). Seriously, can they get any more perfect?

Jason Magbanua did such a magnificent job in weaving Drew and Iya’s stories of life, love, joy and triumph in the form of a 5-minute same day edit video. He was able to capture the precious, candid little moments so powerfully. The way he pieced everything together was perfect. What an exceptional talent this guy has.

More than the picturesque cliff and the perfect sunset as background, the stunning gown, the impeccable set up, and all the other pretty little details — it’s the genuine love radiating through the smiles and laughter of Drew and Iya that struck me the most. This couple made me appreciate the beauty of simplicity even more. Theirs is the kind of love that inspires me to love even more passionately.

P.S. Can I just say — I hope Nikki Gil would find her true love soon. Hahaha, lakas maka-showbizzz :p

BEST DAY EVER

It’s been two and a half months since Erick and I got married, and it still gives me unspeakable joy every time memories of that beautiful day pop up in my head, or whenever it is brought up in random conversations with friends. Sometimes it still feels surreal – I can’t believe THE day we’ve been waiting for so long already happened. It felt like dream. Please allow me to recount my favorite moments of that day — memories that I will definitely carry in my heart forever, those that I will look back to whenever I need something to make me smile, those that I will praise and thank the Lord for every single day of my life.

1.) Seeing my Mom and Dad waiting for me in the middle of the aisle as I was about to enter the church; my Dad trying to hold back his tears with all his might as they walked me to the altar.

Ever since we announced our engagement, my relatives have been joking “babaha ng luha sa simbahan”, because everyone in the family knows how emotional my Dad can be. A few days before the wedding, he gave me a really tight hug and said that he’s still ‘in denial’ that his panganay is getting married. Awwww *tear here*

Notice the pursed lips? Apparently, that was my Dad’s technique to keep his tears at bay. Hehehe. Ang hirap pala magpigil ng iyak! I love my Dad!

2.) Speeches of our fathers (this was the part where Erick and I were welcomed to each other’s families)

Some of our suppliers texted me after our wedding na naiyak sila sa part na ‘to. I will never forget when Daddy Benjie (Erick’s Dad) told everyone that I am the greatest gift given to their family. In my mind, I was thinking: “Wow, ‘greatest’. Big word. Am I worthy?” Nevertheless, it was overwhelmingly touching to receive such kind of affection from my father-in-law. I totally didn’t expect that, so it was such a sweet surprise. More than anything, I am very thankful to have been blessed with parents-in-law who love me like their own.

This was the part where Daddy Benjie said that his wish is for Erick and I to build our very own basketball team. Kaya ganyan ang mga itsura namin sa picture! Hahaha. My Dad’s advice to us was to never get tired of saying ‘I love you’ to each other even if everyone else says ‘Actions speak louder than words’. I agree with you, Dad. I totally agree.

3.) Tears of joy from people closest to our hearts caught on camera

These are just some of them, madami pang hindi naisama dito. Hehehe :D

I was super touched by our bunso (the red-eyed guy in the pic, haha), who apparently cried a lot during the ceremony. He’s usually cool and patawa, and I think this is the first time I’ve seen him cry like THAT. What a heartwarming sight of our bunso getting a little bit too emotional on his ate’s wedding day :)

4.) Papa’s moment with Erick

During the family pictorial at the church, my 94-year-old grandfather was holding on to Erick’s arm and didn’t want to leave the pictorial area even after their turn. He wanted to chat with Erick; he asked him who among the guests are his relatives “so I can tell them that I like you.” (These were Papa’s exact words) It was a really sweet and touching moment. My aunt and grandmother had to literally pry Papa’s hands from Erick’s arm so he can go back to his seat and we can continue with the pictorial.

I love this photo of me and Erick with Papa and Mama. Ang cute ng smile ni Papa! And Mama is very beautiful, as always. A lot of our guests were surprised to know that Papa is 94 and Mama is 87 years old because they look strong and healthy despite their old age. Speaking of Papa — one of the clearest visions I had as I walked down the aisle was of him cheering me on, clapping very excitedly for me :)

5.) The long, tight hug after Father Beleno said “You may now kiss the bride”

…and my husband crying while hugging me. Aaawwwww :) Overjoyed that we’re officially husband and wife. By the way, thank you Ninang Debbie for capturing this moment! I LOVE IT! I will definitely show this to our kids someday.

6.) My walk down the aisle

Nothing quite says “THIS IS IT” as strongly as the last few seconds before the church door opens for the bride. That moment when all eyes were on me as I take the first couple of imperative steps towards the altar, knowing that there’s no more turning back (just for the record, I did NOT think of running away, haha).

Talking to myself (in my head) to wash away the nerves:

“So this is how it feels. I waited my whole life for this moment. I can’t believe it’s finally happening.”

“I think I should walk a bit slower, but I already started with my normal pace. Whatever. Let’s do this.”

“No no no no, I cannot cry. I don’t look pretty when I cry. I don’t want awkward shots of myself on my wedding day.” (when I heard my bridal march song being played so beautifully by our wedding band)

“The aisle is fairly short, but why does this feel like the longest walk ever?”

“Must make it to the altar without tripping on my gown.”

“Must make it to the altar without breaking down. I. CAN. DO. THIS.”

“Oh there he is, my handsome groom. Aww, he’s crying! I. Must. Not. Break. Down.”

These thoughts in my head kept me from turning into a weepy mess before the ceremony started (sayang naman din kasi ang make up diba? Haha). I was actually smiling the whole time! Even I surprised myself, because I was so sure na maiiyak talaga ako. Our super efficient wedding coordinator Ms. Kredin asked me pa kung nagpractice ba daw ako ngumiti. And our other wedding suppliers were telling me that I was such a BUNGISNGIS BRIDE. Hahaha, ang kulet lang! Looking at the pics, ang dami ko ngang bungisngis moments! The best thing about walking down that aisle was it felt like coming home. :)

7. Watching our SDE

I have probably watched a hundred wedding SDEs of people who I don’t even know. I guess it has been my ‘thing’ way back when I was still single. I would watch videos filmed and edited by Bob Nicolas, Jason Magbanua, and Mayad Studios. Each time I’d be amazed at how brilliant they are in capturing moments of utmost love and joy in its purest form. And at the end of each video I’d think to myself: Wow, true love does exist. It made me feel hopeful that someday, in God’s most perfect time, I’d find MY true love too.

I can’t tell you how utterly surreal it felt to be sitting next to my husband, hand in hand while watching OUR VERY OWN wedding SDE. Akalain mo yun, after all those years of swooning and gushing over other people’s SDEs, I finally have my own? And an absolutely beautiful one at that! Thanks to our insanely talented and creative videographers, Zoombox Wedding Videos! Ang daming napaiyak ng video na yun, lol. Nung first month pa lang namin, everyday namin pinapanood yung SDE, ngayon every other day na lang, hahaha. Thank you Zoombox for our amaaazing SDE. Thank you for making it longer than the usual 3-4 minute video, that you had to use 2 songs for it! :)

8. Exchange of vows

Let these actual excerpts from my husband’s vows speak for themselves…

…sabi ko, “Lord sana ipakilala mo na sa akin yung taong mamahalin ko habambuhay.” Pagkatapos ng dasal na ‘yon, ang daming nangyari sa buhay ko na hindi ko naintindihan. At lagi akong napapaisip kung naririnig ba Niya ang mga dasal ko. Lahat ng iyon ay unti unting nagkaroon ng sagot nung nakilala kita. Lahat ng bagay nagbago sa buhay ko. Naayos ako dahil sayo. Ikaw ang naglapit sa akin sa Diyos. At dahil doon, na-realize ko na mula sa umpisa pa lang, sinagot na pala ni Lord ‘yung dasal ko sa Kanya.

Gela, hindi ako mangangako na lagi kang magiging masaya, na lagi kang pro-protektahan at aalagaan, hindi ko kailangan mangako dahil lahat ng ito ay kusa kong gagawin, araw araw. Ako ang magiging best backscratcher mo, best shopping buddy. Kahit pa walong oras ka magsukat ng mga sapatos, kayang-kaya kitang hintayin.

Ako yung magiging kasangga mo, bestfriend, barkada, partner, lover na hinding-hindi ka iiwan kahit kailan sa kahit anong oras. Ikaw yung totoong God’s greatest gift. Mahal na mahal kita.

I can’t quite explain my exact feelings while hearing these words being sworn to me by the man I love the most — in the presence of God, our officiating priest, our godparents, and the people who mean a lot to us. Ang alam ko lang, parang nag-uumapaw yung puso ko sa sobrang pagmamahal at pasasalamat. My family and friends were joking na mukha daw akong teenager na kinikilig habang nagv-vows si Erick. It was a major ‘bungisngis bride’ moment captured on our SDE! Hahaha. On a more serious note, though — for Erick to say in front of everyone that I ‘fixed’ him — I couldn’t help but feel incredibly thankful for being blessed with a husband who never fails to make me feel appreciated and special, privately and publicly at every chance he gets.

I LOVE THESE SHOTS! At ang bungisngis ko pa rin kahit naiiyak na! Hahaha. Thanks to my good friend Ricke for capturing this memory that I want to bottle up for the rest of my life. There’s really nothing like it. BEST FEELING EVER.

Our Ninong Rudy wrote this sweet comment on Facebook:

I feel very thankful whenever one of our friends tells us that our love story inspires them. It reminds me that it’s a privilege to have the kind of love that blesses and inspires others. This is God’s work, and all praise and thanksgiving goes to Him.

The wedding planning journey is another story on its own. It has been such a humbling experience from the get-go. Erick and I are blessed to have worked with wedding suppliers who are not only dedicated and passionate in their craft, but are also genuinely nice and caring people. We are blessed to have been recipients of goodness and generosity of our family and friends. I praise and thank the Lord for all of them.

I’m so glad to have written this long overdue post as I was able to relive the beautiful memories of our wedding day. I know ‘beautiful’ has been an overused word in this post, but I can’t really think of a better word. I can’t contain my joy and gratitude to the Lord for blessing me and my husband with a wedding that turned out much more than what we prayed for. Like what my Dad said, what made our wedding a beautiful and meaningful occasion is the LOVE of the people who celebrated with us, which was truly evident all throughout the occasion. There was overflowing love not only from our guests, but from our suppliers as well.

May we never forget the feeling of that day as it will always bring us back to the core of our love for each other. I wouldn’t say that ours was a fairy tale wedding, but I’m pretty sure that what we had is a million times better because it was REAL and HEARTFELT. Truly, God blesses us with much more than we could ever deserve. The first day of the rest of our lives was perfect in so many ways, and for that, I am eternally grateful.