A royal court of love
It is always heartwarming to see a couple you’ve known for quite some time end up at the altar. All the giddy excitement of sharing with your friends and loved ones, showing off the “rock” and busily planning out all the details and then bam! The organ starts playing, the bridal march starts, the families’ heads turn, and at the end of the aisle, a beautiful bride awaits his groom.
Mike Huang, the scene’s all around “It” boy, had finally decided to tie the knot. After a vibrant run as one of the country’s Most Eligible, he had decided to take the plunge with educator and sportswoman Kathy Yap, herself a mainstay on the list.
That Saturday afternoon, a crowd gathered outside St. Alphonsus Mary De Liguori Church in Magallanes Village. Onlookers were busy craning their necks, trying to see what the action was all about. The church had closed its doors early on, which made the people outside more crazed with curiosity about the marriage of two prominent families within. It felt like a secret Hollywood wedding, with all the guards and staff guarding the areas surrounding the church.
Inside, the bridesmaids wore baby pink and the men wore black tuxedos. The principal sponsors were clad in fuchsia. Guests came in colorful hues as they celebrated with the two people in love. The aisle served as demarcation line between the couple’s kith and kin. During weddings like this one, unity triumphs over diversity in families. On one side sat the Huangs, Tantocos, and the Pinedas, of Rustan’s; on the other section, the Chams and the Yaps. Surrounding them were Mike and Kathy’s friends from all courts. Mike Huang, as we all know, is an accomplished badminton aficionado straight from the courts of the Manila Polo Club. Kathy Yap, on the other hand, is an all-star women’s basketball player. The other players in this wedding are all champions in the arenas of luxury, fashion, retail and business. Political powerhouses and presidentiables comprised the principal sponsor lineup.
Here comes the bride
After the entire entourage made their march, the music stopped,along with everyone’s breath. The doors swung open to reveal a scintillating scene. The bride was enveloped with an aura so bright, it complemented the sheer fabric that she was wrapped in. A luminescent apparition, she emerged with her father, Dr. Tyrone Yap, who escorted her down the aisle. From the corner of my eye, I witnessed how the mother of the bride, Naty Yap watched her daughter as she marched to the altar. The Inno Sotto wedding gown, with a train that resembled a gleaming stream that almost covered the stretch of red carpet had a hypnotic and calming effect. Kathy reminded me of Caroline Bessette-Kennedy on her wedding day. Here comes the bride...
I glanced at the groom, dapper in a made-to-measure Zegna tux with a white bowtie, and saw that a smile of oblivion stretched across his face. This is his wedding, and he’ll smile if he wants to. (Widely, if he wants to.) When the time came for Mike to lift his bride’s veil, I saw that glint in their eyes, a glimmer of familiarity in their destiny — these two are meant to be together.
The couple was blessed by celebrant Cardinal Jaime Vidal, with co-celebrants Fr. Carmelo Caluag and Fr. Benito Tuazon. The principal sponsors were Sen. Manny Villar, Judy Araneta-Roxas, Sen. Edgardo Angara, Irene Martel-Francisco, Lucio Tan, Lucia Gonzales-Tan, Gen. Edgardo Ermita, Diana Jean Lopez, Frederick and Evelyn Dy, Mayor Freddie and Kaye Tinga, Minister Umberto Colesanti and Babette Aquino-Benoit as represented by Tessie Aquino-Oreta, Tony and Grace Tan-Caktiong and Dr. Wayne Lee and Maritess Tantoco-Enriquez, as represented by Marilen Tantoco-Valbuena.
Mike's elder brother Anton Huang served as lector while his beautiful wife Nina marched down the aisle during Offertory.
Words Of Wisdom
As we moved to the reception venue, the ballroom ofthe Sofitel Philippine Plaza to celebrate the union of the two lovebirds, I recalled casual dinners after the couple had returned from their Mandarin language studies in Beijing. They met at a friend’s party and after months of courtship and group dates, officially became a couple on Sept 25 — almost four years ago. "I can't see myself with any other woman except Kathy," Mike would always tell me over dinner during our nights out. In fact, many times, Kathy and Mike complete each other's sentences.
Their time in Beijing was spent restaurant hopping and learning more about not just a foreign language, but about each other.
Kathy is one of the most low-maintenance women I know. I remember during the wedding of Raymond and Anna Palabyab-Rufino in Tagaytay, when it got cold and rainy, my cuz' just got a basketball jersey jeacket and wore it on top of her long gown. Attagirl!
In school, she always excelled in both academics and sports. She was one of those students in Ateneo who would raise their hands and recite all the time and would instantly be teacher's favorite. Now she lends her wisdom as theology teacher at Brent, and is the team manager of Team Taguig for national basketball competitions. Again, attagirl!
I looked at the couple as they enjoyed their time with friends from school and work. The two were obviously in their own world. Occasionally, the couple made the rounds to greet their guests. The rest of the guests were very close friends of the couple and their families. The masters of ceremonies, Dominic Uy and Carlo Tirona, traded private jokes about the couple, much to the crowd’s amusement. They started the ball rolling by announcing that Ateneo had just won over La Salle that night. Aside from the giant cake by Bizu that was taller than both of them, the two made a lovely pair — hosting. “We know who the better baller is between the two,” said Dominic. “Mike, you watched 42 hours of Gossip Girl?! What will Tita Nedy think?” exclaimed Carlo. The hosts weren't the only people who grilled the two. Mike's bestmen Raymond Rufino, Gerome Padilla and Chuck Palenzuela all took turns in giving unsolicited advice to Kathy about their man Mike. "Let him win sometimes. If he asks you if he gained weight, say `No, you look great!'" Among other words of wisdom.
That Nedy Tantoco Touch
Maid of honor and Kathy's sister Nicole "Nikki" Yap also led a toast for her sister and also celebrated the fact that she will have a larger closet space now that Kathy is married.
These two are actually inseparable, like two peas in a pod. And guys, she is single.
Rustan’s matriarch Nedy Tantoco was a picture of poise as she welcomed friends and relatives. Almost the entire reception was a surprise for the couple, as most everything was sprinkled with that Nedy touch — from the silver candelabras, the show plates, jusi embroidered with a “T” at the center, down to the mirrored tables and the diptyque candles on the presidential tables stemmed from her creative conception, a great showcase of the elegance and sophistication that Tita Nedy is known for. "We are such a stress-free couple," confessed Mike and Kathy to me a few months before the wedding. "My mom wanted to take care of everything--she told us just to sit back and enjoy the occasion," Mike said of his mother's surprise.
"It has been nine years and two grandchildren since Anton got married to Nina, I express my heartfelt thanks to everyone for your presence," said father of the groom Anthony Huang as he raised his glass. Classy bottle openers and butterfly earrings from Rustans served as gifts to the guests over dinner, specially prepared by Sofitel executive chef Christian Werdenberg.
After the speeches of the best men, maid of honor, and men of the house, and a serenade by Bo Cerrudo, Mike went on to surprise Kathy with a special video, a compilation of her photos, from Mike’s camera — photos taken during dates, inside the Forbidden City, with friends and family — after all, this is the essence of what weddings are all about. It ended with a message to his newly wedded wife: “I love you so much Hunny Bunny!” And then they danced the night away to the tune of Knocks Me Off My Feet by Stevie Wonder. May Bayot and the Acoustic Jive sang the night away while the guests danced with the newly.weds. "Hunny Bunny!" their friends teased the two about their sweet term of endearment.
Two people in love--sometimes it could be just be as simple as that.
