We soon discovered everyone was headed for Tacloban, the capital city of Leyte. We were not winners of an incentive promotion or an encounter group headed for a retreat. We were all on our way to attend, to participate, to celebrate the union of two so-very-much-in-love people, the couple Irvie Tan and Tess Mutia. The night of our arrival, the bride’s parents, Boone and Tessie Mutia, longtime residents of our final destination, tendered a get-to-know-you dinner for members of both clans with their friends.
The following day, the groom’s former college professor, the Rev. Fr. Anthony Pabayo of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, officiated the nuptial mass at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish.
With parents Danny and Mayen Tan standing proudly by his side, Irvie, dapper in an excellently tailored three-piece gray suit, serenaded his soon-to-be partner-for-life as she walked down the aisle.
Radiant Tess, an outgoing lady who is a lover of the great outdoors, was the epitome of femininity in a haltered bridal gown. With the assistance by Cebu’s top artist Oscar Peralta, the bride had a special glow that even the groom, who tried to visualize her all week, said surpassed all his expected dreams.
The young artistically-inclined duo meticulously planned to the very last detail the entire wedding ceremony and the festivities that followed after – from conceptualizing the fabulous decorations at the church, which was filled with a profusion of yellow dancing ladies interspaced with Japanese white lanterns, the entire entourage who donned Oriental-inspired creations to the unique series of happenings during the reception.
During the sit-down dinner at the Kanhuraw Convention Hall, the newlyweds, breaking from tradition, immediately cut the three-tiered fondant cake and toasted to life, love and happiness. After returning from their weeklong honeymoon in a choice island paradise, it was the turn of the groom’s parents to introduce the newlyweds to more friends, relatives and associates, who had missed a truly unforgettable memories-filled wedding in Tacloban, at the grand ballroom of the Cebu Marriott Hotel.