MANILA, Philippines - There was a hushed silence the minute Belle Daza entered the room. The church in Luscignano, a small town in Arezzo, Tuscany, was at full capacity with guests — about 200 of them from all over the world who came to celebrate the union of Isabelle and her now husband Adrien Semblat.
When the rain is blowing in your face,
And the whole world is on your case,
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love.
The voice of a man singing Adele’s song accompanied Belle as she walked down the aisle in her pristine-white Vera Wang gown with a bow at the waist, to a march that had its own beat, like the bride was singing to herself as she smiled like she’d never smiled before, eyes beaming with a joy that was infectious.
Even Sen. Bongbong Marcos, who stood in for Belle’s late father Bong Daza, wasn’t spared. “You’re bringing tears to my eyes,” he said as he joined Belle midway and they walked towards the altar.
Belle, coming from a family renowned for producing beauties, was extra beautiful that day. Being in show business, she knows how to put it on and look radiant. But today, she was beyond radiant. Way beyond “she woke up like this” fresh and ready to face her big day. Her groom Adrien was the first to arrive in church, waiting for his bride. He ended up waiting quite a bit. “Filipino time,” he shrugged with a smile, knowing full well the happy situation he was waiting for. “I am overwhelmed. But I can’t wait,” Adrien told me right before the guests arrived at the church to celebrate the sacrament of matrimony with the couple.
People close to Belle and Adrien know that the months leading up to the wedding weren’t easy for the two. “It felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders after my dad passed. Everyone kept telling me to keep faith but it was so hard. Then I thought to myself, ‘I know that God still loves me. Because he gave me you,’” Belle tearfully recounted in her vows to Adrien at the church.
“After seven and a half years of traveling and discovering new places together, fighting and making up, a lot of tears and laughter… we finally made it here,” Belle told her soon-to-be husband before she shared her vows to him in front of us to become his lawfully wedded wife.
“I promise to limit my snaps when we’re in bed about to sleep. I promise to learn how to make your mom’s tiramisu. I promise to choose good restaurants when we go on trips together. I promise to stick to the budget. And I promise I won’t buy things I don’t need just because they’re on sale.” These, among others, Belle promised to Adrien.
Adrien had spoken before her, telling her: “In my eyes, your heart is the most beautiful part of you. You have the power to spread love around you. I feel it every day in every little moment of attention you consistently give me and I want to feel it forever!” Adrien knew quite early that Belle would be “The One.” “The first time I saw you my heart whispered, ‘She is the one,’” Adrien admitted during his wedding vows. Even their vows read like they were meant for each other: “Before you even asked me to marry you. I was already yours,” Belle declared to Adrien.
“They’re perfect for each other because Adrien’s favorite word is ‘budget.’ And Belle’s favorite word is ‘YOLO,’” said mother of the bride and 1969 Miss Universe Gloria Diaz, who was her usual no-nonsense self, making the guests who know them well scream in laughter at the “Oh no, she didn’t say that” brutal honesty that Gloria Diaz is known for.
“When Adrien asked me (for consent) to marry Isabelle, I said ‘I’m not ready. No, I am not ready for this,’” Gloria recalled. Ava Daza, Belle’s younger sister, had to remind her, “Mom, Adrien wants to marry Belle, not you!” This sent the guests into gales of laughter.
“Tita Gloria, remember when Belle would ask your permission to sleep over at my place? We have a confession. She wasn’t with me. She was with Adrien,” Anne told the wedding party in her speech over cocktails overlooking a most splendid view of Tuscany at Castello Gargonza, a 13th century castle that was the home of #BelleAdrien2016.
“Anne, I know that. I’ve always known that Belle wasn’t going to your place when she’d say she would. Of course she was with Adrien,” answered Gloria when it was her turn at the microphone during dinner.
The night before the wedding, there was a welcome dinner held at the lemon courtyard of the castle, with Belle and Adrien welcoming guests in Tuscany-colored ensembles. Belle was in a printed Dolce and Gabbana with a matching crown she got from LCP. Adrien was in a mustard yellow suit as they greeted the guests, most of whom were staying with them at the castello.
It was a blessing that everyone was just a villa away because on the wedding day itself, boxes that were stuck in the customs office in Rome arrived. In it were banners for the wedding, souvenirs and other giveaways that Belle had painstakingly prepared. Maid-of-honor Georgina Wilson then led the troops and gave everyone assignments.
I saw Mond Gutierrez and Nix Alanon help set up the reception. Diaz cousins Jess Wilson, Martine Cajucom and Ava were putting giveaways for the guests into bags, Girl Scout-style. The Diaz Titas were, of course, in full force, overseeing that the kids were doing it right.
DJs Mikhail Schemm and Eduardo Taylor alternated on the decks for the night of the welcome dinner and DJ Joey Osmena brought the house down on the wedding night. Nico Bolzico also gave an interesting and fun-filled speech, complete with a presentation on how Adrien was before and how he is now, with Belle in his life. Nico also led a flash mob, choreographed by Georcelle Dapat-Sy of G Force, that had everyone dancing till the wee hours.
Wee hours might be an understatement. It was one of the most fun weddings I’ve ever attended, even if I went home earlier than usual. I could hear everyone passing through my villa and, just judging from that, it was safe to say everyone had a great time.
Before sunrise the next day, I could still hear Belle and Adrien’s voices in my head: “The best love awakens the soul. Makes us reach for more. They say the best kind of love plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. That’s what you give me. And that’s what I hope to give you, my love.”
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More weddings and behind-the-scenes surprises: @officialtimyap on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. Photos by TIM YAP