MANILA, Philippines - Finally, after all the stumbling blocks, Krista Ranillo swapped “I do’s” with boyf riend Jefferson Nino Lim at a very private Jewish ceremony held at the Hotel Maya in Long Beach, California, at 5 p.m. last Sunday, Aug. 8.
The wedding, officiated by a rabbi, was said to be ceremonial because the couple were married several weeks earlier.
Present were Krista’s parents, Mat Ranillo III and Lynda Tupaz, and a few family friends that included actress Jessica Rodriguez, who acted as bridge between Krista and Nino, and her husband David Bunevacz.
“There was a small garden reception,” said The STAR source who was among the invited guests. “Then, the newlyweds boarded a yacht for an evening cruise.”
The couple planned to postpone the wedding to later this year after Funfare published a “scoop.” But they changed their minds at the last minute and went ahead with the wedding on the original date.
Could it be that the wedding was moved back to the original date because Krista is “expecting”?
The couple’s plan was to invite only around 20 people including the witnesses, but when the story came out they were “pressured” into including more names on the guest list. Krista was to have worn a simple, casual dress and the original venue was a small restaurant in Los Angeles. They didn’t want the affair to be turned into a media circus, that’s why.
In an exclusive interview with this writer last June during a chance encounter in L.A., Krista said that Nino was her childhood boyfriend and they got back together again when they met several years later. Nino is the CEO of the Island Pacific Supermarket in L.A. He has been linked to actress Antoinette Taus and a sports writer.
The sweethearts’ reconciliation came at a time when the rumor linking Krista to Manny Pacquiao was dying down.
“It’s over!” Krista told this writer when asked if she and Nino resumed their interrupted romance after she ended any previous relationship.
In an ambush interview last week when he was asked how he felt about Krista’s impending marriage, Pacquiao, now Sarangani congressman, said, “I wish them well,” adding that it should put an end to the rumor linking him to Krista. “At least wala nang masasabi ang mga tao na kami pa din, na may relasyon kaming dalawa. Pero at least, tapos na ‘yon. Hindi na sila magdududa,” adding, “Masaya ako para sa kanya. Hindi pa naman kami nag-uusap. Masaya ako kung saan siya masaya.”
Nino is said to be a good friend of Pacquiao’s.
The newlyweds are planning to have a bigger church wedding maybe before end of this year, with Krista finally wearing a beautiful wedding gown. It’s not sure yet where the wedding will be, whether in the US or in the Philippines.