Daisy's princess

When the groom proposed, he put the ring inside his beloved’s buko drink. And during the wedding, which unfolded in idyllic Bohol, the cake wasn’t a multi-tiered chiffon confection. It was a tower of native kakanins.

“My daughter’s wedding showcased the Philippines. It was important to my patriotic daughter to show the beauty of the Philippines and the warm hospitality of Filipinos,” proudly says Daisy Payumo, wife of Bases Conversion and Development Authority chairman Tong Payumo.

Aileen Payumo married her longtime boyfriend Ryan Whisnant, her MBA classmate at the University of Michigan, at the Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Dauis, Panglao, Bohol. A Filipiniana reception followed at the Amorita Resort, where guests were greeted with a buko drink splashed with Tanduay rum.  The wedding banquet included mouthwatering fish sinanglay in coconut-talangka sauce and delectable desserts sprinkled with latik and coconut flakes.  Even the floral centerpieces were encased in a buko shell. 

Organizing the wedding was a happy challenge  and very 21st century. The Payumos live in Makati, the Whisnants in Minnesota, and the guests, spread out all over the world.  Aileen and Ryan were determined to have the venue of the wedding in Bohol, where he proposed over a buko drink.

Planning was coursed through Magic Jack, Skype, Facebook, Amazon and Google. The couple decided not to print out invitations the traditional way. Instead, they created a unique and inviting website that featured their love story, the details of the wedding weekend, the many attractions of Bohol and travel information to the Philippines. Eighty people, all based outside the Philippines, made plans to attend the Bohol wedding.

“It was all so romantic, but the task was daunting to say the least. I was exhausted even before we started the preparations, but my daughter has always gotten her way,” recalls the lovely mother of the bride. 

To assist in the wedding planning, Aileen chose a Filipina wedding coordinator based in Texas, who gave instructions to her staff based in Tagbilaran.   

For the wedding motif, Aileen chose organic modern Filipiniana. Veluz created the beautiful bridal gown featuring her famous beaded lace on top of a bouffant piña silk/gazar skirt. The lovely bridesmaids wore flowing dresses in yellow and light green to mimic the buko colors. 

The largely international entourage wore Filipiniana attire. Bluegrass Events used only local flora, capiz shells and other native materials to provide a picture-perfect landscape for the event. Even the cake was made up of local kakanins arranged in a towering centerpiece amidst buffet tables laden with native dishes. The night before at the Bohol Bee Farm, a dance troupe performed local folkdances including the tinikling, which the guests willingly took part in.

Finally, it was important to the couple to have their friends and family play an active role in the wedding. Mutual friend Vilasinee Bunnag designed the bilingual table numbers and place cards. Sara Lesin taught them how to dance the salsa, their first dance. Sisters Lexi and Ani Payumo hosted the event and gave a moving speech. Groomsman Aaron James performed his rendition of Tupac’s California Love, which he renamed Bohol Love. College friends Alex Escamilla and Lin-Manuel Miranda provided the catchy music, which kept guests dancing till the wee hours of the morning. Aileen’s San Antonio friends, Marie Puyat, Ian Monsod, Rico Ledesma, JJ Yulo and Eunice Tan, sang church songs from her youth. Sofia Genato and Jeff Zorabedian were the official photographers, capturing the weekend vividly and beautifully.  

It was a memorable wedding, with the bride singing her own acoustic rendition of Lady Gaga’s You and I to her groom. Not to be outdone, the father of the bride delivered a touching poem capped with a song. 

“Witnessing our guests experience a Philippine wedding for the first time, it became clear to us that Filipinos do weddings in a special way. The guests were awed by the bride’s dramatic entrance, her silhouette back-lit by the sun and the bridal car-lights. 

“All 130 guests from all over the world brought home with them wonderful memories of a lovely wedding set in beautiful Philippines,” smiles Daisy.

I’ll drink (buko juice) to that!

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