YES, Chiara and Buen are getting married. No, it won’t be in Baguio. It will be almost four hours drive away, on a Friday.
And right now, there is a ton of things to be attended to that I surely would have missed had it not been for Jomai Arnaiz, one of Baguio’s premiere wedding coordinators, who sat down with Chiara and me, five hours straight, to go through the wedding details with us.
Five hours straight.
At the end of the talk, I was mighty impressed by the way she expertly discussed the minutest details. I was flabbergasted too, by the mounting considerations that could easily be overlooked.
Like meals for the crew. Didn’t think of that. They aren’t guests, but they must have food for energy. And seating arrangements. Didn’t think about that too. Or how awkward it would be for partners to be at different tables.
Jomai isn’t coordinating, she has another event at a different venue. But, Dominique Batenga, Chiara’s Maid of Honor, is closely related to Jomai. And Domz must have convinced her to see us, no strings attached, just to let us know what to expect.
Jomai did say, when I told her her who our wedding coordinator is, that we are in the “best hands.” I’ll be disclosing who at a later date.
Weddings these days belong to a totally different dimension from the one I had some 30 years ago.
Today, you have florists. And stylists. And fog machines. Food Tasting. Photobooths. Aerial videography. LED. Same day edits. Designers.
Ours is King George Bueno, young and hip, with his eye for color and knows exactly how to execute the designs we have in mind, to flatter our figures. He also speaks highly of our chosen wedding coordinator. Yes, I’ll tell you who in a future article.
The wedding coordinator is different from the wedding planner who’ll guide you through from Day 1, from conceptualization to completion. There is the halfway service, and on the day service.
Hmmm. In my day, my Mom was the wedding planner/coordinator/organizer: go-to person.
We had the reception at home. My mom purchased a big, big tent, prepared all the food, rented the chairs and tables, supervised the ceremony, and practically did everything. Except give me away.
The only thing I did to prepare for my wedding was watch the dressmaker complete my gown. She was imported from Manila and lived with us while she completed mine and the entourage’s outfits. They were peach tulle. Fluffy.
Videos were a new concept then. I was one of the lucky firsts to have it on my wedding. They caught my facial expressions while I sat in the car, waiting to be called. I looked quite worried, almost as if I did not expect my groom to show up.
But he did show up, and more than 30 years later, here I am, preparing for Chiara’s and Buen’s wedding. Only, there are 10 page checklists, and a whole lot of choices.
Lucky my future balaes Lt. General Christie Datu and Lourdes Datu are very kind and supportive. Chiara and Buen are blessed to have them.
Lucky too, there are wedding coordinators.