It was a dream wedding at the garden of the 13th century Castello di Celsa up on a Tuscan hill in Italy. Paolo Dino and Janzen Entote exchanged vows underneath the sunlit sky, its golden light casting a warm glow on the flower bedecked hillside.
The petite and pretty Janzen, in her Vivienne Westwood finery of luxurious satin featuring a corset top and a trailing veil, walked down the castle’s terrace garden flanked by her parents, Jovel Entote and Annie Yu. Waiting at the altar set against the backdrop of rolling hills was her good-looking groom Paolo with his dapper dad Michael Dino and his gracious mom Kristine. In places of honor were the groom’s paternal grandfather Robert Dino and the bride’s maternal grandmother Maria Paz Yu along with the wedding entourage.
Italy-based Filipino priests Rev. Father Dennis Ruiz, OAD, and Rev. Fr. Renan Ilustrisimo, OAD, officiated the afternoon ceremony. In his homily, Fr. Dennis underscored the essentials of a successful marriage and pointed out that marriage should not be considered as the happy ending that most people believe it to be but rather the beautiful beginning of a new life together.
The wedding reception began with cocktails at the castle’s courtyard where impeccably dressed attendants served an impressive array of Italian cocktail favorites. At dusk, the festivities moved to the castle promenade overlooking a manicured garden framed by towering trees on one side, and a view of the charming city of Sienna on the other.
A long table adorned with white blooms and sparkling crystal candelabras aglow with flickering candlelight completed the enchanting feel of the moonlit setting. Love and romance, music and magic filled the air. Dinner was superb and the wine selection excellent!
After all was said and done, a mesmerizing fireworks display lit up the Tuscan skies! Magnifico!