“When the door opened, everyone was looking at me and my whole world stopped…”
The couple: Ecelaine Vinas & Jovan Besa
Length of engagement: 7 months | Wedding date: 25th July 2016
Wedding location: Valle Verde 6 Clubhouse, Manila, Philippines
Photographer: Ram Marcelo Photography
We met…in college, back in 2008, we were doing the same major so were in the same class. We saw each other every day and quickly became good friends. A few months later he asked me on a date and we became ‘exclusive’ not long after.
Our proposal… on the 18th of December 2015, we went at brunch at the Above at Sofitel Downtown Dubai. Little did I know, Jovan had already contacted the staff there so they had prepared a special table with flowers on it. They served me a dessert and when I opened it, the ring was inside…and then he ask me to marry him.
Our wedding theme/colours… Our wedding theme was Midnight Frost, so we made sure everything was either Midnight Blue or Silver.
My favourite part of the wedding day… was definitely the bridal march! I dreamt of that moment since I was a child. As I was waiting outside the door, I suddenly became very nervous, then when the door opened, everyone was looking at me and my whole world stopped. I remember I could only hear the song and only see the love of my life standing at the altar waiting for me. The feeling was overwhelming, no words can actually describe it.
What our bridal party wore… Our best man and nine other groomsman wore black trousers and shirts with grey waistcoats. I had ten bridesmaids and two flower girls. My bridesmaids wore a midnight blue chiffon long gown with embroidered lace tops and silver belts. My flower girls also wore midnight blue dresses, but theirs had silver sequinned tops.
My hair and make up… was done by a professional wedding make-up artist called Eds Go. I chose her because of her fresh and blooming bridal make-up. She used airbrush technique which meant it lasted all day…despite the heat.
Our honeymoon… we spent our honeymoon in Malaysia and Singapore. We wanted to wander around the cities, see sights, explore cultures and their food rather than staying in a resort and lazing around. Our first stop was Malaysia, where we stayed for three days, then we took a six-hour bus journey to Singapore and stayed there for a further three nights. It was a brilliant trip.
We chose our photographer because… of his light, clean, fresh, style. He’s young and has a great perception of style – he’s more into capturing beautiful candid moments rather than asking for poses. With his images we felt you could see and feel real emotions, the truest smile and the warmest touch of how the bride and groom face the most important turning point of their lives.
We chose our venue because… it’s just very beautiful both inside and out. The landscape garden outside is very welcoming and the ceiling of the venue is really high – it’s stunning. The entire venue is glass, so you can still feel the garden even when you are inside.
Our menu… Our caterer was Michelin Cuisine & Fine Foods, the term ‘Michelin Star’ is a hallmark of fine dining quality and restaurants all over the world and the team certainly delivered for us. Our menu included, cheese croquettes, roasted pumpkin soup, slow roast beef with demi-glace and chimichurri sauce, buttermilk chicken steak, parmesan crusted fish with mango bell pepper salsa, vegetable gratin and linguini pesto cream.
My piece of advice for other brides… Have fun! Dance the night away and expect the day to go really fast! There is no perfect wedding, you have to let go of all the flaws and just enjoy the day. Also, I realised that wedding is not just the day itself, it starts from the planning. So enjoy the planning, don’t stress yourself about it, both of you will learn something from each other during the planning stage to your wedding day so enjoy the whole process.
Dubai Suppliers
Dress and Veil: Sincerity Bridal from Contessa Bridal Dubai | Suits: Splash | Wedding Rings: Malabar, Gold & Diamond Park
Manila Suppliers
Bride Detachable Train: Louver Couture | Bridal Robe: Louver Couture | Caterer: Michelin Cuisine and Fine Foods | Cake: Michelin Cuisine and Fine Foods | Florist & Event Stylist: Dangwa Florist | Wedding Coordinator: Imbitado Events | Photographer: Ram Marcelo Photography | Videographer: Vidlens Productions | Hair and Make Up: Eds Go | Lighting and Sound: Rejectkrew | Music: Madz & Dzhei | LED Wall: Metrotech Photobooth: | Pic Me Photos
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