The Wedding Fact Sheet

For an extra special touch to your wedding, try to hold the rites or the reception in a place that’s out of the ordinary, like a butterfly garden, a yacht club or even a ranch. In our case, we held it in Manila Ocean Park, the Philippines’ biggest oceanarium. I fell in love with this place during our first visit and just knew we had to hold our reception there. First of all, I wanted to have a picture with the little sharks, manta rays and other rare fish species. Silly me. Am glad that it all turned out fine, as you can see in the picture.

What’s good about the Manila Ocean Park? First of all, there’s the priceless view of Manila Bay and its glorious sunset, accessible from the balcony or the glass-panelled windows of the Ozeano Fusion restaurant (where we held our reception). Your guests can savor the breeze, and if you’re gallant enough, treat them for free entrance to the oceanarium itself. Here they can get acquainted and educated with the diversity of our rich marine life.
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During the last Flores de Mayo held at the Mall of Asia during the last week of May, I was able to bump into Renee Salud, one of the Philippines’ most enduring designers who created the bridal gown of TV personality Tintin Bersola and other top fashion models in the country (like one of her ‘alagas,’ Marilen Espino).

I was teasing Mama Renee about how expensive her wedding gowns must be, after which she replied with an exclamation mark: “Not at all!” Apparently, you can have a Renee Salud wedding gown for about P30K only. It really depends on how you negotiate with her, and the specifics of your dream gown.

My impression after talking with her is that the country’s top fashion designers have adopted to the changing times. They have larned to adjust, knowing that today’s brides are more budget- and cost-conscious than ever.

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