An October Lovefest in The Philippines: Ray & Yan

November 6, 2012

I love my Filipino readers. This tiny island has been full of Rock n Roll Bride fans pretty much since I began the blog which totally blows my mind. I’ve never visited, but I’m sure one day I will… I can’t wait to meet all those awesome like-minded peeps! I love getting submissions from The Philippines too – not least of all because they always sign off with ‘more power to you!’ which I love, but also because their weddings are damn cool. Obviously Ray & Yan’s submission was no exception – as soon as I saw that dress, which was hand painted by the bride’s mother, I melted into a pool of wedding lust heaven.

This couple were married in Ray’s parent’s back garden. The wedding was personal, DIY and laid back – just like the pair themselves. “Our story started way back during our college days”, the bride began. “Over a couple of beers we talked about music, arts and everything in between. That’s when we started to fall in love. It all happened one October, which is why we chose to have our wedding in this month. We usually celebrate our anniversary for the whole month actually but after 5 years together we decided to marry and we called the wedding ‘October Lovefest’. We are both music & nature lovers. We would love to travel back in time to attend a real Woodstock Festival! Music festivals as such don’t happen very often here in the Philippines, so we decided to make our own for our wedding. We even asked our friend’s bands to come and play for us.”

There was no real formality to this wedding, with guests invited to dress as they liked and to join them in celebrating in a low key fashion. The couple set up blankets on the ground for their guests to sit on and decorated the space themselves. People drank beer, ate food prepared by the groom’s family, and partied into the night. “We invited our entire neighbourhood to came and witness the event. The groom’s family welcomed them all!” Yan continued. “Ray’s relatives prepared and cooked food for everyone who came to the wedding. They cooked and served food from the day before the wedding, throughout the the actual wedding day and even the day after. There was non-stop cooking and food serving till the wee hours of the morning! It was one big October love festival indeed. We loved how our guests dressed. It was almost like summer in October!”

With the wedding being at home, DIY also played a huge part, with everyone chipping in to make the wedding details special. “Most of the things we used in the wedding were DIY. From the tie-dye neck ties and bow ties, the coloured rice, tie-dye blankets, flower arrangements, accessories and benches. My mum hand painted my dress and Ray’s scarf and even our rings were handmade by a jewellery maker that we found in Etsy.”

“We love the whole wedding”, Yan concluded. “But my favourite part was when the bands started playing, the beers were served and people started dancing & singing. It was a blast!”

Don’t forget about the awesome video…

So ace! Thank you to Ray & Yan for sharing their amazing wedding with us today.

Supporting Cast

Photography & Video Credit: Fuguwi Collective
Venue: Groom’s parent’s backyard
Bride’s Dress: Custom made by Johnny Dela Rosa & hand painted by bride’s mother
Bride’s Shoes: Grendha
Bride’s Headpiece: DIY
Wedding Rings: Peaces of Indigo
Groom’s Outfit: Tailor made by groom’s father, Robert Bonifacio
Cake: Joy Cacapit
Hair & Make Up: Kris-belle Paclibar Mamangun
Band: The Edralins; Bleu Rascals; Howl; Dejado; The Shocking Details
Caterer: Marissa Olaes Catering