Originally planned as a garden wedding, it could have been much prettier outside where the nature can as well witness the union of Jesil and Bambie. My cousin Jesil resides in Laguna where he is a Pastor and is a part of the World of Life Ministry. Their love story was stated with their invitation letter; I was unaware of their story until Bambie (I don't know if I have to call her ate since she is older than me) shared it to me personally that day when we had a double date in Lantaw Floating Restaurant.

Vintage Country - was their wedding theme, the invitation has the needed information in terms of the dress code. On the actual day, the entourage specifically the bride's maids and groom's men were all bubbly-looking with their dresses and get ups  The girls wore a vintage flowery whole dress while gripping a bouquet of fresh flowers. The guys' getup reminds me of the movie "The Notebook", remember Noah when he was still a teenager and had that cute hat on him with a khaki pants on, a checkered polo shirt and a rusty jumpers. And the girls were like Ally with their floral dress on with a flower head dress, the best part of them was actually their smiles, all of the girls were pretty!

I am but proud that ma and pa had reached this point, indeed having Christ in the center of a marriage is essential for it to nourish and stay healthy and in love always. Last December 23, 2011, my parents just celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary. That was the same day that I went back to Bohol because of course of the said celebration.

Though there were a lot of passengers, I am thankful I was able to get my round trip tickets via Supercat. I would always love to travel with this vessel because though the price is a bit high, the service is extremely nice. We met at Bohol Quality mall as soon as I arrived and before going home, I bought a Choco Caramel Cake from BQ's bakeshop.

Definitely, the statement above tells us why a union of two individuals ends in wedding bells. Our eldest brother, Steven had just experienced one last April 12, 2011. I have been telling you about their wedding in my older posts. I was even more excited than them. And so that very day marked the start of their journey as husband and wife.

I will be not be telling you about how the wedding went because everyone knows how a normal Christian wedding goes, instead I will be sharing photos during the matrimony proper and as well as the reception. I'll be starting with the events before the wedding:

the bride's bouquet

the bride's gown

some of the entourage' dresses... bride's maids' and maid of honor's

 

the groom's stuff: tuxedo, shoes and etc.

While on the midst of researching of the entourage, I became curious on the elements of the wedding ceremony. The veil, cord and other stuff, what do they stand for? What are the bride's maids roles? I never thought they really had a role at all, I have been a bride's maid every time my cousins got married but never really realized what's my significance 'til now.

Here are some of the things I found out and cleared my mind with how a traditional Filipino wedding goes and the relevance of those wedding accessories.

Cord and Veil

The Veil is a long white tulle with lace edgings, draped over to the bride and the groom to symbolize "the union of two people 'clothed' as one."


The Cord, a silken rope forming the figure 8 is draped to represent the "infinite bond of marriage."


Wedding Rings and Coins 

A pair of gold wedding rings and 13 gold coins is blessed by the officiating minister during the wedding ceremony for a life of faithfulness and prosperity. The groom and the bride give the rings to each other as they pledge their love and loyalty to one another.

The 13 coins on the other hand is presented by the groom to his bride while pledging his dedication to her welfare and their future children.

Wedding Ring Pillow

White heart-shaped satin pillows with pretty ribbons and lace trimmings is for the presentation of the wedding rings during the wedding ceremony and is carried by the ring bearer during the wedding march.