Carlo and Nina are very good friends of mine. Carlo's a friend since college and I became close to his family during that time. In fact, all his friends are close to his family. They're that nice. His family literally saw all of us grow up! We'd all hang out with his sister Riza and his cousins almost everyday. There would be times we'd end up hanging out at their house until morning, with Carlo making sure we all got home safe. Of course, years later, work got in the way and we would hardly see each other, but still, we kept in touch. So fast forward to 2008, Carlo calls me to announce that he was going to get married and he and Nina wanted me to do their wedding. Working with them again was a throwback to college days, all the silly jokes and laughing, with visits from his mom and sister, made this project more like a family reunion rather than work.
Carlo and Nina run a graphic design company. So the concept behind their wedding was obvious, paper. They wanted paper to be the theme throughout the wedding and reception, with beautifully designed invitations, paper lanterns, paper cones to hold chocolates and candies served at the cocktails, paper pinwheels and even paper games on the cocktail tables. So for Nina's gown, I designed a crumpled bow-like detail at the back. Her A-line skirt had an over skirt with a hemline that gradually rose from the front to the back, leading the eyes to the bow detail. The entourage and family members came in different shades of gray and gunmetal (originally, Carlo and Nina wanted black, but we decided it was to severe for their Tagaytay wedding). The entourage members had "crumpled paper" details as well, either on the sleeves or as bows. I used silk dupioni and Thai silk to achieve this effect.
The ceremony and the reception was also a reunion of sorts. Friends from college all drove up to Tagaytay to witness this lovely event. It was great to see everyone again, all dressed up and looking good that evening. Suddenly, we were all the friends we used to be. Hanging out with their families and laughing at silly jokes again.
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The back side of Nina's gown with the crumpled bow detail. |
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Close up of the bow detail. |
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Me at work with Nina getting ready for her entrance. Her gown features a raised collar and an overskirt. |
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