My Work: Donny and Vanessa

There are rare times when I am asked to create the groom's attire as well as the entire male entourage. It was daunting and challenging, but of course I couldn't refuse.

Donny and Vanessa are very good friends of mine and drinking buddies up until today. Donny was my account director back at Campaigns & Grey. We worked and travelled together for several years. Both of them love the beach. For their wedding, they wanted to bring the beach to Manila. They wanted a laid back type of wedding and reception. Vanessa's gown had a glamorous resort look. It was by Jun Escario which featured a jaw-dropping mother-of-pearl neckpiece and had a deep back that showed off her tanned skin. So when Donny asked me to design his suit, it had to have a bit of flash to say 'Hey, I'm the groom!' because all the guests were asked to come in white, and he didn't want to blend in. Oo nga naman.

The sea is a wonderful source of inspiration. For this particular wedding, I only looked into the whites that you would usually see at the beach. Dry textures of sand and wet sparkly sand. Sea foam. Shells and mollusks. Bleached driftwood. Faded façades of beach front houses. Anything that was whitened by the salty sea winds. With this in mind, I did treatments on my designs like watermark prints (achieved by layering fabric), white on white sparkles, texture on texture (different finishes and washes of linen and raw silk), shell paillettes and details that would catch the breeze like scarves, bias cut chiffon and flowing sashes.

Good thing the male entourage members (around 12 of them) were all easy to work with. Donny figured it would be best to design at least 3 versions, let them vote and agree on one design (of course, this system worked because the wedding was beach-themed and they weren't going to wear classic suits or barongs).

I also got to create the bridesmaids dresses and several gowns for the female family members. For the bridesmaids, I experimented with layering. I designed 2 different necklines for each dress with the intention of allowing the inner dress to be seen. I also wanted to make it obvious that layering was intentional by sewing on floral appliques inside so they would just appear to be watermarks underneath the chiffon over-dresses.

The beach theme carried on to the reception at the Joya poolside in Rockwell. Production designer and dear friend Butch Garcia created 'beach' tents complete with lanterns and banners around the pool for the cocktails. The dining area had rows and rows of long tables and benches so everyone dined family style. The menu was created by Donny's dad and chef uncle (of Katre Restaurant) fusing Ilocano (Vanessa's family) and western food. Think Bagnet Salad and Vigan Longganisa pasta. And, of course, the booze overflowed. Cheers, Donny and Vi!

Donny's linen suit featured a mandarin lapel and his inner shirt had 3 crystal buttons. Vanessa's gown was by Jun Escario with a stunning mother-of-pearl neckpiece.

Jewelry designer and friend Paul Syjuco designed the wedding bands for the couple. Automatically, he was the ring bearer. Here's his website http://aumjewels.blogspot.com/

Vanessa's father and the three bridesmaids. Their layered dresses featured watermark floral appliques.

The bride and groom's parents. Donny's mom wore a gown that had mother-of-pearl paillettes
and gold crystals encircling her waist.

The male entourage members all had scarves so that they can add their own touch to their outfits.

The male members of the family (here, Donny's dad and brothers) all had the 3-button feature similar to Donny's shirt.
Donny's aunt wore an off-white chiffon gown with white crystals and cut beads.