Why is it that the finest and most memorable Filipino weddings seem to have a genuine bonhomie that is perhaps best described as having a fiesta atmosphere? Whether they are simple rites in a pastoral setting, or a grand affair in the city, there is a distinct and extremely appealing feel to this Filipino take on a wedding celebration. Maybe other former Spanish colonies such as Mexico or countries in South America share this type of celebration, but ours has certainly evolved into bayanihan-meets-friar-filmed-by-hollywood spectacle. The photo up top was taken in front of the Sto. Domingo church in Quezon City a couple of hours ago, just as the wedding rites of Senator Mar Roxas and Korina Sanchez had ended and the reception in the courtyard of the church was about to begin. Several hundred folks waited outside the church and watched the festivities on large screens as their idols Korina and Mar said their vows. The crowds, the lights, the balloon vendors, the hubbub all contributed to the fiesta feel.
It started with the arrival of a very simple, yet elegant and totally proper invitation. Worded in very clear, plain Filipino, it was obvious that this celebration was going to have a very Filipiniana theme to it. Mrs. MM was out of town today, and good friends who we would normally go to the rare occasions such as these with also left town today, so if I were to go, it would be solo.
Thankfully, my brother had a nice pina barong that he graciously lent me, so I wouldn’t have to go out and spend a small fortune on a custom-made one. When I got to the church, instead of the lengthy wait to go around the block and be dropped off by car, I decided to walk on Quezon Avenue instead, and got to the church well before the designated time.
As we waited inside the church, I noticed how beautiful the stained glass windows were.
The altar was very simply decorated with all white flowers including lilies, roses and sampaguitas. The aisles were bare.
The wedding started wickedly late, but after all the famous folks, celebrities, civil servants, relatives and friends settled in, the wedding party finally marched down the aisle. Senator Roxas beamed as his fiancee finally made her grand entrance, escorted by her three brothers, and wearing a gown with a rather long train…
The wedding rites/mass was officiated by Fr. Tito Caluag and assisted by 7 bishops. Almost completely done in Filipino, it was elegant yet simple and totally appropriate at the same time. Nothing seemed over the top, with the possible exception of the remote sky camera over the altar which filmed the entire proceeding… but this was going to be on primetime television, I gather.
A few weeks ago, the couple cancelled the planned large reception at the Araneta Coliseum and instead donated part of their reception budget to charity following the several natural calamities that have struck the country. They held a very short and simple meet and greet reception in the gardens beside the church after the wedding. A smaller dinner for close family and friends would follow at the Araneta home in Cubao. The church courtyard/gardens were covered with a large tent and with the help of dramatic lighting and simple strands of sampaguita hanging from the trees, it was transformed into a reception hall with rather charming results.
I love the way the sampaguita perfumed the large tented space, without overpowering the senses. Small cocktail tables with candles were also set up on the grass.
But of course the part I was really curious about was the food that would be making the rounds in a few minutes time. Thanks to MF and TL for allowing me into the kitchen or food prep staging room to record these behind the scenes shots of the food…
Instead of a fancy five course meal, the theme of the simplified reception was to offer some native snacks and sweets to go along with a drink or two. I LOVE that they decided to anchor the late afternoon merienda with pan de sals filled with all kinds of things. There were small pan de sals filled with adobo flakes, chorizo, galantina, peanut butter and guava jelly, mangosteen jam, various cheeses, etc.
A small army assembled and wrapped what must have been thousands of pan de sals…
…and they were wrapped in some grease-proof paper so your fingers wouldn’t get too messy.
There were all kinds of rice cakes, sweets, etc. on offer as well.
Beautiful hand-cut paper elegantly clothed the polvoran and other sweet native delicacies from Central Luzon… The trays of these goodies were just stunningly beautiful!
The cake, of which I had taken this snapshot BEFORE I entered the church mid-afternoon, continued the Filipiniana theme with an embroidery pattern done with icing, almost like a finely embroidered pina barong… with some rosal, sampaguita and other native gum paste flowers on top.
Overall, I just marvelled at how pleasant and appropriate everything seemed to be. There was a sensitivity to the times displayed, that even when you discount some due to the obvious political undercurrent, just screamed a whole lot of class and restraint. Who says you need to spend a bijillion on fancy meals, outrageously over-the-top floral displays and vintage wines to throw a great wedding reception? Finally, as I left this evening, I got this last photo of the “bridal pajak” which I gather Mar was going to pedal with Korina in the passenger seat (where her five-meter train would go is unclear), to the delight of onlookers and the crowds outside. Okay, okay, I would forgive them this last cheesy stunt as they are going into a presidential/vice-presidential campaign soon…
So what does one give as a wedding present to a couple that seems to have everything they need? Who have thousands of guests and for whom a toaster or hotpot would be a bit mundane? How about 100+ jars of homemade organic guava jelly and mangosteen jam… that were used as palaman (fillings) in the pan de sals served at the reception this evening?! Marketman & Manila/Cebu crew are all honored to have contributed just that teeny tiny little bit of sweetness to the fantastic cornucopia of native delicacies and food items that were served at the reception. Obviously, you now know who is getting our vote in next year’s Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections. :)
82 Responses
Hey MM, tomorrow’s breakfast will be pan de sal and the jam you gave me last Sunday!! Sarap!
Noy and Mar has our vote too!!
Oh my. I doff my hat to you, MM. First of all, yours is the most photo-heavy blogpost of the event that I have seen so far. And you are the first (and perhaps only) one with an inside scoop on the food. But the real kudos goes to the 100+ jars of jam that you contributed to this event! I can only wish I had gone home to Cebu last weekend to try my luck at getting one of these beauties. (sigh). BTW, the couple spared you the “cheesy” padyak-riding stunt–they rode in a top-down car for the trip from the church to the Araneta home in Cubao.
Hahaha! Wow, that’s one way of supporting your candidate. :)
Nice wedding indeed! Thanks for sharing :-)
What are those yellow-green things on some of the bilao? Puto, I suppose? And are those mango bars?
Wow! I didnt get to watch the wedding on TV and I thank you for sharing these photos with us. This couples generosity and sensitivity to the plight of our kababayans is really moving. I wish them both a happy life together.
gina, yes, the yellowish things are slices of puto. There were banana cakes, and lots of other ones as well, I didn’t manage to get the entire list of offerings…
thank you for sharing, and always for the great visuals and insight you bring to each post. taga bacolod cag capiz cami, so you know where our sentiments go.
Beautiful and definitely classy. Just as a wedding should be :)
Congratulations to the happy couple!
I guessed it … the guava jelly and the mangosteen jam could have only come from one source — MM!
…simple and elegant!
I think your niece’s wedding in NYC was simpler, a lot nicer & more elegant than this circus maximus!
You mean there is no Zubuchon? ok ok I guess the BTC customer did finished it off too hehehee
ahaha I love the pajak! That’s a nice cake with the embroidery design. Gives me some ideas as I’m gonna make a wedding cake in a few months.
MM — weren’t you at the reception at Bahay na Puti?
a very simple and elegant wedding. MM, ala na bang natirang homemade guava jelly for readers from Manila? :)
Mangaranon, no I wasn’t. But I am sure it was lovely. Vicky, it’s hard to compare a wedding with a guest list of 120 with one that had nearly 3,000 in the church alone. :)
Thanks for sharing this.
maybe I am just exposing my soft spots – but I think the last two posts (aside from Feeding Programs) are the best ones I have read here — so positive — I feel almost lighter…
Such simple elegance. That is more appealing than being loud. Yes, they got my vote too. Sorry, but when is the election? I can vote now!!
Is that you MM, with the umbrella on the 3rd pic? That was sweet(no pun intended) of you for a very well thought-of gift!
Sumakit siguro ang ulo ni Korina and her wedding planners.It must have been very difficult to put up such an elegant set up without going overboard.It was already a big sacrifice scrapping off the Araneta Coliseum reception.They endeared themselves to the masses!I saw snippets of the Wedding last night in the news and Korina looks so beautiful, elegant and radiant!Mar is so simpatiko!And you can tell they are indeed in love and not just for show as some detractors say.
What a beautiful wedding cake!I read somewhere it was done by Heny Sison.
Betchay, the wedding reception(s) were handled by Margarita Fores, Mar’s first cousin, and one of the best caterers in Manila, in my opinion. I think MF also did the wedding bouquets and some of other floral arrangements if I am not mistaken. Another designer did the flowers in the church and possibly the trees in the yard.
thanks for sharing, MM!
now I am even more envious of those people who will get to taste the guava jam at BTC…
have a great day!
showbiz na showbiz ka ngayon MM… thanks for sharing! Congrats and Best wishes to Senator Mar and Korina !
you did go! and “our” jams got there, too! this weekend, i’ll be having the same breakfast as they did at the reception – pan de sal and guava jelly with artisan chocolatier’s kesong puti!
Thanks for sharing the photos and inside scoops on what was served to guests. Simple yet yummy. Wonder where they ordered the pandesal, seems soft and smaller than the large ones sold at pan de manila.
Good that it was a cousin who did the planning. She would understand the sudden change in plans :)
I knew it MM, the moment my eyes crossed the words guava jelly and mangosteen jam I knew you had something to do with it =)
I love that shot of you in walking in a barong with umbrella to boot! Sosyal yet practical, who the real MM is all about!
I have to agree with you MM, with very classy indeed! I love the sampaguita hanging from the trees, very lovely.
Haha ako rin! As soon as I read “guava jelly and mangosteen jam” I knew it could only have come from you. The sampaguita hanging from the trees was a very nice touch. But I want to snatch that blue and white placement under the cake, di bagay.
cumin, hahaha, details…details… I was amused by your comment as I too would have removed the blue cardboard base! :)
was wondering what that blue baseboard was doing there, too. somebody must have forgotten to take it out. anyone from the entourage could have lent her pina or jusi handlerchief or shawl to serve as liner under the cakeboard itself.
what a classy affair. makes all the huge “pa-bongga” weddings ive been to in the past look gaudy and crass in comparison. loving the gimmick of the bridal padjak, shows that the couple is game and has a sense of playfulness
The sampaguita garlands hanging on the trees are very good and economical way to lighten up any garden-themed event. Great idea…
So this is where the product of the marathon jam making sessions went. A nice gift indeed MM. Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Those are my sister’s baskets from Bacolod, MM…the pan de sal assembly photo and the close-up. Next time you’re in Bacolod, they have 2 restaurants in the city: Tratoria Uma and Cafe Uma and their export business called Hacienda Crafts based in the hacienda in Manapla. All worth a visit.
Nakakatuwa naman to have an insider’s peek at the merienda and snacks they served after the wedding. In fairness to them, I was very impressed when I heard they were cancelling the grand reception in order to donate the funds to Ondoy victims. Many other brides (and grooms) would argue that this is their special wedding day, once in a lifetime lang mangyayari, they deserve it etc. etc. but Mar and Korina chose to look at the bigger picture and give up some luxuries for the sake of malasakit. And yes, you’re right, you don’t need to spend millions on fancy meals and vintage wines to have a memorable wedding. Theirs was simple, understated, but very elegant and meaningful.
MM,
I openly accept bribes and if you bribe me w/ guava jelly and the mangosteen jam I will vote for whoever ur voting ;D
Millet, I did wonder why they didn’t have a nicer base for the wedding cake after all that work put into decorating the cake, which is spectacular. What was that blue thing? Maybe they took it out later… could have lent them our 22″ silver cake stand that’s already been to a few weddings up and down the Eastern seaboard. I bet no one else posted pictures of the food except MM.
great photo scoop on the behind-the-scenes kitchen shots! trust MF to beautifully ‘style’ the humble pandesal for an upscale merienda affair…
what a well thought of gift! and thanks for the wonderful photos and write -up.
Would you know where they sourced the pan de sal?
Hmm…that blue cardboard base looks suspiciously like the ones used by Goldilocks. If it is, good that they opted for a not-so-extravagant cake! However, I agree with Millet, they should’ve gotten some pina or jusi to make it more formal-looking :)
hi, MM
am in the east coast, i would like to order your organic jams. where will my cousin buy it in the phil. so they can send it to me here together with some stuffs. thanks.
you should visit these twitter pages:
http://www.twitter.com/mlq3 and http://www.twitter.com/jovefrancisco
they tweeted the mar-korina wedding (blow by blow…nice!)
I think I saw on tv that this cake was donated by Goldilocks.I could be wrong though.
Wow can’t help but compare this occasion which is very important to the couple but they opted to forego the reception in deference to the unfortunate victims of the flooding and the millions spent by the GMA posse overseas on those infamous dinners!
I totally agree with the above comments. The couple not only have the money to spend but also all the right to spend it for their wedding yet they opted for a down to earth reception in contrast to the Le Cirque wedding anniversary dinner which our taxes paid the bill. I’m 57 yrs old now and voted once in my life only – for Ninoy. Next year will be my 2nd time to vote in the presidential election and you guess it right, my vote will go to Ninoy’s son.
Thanks for sharing your recipes, experiences, and your thoughts.
sister: “I bet no one else posted pictures of the food except MM”
and sister, i bet, too, that no one else noticed the blue cardboard base except MM’s readers :-)
They have my vote as well! :)
when i read that the bouquet of Korina was a combination of rosal, camias, sampaguita, the locally grown flowers, i was looking forward to see how it is done. given that most of the time Pinay brides would opt for the imported flowers. the bouquet did not disappoint as it was exquisitely done. this should be a lesson indeed that weddings dont necessarily have to be that expensive to be beautiful. thanks Mr. MM for sharing these to your readers…and yes, Noy and Mar will get our votes too.
I knew you were going to have a hand in this when I read in the papers that they were going to serve pandesal with mangosteen jam. How many people make mangosteen jam and you mentioned recently that you made lots! They said that cake was a gift from Goldilocks.
wonderful. the wedding was very classy and elegant. i’m voting for the 2 as well.
Wow what a beautiful wedding. I wish we had a tricycle for my wedding… I’m sure your gift was very much appreciated MarketMan :)
What a heartwarming post ! The cake was a trademark Goldilock’s present by Ms. Pinky Yee that came with butter cake slices shared with the crowd that waited since the morning! Since it was a gift we decided to leave the base and honor them….besides, most simple Pinoy celebrations are incomplete without a Goldilock’s. MM, your present was the star at church. The guava jams, and honey came in three levels of thickness…all could be used differently. The mangosteen jam went perfectly, paired with 2 kinds of Negros peanut butter- 1 organic peanut butter made by a lady named Uray, from the market in Ma-ao, Negros and ER’s San Carlos peanut butter. At the simple salu-salo in Cubao, your jams and guava honey were served again with 100% Pinoy cheeses, from Malagos-Davao, Laguna and Bulacan. Thanks tons and am so glad you went….your account was priceless! Your eyes and heart are amazing….
Wedding cake in Bahay na Puti was simple too and with the same calado inspiration…and was by Heny Sison…..
marghi, thanks for that… I wasn’t sure if the jams would also be used at the smaller salu-salo in Cubao, now we know. The crew and I are utterly thrilled… :)
A Filipino friend sent me this link because she thought I might be interested. I grew up in the Philippines. I do find some comments puzzling. I fail to see why a tasteful and lovely wedding would make a candidate suited to run the country? They show some sensitivity to the plight of others, but they could just be politically savvy? It reinforces my memories of the country where votes could be bought by a couple of pesos and some entertainment.
ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEWLYWEDS! ENJOYED THE PHOTOS VERY MUCH…YOUR WEDDING WAS EXTREMELY UNIQUE. THANKS FOR SHARING, FOLKS. HEY, I WAS WONDERING, DO YOU HAVE ANY LEFT-OVER PANDISAL WITH MATAMIS NA BA-O? LOL
I went home early that day, so i was able to see it live on ABS-CBN…the wedding was simple…yet so rich of our Filipino tradition.
MM, i told my officemates how informative this site is….and everyday after reading your newest post they are all excited to hear my story….now they are all reading your post on a Saturday morning in the office…(Boss, is not around…hehehhe)
hi, mm. :) true. . .& sooooo love your gift for the couple. :)
& same here, my vote goes to both of them. . .
besides, mar is also a PSI grad. :)
inx: when can i taste the jam? hehehe
Thanks for this insider look in the wedding, much appreciated. I really was so curious about the food served, and those all look so yummy. Kudos to you and your team — i had the same feeling as the others when I read about those jams! :) Great gift idea that’s unique and very personal. And the blue cake base was an instant give-away — trademark Goldilocks, hehe… Would you be selling your bottled jams? If so, pls. advise as I would love to order some as gifts this Christmas :)
dear Mar and Korina..
You had such simple wedding ceremory, beautiful and wonderfull celebrations.. those things are so great to see with this kind of Wedding Ceremony..
be blessed having a wonderfull relationship and life flourished with wonderfull begining of marriage life..
“Mabuhay sa inyong mag asawa..
” Philippines are so great to see if you run to President .”
from alberta, Canada..
This is in response to celia comment 53:
It’s not the wedding and simple reception that makes us want to vote for Mar. You may want to research a bit on him. I assure you he does have the credentials necessary for the position he’s running for (unlike some politicians). It’s just heartwarming to us to know that they opted for a simple reception in light of the recent calamities that happened. Kumbaga, added reason to vote for him but not the main one as you implied.
I don’t remember how I got to your blog, but I feel very lucky I found your website which is very interesting, educational and entertaining. Even the comments from your readers are informative and worth noting. Please keep up the good work. There are two (2) things I would like to ask you, if possible.
1. Where can I buy the guava Jelly and Mangosteen jam here in the USA. If it is not available, where in Manila can have a relative buy it for me.
2. I do not know Mar or Noynoy personally but like you,I also think they can get the Philippines progressive again, so I would like to help them politically and financially. I would to start by donating $ 100.00 Maybe you can open a bank account and be the trustee with of course the blessing of Mar & Noynoy as a fund raiser. Please let me know bank;s name and address. Thank you
Ante, thanks for your comment. 1. I am not aware of anyone selling mangosteen jam or guava jelly in the U.S., though there SHOULD be guava jelly at Filipino stores in large cities like San Farancisco or Los Angeles. I have found brilliant guava jams at upscale provedores in New York from French jam/preserve companies. As for the stuff we made for the reception, it is homemade and not for sale. In Manila, you can sometimes find commercially made magosteen jam, and guava jelly is often in the groceries.
2. Thank you for wanting to help on the Aquino/Roxas campaign. I will ask them if there is a vehicle to get donations from folks abroad. I don’t think I want to get in the middle of that, campaign funding rules can be quite strict when properly applied. Will do a post for folks who wish to help if I get that information. Thanks. hungrycurious, well said.
To Celia:
I think you have been away too long from the Philippines if you don’t know these people.
Yes what you said is still true but please be sensitive to other people who have the capacity and the brains to make the their own decisions about their candidates.We have been away from the Philippines for 24 years now but we are still abreast of what’s happening there because we do care.We have recently become dual citizens so we can at least put in our 2 cents worth of our vote.2 votes just might help Noynoy and Mar :)
Our group here also sent balikbayan boxes there just to help out even in a small way to ease the pain of flood victims.
We might be away for awhile now from the Philippines but we sure are still Pinoys to the core.Our eldest still speaks our dialect even though she was only 3 when we came and the baby who is 7 speaks our dialect as well.
So please don’t put down the Filipinos because you yourself is one!
My friends, have you forgotten, the good luck belief in a wedding tradition, there should be something old, something borrowed , something blue. The blue cardboard base for the Wedding Cake is the one that is something blue. (Also, maybe the favorite color of Mar Roxas. He wears blue shirt most of the time).
Congratulations to Mar and Korina, may they live happily ever after their wedding !
wow, it’s marketman at mr. palengke’s wedding!
i suggest pregnant people shouldnt be allowed on this blog.
all the talk about mangosteen jam / guava jelly / negros peanut butter / etc.etc = hello gestational diabetes! is that you? – waaaah…
Wow! You were part of the wedding for the year!!
Cool!! :)
But I noticed something – Mar seemed really really really happy. While Korina looked a bit off – I don’t know if she was happy because her facial expression was weird! I hope she’s happy though!
Congrats to the both of them!
P.S. I was super proud that they also got my wedding photographer Pat Dy!! Woohoo!!
hi, i,m still looking for ms. polly’s moist choc cake recipe ( or any similar recipe). if anyone has it, will appreciate it much if u can email it to me at bmelegrito@yahoo.com pls. and pls. include the mocha filling & choc fudge recipe. just missed the cake we used to buy from kookie monster cake shop in greenhills back in the 80’s.
thanks again
I told Mrs MM I saw you at the church but I couldn’t find you anymore after the ceremony. Your jams were fantastically yummy!!! I’ve had superb jams abroad and was pleasantly surprised that yours were even better tasting. Any chance you will sell them for the holidays?
Loved your blog and read all 66 comments. It’s nice to know that your readers can see how in love the couple is and how much they truly wanted to give back to the people and kept their wedding so simple and elegant. Noy & Mar can bring back integrity into the government and its officials — at the least, they will bring honesty from their positions and hopefully with our help, it will reach the people. They’re the epitome of Country Before Self!
Enough of politics and back to food, will anxiously wait your announcement for those yummy jams.
Simple yet elegant, very nice!
I love that guava jelly, its my favorite.. thanks for sharing MM.. love it
Good thing about the Philippine election is that you can vote for a president and a vice from two different parties. With that I choose Mar as VP for Manny Villar.
Thank you for sharing this. Have been curious about their wedding menu. And I noticed nilipat pala yon Birhen sa gitna. Parati kasi nasa gilid yon. Especial sila talaga.
What a beautiful wedding – everything is perfect – from the wedding gown, the food and the wedding itself fabulous. Thank you for sharing – I just happen to open this site but it is not to late to submit my comment. I am one of Korina’s fan and always watch her on TFC. Congratulations to Mar and best wishes to you, Korina.
I just chanced to open this page and I would like to share some information about NOY and MAR.Here in Negros,we have organized volunteer chapters in all of the cities and towns.It is amazing that because we are campaigning for two people with INTEGRITY,we the volunteers also have to behave with INTEGRITY.When we had the fun run last week all the colors were invited. On that day,the GIBO GREENs were very few,the Villar ORANGE were about 50 but the greater number were the YELLOW of NOY-MAR. After the run the Orange group were handed breakfast boxes with Orange Juice which they showed off.The yellows did not have anything prepared for them.After their breakfast ,the orange group just threw their garbage on the pavement fronting the Provincial Capitol! Guess who picked up their trash? you guessed it, the YELLOW PEOPLE! We put up our Yellow ribbons at three a.m for Kris’s sortie in Bacolod,you know why? So the Orange people will not remove them! But guess what? By noontime of the same day, the Orange people managed to remove our YELLOW ribbon and replace them with the Orange! So you see they do not respect other people’s rights at all! That shows the influence of their leaders. WOE to this country if Villar wins!
thanks for sharing this post
MM, what is Capiz pitik? Iloilo suaje and Capiz pitik with Bacolod kalamansi mayonesa was served at the salo-salo, acc. to Chef Fores.
I think your wedding was a perfect boost especially, for the rich people like you to show that we Filipino can create our traditional wedding, simple yet elegant in style. We should keep up our own culture and tradition so we won’t lost our Filipinos’ identity. I hope this will serve in the future as the ” wedding model” to those who are planning to get married — “THE PINOY WEDDING ” in traditional way with style. Let us patronize our culture and tradition to keep it alive for the next generation. I’m still proud as a Filipino even part of me now is Lebanese.