Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m Paula Vazquez- Cristobal, a 29-year-old doctor from Makati City. I went to Poveda for grade school and high school, took up BS Nursing in the University of Sto. Tomas as a pre-med course, then Medicine in University of the East (UERM). I enjoy travelling, shopping, eating, beauty, and fashion.
Where was your wedding held and what made you decide to choose the location?
My wedding was held in Shangri-la at the Fort Grand Ballroom. I mainly chose this location because it was the newest and nicest hotel, and it happened to be really neaby the Church we got married in.
What’s the inspiration behind your wedding look?
I wanted my look to be romantic and classic at the same time.
Who designed your wedding gown, and how did you come up with the style? How long did it take to create or find the perfect wedding dress?
The first and only wedding gown designer I had in mind before getting married was Mak Tumang. I set an appointment with him right after getting engaged, and met with him in his studio in Rockwell. On our first meeting, he asked me to show him gown pegs so that he would have an idea of what I wanted. I also told him my body issues, so he could conceal them. My only specific requests for the gown was that it should have a really nice back, have a lot of flowers, and I had to look slim! After a few minutes of chatting with me, he came up with a sketch, which I fell in love with instantly.
What was in your wedding day makeup kit/pouch?
Loose powder, Oil blotting sheets, and a liquid lipstick.
What were the preparations you did for your skin prior to the wedding day? Did you go to a skincare center regularly? What kind of services did you have done? Is this something you would recommend to other brides-to-be?
I did a lot! All for the sake of looking like my best self on my wedding day. Even before getting engaged, I would go to a skin center regularly for my monthly facials with diamond peel. I am actually blessed with nice clear skin already, but I always go for maintenance.
Months before my wedding, my skin routine had to level up. I followed the Korean 10 step skin routine every night, but not necessarily using all Korean products. I also went to IV drip clinics twice a month for vitamin infusions, to bring out the inner youthful glow. On top of that, I also had Thermage done on my face to tighten, lift, and contour.
What was the best beauty advice you received that helped you prepare for your wedding?
Get a lot of sleep!
“I did a lot! All for the sake of looking like my best self on my wedding day.”
How did you choose your hair and makeup artist? Did you have any hair and makeup pegs?
Funny story, the original makeup artist I was supposed to have is very well known in the industry—but his peak was sometime 10 years ago. The prettiest girl in showbiz had him as her makeup artist for the longest time. So I mainly booked him because of his name and stature. The wrong thing I did was that I only booked my trial hair and makeup a week and a half before my wedding for my Despedida de Soltera. The look turned out so-so. So my aunts and cousins panicked looking for a replacement makeup artist—a younger makeup artist who is up-to-date with the latest makeup trends. But we couldn’t find any! Good thing my wedding coordinator suggested a rather new artist to the stars—Jelly Eugenio. I browsed his Instagram and loved his looks. I immediately told her to book him. Lucky me, the ONLY free date he had for the month was the day of my wedding. I had no more trial hair and makeup because we were pressed for time, but he told me to trust him, and that he was going to make me have a youthful, bridal glow, and that he was very open to comments and suggestions.
What lip color did you choose for the wedding day?
I actually left it all up to Jelly. But what he used on me was a liquid lipstick—-Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor in the shade, Kisses. It’s a medium rose shade, which really complemented my complexion. This was topped off with lip gloss placed just on the center of my lips to give it the extra plump.
How about in terms of fitness? What did you do months before the wedding to stay in shape and make sure your wedding dress fit perfectly? Did you enroll in a gym or fitness center? What was your diet like?
The day I got engaged sounded the emergency alarm in my brain that it was time to lose some weight and start working out. I gained a lot of weight through the years because of stress from studying and sleepless nights in the hospital. I hated sweating and I hated exercising—but I had to do something drastic. In order to motivate myself, I started a “Project Thin” series on my Instagram stories to document each day I worked out. I thought to myself that if people watched me, I had no escape, and that I had to work out like there was no tomorrow.
I started off with home exercises in our treadmill, then friends and family started to invite me to work out with them. I’ve tried Plyometrics, Pilates, Yoga, etc. but what I liked the most and stuck with was Circuit Training and Zumba.
With regards to my diet, I didn’t significantly cut down on my food. It was just too hard for a foodie like me. But what I did was intermittent fasting. The trick that worked for me was to wake up late so that I wouldn’t be hungry for long. Haha! Months of exercise and “diet” made me shed a few pounds.
What was your biggest takeaway from your wedding day? Do you have any beauty-related tips you’d like to share to upcoming brides?
Make sure to have your trial hair and makeup done early. Go to the salon for any occasion you have, and get your hair fixed just so you know which hair style looks best on you, and make sure you take pictures of it! Never settle for just looking GOOD because you have to look your BEST on your special day. Wedding pictures are FOREVER.
Don’t pick out suppliers just because they have “name” in the industry. Take your time to research about them, and ask others about their first hand experience dealing with them. Not all big name suppliers perform.
Wedding Team
Photographer: Francis Perez
Videographer: Bob Nicolas
MUA: Jelly Eugenio
Hair: Paul Nebres
Gown by: Mak Tumang