How was it like planning a destination wedding? What were the biggest challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
I think it was challenging just because of the fact that I was in a different country–the difference in culture, the language, the suppliers, and having to search mostly everything on my own. Not like in Manila, we all know more or less the suppliers we’d like to get. Sometimes I felt like I was on my own in planning the wedding because not everybody here could really understand the traditional things I wanted to do and how to do them. Luckily my husband was very supportive. Also, coordinating everything for the guests, their transportation from the city to the beach, from the hotels to the church and to the reception or recommending and booking places to stay—these were things we had to take into account. They were willing to fly all the way to Spain, so helping each one (my family, aunts, cousins & friends) with every concern, was the least we could do.
How did you choose your suppliers? Were they all based in Spain or did you choose some suppliers from the Philippines?
Most of our suppliers were from Spain. We did months of research online. Instagram was my best friend because it was a great way to see the work they’ve done and how they do it. My florist, videographer, and photographer were all found online. Some suppliers were recommended to me by my mother-in-law, or other suppliers. The rest I just found here in Valencia or in Jávea. One supplier I got from Manila was for my bridesmaids´ dresses since most of my bridesmaids were from there.
“Treat yourself to anything
that can help disconnect.”
What made you decide to choose Spain as your wedding location? Where in Spain was the wedding held?
We had our wedding in a small coastal town in Valencia, called Jávea. It’s right by the Mediterranean coastline and it is where my husband and his family usually spend Summer every year. I always thought I wanted a beach wedding in the Philippines because nothing compared to the famous islands in our country. However, when I saw Jávea, it was a different kind of beauty and I completely fell in love with it! We chose Hotel Parador, which is known for its unique locations all over Spain, in castles, monuments or beaches. Parador de Jávea had a beautiful garden, with a view overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and it was the perfect combination of a beach and garden wedding.
Given that our culture was highly influenced by the Spanish people, what do you think is the difference between a wedding here in the Philippines compared to a wedding in Spain?
It was a very traditional Catholic wedding, just like the way we do it in the Philippines. The big difference was more of the things we got from the American culture such as having bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls, the order in which they marched down the aisle, writing your own vows, the whole program during the reception—all of that I had to explain to our suppliers since these weren’t really part of their local wedding customs. I would say that Spanish weddings are much simpler. The groom enters with his mother, and then the bride with her father. The reception would literally just be a dinner and at the end, one person would say a speech and then the cake cutting. Even the throwing of the bouquet is different. In Spain, the couple usually chooses a girl to whom they’d give the bouquet. As they go around each table with a song playing in the background, they’d surprise her by handing the bouquet unexpectedly.
Who designed your dress? What about your entourage?
I looked for dresses in Rosa Clara & Pronovias, but fell in love with the 2nd dress I tried on in Pronovias and ended up getting it. They say that when it’s the dress for you, you just know, and that’s exactly what happened! I had the bridesmaids’ dresses made by my sister’s friend in Manila. Her business is called Marqui’s Closet.
What was your biggest takeaway from your wedding day? Do you have any beauty-related tips (or tips in general) on planning destination weddings?
In planning this whole wedding, I was trying so hard to make everything perfect and found myself so stressed about every little thing and forgot the whole point of it. In the end, all I wanted was just to marry the person I love, nothing should be more important.
During the wedding day, it took a real effort not to think about all the things and just enjoy my day with my husband. The whole journey of the planning until the day itself has to be with him. There is so much pressure from society nowadays, with everyone telling me their opinions and I realized that underneath all that stress, my wedding day was going to be the best day of my life, not because of the perfect flowers or the perfect dress, etc., but because I was marrying my best friend and celebrating it with the people whom we loved most.
Did you have to fly your guests and suppliers to Spain?
No. Let’s be real, unless we’re big time millionaires, we couldn’t have possibly flown every single person on our account. Luckily our friends and family totally understood and we were very happy to see that quite a good number actually made it to our special day.
Where did you have your bachelorette party? Who organized it?
My bachelorette was held in Costa Brava, in a coastal town close to Barcelona. It was planned by my girlfriends here in Spain! They surprised me one day in my room and totally “kidnapped” me for the weekend. It was a perfect mix of a super fun but also relaxing weekend. Since my friends back home and sisters couldn’t be there, they also organized dinner and drinks with all the girls on the week of my wedding.
What was your hair and makeup look like? Was there a certain look or peg you followed?
I had my hair up for the ceremony and had it down right after. I didn’t want it too tight so I followed pegs on Pinterest of loose and messy hair dos with braids and curls. It was a messy bun, with a braid slightly covering my ear, and had some curls falling on the side.
After the ceremony I took out the bun leaving my hair slightly wavy and curly on the tips and left the braid on the side. I wanted my makeup generally simple, but with emphasis on the eyes. Dark shades were used around the crease to put more depth and then some shimmer on the lids. The rest was simple and natural.
Small tip: A massage would be great to relax and calm the nerves. Treat yourself to anything that can help disconnect. I barely slept the night before so it’s important to do whatever it takes to get that beauty sleep! Also, bridesmaids are not chosen only to be there and look pretty on your day, they play a big role in making sure everything goes smooth during the day and do their part during the months of planning. My bridesmaids and maids of honor helped me so much in preparing the things I needed and were also there to support me emotionally. Destination weddings are more difficult to coordinate because of the logistics, and informing your guests, so I suggest you let them know at least 9-10 months before so they can plan & prepare an easy way to communicate and forward info to everyone all at once and answer everybody’s questions.
