(via ABS-CBNnews.com) There are bridal trends that will never go away, such as the classic white gown and the big balloon skirt.Still, we should always be open to new wedding ideas and concepts so “brides don’t look the same,” said Georgia Schulze, contributing writer for Metro Weddings magazine.

“I hope that changes and brides can be a little more unique,” she said in an interview at Mornings@ANC on Friday.

Schulze said this year is a good time for brides to try adding a splash of color to their wedding gowns.

She said nudes and grays, instead of the usual white, are expected to be a hit this 2011.

Accents, such as a black sash, will be in as well, she added.

Wedding planner Rita Neri agreed with Schulze, saying that Filipino brides are highly unlikely to wear gowns in bold colors such as red and black.

An exception may be singer Regine Velasquez, who matched a bright red dress with high-heeled leather boots as she tied the knot with Ogie Alcasid last year.

“More of accent colors, not really the whole thing. It’s more like dusting of a color,” said Neri, who runs her own events planning company.

Here are some of the bridal trends in the Philippines for 2011, as featured in Mornings@ANC:

• A touch of nature – add flowers to play up a classic strapless gown. Instead of the traditional roses and calla lilies, use beautiful wildflowers in shades of green, lime and white.
• Stunning simple – pair a tapered formal tux with a flowing chiffon gown for understated glamour. Use unconventional cuts, wrapped bodices and interesting patterns. Highlight a strapless neckline with a hint of embellishment and textured layers in soft silk chiffon.
• Water goddess – take your inspiration from water and choose a lightweight material which flatters your figure. Add texture and movement with a wrapped bodice and a shirred skirt.
• Summer palette – don’t be ruled by whites and blacks. Opt for bright outdoor shades like light blue and pink.
• Crazy for cream -cream is fast becoming a color of choice for most bridal gowns. Look stunning in a beach celebration with a perfectly cut cream-colored dress with deconstructed layers.

 
(the Palace features a huge chandelier made up of 101 coconut shells | photo by MangoRed)

(via Inquirer.net) Engaged couples who plan to hold their wedding reception at the bayside Coconut Palace, will have to go elsewhere.

According to a senior staff member of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), which owns the 33-year-old facility, no more private parties will be allowed at the edifice “as per instructions of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).”

The OVP, which is renting a portion of the seventh floor of the Philippine National Bank Financial Center in Pasay City, will transfer shortly to the Coconut Palace, located at the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex, behind the Folk Arts Theater.

“No dates yet, but the first quarter of the year is our target,” disclosed Joey Salgado, spokesperson and media officer of Vice President Jejomar Binay.

VP’s residence

The Coconut Palace will be the Vice President’s permanent office and official residence.

“Aside from security reasons, it is hard to imagine working there with caterers and wedding or birthday guests, among others, running around,” Salgado told the Inquirer.

Asked about the repairs reportedly being made at the facility, Salgado said, “The floor plan has not yet been finalized, but the OVP is working on it.”

Binay’s new office, which was built in 1978 on orders of then first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, was a “bargain,” according to Salgado.

“Our monthly rent will just be P400,000, which is half the amount we are paying now at the PNB Financial Center. And the P400,000 to be charged by GSIS is what they earn a month from the wedding and other receptions held at the Coconut Palace,” he said.

The OVP’s monthly rent at the PNB Financial Center still does not include other overhead expenses.

‘Good idea’

Considering the reduction in the OVP budget for 2011—P185.1 million from P187.3 million last year—Salgado noted that moving to the facility was a “good idea.”

Last June, President Aquino offered Binay the Coconut Palace as his official residence.

Aside from this lavish mansion built during the Marcos era, the other option was the old City Hall of Makati City, where Binay served for six terms as mayor.

Binay had thought of holding office there but the building on JP Rizal Street needed to be renovated first. He also joked that he was having trouble getting permission from the new mayor, his son and namesake, Junjun Binay.

To his staff, he complained that the Vice President, often referred to as the “spare tire” in government, did not have a permanent office and an official residence.

Binay’s lament

“A provincial governor has a governor’s mansion. The Vice President comes home to his own house,” Binay once lamented.

At the Coconut Palace, a four-hour reception normally cost P100,000, while a simple guided tour would cost P100 per head, said GSIS staff.

The facility, which stands on a 2.7-hectare property, is estimated to be worth at least P1.2 billion.

The GSIS has spent over P10 million preserving the look and feel of the original edifice, designed by architect Francisco Mañoza and made of several types of Philippine hardwood and coconut shells.

It has been used as a guest house for official guests of the Marcos government, like Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and US show biz stars Brooke Shields and George Hamilton.

– – – – –

Related News:

• Coconut Palace eyed as Binay’s office, residence (GMA News)

(photo by Jamie Lihan for Imagine Nation Photography)

An article appearing recently in Express TravelWorld says there is a growing market in Destination Weddings among Indian nationals.  It notes that Thailand attracts one of the highest number of Indian weddings annually.  And the Philippines, having hosted two Indian wedding in Cebu last year, also has potential for growth especially as Philippine Airlines launches direct flights between Manila and Delhi by March 2011.

Below is an excerpt from the article ‘I do’ on distant shores by Sudipta Dev:

Indian weddings get bigger and fatter, destination weddings have become an aspiration for the new generation of millionaires in the country. Though an emerging segment, the high returns is leading international tourism boards, airlines and hotels to concentrate on targeting this niche market.

For an industry that is estimated to be worth `1,90,000 crore and growing at an aggressive rate of 25 per cent per annum, Indian weddings is a behemoth market segment that has been spurred by the spending powers of high net worth individuals who are growing in numbers by the day.  As Indian weddings get fatter and bigger, the aspirational values also reach a highpoint – in the last five years, or so, the craze for having elaborate destination weddings overseas has led to a lot of activity in wedding travel front. Considered as a high-end tourism product, international tourism boards, airlines and hotels are proactively wooing this segment and laying out the red carpet to get a share of the pie.  From locations that span across nearby Thailand and Sri Lanka to the French Riviera and Morocco, Indian weddings are literally going places, and how.

Interestingly, destination weddings organized overseas is not just a trend of displaying opulence and reaffirmation of status, but as many industry experts argue, actually a value for money proposition– as the guest lists gets smaller and more exclusive, the cost of organizing a wedding at a five-star hotel in Thailand or Malaysia might actually prove to be more cost-effective than holding it in India.

The Philippines is yet another recently discovered destination that has emerged on the wedding map for Indians – the long haul notwithstanding.  Shilpa Sethi, general manager, Philippine Tourism, acknowledges that destinations in Philippines are being considered for weddings, especially Cebu, which was host to two Indian weddings in 2010. “Philippine Airlines has announced the launch of direct flights from March 2011.  This will be an added advantage for tapping the wedding segment as the wedding travelers prefer to fly by a direct flight. We are working on the approach on how to tap this market,” says Sethi.  The Philippine Tourism has also been promoting Boracay and Cebu as the ideal honeymooners destinations.

Wedding tourism is one of the major focuses of Thunderbird Resorts that has two properties in Philippines – in the highland oasis of Binangonan, Rizal and the peninsula of Poro Point in San Fernando, La Union.  According to Fabio Moretti, country manager, Thunderbird Resorts Philippines, Indians going to the Philippines for their weddings will feel ‘at home’ and yet experience a different and unique type of celebration. “The growing local wedding industry can provide couples with wide-ranged services and products fit for their preferences. We have creatively and meticulously prepared great wedding packages that would tailor-fit to the needs and wishes of couples. Those who have celebrated their weddings at the resort have given us commendations for the personalized service from our team,” adds Moretti. [FULL ARTICLE]

An article in Philippine Star noted that destination weddings have become very popular for the Indian community in the country as their relatives from all over the world fly into the host country to bond with loved ones and enjoy the wedding as well as the tourist attractions.  It is also a venue for youngsters to meet, party and discover that special someone and maybe fall in love. As the Fil-Indian community grows, in spite of being very modern and cosmopolitan, many of the youth retain their “desi” spirit and opt for a traditional wedding.  [source]

For wedding suppliers keen on tapping this growth market, here’s an overview on Indian weddings.  To see the grandeur and colorful festivities in an Indian wedding, watch this onsite video by Wang Videography shot in Cebu last year.

 

(PRESS RELEASE) Send out those invitations, put on your dancing shoes, and pop the champagne because if there’s anything worth celebrating, your wedding day would make it to the top of the list.   Whether you’re planning an intimate gathering or the bash of the year, the September issue of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine Philippines has all you need to make your wedding a truly special one.

It’s the smallest details that make a big impression on your guests, and the thought you put into them that makes your wedding uniquely yours. The Reception Issue of Martha Stewart Weddings this month offers expert advice on choosing and decorating your venue, top tips for choosing the right photographer, and a host of gorgeous gowns that will swish and swirl as you and your husband take that first spin on the dance floor.

This month’s issue also features over 15 real weddings that you can take inspiration from and over 165 creative ideas on how to celebrate your wedding in style. Every issue of Martha Stewart Weddings also contains an eight-page wedding workbook to help you plan and organize the many important details that will make up your wedding, as well as a directory of bridal resources to jump-start your wedding planning.

Grab a copy of the September 2010 – February 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine Philippines, now available in bookstores and newsstands nationwide for only Php 295 a copy.

(via PhilStar.com) In his first categorical statement regarding marital relationships, President Aquino – a 50-year-old bachelor – declared yesterday that he favors legal separation over divorce, which he said is a “no-no.”

“My own personal position at this point is that a study will have to be made. Divorce is a no-no, but in legal separation, that will be very, very stringent… the couple must pass through the eye of a needle,” he told Palace reporters in a chance interview.

Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of a motor show in Pasay City, P-Noy reiterated that the legal separation process should make sure that differences are indeed irreconcilable.

“We really have to ascertain that they really have irreconcilable differences,” he said.

“But at the end of the day, they are allowed to re-marry. We have legal separation today (but they) can’t marry. Kawawa naman yung mga nagkamali (Pity those who made a mistake),” he added.

“Definitely I cannot support something like what they are doing in Las Vegas, where you get married in the morning and you’ll get divorced in the afternoon,” he said.

“But I do recognize that there are unions that were wrong that no matter what interventions are done, no matter what counseling are done, they really cannot stay together,” Mr. Aquino said.

The President refused to make any comment, however, with regard to the nullity of marriage his youngest sister Kris Aquino filed against her husband James Yap, when asked whether the Office of the Solicitor General would oppose this.

It is the policy of the state to oppose the sanctity of marriage, and it is the OSG – which is under the executive department – that exercises jurisdiction in such petitions. Mr. Aquino has appointed Joel Cadiz, a supporter, as solicitor general.

“I appointed the OSG and if I make an opinion, the OSG might be guided by my opinion and that will be a disservice to the person,” he justified. “Sorry but I will look into that, because what I studied the other day was divorce.”

“And it falls to my sister. Again if I say any opinion it might influence the workings of the court, the fiscal etc. I am duty bound not to comment on this,” he said.

Women’s group Gabriela has refiled in the House of Representatives its controversial bill to legalize divorce in the country.

Representatives Luzviminda Ilagan and Emerenciana de Jesus stressed legalizing divorce would give “married couples in irreparable marriages another legal remedy that they can resort to in addition to the country’s existing laws on legal separation and annulment.”

They said a divorce law could help put an end to domestic violence that is still prevalent among married Filipino couples. The Philippines is one of only two countries in the world (excluding the Vatican) that has not legalized divorce.

“For women in abusive marital relationships, the need for a divorce law is real. It is high time that we give Filipino couples, especially the women, this option,” said Ilagan and De Jesus in the bill’s explanatory note.

The measure, now renamed House Bill 1799 (An Act Introducing Divorce in the Philippines), lists down five grounds for the filing of a petition for divorce:

1.  Petitioner has been separated de facto (in fact) from his or her spouse for at least five years at the time of the filing of the petition and reconciliation is highly improbable;
2. Petitioner has been legally separated from his or her spouse for at least two years at the time of the filing of the petition and reconciliation is highly improbable;
3. When the spouses suffer from irreconcilable differences that have caused the irreparable breakdown of the marriage;
4. When one or both spouses are psychologically incapacitated to comply with the essential marital obligations;
5. Any of the grounds for legal separation that caused the irreparable breakdown of the marriage.

– – – – – – – – – –

related articles:

• Gabriela hits Aquino on divorce; it’s not Las Vegas-style (Inquirer.net)
• Gabriela: Abused wives need divorce law (ABS-CBNnews.com)

Tomorrow, July 13, 2010, two wedding magazine titles will formally launch, in separate events, their respective latest issue simultaneously.  Here are the details:

• Metro Weddings

Metro Weddings Magazine celebrates 10 blissful years with an exhibit, aptly entitled: 10th!

View a beautiful collaboration of some of our loyal photographers, designers, stylists, makeup artists, hair stylists, and lovely cover brides in their own version of different wedding themes at the South Court, Power Plant Mall in
Rockwell.

The event will also mark the launch of their latest 10th anniversary special issue featuring beautiful bride-to-be, Celine Lopez!

 

• Wedding Essentials {WE}

Wedding Essentials magazine July- December 2010 issue: (Valerie Weigmann on cover. Photographed by Doc Marlon Pecjo at the beautiful Shangri-La Boracay. Styling by Rey Santos. Hair and Make-up by Victor Ortega. Gown by Lui & Jon)

Both titles are available in stands now. 🙂

[PRESS RELEASE] No doubt, getting married (and holding the perfect wedding!) is on most women’s minds. And, if you and your boyfriend are about to take this big, life-changing step, then we’re positive you’re confronted with these concerns: figuring out the perfect bridal dress, the theme or motif you wish to use, and your desired look on your big day. You also find yourself wondering if you and your hubby-to-be can still keep the kilig—long after your honeymoon.

Dear bride-to-be, it’s time to keep those worries at bay as Cosmopolitan Philippines brings you Cosmopolitan Bride for its June issue. Cosmopolitan Bride tackles the most pressing bride-to-be (or bride-hopefuls’) concerns, and comes in a special flip-cover release
together with Cosmopolitan Philippines’ June 2010 issue.

Here’s what to expect from Cosmopolitan Bride:

• Find out why age oftentimes plays a vital role in making your marriage last.
• Take three short quizzes to know if both you and your guy are on the same path to “I do.”
• Heed well-meaning advice from real-life couples, who know what it takes to keep the kilig long-lasting, and the love grow deeper through the years.
• Get tips on copping that bridal glow—whether you’re the blushing bride, the pretty bridesmaid, or even the fab-looking invitee.
• Take your cue from Hollywood’s best red-carpet moments for your bridal gown inspiration. There’s even one for every body type!
• Read up on five different but fantastic twists to the usual run-of-the-mill wedding trends.

Grab a copy of Cosmopolitan Philippines’ June 2010 issue, flip it over, and soak up in great wedding tips and tricks from Cosmopolitan
Bride. Banish all your bridal worries and have a very dreamy wedding!