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On June 5, 2010, Roger Francis Alcantara and Noemi Katrina dela Paz (Roj & 3na to the W@Wies) tied the knot at the Mary Immaculate Parish, better known as ‘Nature Church’ in Las Piñas City. But what got their nuptials featured in Manila Bulletin was the fact that they held their reception in a McDonald’s outlet!
Below is an excerpt from the said article:
With “I do’s” already exchanged, the newly-married couple treated their guests to the brand of fast food that they both love. Yes, the wedding reception – or “recess,” as the couple likes to call it – took place at a McDonald’s branch along Alabang-Zapote road.
It was a wedding party that was like a children’s party — and perhaps the first-ever wedding reception in a McDonald’s outlet — with an even more playful twist.
The chocolate wedding cake (by Truffle Park Co.) was fashioned to look like a Big Mac, McDonald’s flagship double-layered burger; instead of Roger and Noemi, two McDonald’s mascots were made to do the traditional Filipino Catholic wedding “money dance” while the 120 or so guests who filled the particular branch took home popular “Happy Meal” toys.
And to symbolize their union in a way utterly unique and special to them, the couple ditched the cake-tasting ceremony in favor of taking simultaneous bites out of a Big Mac.
“It was the best bite out of a Big Mac that I’ve ever had in my entire life,” said the groom. You’d better believe him; he’s had countless Big Macs in his burger-munching career. [READ FULL STORY…]
In her email posted in the W@W eGroup, 3na shared that she and her groom even went through the drive-thru window with their entourage in tow.
In sharing their story, the bride said, “I hope this serves as an inspiration to all the future brides out there. The best pa rin if you make the wedding your own. Don’t mind what other people say, kasi kami nung una, ilang beses kaming tinanong ng parents namin kung sa McDo ba talaga kami; and they ended up enjoying the party as much as we did.”
The groom’s advice is best shared with his quote in the Bulletin article: “My advice to other couples who want to tie the knot is to personalize their nuptial, if they can,” said Roj. “Why become like a million others, if you can become one in a million?”
https://weddingsatwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/WAWLOGO.png00W@W Editorhttps://weddingsatwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/WAWLOGO.pngW@W Editor2010-06-16 21:39:022010-06-16 21:39:02Couple held wedding reception at McDonald's!
Fresh from the success in the re-staging of “Rent,” 9 Works Theatrical unveils their next musical theater undertaking with the screen-to-stage adaptation of “The Wedding Singer” slated to open on October 2010 at the Meralco Theater.
The original 1998 romcom hit, starred by Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, is where the oddly popular wedding song “Grow Old with You” is from co-written by Sandler himself. In 2006, this Hollywood instant classic opened on Broadway, earning the show five Tony Awards nominations, including Best Musical.
In connection with the Philippine production, 9 Works Theatrical will be holding auditions this weekend:
March 19 (Friday) | venue: Philippine Opera Company, 15 Garcia Villa St., San Lorenzo Village, Makati City | Registration at 9am. Auditions at 11am.
March 20 (Saturday) | venue: Infinitif Dance Studio, 2/F Berris Building, 6678 Taylo St., Barangay Pio del Pilar, Makati City | Registration and Auditions at 10am. Dance Callbacks at 2pm.
They are looking for actors and singers to fill principal and supporting roles:
Robbie Hart (rock tenor, can play guitar, 25 – 35 years old) – a musician and lead singer for a trio that plays at weddings; very charismatic yet insecure with “puppy dog” appeal
Julia Sullivan (soprano, 25 – 35 years old) – Robbie’s love interest, a sweet and understanding yet naive waitress for a catering firm, comedic ingénue
Glen Guglia (baritone, 30 – 45 years old) – a calculating, money-loving Wall Street type
Holly (pop belter, 20 – 35 years old) – Julia’s bubbly, uninhibited and loveable cousin
George (baritone-tenor, strong falsetto, comic role, can rap, 20 – 35 years old) – Robbie’s flamboyantly gay, eccentric friend and fellow band member
Rosie (soprano, comic role, can rap, 50+ years old) – Robbie’s feisty grandmother
A total of 16 chorus members will be cast. There is a large chorus of singers and dancers for the wedding scenes. The dancing is 80s-inspired, so jazz training is excellent background.
Impersonators of Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Mr. T., Tina Turner, Billy Idol, Cyndi Lauper and Imelda Marcos are also needed.
Yesterday, March 5, Camille Prats finally walked down the aisle at Sanctuario De San Antonio in Forbes Park to exchange ‘I dos’ once again with husband Anthony Linsangan. Their reception was held in the Rizal Ballroom of Shangri-La Makati.
The couple first tied the knot on January 5, 2008 in a civil ceremony at Los Angeles, California witnessed by their immediate family members. A few weeks after, Camille gave birth to their first child, Nathaniel. The toddler was supposed to be his parent’s ring bearer, but he was asleep during the march. 🙂
(photo by Dino Lara)
Among the principal sponsors are Senator Miguel Zubiri, GMA-7 executive Wilma Galvante, ABS-CBN executive Cory Vidanes, GMA Films president Annette Gozon-Abrogar, Aga Muhlach, Mayor Ramon Ylagan, director Edgar Mortiz, Dr. Manny Calayan, and Camille’s manager Arnold Vegafria.
Actor John Prats, the bride’s eldest brother, and Angelica Panganiban, stood as cord sponsors. Marvin Agustin and Marco Alcaraz were among the groomsmen, while Diana Zubiri and Iya Villania stood as bridesmaids.
Kyla sang “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” as the bride walked towards the altar.
The bride’s gown was a Rajo Laruel creation. The designer said “the dress is a little bit extraordinary because it’s not your traditional white. It’s a combination of different tones of gold, ivory and champagne…the whole bodice is actually quite intricate and took a long time to make, almost about three and half months. The crystals are all Austrian Swarovski, and they form a certain pattern. We wanted something almost fantasy in its inspiration. You know, befitting somebody like Camille who is princess-like.”
Watch this ‘star-studded’ onsite video below edited by Jason Magbanua. For more photographs taken during the wedding, head on to Dino Lara’s blog.
Malaysian-born singer Fish Leong got married to Taiwanese businessman Tony Chao in a beach wedding at Discovery Shores last Monday. The bride is well-known in the Mandarin pop scene and has had much success in Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. Jasmine Leong (Fish’s stage name) is known as “the Queen of Love Songs” and famous for her love-themed ballads, many of which have become popular KTV hits.
Talks about her planned island wedding came out as early as October last year. Channel News Asia reported that the Fish originally wanted to hold her wedding on the island of Boracay where around 50 relatives and friends were to be invited. The bridegroom was also prepared to bear all expenses including accommodation and flights estimated to be worth S$100,000. But due to the recent storms and floods in the Philippines, the couple is now considering either Okinawa or Guam as an alternative. The following month, Fish laid down guidelines for upcoming wedding.
Luckily, their original plans to hold here wedding here pushed through. The couple flew in their own hair & makeup artist and photographer from Taiwan. A few photos from the wedding can be viewed here.
The Philippines’ very own, Mayad Studios covered the wedding and did the SDE (same-day-edit) video which can be seen below. Amanda Tirol of Boracay Weddings was the couple’s wedding planner, and April & Karen Yu did the bouquets.
The Philippines has hosted the weddings of other big names in world of Chinese entertainment. In 2006, Hong Kong actors Nicholas Tse & Cecilia Cheung got married in a private wedding organized by their Filipina maid. Early last year, another HK celebrity couple (Dickie Cheung & Zhang Qian), had their wedding held in San Agustin Church in Manila.
Below is an article about Tony & Fish’s wedding as reported by Singapore’s Strait Times.
– – – – – – – – – –
BORACAY (Philippines) Malaysian singer Fish Leong married Taiwanese businessman Tony Chao in a beach wedding on Monday, said reports.
At the ceremony at Discovery Shores resort, she was led down the aisle by her mentor, singer-songwriter Jonathan Lee, and was in tears before she took her vows. Her bridesmaid, singer Penny Tai, yelled at her not to cry and mess up her make-up.
After the 31-year-old bride and 34-year-old groom exchanged rings in front of more than 50 guests, she choked as she told him: ‘Thank you for loving me.’
Her bridal dress was by Vera Wang and her diamond wedding band was by Cartier, said the report.
Lee, who was a chief witness to the nuptials, said: “I’m the first man who brought her into the music industry when she was 17. Today, I entrust her to the second man in her life.”
The couple, who dated for about two years, will live in Taipei.
https://weddingsatwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/WAWLOGO.png00W@W Editorhttps://weddingsatwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/WAWLOGO.pngW@W Editor2010-02-03 15:02:262015-10-12 08:49:52Asian pop star married in Boracay!
Yesterday morning, Dominic Velasco of Imacron posted in his FB account a video montage of some of the weddings his company has covered in the mid-to-late 90s. That was a time when analog and gen-loss (generation loss) were bywords in wedding videography, and final output were handed to newlyweds in VHS cassette. The clip’s obvious lack of crisp in color we’re typical during the pre-digital age. It’s cool to think that the weddings in the video preceeds the YouTube era.
Dom tagged the couples in his friends’ list who appeared in the video (all are married for 10 to 15 years already at this time), with a note that ‘un-couples’ can opt to untag themselves. Fair enough. hehehe
Here’s Imacron’s ‘old school’ wedding montage.
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Raymond is part of the Top Ten (actually 11 for there was a tie in one slot) wedding suppliers for 2009. They were formally introduced via video presentations especially done for us by Chug Cadiogan. The production of the video took several days for Chug and his team did not just interview the awardees; but followed each of them while at work, and even shot ‘mini-me’ versions of each supplier complete with props and costume!
We’re presenting these clips here in the same order the were presented last night.
From the list above comes the Top 5 Wedding Suppliers of 2009!
And finally, the man of the hour: the 2009 Supplier of the Year!
Mabuhay ang Top 10! 🙂
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From up the stage, we could see Cecilio Abad as his name was announced. We saw how all the girls he dressed-up went around him to kiss, hug and wipe his tears away (parang Miss U!). We also saw how all the photographers aimed their lenses to that table to capture the moment.
Cecil was still in tears as he made his acceptance speech. What made it more touching was that he brought his whole staff with him up the stage. He also made mention of how Veluz (2005 Supplier of the Year) helped him in running his couture business. Truly, a testament of the industry’s community spirit which is essentially the “theme” of the whole event.
We asked Bob Nicolas to do the W@Wie Awards AVP for this year. To say that Bob simply delivered is a great disservice to the guy. He (with his wife Lette) rented a state-of-the-art studio for the interview of the Top 10, and even went to actual weddings (not his clients’) just to capture clips of these suppliers at work. Really, the guy is always all about pushing the limit.
Below, we present The 2008 W@Wie Awards video in order they appeared in the program.
But before we announced the 2008 Supplier of the Year (SOTY), we called up on stage the past SOTY winners (from 2003 to 2007) to elevate them to the Hall of Fame. A video was shown to honor them especially done for us by Threelogy. It’s basically a montage of photos and text. Boring right? But not when it’s made by these guys. See what I mean…
Immediately after that, the winner was announced through this video and this humble guy from Ormoc went up the to join the Hall of Famers. Same surrealism. Same stage. Same trophy.
Congrats, Cecil! Benz & I are truly proud of you and the work you do! 🙂
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When a photographer pieces together images taken by a camera set in continuous shutter mode, the effect is much like a video in staccato: choppy & non-fluid. It’ much like an 8MM film output (think Charlie Chaplain walking with his cane). Or like a stop motion animation (think Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” music video) feel to it. This tedious process is called Photomotion.
When I first heard of the term, I searched via youtube and vimeo for a nice wedding coverage utilizing this same style, but I didn’t find any.
In early February, wedding photographer Fol Rana, Jr. toyed with this idea and asked for any W@Wie volunteer willing to play “guinea pig” as he planned to experiment with this technique in an actual wedding. Arman & She who just married recently took up the challenge. During the reception of the newlyweds, Fol succeeded in showing a same-day edit made out of 7,000 still images chronologically pieced together to move. Indeed, it’s a fresh and unique way of presenting wedding photographs instead of presenting by means of the usual sildeshow.
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(photo by Edwin Tuyay) Last February 12, Jay Contreras(frontman of the band Kamikaze) married Sarah Abad(sister of actress Kaye Abad) in a ceremony held at Paco Park. Their color motif? BLACK. The entourage and wedding guests were all wearing dresses and suits in that color yet the general tone didn’t look morbid at all. At best, it came out unconventional and fun simply looking at the pictures. Even the bride’s gown was accentuated by a black waistband which looked elegant. The groom’s long hair was even braided while the couple’s tattoos provided a refreshing contrast to the typical wedding photos.
Their chosen wedding ceremony venue was a bit controversial for a few as we read some comments in couple of personal blogs who have posted about this celebrity wedding. A few felt that having a ‘cemetery’ for a venue was a bit too weird or creepy for their taste. So we feel a little clarification is in order:
[source: wikipedia] “Paco Park was once Manila’s municipal cemetery during the Spanish colonial period. But burial or interment at the place already ceased in 1912. Descendants of those who were buried in the park had the remains of their ancestors transferred. A Roman Catholic chapel was built inside the walls of the Paco Park (Chapel of St. Pancratius). It has since become a very popular venue for weddings and receptions for couples who prefer a garden-like settings.”
Here are a few more links to see the wedding pictures of Jay & Sarah:
At the PowerPlant Cinema 4 lobby, these posters were on display. From the feedbacks we got, some attendees thought nothing of those. They simply presumed that those were posters of actual movies. Only guests who did a second take realized that the posters were of the five videographers and boy, were they pleasantly surprised! Props to MetroPhoto for the concept and photography. Benz & I didn’t realize how expensive those special backlit posters were to get printed. Hopefully, we get to find a printer which will sponsor those next time. See the W@W VideoFest poster layouts here(although the effect is not quite the same seeing them by the cinema lobby).
Beginning of our Pride & Joy
A big part of W@W’s success is the W@Wies. Benz & I would never take that credit away from them. They are the ones who brought forth undiscovered talents that are now some of the wedding industry’s biggest names. They are the ones who introduce W@W to the uninitiated wedding supplier.
Like what I said in W@W-SDG (Suppliers’ Discussion Group) before, W@W is not a “training school” for bridezillas. We do not mold a person and shape their character. W@W empowers the soon-to-weds, that much we can own up to. We NEVER asked any suppliers to be wary, or give any special treatment to W@Wie brides. Its a pressure that these suppliers impose to themselves. But W@W sometimes get the flack for their self-imposed pressure. It’s unfair but it’s a trade-off that we have come to accept.
Among the greatest joys we got in our lifetime were gifts from the W@Wies. For Benz, one of the greatest things ever done for her was when a group of W@Wies (they call themselves ‘CaliPanga’) planned a surprise 5th wedding anniversary party/Renewal of Vows for Benz & I (it was supposed to be for both of us, but I foiled their plans midway and left them with no choice but to let me in the surprise). The money spent for the event was raised out of their own pockets. We know that soon-to-weds save up for their own weddings and yet, this group chose to shell out a chunk of what they could’ve been added in their wedding budget, for us.
Another was when the N@Wies gifted us with two scrapbooks filled with thank you notes on how W@W/N@W touched their personal lives. One line from one of those letters is still stuck in Benz’ mind. It came from a new mom who uprooted herself from Cebu to join her husband who was then newly assigned in Manila. With no friends and family in an unfamiliar city, she found ‘home’ in N@W. Her message goes like this…
“Because of N@W, I am happy. And a happy person is a happy wife and a happy mother.”
These humbling gestures and kind words is what make our job the best in the world! Some say maintaining an online community is a thankless job. Since day one, it has never been the case with W@W.
He started in the wedding industry in 2000, a year after W@W. Since we were then the “newbies” in the industry, we naturally gravitated towards each other. He saw how W@W evolved throughout the years. Thus, he was an obvious choice for the 1st W@W Video Fest.
His name is now a brand bigger than W@W. Why, the guy deserves a videofest all to himself!
Strip away the friendship factor, Benz & I are honored that he even joined the videofest. But J-Mag never changed despite his success (although his pricing increased in leaps & bounds!). Maybe a little backgrounder is in order here.
Prior to his entry, soon-to-weds needed to shell out a big chunk of money to have a great and entertaining wedding video. We spent P40,000 for our 1998 wedding just to afford Imacron. Either that or we could have gone to a photo & video studio and spent way lesser and wouldn’t have waited for several months just to see our final video. But as they say, you can’t rush art. 🙂
Then in the year 2000, this one-man-show from Lucena entered the scene. His rate back then was P7,000. He positioned himself as the “3rd option.” The first generation W@Wies were truly lucky. It’s like they bought a painting of an unknown but talented artist who got a shot at fame in less than a decade. We knew the guy’s an artist more than a businessman. It was the effect of his true-blue Jesuit upbringing. He was okay with his rate and just too happy to earn some extra bucks to augment his measly salary of being a teacher (he chose to mentor in an all-girls school, so go figure!), and a DJ (he was “J-man” in Lucena City’s FM radio).
Fast forward to 2009. Soon-to-weds still pay big money (bigger in fact!) to book a good videographer. Couples still wait for months to get their wedding video. So what has this “wonder boy” done to get all the adulation he’s seems to be getting now? After all, the wedding videography sector is still the same. Today, Jason Magbanua charges P95,000 a pop. Has he sold his soul to the devil?!!
The answer is no. But the substance of his story lies within what he has done between those times. A cliffhanger that will serve as a precursor to what will be the 2nd W@W VideoFest in 2010.
Believe it or not, Jason was actually very pressured doing the video below for the 1st W@W VideoFest. We think its because it already reached a point that people expect nothing less from him. His name is among the “25 Hottest & Most Influencial Videographers in the World.” He continuously inspires fellow videographers (both here and abroad) with the work he does. He opened door for other Pinoy videographers to showcase their talents internationally. He helped shape the notion that the Philippines is the hub of great wedding videographers. He raised the bar for others in the local wedding industry to follow suit. He brought pride to a country that’s in need of more people to inspire its people.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the work of a very good friend and an inspiration… Jason Magbanua.
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(just some of the wedding suppliers who attended the videofest [click to enlarge] | photo by ImagineNation)
Lighten up! Don’t take yourself too seriously.
That may be one of the most valuable lesson we’ve learned after the videofest. With all the good words we’ve heard in the five videos presented last Friday, it’s hard not to get carried away. We have to constantly remind ourselves that its just one side of the coin.
Beginning of change
Truth be told, we are aware that there are some suppliers who feels the exact opposite. Usually, it stems from a bad feedback from their client who happens to be a W@Wie. We understand that it’s hard not to take it personally when a supplier hears a negative comment about their product or the services they’ve rendered especially if they think the feedback is inaccurate or exaggerated. We should know. We’ve been exactly in the same boat when an affected supplier takes it personally and starts to blame everything on W@W. We were always on the defense when W@W’s reputation is on the line. Come to think of it, maybe we still are. But realization is always the start of change. 🙂
If you’re a wedding supplier and you get a negative feedback, try to let it slide and take it with a grain of salt. All of us could learn something from criticisms and do better the next time. Things like that will be only as big a deal as you make it. Yes, it may bother you but you have the option to move on and re-focus that energy into pleasing your other clients, W@Wie or not. We honestly believe that truth always comes out in the end.
But if you feel that a comment made in the group may adversely affect your business due to inaccuracy, please let us know and we will air your side of the story in the group. We just humbly ask that you don’t take bad feedbacks against Benz & I or W@W in general because its really hard to help someone who is also critical of us and how we do things here. We’re just human and cannot be magnanimous all the time. Be assured that we have everyone’s best interest in mind. It’s always been a balancing act. Some suppliers may think that we are pro-W@Wies. By presenting the supplier’s side of the story, it’s inevitable that the concerned W@Wie would think that we favor that certain supplier. No matter how good our intentions are, we’ve come to accept that we simply cannot please everybody.
I apologize if the above post dampens anyone’s spirit. I tend to get sentimental (read: balat sibuyas) in milestones such as this. But I just have to unburden and get that off my chest. I know it’s not exactly a fair segue considering how fun and lighthearted the video below is. I just take comfort in the fact that the featured videographers today are three of the closest I have in this industry.
About the videographers
Our friendship with these guys have gone a long way. Way before W@W ever existed. I’m talking about the guys of Threelogy.
Actually, if we relate the Threelogy boys to the cast of “Friends,” Jon would be Ross, Bong is Chandler and CJ is undeniably Joey. Bwahaha! 😀 People love working with them. How could I tell? Well I’ve heard clients call CJ “teddybear.” and witnessed a wedding planner called Bong a “gigolo”. Come to think of it, Jon is the only one who seems distant. But behind his couldn’t-care-less-facade, he’s actually someone who goes out of his way to lend a hand without ever needing to seek it.
These guys make hard work seem fun and easy. Christian Andaya, their fellow videographer, couldn’t have described them it in a better way:
“I love the guys! they are really “COOL”. I was also privileged to shoot & work with them (maybe play is the right word because, it’s like they’re just playing while covering an event). They are really generous in giving advice, how to maximize time in editing an onsite video & to show grace under extreme pressure.”
These guys may not take themselves too seriously but their passion in their work shows in their output. That is immediately apparent in their videofest presentation. All the suppliers they interviewed were obviously comfortable around them. The trailer they did for the videofest gave us a glimpse of that. Having given the chance to see parts of the unedited footage made me wish that I was there with them to join the fun. Felt like I missed a party.
That trailer too showed that these guys, specifically Bong who edited the project, delivers more than what is expected of them. It was done when Bong was waiting for his creative juices to flow for the intended main feature. The trailer was direct result of his “idle” mind. Indeed, It’s sometimes frustrating to have a friend who thrives in what seem like a very stressful situation.
A three-time W@Wie Awards Top 10 (2005, 2006 & 2007), and twice landing on the Top 5. They have consistently been the W@Wie’s favorite.
They are my sounding board and on very few occasions, my emotional punching bag, when things get too stressful. Benz told me that my friendship with them stood the test of time. Men are not big in BFF stuff, but I’ve been through it all with these three — from my very memorable bachelor’s party and up until this very day. 😉
Lighten up! Don’t take yourself too seriously. — That’s a very valuable lesson I’ve picked up from these guys.
Personally, it’s hard to write about these guys without being wary that some people may think my compliments are biases brought about by deeply rooted friendship. I’ll stop here and let their work speak for itself.
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“Hello! My name is WeddingsAtWork.com. You may call me W@W for short. I am 10 years old.”
That’s not something like W@W would say if it’s personified. Maybe because W@W has never been just one person. In its inception, W@W may well be just Benz & me. But, by what seemed overnight, W@W vibrantly turned into a community of soon-to-weds. Slowly, W@W is now evolving into, not just a community of marrying & married couples, but THE community for wedding suppliers as well. A community that constantly grows and continues to evolve.
But if you look at it as a wedding-related undertaking, then everything changes. Benz is the face of W@W. She’s the ‘mommy’ of the W@Wies, a friend to the N@Wies, and a colleague to wedding suppliers. She gets to talk to them both online and offline. Me? I’m the introverted husband who does what he pleases when not forced to tag along. 😀 hahaha!
But if you strip W@W with all the love and goodwill — essentially it’s heart & soul — then W@W is simply just a website.
Not too may know that Benz & I aren’t web designers. I write and work best in a hush environment, while she’s good around people. Benz deals with replying to emails while I update the blog. It’s just us who handle and operate the website’s day-to-day concerns. But the back-end — the technical, complicated and boring stuff — is handled by the good guys of Havoc Digital Media. They are the heroes of the day when the site is down or when hackers attack! (take a virtual bow, you guys!)
Beginnings
W@W is our baby. We launched it in a bridal fair back when our other baby (Kite, our biological one) was four months on the way out in a world where parents sleep during daytime and work at night.
We paid for an exhibit space with nothing to sell but an idea.
A snapshot during our 1999 launch. Notice the “high-tech” 32-bit, 386 computer at the background. That was an era when monitors weren’t flat, keyboards were clanky and the mouse was as cute as an ugly rodent.
Indeed, it’s hard to explain a website creatively without boring you guys. 😀
About the videographer
Videographer? That sounds like a misnomer as I write about Bob Nicolas today. For in the W@W VideoFest, he was not a videographer. He was a cinematographer.
I first noticed Bob’s work when we were filling the lineup for an AVP Week a couple of years ago. His work was featured side-by-side with the more experienced videographers: Imacron, Jason Magbanua and Threelogy. Two slots were reserved for two new “discoveries”: an indie-ish, edgy photo/video company from Naga called MangoRed(they have since focused in photography), and Bob Nicolas — a guy who happened to brand his video by his name. In those days, only Jason Magbanua dared (and succeeded!) branding his video with his name. I think that’s what mystified me with Bob at that time. His pride with his work, consciously or unconsciously, transcended with his branding. And the guy didn’t disappoint. Collectively speaking, it is by far my favorite AVP Week. 🙂
In the last W@Wie Awards, Bob was already part of the Top 10.
But for somebody who takes great pride in his work, Bob comes off as very shy and timid in person. But we also heard he unleashed the party animal in him at Jason’s birthday party but we left not late enough to witness it. So maybe, Bob Nicolas is a paradox. The guy doesn’t mystify me anymore, he confuses me! bwahaha! 😀
In the videofest, Bob seemed to have been assigned the hardest topic to cover – the website. Benz & I were actually hoping that Bob would contact us to give him names of resource people whom he could interview. We wanted to help, but in hindsight, we are glad Bob didn’t feel the need to seek it for he knew exactly what to do.
I call his concept high-brow. For who would ever think of a mountain location if all you need is to discuss a website? The unexpected location made his video a feast for the eyes. The background music in the opening sequence was mystical and haunting. Screen filled with images of dried leaves being blown away by the humid wind as brides meander barefoot deep into the woods. Sunrise & sunset. Symbolisms he may well wanted the viewers to interpret in whatever way they please.
But personally, I felt that those images provided the soft palette needed to present something so technical without compromising art. A fusion of the romance of wedding & the benefits of technology which, essentially, what W@W is all about.
And since Bob is the cinematographer, someone else was tasked to make the script. Dyoks (ni Selle) — a W@Wie and his former client — came on board to assist Team Nicolas.
Watch as Bob shares with us this cinematic experience.
https://weddingsatwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/WAWLOGO.png00W@W Editorhttps://weddingsatwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/WAWLOGO.pngW@W Editor2009-02-04 13:52:232015-04-19 00:57:22W@W VideoFest aftermath: The Website
W@W’s 10th anniversary is a milestone and the first ever W@W VideoFest(plans for a second one is underway) will go down W@W history as the first-ever red carpet event we ever hosted throughout these years.
And as they say, history is best documented in words and photographs. So here are just some of the pictures taken during the event (we’ll add links to other albums as soon as they become available).
W@W was a direct result of our personal wedding site, 1026 Online!(read more about 1026 here). Having done it only a couple of months after our wedding, we consider W@W as our baby.
That’s probably the reason why we used to get so defensive whenever we hear people talk — usually suppliers who got a bad feedback/review from a W@Wie and took it against me & Benz or the community in general. But through the years, we’ve come to accept that it has become part of handling an online community such as W@W.
About the videographer
Tackling more of the history of W@W in the videofest was Shierdan Pamintuan.
Dan is one videographer who had a roller-coaster affair with W@W & the W@Wies. He booked his first W@Wie client in 2006 and he was named one of the Top 5 suppliers in the W@Wie Awards later that same year.
But with the deluge of W@Wie bookings, he was later plagued with what we call the videographers’ curse: BACKLOGS! But Dan was never one who took bad feedbacks personally nor did he blame W@W for that unfortunate turn of events.
Today, bulk of Dan’s projects are not just wedding coverages but corporate videos as well.
His background in corporate presentations is immidiately obvious in his videofest submission. His treatment was straightforward and the voiceover (Randy Balaguer) lent an instructional video feel to his work. What’s amazing is that the script he used in his presentation were bits & pieces from different newspaper and magazine features about W@W. It was like a research paper on video complete with bibliography at the end credits. He translated these information from paper to video then inserted clips of Benz & I for our own personal inputs about W@W’s history.
I particularly liked the lighting in Dan’s video. He even brought a lighting director when he & his wife Jen went to our house for the interview. Too bad, the quality of the embedded video below doesn’t give justice to what was seen on the big screen.
And just like most of the videographers I know who are reputed crammers (they get a certain rush doing onsite wedding videos, right?), Dan works best under pressure. With the necessary revisions and tweaking as showtime drew near, he and Jen were sleepless. So tired that they just had to take a power nap inside the PowerPlant Cinema 4 a couple of hours prior to screening.
His work on the W@W VideoFest is sort of a comeback movie and proof that when a roller coaster goes down, it goes right back up again just like what he has already proven. A recent W@Wie client even call him ‘the magician.’
Here’s the result of their sleepless nights. 🙂
https://weddingsatwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/WAWLOGO.png00W@W Editorhttps://weddingsatwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/WAWLOGO.pngW@W Editor2009-02-03 12:53:572015-04-19 00:57:32W@W VideoFest aftermath: History
This coming January 30, 2009, five videographers will showcase their work in Rockwell’s Power Plant Cinema 4 as the opening salvo for W@W’s 10th Anniversary Celebration. It will be the first-ever W@W Video Fest!
The participants in this first-ever wedding digital video festival in the country are only five among the most admired videographers in W@W and in the wedding industry in general. Debuting on the big screen are works of Jason Magbanua, Threelogy, Bob Nicolas, Shierdan Pamintuan and Phoeben Teocson.
Late last month, Oly Ruiz and the rest of his MetroPhoto team(shoutouts to Rommel & Tania!) did this kick-ass pictorial with these videographers as willing subjects (read: cam-whores! hahaha!). Some of the images taken from that session will serve as backlit posters at the cinema lobby on the night of the event. Jody Liwanag and her team at Events Experts is hopping on board to help us make sure that the whole event would run smoothly.
Here’s a clip of what transpired during the shoot:
The video teaser above is a collaboration — with the footage shot by Bob Nicolas and his brother RJ Nicolas, and edited by Threelogy. Special thanks to Jesy Alto + Steve Pagsanjan of The Color Artistry for grooming the bad boys for the shoot. Of course, we would also like to acknowledge Juancho & Meanne of Sensitivity Light and Sounds for providing us the smoke machine needed for some shots, and to Carol and Gerry for allowing us to shoot in their warehouse. 🙂
Watch this space for updates on how to get free invites to this exclusive event.
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If you’ve been following a season of Heidi Klum’s Project Runway, its Philippine franchise may disappoint in terms of the show’s production values. Having seen an episode, it’s immediately apparent that the American reality television series is far superior in editing, lighting, sound having done it for five seasons already.
But what the local production lacks in the technical aspect, the Pinoy contestants/designers makes up for their creativity, ingenuity, and ‘bitchiness’. Project Runway Philippines‘ 6th episode is particularly noteworthy since that’s when the judges (Rajo Laurel, Apples Aberin-Sahdwani and host Teresa Herrera) were collectively blown-away with most of the designs the came down the runway.
Below is a synopsis of that particular episode:
“The remaining designers were introduced to their models who were wearing wedding dresses picked out of thrift stores. The challenge was to create a bridal gowns using at least 50 percent of the shabby, inexpensive dresses worn by their chosen models. They were also given P3,000 (roughly US$65) and 20 minutes to shop for additional materials, as well as two days to complete their design. The winner received immunity for the next challenge.”
One designer (Philipp) used a tablecloth for his additional fabric for his bridal creation. Eli Gonzales (the winner of this challenge) made a gown inspired by a labandera’s tapis (laundrymaid’s wraparound) that his lola used to wear. The design relies on drapes and knots and didn’t involved actual sewing.
We’re posting links to the YouTube clips of that episode divided into five segments. We suggest though (especially to the bride-to-bes) that you don’t just jump to the runway show, and watch it from the start to better appreciate the creative process involved in making a bridal gown. 🙂
The show’s nearing it’s finale. The final runway show will be held on Oct. 23 | 7pm | SMX Convention Center – Function Room 4 at the 3rd floor, and it’s strictly by invitation only. The final three who will show their collection at the Philippine Fashion Week are: Veejay Floresca, Aries Lagat, and Philipp Tampus.
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