Cecile and Lemjay

Groom Lemjay Lucas and bride Cecile Jagua were wed in May 3, 2014.

Many W@Wies from 2012 to 2014 know Cecile (and Lemjay). She was active at the Weddings at Work Yahoogroups and event went to meet-ups and parties. She was so active in the W@W community that Benz herself agreed to be their wedding ninang. It was no wonder she received the “Always Present” Award during the W@W Grand EB of 2013.

Let’s take a look at how their wedding came to be:

The Preparations
Lemjay was based in Singapore, while Cecile was in Manila. Despite being in a long-distance relationship, this didn’t stop them from being hands-on in preparing their big day.

Cecile joined W@W a month after getting engaged and the community provided her the sounding board she needed. “I found sisters/brothers na naiintindihan ako and no need to explain pa our two-year engagement.”

W@W helped Cecile and Lemjay complete their roster of suppliers with reputable people since joining the community gave them access to feedback from fellow brides and grooms. Who are their suppliers, you ask? Read on.

Church: San Antonio de Padua
They booked Hacienda Isabella and asked for recommendations regarding nearby churches. San Antonio was one of the recommendations. Cecile visited the church in November 2012 to book their slot.

Come wedding day, Cecile said, “Lalong gumanda ang church dahil sa mga bulaklak ni Serge (Igonia) at isama pa ang maraming nakapark na sasakyan at ang magara kong bridal car.”’

Reception Venue: Hacienda Isabella

They didn’t really have a specific venue in mind. They just wanted one in Tagaytay since they spent their second anniversary there. They looked for venues online and liked photos of Hacienda.

On May 2, the day before their wedding, everyone experienced the hospitality of Hacienda as they checked in. The staff also followed the room assignments that Cecile made even if Cecile and Lemjay weren’t there yet when other guests arrived.

According to Cecile, her favorite part of the day was the “dance floor na may monogram.”

Bridal Gown: CA Design Team and Vidal Clayton
They were chosen because Cecile and Lemjay believed in their capacity to deliver, plus “magaan ang loob [ni Cecile] sa kanila”. She describes her gown as “way beyond her expectations”. Clayton was earliest to arrive at the preps venue.

Groom’s Suit: Veejay Floresca
The groom’s attire was their dilemma – they didn’t know whether to buy off the rack or to have one customized. Since Lemjay could not decide, Cecile took matters into her own hands and said she will give this to him as her gift—her only contribution to the wedding. She was also the one who decided on Veejay.

They met during Veejay’s vacation in the Philippines. Cecile recalled, “Very detailed si Lemjay sa gusto niyang suit, kaya naman natutuwa sa kanya sina Veejay and Bryan (Veejay’s assistant).”

Cecile only had these to say, “Ang pogi ng mister ko. Ang cute ng color ng suit niya eh, very unique and very Lemjay.”

Caterer: K by Cunanan Catering
K by Cunanan was non-negotiable for the couple and they had their first food tasting when Lemjay came home in June 2012. K by Cunanan delivered with excellent service. Cecile is thankful as well to Nina, the account executive of K by Cunanan.

Videographer: Bob Nicolas Videography
Choosing the photo and video teams was assigned to Lemjay. Since Cecile’s bezcuz (short for best cousin) was getting married as well and she got Bob Nicolas, Cecile and Lemjay started browsing his site and watching his videos. They were very pleased with all the videos so Cecile sought them out in the Sept 2012 bridal fair she attended.

“Super bait ni Bob and nung mga brothers niya at team niya. Na-surprise kami sa SDE. Napaluha ulit kami ni Lemjay,” Cecile gushed.

Photographer: Joel H. Garcia Photography
In 2012, Cecile started asking if she could book the team. Since their calendar was not yet open, Cecile continued her inquiries until early 2013. Ma-anne, Joel’s then fiancée, agreed with the booking. She also gave them a price lock of 2012 rates since she was their first bride who inquired two years ahead.

“No regrets talaga na sila ang kinuha,” Cecile said. “Ang galing mag-detail nina Joel and Ma-anne. Grabe ang eye nila. Nacapature ang moments namin ni Lemjay.”

Florist: Vatel Manila
She found Vatel Manila because of her bezcuz, as well. “I love the entourage flowers, pati sa mommies, flower girls, ninangs, and ninongs,” she said. There were a few hitches but overall, she felt everything went well.

HMUA: Keighty Wong of MK Make-up & Studio
Cecile has known Keighty because they were classmates at HD Make-up Academy. Aside from giving her a friendly rate, Keighty also extended Cecile a free trial make-up session. On their wedding day, Keighty gave her the perfect make-up and even gave free make-up and hair styling to the flower girls.

Entourage Dresses: Cheesecake
Cheesecake, makers of infinity dresses, was a W@W find. Because Cecile didn’t want the members of her entourage to be hassled with fitting schedules, Cheesecake readily accommodated her.

Cecile just went to Glorietta to meet with Agatha to choose a swatch that she likes. Agatha then sent her a measurement guide, which Cecile gave to her entourage. After a few months, she picked up the dresses with each one placed in reusable bags. Cecile loved how the entourage made sure each dress was different in design.

Bridal Car: JCA Bridal Car Rentals
Cecile contacted JCA via Facebook. She was able to exchange messages with Rudolph. They really wanted the Cadillac but it was more expensive so they opted for the Studebaker. There was a mix-up with the reservation, however, and so Cecile chose another car.

On the day of the wedding, traffic was heavy. Miles, the assigned driver, calmed her down by playing wedding songs.

Photobooth: Contact Live Photography
She described the admin of CLIP as easy to talk to. When she booked the supplier, CLIP even gave her extra minutes even when they exceeded the number of booked hours.

 

Emcee: Mallory Ferrer-Cosio
Cecile heard about Mallory even before she got engaged. After she and Lemjay watched the YouTube videos of Mallory, they became convinced. On the day, Mallory did really well that even guests from other countries praised her.

Church Floral Arrangement: Serge Igonia of Loi Floral Sense
Serge is one of Cecile’s W@W finds. She wanted the sampaguita effect for the church aisle but let the idea go because of budget constraints. A few days before the wedding, however, she got a call from Serge, who said he had a gift for them—the sampaguita aisle! “Amoy na amoy ko ang fresh sampaguita at ang gandang tingnan,” Cecile gushed.

Cakes and cupcakes: Toy Cakes and Pastries
Chef Francis Arcabos was also a W@W find. Cecile found him easy to talk to and down to earth. They went to Chef Kiko’s house for the final detailing and even got 50 cupcakes for free. Cecile was very happy with the cake as it was delicious and even had a cute topper.

 

Lights and Sounds: Artuz101 Professional Lights and Sound System
Artuz was a suggestion of Hacienda Isabella because the supplier was Cavite-based and was familiar with Hacienda. Cecile said everything they agreed on was implemented well.

Stylist: Gideon Hermosa of The Events Studio
Cecile described Gids as nice and down to earth. She also credited him for changing their theme from vintage travel to photographs and memories. She booked his semi-styling package so Gids handled their photobooth backdrop. Cecile and Lemjay also loved the string lights the staff installed.

Choir/Musicians: Totally Mesmerized
Totally Mesmerized is another bezcuz-related find. Since Cecile would accompany her cousin to meet-ups, she met them, as well. Lemjay heard them during the wedding of Cecile’s cousin and they decided right then and there to book the group.

Mobile Bar: Sober Club
Cecile tasted their concoctions during the surprise bridal and stag party for Mimma and Didda of Weddings at Work. She asked for the card and found Jenny accommodating. Cecile noted that the set-up registered well in the wedding photos.

Design and Layout (digital designs): The Pretty Palette by OJ
Cecile had this to say, “Super thanks kay Mommy OJ at nakuha niya ang gusto namin. Super ganda ng invites namin and unique.” Incidentally, OJ and Cecile were both W@Wies before OJ decided to be a supplier. Cecile also credited OJ for their door signs, bridal car sign, missalette layout, picture game layout, and photobooth layout.

Invitation Printing: Elyn Cordova of Concepts and Technology
Cecile met with Elyn twice only—first for the sample print of OJ’s design and second, to get all the printed copies for distribution. She found Elyn nice and easy to deal with. The printing of the invites went without any hitch.

Tent Rental: Tent King

She found them because she needed to look for tents for K by Cunanan’s buffet area. Even if they are based in Tagaytay, they still had an OOT fee since Hacienda is farther than other venues. When they arrived to check in on May 2, a day before the wedding, Tent King was already setting up.

Wedding Essentials: Pretty Little Details
Before Donna Salgado was a W@Wie before she became a supplier. She promised to help Cecile with the wedding and true enough, she made the letters L&C, holders for their coins, rings, and Bible, their monogram stamp, love story board, and printed photos of Lemjay and Cecile. She even brought them all the way to Antipolo. She also printed their missalettes, door signs, and car sign.

Many of their wedding suppliers were W@W finds and the couple was grateful. They also loved how so many W@Wies helped make their wedding successful. “Thank you, W@W Community, dahil sa mga naging friends ko na I know I will treasure and have for a lifetime. I’ll be a W@Wie by heart forever.”