After the wedding and courtyard reception, close kin and friends of Sen. Mar and Korina Roxas headed to his clan?s ancestral home for a fun get-together

IT?S EASY TO PULL off an elegant Filipiniana wedding reception?at a very scaled-down budget at that?if you have competent professionals running the show from behind the scenes.



For this week?s high-profile wedding of Sen. Mar Roxas and broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez, the memorable production was as much the result of polished skill as a labor of love on the part of Margarita Forés, restaurateur-chef, now also florist, a cousin of the groom.



It was Forés? Fiori di M, with the help of Loreto (formerly of Toni Parsons? 517 Flowers) and Serge Igonia, a sampaguita and camia specialist from San Pedro, Laguna, who spruced up both the Sto. Domingo Church and the church?s courtyard with old style local blooms.



Forés and her team used rosal, camia clusters and sampaguita blooms and strands, artesia berries and white blooms, bouvardia, Baguio ivy?on the pews? swags, as centerpieces on the cocktail tables. They also designed the entourage?s posies, bunched and gathered simply with satin, velvet, grosgrain and cotton ribbons in shades of the wedding motif.



Production designer for the church was Gino Gonzalez.



Forés? all-Filipino menu for the simple merienda reception held at the church?s courtyard also had personal touches, featuring her home recipes and ingredients sourced from all over the country.



The pan de sal sandwiches were filled with the chef?s own recipe of galantina; adobo and kesong puti from Malagos, Davao and Laguna; Negros chorizo and mayonesa; Iloilo suahe and Capiz pitik with kalamansi mayonesa from Bacolod and Tagaytay kamatis; homemade peanut butter from Negros Occidental and mangosteen jam from Cebu; kesong krema with Bicol pili and guava jam by Cecile Gonzaga of Ma-ao, Negros, and guava honey from Cebu; cheese pimiento with garlic and cerveza negra.



Dalandan, kalamansi and pomelo coolers; dalandan and pomelo bellinis and spritzers served in non-stemmed glasses, cooled down the guests.



They also partook of homemade polvorones by Rosie Revilla Reyes and Lia Valencia; señoritas from Silay; pili macaroons, mini galletas and bañadas from Bacolod. There were also mini bukayo from Ma-ao, and special puto and mini saba banana squares.



Pastillas from San Miguel and Malolos, Bulacan, and Iya Lagdameo, wrapped in traditional papel de japon with delicate cutouts in the wedding?s color motifs?gray, brown, raw sienna, mocha, cinnamon, khaki, tan, French vanilla , ivory and white?were also served.



The pastillas wrapper cutouts featured traditional bahay kubo and leaf designs. Others bore heart and floral patterns with the words ?Mar & Korina, Oct. 27, 2009.?



A fast-vanishing craft, the wrappers were made by two elderly women, according to Forés.



The church guests went home with butter cakes topped with a single sampaguita flower icing by Pinky Yee of Goldilocks, cupcakes from Philippine Bakers Federation and commemorative plastic plates by Elsie Chua.