Guess who lined up to catch the bouquet? All the male guests!
WHILE I WAS busy planning my ?Piñawear? (set for Nov. 10, NBC Tent) early this year, I got a long-distance call from my daughter Samantha. She told me Mel, her fiancé, and she have finally agreed to settle down.

It took me awhile to accept that my dear daughter was getting married?and in a place far away from home. I felt sad, but I quickly called my feng shui artist for a good wedding date. Also, the first thing that came to my mind as designer was her gown. Since they wanted to plan their own simple wedding, I thought I didn?t need to do anything or worry about her bridal finery. Perhaps a special-occasion dress will do.

Later on, she e-mailed me pictures of the city hall where they would have their wedding. It had big aisles, the courtyard of the royal museum, tents and all. Now I had to help her make choices for her little wedding.

I realized I needed to make her a wedding gown, thanks to Solenn Heussaff, my dear protégé, who helped me out. The first sample, done by Solenn from the ?Piñawear? variety, became Sam?s wedding gown?made with knit and woven materials hand-embroidered and stitched mostly by Solenn. That?s what you call ?couture??handmade.

Gratitude

Sam?s wedding could not have turned out any better than it did. Words cannot describe the gratitude and amazement I have for Sam?s friends?especially Sara Black, Doranne Lim, Lora Woellhaf and Crissy Callaway, Sam?s childhood best friends, all independent women, who flew in from the different parts of the world to be with Sam on her special day.

What was remarkable was the sisterhood these girls have created through the years, starting in kindergarten at Philippine Montessori in White Plains. Their presence and effort made the simple civil ceremony a real wedding.

Leading the pack, Sara Black, a famous fashion photographer in Manila, helped Sam plan the wedding from the opening festivities?the bachelorette party?to the wedding day itself.

Initially, we imagined the wedding to be small, only with our immediate family of 10. However, the guest list grew as close friends of Sam and and a few family members from Manila and L.A. began making plans to attend the summer wedding of Sam and Melvin Altman in Tervuren, Belgium.

Festivities began a week before the wedding, when Sam?s guests arrived and retreated to two charming bed and breakfasts, Bertem Natuur and Valis Daly. The inns had modern sleek kitchens and glass walls that allowed you to see the fields and cows up close!

Bonding

We spent the next five days celebrating Sam?s bachelorette party, touring nearby towns and cities like Bruges, planning the celebration, designing the venue and making sure the wardrobe and everything else was ready for the big day. We also spent that last week bonding with Sam and Mel, trying to do what we could to make their day special. It made for an unforgettable summer.

Despite many guests not knowing each other, everyone easily bonded. I did not expect all the help my daughter Jessica and I got while we tried to attend to the needs of Sam?s guests. The food lovers, like Mitos Benitez-Yniquez of the famous Mario?s-Baguio, Karen Ilagan-Aegerter, my good friend from Geneva, and Doranne Lim, a young lawyer and photo enthusiast friend of Sam, formed a ?food committee? that made sure all hungry bellies were filled throughout the day.

Since the French caterer did not include the venue decorations, we all helped set up the place. A day before the wedding, with the groom, Sam?s cousins and male friends set up tents at the courtyard museum. Then Sara, Lora and Crissy dressed up the tents with Filipino-inspired decor?sinamay weaves and ball lanterns flown from Manila and incorporated in the table setting and venue.

Those last five nights before the wedding, we shared the most laughter I haven?t had in a while.

The forecast for July 2 was more rain, since there had been showers almost every afternoon. Fortunately, it didn?t rain that day. We thought we all prayed too hard because it turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year in Belgium! It felt like being back home in Manila?without the humidity.

Most relaxed

On the day of the wedding, Sam was probably the most relaxed person in the entourage. I was ready with her wedding gown and her entourage?s dresses?simple soft knit sets with gilded trims accessorized with piña apron and South Sea pearls. Doranne did her makeup, Jessica worked on her hairdo.

Sam?s ?something borrowed? came from Tita Karen, who hand-carried her Jewelmer pearls from Geneva. Sam was also lucky she had her ninong, cinematographer Boy Yniguez, to take her photos, courtesy of Doranne, who also happens to own the Raw Photo Studio with Louie Heussaff, at STI building at the Fort. We also had my sister Shirley to remind us to be on time.

We all attended the official ceremony at the city hall. Cousins Clinton and Ken rented cars to bring us around. And the ever-efficient Sara once again led us where to go and what to do.

In this age, rules can change, so I found myself walking Sam down the short aisle. Her dad, Paul, joined us a few steps before the tearful part, which saw him giving Sam away to Mel.

We proceeded to the Musee Royal de l?Afrique Centrale? for the reception. Enjoying the scenery, Boy started to shoot the beautiful gardens of the museum. As we walked into the courtyard, we all felt good?the venue looked pretty. It looked like a safari party with white tents and parasols on a sunny but windy day.

Great menu

French chef Pierre Hofman, the museum?s in-house caterer, served us a great French menu. My favorites were Cuisseau de Jambon de Bourgogne and Tournedos d?Agneau. After the buffet, we gave our usual speeches, but I thought Jessica gave the most memorable and articulate speech?meaningful, witty and funny.

Guess who lined up to catch the bouquet? All the male guests!

The party?s finale was the dancing?on the steps of the courtyard floor. But after some drinks, who cared about the pebbles on the ground?

At the end of the party, the ?Friends are Forever? gang and relatives worked to bring down the tents and dismantle the setup. We also had fun figuring out how we could recycle the sinamay. We never did this back home where we easily source and pay for event planners for any size of party.

What made this most memorable was our labor of love for Samantha?s wedding. The time we took to decorate and make things beautiful together?that?s what counted.

Hello, Sammi! Josef and I miss you. Love you!

The author will present her ?Piñawear? collection, presented by Samsung, at the NBC Tent on Tuesday night, Nov. 10.