For most people, Feb. 11 is just a date on the calendar, but for newlyweds Antonio Ressano Garcia II and Rocio Hernandez Cacho de Olbes, this day has changed their lives forever.
The couple—both established in their fields, he as a diplomat and development banker, she as an international designer, model, author and human rights advocate—tied the knot at Antonio’s in Tagaytay. It had a beautiful and elegant garden setting, with lush greenery, romantic lights and only the closest friends as guests—truly a fitting venue for a love that they vowed to keep forever.
Antonio is the only son of the late Ambassador Antonio Ressano Garcia I and Argentinian dowager Doña Maria Teresa Benegas Y Ressano Garcia, while Rocio is the only daughter of private and prominent parents, Rene Rose Olbes and Cristina Hernandez Cacho de Olbes.
Rocio’s friend, top stylist Robert Blancaflor, helped plan the affair with the bride herself. “Filipino and classic are what we went for,” he says. “She wanted things as simple and soft as possible, with a lot of warmth. We filled the reception with soft white flowers, foliage and candelabras. They are also my first couple to use a leaf cord in the altar. It was beautiful.”
Test of time
Guests kept to the theme. Not only did the women don floral and other elegantly feminine pieces, but most of the men wore the traditional Barong Tagalog.
Whoever said our national wear has gotten old should check out how this piece has withstood the test of time, just like the couple’s romance through the years.
Speaking of the lovely couple, Antonio donned a Barong Tagalog himself while Rocio, actualizing her wedding’s theme of Old World charm and beauty, wore a hand-embroidered long-sleeved lace gown made by a dear friend, Rajo Laurel. The long sleeves gave the off-shoulder number a conservative yet modern style, especially since Rocio loved being more “covered than revealed.”
Laurel also made the clothes of the bridal party, which had the ladies—Maggie Wilson-Consunji, Tricia Centenera, Stephanie Zubiri-Crespi, Aziza Mondoñedo and Tina Pamintuan—dressed in vintage-inspired white gowns and their choice of bold earrings.
The flower girls and ring-bearers were also in white and lace ensembles by Laurel.
The wedding was everything an old soul could ever want in this day and age, a truly personal affair. Family, relatives and friends were present; godfathers Joe Zubiri, Ernest Cu and Butch Albert, together with godmothers Maricris Olbes, Lara Villafuerte and Ana Ugarte, surrounded the couple by the altar, as they promised to guide and love them as they embarked on this new chapter in their lives.
It was an intimate and meaningful event that went on till the early hours of the morning. Congratulations to the couple! May you spend forever with all the love you can possibly have and give!
