A wedding is always a happy and magical event, one that I’m always happy to be part of. Bearing witness to the love and commitment of two people always tugs at my heartstrings. Plus, it’s a wonderful celebration to play dress up, especially if you are the bride.
I had the chance to play the bride (again!) at the 2019 “Marry Me at the Marriott.”
It’s an annual, highly anticipated bridal fair and fashion show started in 2013. Seeing the Marriott Grand Ballroom transformed to show different themes is nothing short of spectacular. Indian, Western and Chinese themes were on display, as designed by Gideon Hermosa, Michael Ruiz and Teddy Manuel.
The runway put the spotlight on the dazzling gowns of Leo Almodal, the illuminated laced pieces of Albert Andrada, the whimsical creations of Jun Escario, the celestial brides and grooms of Michael Leyva, the romantic silhouettes of Veluz, and the playful frocks and suits of Little Miss Lacey by Corr Sunglao-Kho.
I had a wonderful time strutting in bridal frocks with Marina Benipayo, Nadine Lustre, Lovi Poe and Sanya Lopez.
The event also featured the expertise of the Marriott culinary team, serving local gourmands with authentic Indian, Chinese and Western cuisine to match this year’s theme.
One of the highlights that captured the guests’ attention was “The Bride” wedding cake. It stood 68 inches tall, with a diameter of 75 inches. The cake was adorned with about 4,500 crystals and 150 edible roses, 40 peonies, and 1,200 florets with hand-piped “embroidery.” At its base were 40 kg of sponge cake, with 10 kg of ganache filling covered with 80 kg of homemade fondant.
Marriott Hotel Manila, tel. 9889999; visit www.manilamarriott.com. Follow @manilamarriott on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat
With the King
A couple of days before that, I was at the Palacio de Memoria, a historic seven-story prewar mansion on Roxas Boulevard to celebrate the King of Cognacs, Louis XIII, with the brand’s chief representative and Asia Pacific director Vincent J. Gere.
Gere was in Manila to help encapsulate the vision and further expand Louis XIII in the Southeast Asia, Greater China and Northeast Asia and Pacific regions.
Every bottle of the Louis XIII is a work of art—from the eaux-de-vie used to make cognacs, down to the age-old Baccarat glass decanters that hold them. There’s a lot of reasons many refer to the Louis XIII as the “King of Cognacs,” a well-deserved title it has held on to for over a century.
Each bottle of Louis XIII is the life achievement of generations of cellar masters, who have made sure that cognac-lovers today get only the best every single time.
Today, Louis XIII’s cellar masters are already setting aside the finest eaux-de-vie as legacy to the next ones who would continue to blend the best cognac for years to come. It’s the ultimate expression of the mastery of time—thinking a century ahead.
