On Dec. 7, 2011, two people took a quantum leap toward forever. Katrina Garcia, 27, and Carlo Dalusong, 31, were married at the Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus church, in Newport Boulevard, Pasay City.
The ceremony began at 2:30 p.m. and was officiated by Fr. Rolando R. Agustin.
Their story begins in the same fashion that some of the best love stories do: ordinarily, with a hint of magic. The couple met in the summer of 2002—Kat was 18 years old, a bright wide-eyed student in Assumption College. Carlo was 22, and an Electronics and Communications Engineering student at De La Salle University. They parted ways, not expecting to see each other again, yet as fate would have it, got reacquainted in 2005. They have been together ever since.
Katrina is the youngest daughter of Rene Garcia—the multi-awarded composer, lead guitarist, lead singer and co-founder of one of the most influential bands of the ’70s, Hotdog.
Carlo, on the other hand, is the son of lawyer Romeo Dalusong, president and CEO of Southeast Asia Shipping Corp.
When Carlo proposed to Kat, the sun was setting and they were overlooking Manila Bay, a silhouette of ships in the background.
The motif of the wedding was gray and fuchsia. They chose fuchsia as a symbol of the blush people get on their faces when they meet the love of their life and fall in love. The entourage’s gowns, as well as the bridal gown, were designed by Veejay Floresca, an up-and-coming designer in the Filipino fashion business.
The flowers, a variation of peonies, carousel equadorian roses, pink cymbidum orchids, dusty miller, carnations, tulips and burgundy callalillies were courtesy of the famed florist and stylist, Teddy Manuel.
When the bride walked into the church, it seemed as if there was a collective catch in everyone’s breath—she looked stunning. The inspiration behind her beautiful dress was her desire for a flawless, floor sweeping gown with an embellished bodice. In the end, the texturized gown looked romantic, soft and sweet—vintage and classy yet modern and beautiful.
The reception was held at Blue Leaf Events Pavilion in McKinley Hill. The cocktails of the night included pink moscatto with mushroom duxelle, prawn cake, smoked salmon with dill pistachio, snapper with rosemary and bacon in skewers—all served to the accompaniment of Stan Getz bossa nova music. Because the bride and groom wanted their guests to feel as if they were at a feast, the menu, which was especially catered by Bizu, included three appetizers, 10 main course dishes and dessert which was a sugar rush of assorted cakes: Samba, Nirvana, Roca, Babylon, Yoga; assorted chiboust; fresh fruits in skewers; Tiramisu in demitasse cup, cream puffs, assorted macaron de paris, Naomi and Jolie
The reception began with the entourage dancing into the hall, followed by the bride and the groom. They all performed a short choreographed dance number, a fun deviation from the usual solemn entrance.
To further break tradition, instead of the typical father-daughter dance, the bride’s father dedicated and performed a song instead. Rene sang one of Hotdog’s most timeless hits, “Ikaw Ang Miss Universe ng Buhay Ko.” It was, perhaps, one of the most touching sights of a father finally giving away his daughter.
The Hotdog band went on to perform a few other hits and the crowd celebrated with them. There was much laughter and dancing that ensued and the collective joy of everyone in the room seemed more than enough to send the couple off into the happily ever after they were, without a doubt, destined for.
