K A T H L E E N & K A R L
These high school sweethearts never lost focus of what mattered most – family, friends and the start of their marriage.
F R O M T H E B R I D E . . .
It all began…
At a beauty pageant that my friend and Karl’s cousin were contestants in, but we didn’t really take notice of each other until a mutual friends party back in high school.
I knew it was love…
At 17! I thought I was still really young to have a boyfriend even though we both liked each other but he was willing to wait until I was ready to start going out with him (even though I didn’t want him to).
The engagement…
We got engaged on the 27th July 2013 at Perisher. We planned a snow trip with our close friends and he took us all to the top of the mountain, made me pose for a photo with my back to him, and when I turned around he was down on one knee and asked me to marry him in front of our friends.
The wedding…
I wasn’t really fussed with a theme, but because our wedding was in Boracay (an island in the Philippines), I wanted the colours to be very light. I know I just wanted it to look elegant but fun!
Ceremony venue…
Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, Borocay.
Reception venue…
Shangri-la, Boracay
The bridal party…
We had 3 bridesmaids and 3 groomsmen. My bridesmaids were part of my family and Karl’s groomsmen were his friends from high school.
They wore…
My bridesmaids wore peach dresses from Seduce and the groomsmen wore a tailored suits from Spurling.
The dress…
My wedding dress was sort of a princess, a-line cut with lace a bodice that gradually faded into the skirt. I got the dress from Two Birds Bridal.
The bouquet..
My flowers were a combination of white, peach, pink and lavender coloured roses.
Decor…
The room at the Shangri-la was already beautiful. There were several chandeliers and pretty patterned carpet, so I didn’t need to decorate the room much. I used princess chairs because I felt it was more elegant than fabric covers and each table was decorated with a combination of high and low floral centrepieces that matched my bouquet. I think the centrepieces were enough to decorate the room.
The menu…
We had a buffet reception filled with different types of Filipino food.
Bonbonniere…
I made a message in a bottle to suit the beach location that had each person’s name on it. I also used them as a place cards as well.
Wedding day soundtrack…
Ceremony hymns were sung by my sister –
Reception entrance for bridal entourage – Never Too Much by Luther Vandross
Reception entrance for bride and groom – Turn Down For What by Lil’ Jon
Cutting of the cake/ toast – That’s When I Knew by Alicia Keys
Father daughter dance/mother son dance – Music Of My Heart by N’sync
First Dance – Everytime I Close My Eyes by Babyface& Mariah Carey
Bouquet Toss – Single Ladies by Beyonce
Garter Toss – Pony by Genuine
Photography…
I heard that Mayad Studios were one of the best and most popular photographer/videographers in the Philippines. I was also lucky because they are based in Boracay, so I didn’t have to pay any travel fees for them. I love that the photos look very natural with a lot of natural light.
Memorable moments…
It’s the worst memory to have, but I’ll never forget how sick Karl and I were on our wedding night! But despite how sick we were, we were both grateful that we still had a lot of fun celebrating with family and friends.
The honeymoon…
We spent two weeks in Hawaii – the first week in Maui and second week in Oahu.
The future…
I would have said kids and make a family, but Karl and I got pregnant 2 months after the wedding, so that was fast tracked! But we definitely want to have two more kids and travel together as a family.
Wedding wisdom…
On how to enjoy the engagement…
Do everything gradually and don’t leave anything to the last minute, or else you’ll just stress each other out! Go out on dates occasionally to empty your mind of wedding planning every now and then and to remind each other why you decided to get married in the first place.
On wedding planning…
Definitely communicate and be on the same page when it comes to decision making. Everything you do, always do it because of you and your fiancé want to, and not what anyone else wants. Karl and I also had a lot of things going on around the time we got engaged. We just bought a house, I was doing further study in uni and we were planning a wedding at the same time so there was a lot of money going out at once. But we always told each other that money didn’t matter, and as long as we worked together to bring everything together we’d just deal with all of the funds after.
On enjoying your wedding day…
My motto was always whatever happens, happens! Partly because I was over the planning and I just wanted to get married already, so I didn’t care anymore about anything else. And it worked! On the day I was so laid back. Because we had a destination wedding, I think I ate a bit too much a week before the day because my dress popped and I had to get sewed into it! And I was really sick on the day, but despite all that I was still able to laugh it off and not care. And I’m pretty sure other things went wrong, but because of my motto I didn’t take notice and had so much fun.
MW x
Photography Mayad Studios Wedding Planner Amanda Tirol from Boracay Weddings Wedding Gown Two Birds Bridal Bridesmaids Dresses Seduce Suits Spurling Ceremony Venue Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, Borocay Reception Venue Shangri-la, Borocay Decor, cake and flowers Shangri-la, Borocay Bride’s hair and Makeup Marianne Espiritu Bridesmaids’ hair and makeup Fern Quimpo