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Have you attended a wedding lately? Notice how different weddings are today from the way they used to be. The past ten years or so have witnessed the dynamic growth of the local wedding industry in terms of trends and innovation. Ever heard of Tiffany chairs, live butterfly release, Unity Coins, and chocolate fountains? These are just some of the recent additions to the myriad (and constantly growing) options available to brides and grooms today. But this wasn't always the case. Chocolate fountains and the like were simply unheard of in the past. What were weddings like a decade or two ago? Think of an 80s music video on MTV complete with outrageous hairdos and costumes. It looks ridiculously funny now, though we found them hip and cool just a few years back. But that's the way the world turns. Here are a few more examples to take you down memory lane. Scented Invitations If Banawe is associated with cars, Recto then was associated with wedding invitations. Having spent our college years in the schools along nearby Mendiola, we came to associate the 'smell' of Recto with those scented invitations instead of with the thoroughfare's polluted air. We still don't know which odor we detested more. The invitations then were usually tri-fold in format, printed on thick, scented ivory paper-the type with a gloss that mimicked mother-of-pearl, and covered with a sheet of parchment paper which muted the 'shimmer' of the actual invitation. Inside was the entourage list, printed on what looked suspiciously like tracing paper, which partially covered the ceremony and reception details at the back. Two holes were usually punched at the top of the invitation; through this, a ribbon was inserted and tied into a bow to hold the sheets together. That same ribbon served another purpose: as a swatch of the wedding's color motif. It was crude, but at least, it served a practical purpose. Traje de Boda Let's go even further back: puffed long sleeves in lace. Just trying to visualize them makes one itch. Given the tropical climate that we have, we cannot figure out how brides of the past survived wearing long-sleeved traje de bodas (usually with ten kilos worth of beadwork!) in churches without any air conditioning. Of course, the winter-bride look was never complete without a delicate pair of lacy hand gloves. Hey, we know the ozone layer was yet to be depleted back in those days, but it has always been fairly warm in our country, right? We are assuming that culprits were those thick and heavy wedding catalogs from the US, on which our friendly neighborhood modistas (as only society weddings could afford the services of couturiers back then) based their designs, as there weren't any local bridal magazines. From 'Narda" to "Darna!" Before the designer's fitting-form became standard, wedding gowns were usually displayed on the bed with the rest of the bridal ensemble. It was customary for videographers then to ask the fully made-up bride (still in her robe) to sit by her bedside and pretend to try on her ring and read the wedding invitation. The highlight of this inevitably stiff acting moment was the part where she holds her gown against her body as she looks in the mirror-presumably to see if it fitted. Suddenly, she makes a 360-degree turn, transforming the robe-clad lass into the beautiful bride in just a few magical seconds. Check out your tita's wedding video for an actual demo of this 'Narda-Darna' routine. Sampagita buds on sticks As for the cake, "the higher the better" was the rule. It didn't matter back then if the cake itself were just a two-tiered confection, so long as the pillars that separated them were as tall as the flower girl. Okay, we're exaggerating. But you get the idea, right? To make the cake look taller, the top layer was adorned with sugar sampaguita buds on sticks that sagged in every direction in hopes of imitating a fountain. One variation featured spun-sugar bouquets with stems of twisted wires cascading down the pillars. The simple plaster of paris bride-and-groom caketopper was usually just the foreground for the more important and elaborate styrofoam cut-out of the couple's names. Of course, plain white styrofoam would never do, so it was either covered with felt paper or adorned with paint and glitter. (Or both!) Surrounding the cake were dainty little wicker or straw baskets with pieces of the same cake (minus the sticky marshmallow icing) wrapped in aluminum foil. These were later given away as favors to lady guests; clearly, fondants were unheard of in those days. "Time Magazine" Man of the Year Wedding guests in the past could have an "instant souvenir" of a wedding - their own photograph/s. The photographer who would take this picture was usually not the one officially hired by the couple; they were known as "hunters" in the photographers' circles. They worked like the Mafia, sharing tips about upcoming weddings either from the posted wedding banns in parishes or when one of them was an in-house photographer for a reception venue. They simply showed up at the church and ambushed unsuspecting guests, asking them to smile as they clicked away. All the while, the poor guests believed their shots would be part of the wedding album. After the ceremony, the prints of the guests' faces were inserted in white cardboard frames printed with cheap and cheesy gold designs. When tita Cory made it to the cover of Time magazine, the frames were dropped (probably to minimize costs) and the now-cheesy-then-novelty "Time Magazine" Man of the Year layout was used. It was actually a very profitable enterprise as all the pictures taken in this way were displayed on a table; guests who got good shots were ready buyers. And since it's human nature to keep one's unsightly pictures out of public view, those caught mid-blink (which was usually the case) ended up buying their pictures as well. We have attended quite a few weddings in recent years and haven't seen our faces on unsolicited photographs lately, so we don't know for sure if these hunters are still around. Looking back, it's amazing to imagine how fast these photographers could work. They had to run from the venue to their darkrooms, get the pictures ready as quickly as possible, then run back to the venue in order to sell them. Doves in a bell The top centerpiece in every reception then was the big cardboard bell with two wide ribbons hanging from the base. Much like the piņata or candy-pull of today's kiddie parties, this one was covered with white crepe paper accented with the couple's color motif. As part of every reception program, the newlyweds pulled the string to release a pair of doves with immaculate white feathers. Guests sometimes noticed streaks of green on the birds' hindquarters, especially if the doves had been kept in the bell for a long time prior to the celebration. Trapped in the dark and sometimes suffocated, this practice resulted in occasional horror stories of dead doves falling straight to the floor. Pardon the pun, but it was really a downer for such a festive celebration. Animal rights activists have nothing to worry about, though, as couples of today often opt to do the dove release outside the church after the ceremony. Thank goodness! Truly, a lot has changed in the way we celebrate weddings. But one thing remains constant: the wedding is a one-of-a-kind occasion where careful planning and preparation is necessary to achieve the best possible outcome. That is what this column is intended for. In future issues, we will share creative ideas with you and perhaps address a few pressing concerns to help you achieve the wedding of your dreams. = = = = = = = = = = =
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