A merger of two cultures, a union of two souls.  That was basically what our wedding was.  Benz came from a pure Chinese family (hence, W@W eventually came out the My Little KanChiu Book), and I’m as pure Filipino as how they make ‘em.

Having said that, you can imagine how awkward our pamanhikan was when our parents met for the first time with Benz’ elder sister (achi) acting as the main translator.  Of course, achi was in with the plans and we requested her to handle the situation and if needed, conveniently let words get lost in translation, so to speak. hehehe

We decided to have a traditional Filipino wedding and incorporate little Chinese touches to honor Benz’ heritage.  Our Chinese-Filipiniana theme was most apparent in the manner our whole wedding entourage dressed up. Our color motif was chocolate brown & champagne (we’re obviously thinking of the reception menu when we thought of the color scheme. hahaha!)

Above are sketches of the bride & groom’s attire.  Descriptions below is by our designer in ShopFour.

Bennette’s gown is two-layered; an off-shoulder princess cut in ecru, fashioned from rich Chinese brocade and jusi ensembles. The neckline will be detailed with cascading dainty flowerets intricately made of fine jusi fabrics. To match the sheer elegance of the jusi callado skirt atop a bronze silk lining, specially handcrafted Chinese buttons will accentuate the bodice to go by the wedding’s Chinese-Filipinana theme.

John wore a Chinese-collar Barong Tagalog fashioned from silk georgette fabric with simple geometric embroidery. Again, chocolate brown Chinese frog buttons were added and flowing flair sleeves were delicately tailored to match the bride’s modern yet traditional look.