(via ABS-CBNnews.com) There are bridal trends that will never go away, such as the classic white gown and the big balloon skirt.Still, we should always be open to new wedding ideas and concepts so “brides don’t look the same,” said Georgia Schulze, contributing writer for Metro Weddings magazine.

“I hope that changes and brides can be a little more unique,” she said in an interview at Mornings@ANC on Friday.

Schulze said this year is a good time for brides to try adding a splash of color to their wedding gowns.

She said nudes and grays, instead of the usual white, are expected to be a hit this 2011.

Accents, such as a black sash, will be in as well, she added.

Wedding planner Rita Neri agreed with Schulze, saying that Filipino brides are highly unlikely to wear gowns in bold colors such as red and black.

An exception may be singer Regine Velasquez, who matched a bright red dress with high-heeled leather boots as she tied the knot with Ogie Alcasid last year.

“More of accent colors, not really the whole thing. It’s more like dusting of a color,” said Neri, who runs her own events planning company.

Here are some of the bridal trends in the Philippines for 2011, as featured in Mornings@ANC:

• A touch of nature - add flowers to play up a classic strapless gown. Instead of the traditional roses and calla lilies, use beautiful wildflowers in shades of green, lime and white.
• Stunning simple - pair a tapered formal tux with a flowing chiffon gown for understated glamour. Use unconventional cuts, wrapped bodices and interesting patterns. Highlight a strapless neckline with a hint of embellishment and textured layers in soft silk chiffon.
• Water goddess - take your inspiration from water and choose a lightweight material which flatters your figure. Add texture and movement with a wrapped bodice and a shirred skirt.
• Summer palette - don’t be ruled by whites and blacks. Opt for bright outdoor shades like light blue and pink.
• Crazy for cream -cream is fast becoming a color of choice for most bridal gowns. Look stunning in a beach celebration with a perfectly cut cream-colored dress with deconstructed layers.

Here’s an excerpt of an article which appeared in Inquirer quoting feng shui expert, Joseph Chau, on prospects this Chinese New Year.

On love affairs, Chau said the Year of the Metal Rabbit was “a romantic year with good marriage possibilities.”

“Rats will enjoy a harmonious relationship with their lovers within the year,” he added.

According to Chau, Pigs are in for a pretty good year when it comes to love affairs. “Those passionately in love should consider getting married within the year. Single Pigs will have chances to meet their dream lover and end up going to church,” he said.

According to Chau, the Rabbit is a romantic sign. That means not just a better love life for many Filipinos but also businesses attracting more clients.

Because metal is associated with the mouth, Filipinos who make a living out of using their mouth, such as singers, actors and public speakers, even politicians, should have a good year ahead, according to Chau.

He added that it would likewise be a good year for those into trading, mining and tourism which, according to the feng shui expert, the Philippines should aggressively develop to take advantage of the not-so-good economic prospects in neighboring Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

To achieve prosperity, one should combine luck with good old-fashioned hard work, Chau advised.

“The Year of the Metal Rabbit is a year of prosperity. But if you’re lazy, nothing will happen,” he said.

(The full article where the excerpt above was lifted touched more on the prospects in P-Noy’s lovelife.  Read here.)

Here’s an excerpt from an article which appeared in Ricky Lo’s FUNFARE column in The Phil. Star:

Three weeks ago, the new set of officers of the OPM (Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mangaawit) of which Ogie Alcasid is president, took their oath of office before Pres. Noynoy for whom Ogie wrote two songs, one for the campaign plug and another (in collaboration with Noel Cabangon) for P-Noy’s inauguration as the 15th President of the Philippines last June 30 at the Quirino Grandstand. That was when Ogie invited P-Noy to be a member of the wedding entourage.

“I asked P-Noy to be one of our ninongs but he said mas bagay kung isa na lang siya sa mga abay.”

Reminded about a Filipino superstition (pamahiin) that an unmarried man or a woman who acts as principal sponsor runs the risk of delaying his/her own marriage or not marrying at all, Ogie was surprised. “I didn’t know that.”

The singer/songwriter cannot be entirely faulted for the faux pas. Afterall,  our country’s first bachelor President, back when he was still a presidential candidate, stood as a Principal Sponsor (replacing his mother Cory who was the original choice before she passed away) during the wedding of his running-mate Mar Roxas to broadcaster Korina Sanchez. Noynoy reportedly felt awkward for the role, being single and younger than Roxas.^[1] Prior to his inauguration, the President-elect (partnered with his sister, Pinky Aquino-Abellada) served as wedding sponsor to an LP partymate’s wedding.^[2]

To avoid such sticky situations, Filipinos should be aware of  the various superstitions we have to avoid offending the sensibilities of the people who may still believe them.  We have listed some Pinoy wedding superstitions so that soon-to-weds will have a general idea.

Going back to the above quoted article: Ricky Lo further asked if the soon-to-weds would also invite P-Noy’s girlfriend, Valenzuela City Councilor Shalani Soledad, to be P-Noy’s partner. Ogie said, “We haven’t decided yet. It’s up to Regine to choose the lady secondary sponsors.” [read full article]

Although a Malacañang wedding is not a part of P-Noy’s priorities^[3], he definitely doesn’t want to jinx it either.

In his keynote speech at the oathtaking, P-Noy’s took the chance to respond to Ogie’s wedding invitation, “Sa Disyembre, ako ang magiging abay nyo. Pagdating naman ng panahon, kayo ang magiging ninong at ninang ko.” ^[4]

December 22, 2010 is the rumored altar date for Ogie Alcasid & Regine Velasquez. The couple has not officially confirmed it.

(photo by KJ Rosales)

On June 5, 2010, Roger Francis Alcantara and Noemi Katrina dela Paz (Roj & 3na to the W@Wies) tied the knot at the Mary Immaculate Parish, better known as ‘Nature Church’ in Las Piñas City.  But what got their nuptials featured in Manila Bulletin was the fact that they held their reception in a McDonald’s outlet!

Below is an excerpt from the said article:

With “I do’s” already exchanged, the newly-married couple treated their guests to the brand of fast food that they both love. Yes, the wedding reception – or “recess,” as the couple likes to call it – took place at a McDonald’s branch along Alabang-Zapote road.

It was a wedding party that was like a children’s party — and perhaps the first-ever wedding reception in a McDonald’s outlet — with an even more playful twist.

The chocolate wedding cake (by Truffle Park Co.) was fashioned to look like a Big Mac, McDonald’s flagship double-layered burger; instead of Roger and Noemi, two McDonald’s mascots were made to do the traditional Filipino Catholic wedding “money dance” while the 120 or so guests who filled the particular branch took home popular “Happy Meal” toys.

And to symbolize their union in a way utterly unique and special to them, the couple ditched the cake-tasting ceremony in favor of taking simultaneous bites out of a Big Mac.

“It was the best bite out of a Big Mac that I’ve ever had in my entire life,” said the groom. You’d better believe him; he’s had countless Big Macs in his burger-munching career. [READ FULL STORY…]

In her email posted in the W@W eGroup, 3na shared that she and her groom even went through the drive-thru window with their entourage in tow.

In sharing their story, the bride said, “I hope this serves as an inspiration to all the future brides out there. The best pa rin if you make the wedding your own.  Don’t mind what other people say, kasi kami nung una, ilang beses kaming tinanong ng parents namin kung sa McDo ba talaga kami; and they ended up enjoying the party as much as we did.”

The groom’s advice is best shared with his quote in the Bulletin article: “My advice to other couples who want to tie the knot is to personalize their nuptial, if they can,” said Roj. “Why become like a million others, if you can become one in a million?”

Below is Roj & 3na’s onsite video by Kris Matanguihan.

(excerpted from inquirer.net) Surprising fact: For every five married Pinoys, there is one who is separated or divorced

The shelf life of a happy marriages in the US is now three or so years, shorter than previously thought. Couples divorce on their third year of togetherness, or on their sixth year.  Their findings were derived from a representative sample of almost 9,700 couples from across the US over a six-year period.

Unfortunately, there is no similar study in the Philippines and no available data on how long happy marriages last and what happens next.

But what might a Filipino couple, newly wed or just started living together, experience?

Disillusionment

Maribel Dionisio, a popular marriage and family expert in Quezon City, says the three-year bliss is usually just one year to most, and that couple troubles “can begin on their very first night.”  She further explains that, usually, the Pinoy couple’s first year is blissful and their second year is when disillusionment sets in.

“So you can tell after the first two years of marriage if the couple will make it,” she says.

If they stay together, they may go through a period of despair while trying to resolve their conflicts, and may seek counseling for help.

“But, sadly, sometimes, there is nothing counseling can do to save the marriage,” she adds.

Dionisio is also seeing an increase in the number of couples breaking up these days after being married for only three years or less.

The latest census data (2000) disproves the notion that married Filipinos stay married for life, despite the religious value placed on marriage by a predominantly Roman Catholic people.

Lina V. Castro of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) says census data puts the number of Pinoys who identify themselves as separated or divorced to one percent of 57.1 million.

Seemingly a small percentage, equivalent to only 558,023 individuals, but when compared to the total count of married citizens, which is 26.1 million, an interesting fact is revealed: For every five married Pinoys, there is one who is separated or divorced.

No divorce law

Philippine laws provide broken marriages the options of legal separation or marriage annulment. But the country remains without a divorce law, one of only two in the world, the other being the Republic of Malta.

Dionisio admits she prefers helping Pinoy couples prepare for, rather than fix, their broken marriages, strongly believing that most marital problems could be avoided or minimized, “if couples invested a lot of time preparing, not so much for the wedding, but for the marriage.”

She prescribes a four-weekend program of self-discovery followed by another two-weekend session with a marriage counselor. In addition, she wants the three-unit course on marriage and family offered in colleges to be expanded to a full 24-unit course.

Dionisio has co-authored a book, “I’ve Been Dating, Now What?” (read book review here) for young adults, and regularly conducts seminars on how to prep for marriage, to help make prospective couples understand and embrace the “real issues in marriage.”

Those issues include, primarily, getting married with unrealistic expectations, says Janice Levin, a Boston marriage therapist, in a radio interview on National Public Radio. A lot of couples, she says, get married or live together expecting their romantic love to last forever. But, of course, it never does.

Levin adds that replacing romantic love with attachment, as in treating each other as a best friend one can’t do without, is the key. She also advises completely against having children just to save a troubled marriage. She believes marriage must come first before kids. [READ FULL ARTICLE]