Rebellious Bride - Beverly

Photos by Nelwin Uy

"....at the end of the day, your wedding should mean something to you, because your guests will feel that and that’s what they will take home. You’ve been a wedding guest yourself, right? And how does it feel to attend the same thing over and over again? Our wedding was not perfect, but some of our guests that we bumped into after it will really say, they were blessed with our wedding or that it was really memorable."

Beverly Lourd Mutuc-Po on her Rebellious Farm Wedding 

 I have heard so many times how some brides have considered having a barn wedding but would say, "wala namang barn sa Pinas!". So ladies, tell me, why would this belief stop you from working with what we have instead?

Beverly's Rebellious "Bridal Car"

Beverly Po wanted a farm wedding PERIOD.--it was non-negotiable and she made sure to execute it at all costs. Never mind that her mom offered to find a golf course for her venue, never mind that the guests couldn't grasp the concept of a farm wedding and insisted it was a garden wedding just so they could traditionally fit it to what they understood---Beverly and her equally rebellious groom/husband created their own rules and defied everything else. From wearing old sandals instead of bridal shoes, from carabaos instead of flowers, to sparklers instead of the usual fireworks--this wedding was just rebelliously conceptualized and executed from top to bottom. There's a lot of inspired ideas and beliefs from Beverly here. So let's start! :)

Rebellious Brides: There were a lot of very creative details of your wedding! -- care to share back stories on why you decided to do these things and are there more details of your wedding that are of the "rebellious" kind? :)

Beverly: I really like arts and crafts, DIY projects and I loved the weddings that I see in blogs abroad like greenweddingshoes or ruffledblog, etc. And, I am so not good in wearing heels, so I really did not want a wedding that will make me wear heels. Alan, on the other hand, likes photography, he’s very into nature—he’s a mountaineer, a licensed diver and he loves animals and organic farming. When you ask him, he’s the type who wishes he can have an orangutan for a pet and be a farmer or a carpenter of some sort.

Alan and I really wanted a laid back outdoor wedding from the start. That kind of wedding fits our personalities best, plus we met in a missions-training school, so we wanted something that can be related to a harvest theme. We knew what we wanted… simple, relaxed, fun, outdoor wedding that is practical and that will glorify the Lord, and we thought that a farm wedding will be perfect.

So to keep up with what we wanted, here are some “rebellious” details of our wedding:

1. A lot of our details were DIY and upcycled such as our centerpieces made from my husband’s cat food cans (with Starbucks coffee grounds); mason jars and cut out doilies for decors; hand-painted cake toppers which I patterned after our outfits; our invitation---Alan spent 1 sleepless night cutting the fabrics. It was silkscreened by our friend, and we personally stamped and printed out and tied each one prior to delivery

2. Bridal car- we rode a carabao, our friend, Carlo painted our “Just Married” sign on a worn out tire

3. Ring- they say it has to be a band, I didn’t like mine to be a band though

4. Attire- I wanted my entourage to be able to wear the clothes after my wedding, I wanted to inject a bit of fun, too, that’s why I chose some checkered fabric to also be consistent with the vintage feel

5. Entourage- I wanted to simplify our entourage, we had 5 pairs of Ninongs and Ninangs, but only 3 people can attend because they were mostly missionaries, or they were out of the country. We did not ask for proxies, so we had 1 pair and a ninong without a pair walk down the aisle. That ninong was happy by the way, that he did not have to small talk someone he doesn’t know. We did not have groomsmen and bridesmaids, too! 

I only had secondary sponsors because they are the ones with roles in the ceremony

6. We did not have a stage or a dance floor. Our host was walking all over during the reception. We also did not have much of a program except some videos. We wanted our guests to be relaxed, just like they were eating in a restaurant with a bunch of cool people and long-time friends around

7. Despite the difficult logistics, we opted for an informal sit-down dinner (like in a restaurant) with specially prepared menu for us

RB: Since there were a lot of "non-traditional" aspects of your wedding, what were the challenges that you had to face while planning and how did you overcome it?

Beverly: We were very thankful that our families did not meddle much during the planning. But it was quite difficult to explain our concept in the beginning. I remember, doing our first ocular, my mom totally didn’t get the idea and bugged me that she can ask a friend to sponsor us in a golf club for the wedding (maybe she found the venue too outdoor and rustic). Some people kept on pertaining to it as a garden wedding, just because it was outdoors. To help us explain, we did a wedding website and placed the address in our invitation, details such as mood, feel, what they can do (since out of town) were all there, even pegs for what they can wear.

Another big challenge was the food. We really did not want a buffet set-up because we did not want guests to be lining up and oftentimes when the last table gets to eat, they are extremely hungry and the first tables are already leaving discreetly because they have long been finished. So we wanted an informal sit down dinner. Guests will be served course by course but not so formal. So the catering was really a challenge because there’s no kitchen in the farm. Our caterer set up a kitchen and especially created a menu for us based on our theme and our favorites, not to mention, she had to consider what is weather-appropriate to avoid spoilage.

RB: What makes you a "rebellious bride" ?

Beverly defied choosing for a "lucky" date and just went with her instincts

Beverly: I wanted to be with Alan already, so why prolong just for the sake of preparing diba? I’ve done so many weddings before (coordination, etc), and no matter how long a couple prepares, there’s still work to be done a week prior to the event or the night before the wedding, and as they say, you’ll never save enough money anyway… marriage is a leap of faith.

Beverly defied the usual wedding elements and traditions and opted for a more practical but creative approach

Beverly: Some would say, weddings are once-in-a-lifetime, so others really spend their savings on their big day. Ako, kuripot as I was, I made sure we were very practical in our spending. 

Beverly's approach to her wedding styling was very simple but it worked. In fact, it's even better than the "usual" been-there-done-that weddings! 

I told our stylist not to spend so much with flowers, I feel guilty that we will just be throwing that away. Though I know it’s a crucial part of styling, I did’nt care… nasa farm naman sila eh, so enjoy the woods, the plants and the animals. A lot of our wedding details were also DIY, and upcycled. I wore an old sandals, and we did not get the traditional stuff like souvenirs or photobooth.

Beverly let her venue guide her--why over-style the venue when nature is so much more beautiful and organic?

 Beverly did not have the usual reception elements--but they had sparklers instead! How fun!

She defied nature itself and didn't settle for anything less

Beverly: I did not have a plan B. Don’t get me wrong here, I know I sound so disorganized already, haha. I coordinate events and weddings, and my job in brand management really requires me to be a detailed person. But for my wedding, just for my wedding, I did not have a plan B. When people asked, what if it rains? My answer was… no, it will not rain. I just know it in my heart, because that was first in our prayer list.

She chose suppliers not based on the "name"

but based on track record

Beverly: Finally, most of my suppliers were not very popular wedding suppliers. Most of them are friends and that I have worked with. After all, it’s a personal event for us.

RB: Any shout-outs to the awesome people/suppliers who made your creative wedding possible?

Wedding Venue: The Fun Farm, Sta.Elena, Cabuyao, Laguna, special thanks to Gippy & Hindy Tantoco 

Wedding gown: Hindy Weber Tantoco (Special Thanks to Lara Leal) 

Make up & Hair: Hernan Soriano & Mark Levi Vasquez 

Photos: Nelwin Uy Photography 

AVP/ Invitation design/Videography: Ferdee Sebastian

Invitation Printing: Sakura Printing 

Sounds and Lights: Front Row (Special thanks to Kiko Torno)

Wedding Singer: Guy Gonzales accompanied by Hamish Arellano

Host: Kris Isaac

Catering: Hearty Onion by Chef Eunice Weeguanco; Chef Tony's Popcorn

Cake and cupcakes: Pick me Up by Charissa Lecaros

Chairs,decors: Wstorehouse.com (Special Thanks to 11FTC for the fans)

Event styling: Wstorehouse.com c/o Julius Ramos

On-the-day Events coordination: Apples Knapp & Mark Louise Fernando

Wedding Rings: New 3J Charmy Novelty Shoppe

RB: What can you advice to brides who may be having second thoughts about planning a "creative" wedding?

Beverly: “Its definitely worth it!” At the end of the day, your wedding should mean something to you, because your guests will feel that and that’s what they will take home. You’ve been a wedding guest yourself, right? And how does it feel to attend the same thing over and over again? Our wedding was not perfect, but some of our guests that we bumped into after it will really say, they were blessed with our wedding or that it was really memorable.

Did you have a rebellious wedding? Check out our Submissions Page to see how you can participate in our rebellious cause :)

XOXO,

Kai 

follow us on twitter! @RebelliousBride

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