An Intimate Wedding of 20 (Including the Couple!)

Photography by ImageNation

I know that our wedding is not for everyone and we respect those who prefer otherwise but to those who really want an intimate wedding but are afraid or being pressured of doing otherwise, I say go for it! Take a stand and don't be afraid to have your dream wedding. Those who truly know and love you will understand and honestly, those who don't understand either don't love you enough or shouldn't matter. In any case, you can always throw a party for your officemates, friends or extended family before or after the wedding which is exactly what we did.

--Rebellious Bride Marga on their intimate wedding in Tagaytay

I think that we've pretty much established that having a rebellious wedding or being a rebellious bride takes some balls. But to stick to an intimate wedding of just 20 people (including the couple)? To actually have an anti-reception wedding? Now that's really something else. This takes a lot of restraint, and in most cases--even takes a lot of courage and strength to face nasty comments. A lot of people will never understand what's going on in your head. Like you are some kind of an insensitive weirdo who wouldn't even invite the people that are supposed to be your friends, family or acquaintances. But it's not really about that. So to each her own, and let's learn to respect each bride's quirks. It's her wedding anyway.

Here's the story of Marga's intimate wedding. And by intimate, we mean it by the truest sense of the word (Dears, a 150 pax wedding isn't intimate).

Marga: When my husband proposed to me, we knew we did not want a long engagement - we have been together for 6 years after all. We also knew that we wanted an intimate and solemn but very traditional wedding and so, we set our target date to 2 months after the proposal and limited our guest list to 18. 

We love Tagaytay and good food and so it was a very easy decision on our part to skip the traditional reception and have cocktails and dinner in Antonio's instead. 

Antonio's was kind enough to close the original section of the restaurant for us solidifying our "very intimate wedding" theme. Needless to say, our parents and friends were skeptical bordering on frustrated and/or worried that our wedding would be a disaster or a huge bore. 

My entire entourage consisted of 6 people - 2 pairs of primary sponsors plus my brother and sister who took on the roles of ring and arrhae bearer plus candle, veil and cord sponsors. 

My gown, although sewn by a seamstress using lace that I bought in Divisoria and technically costs less than 3,500 pesos is one of my most valued possessions because my mom spent every night (for 3 weeks!) sewing pearls and sequins on it because she wanted it to be perfect.

In the end, we had a blast with the people we love the most and the rain couldn't dampen our spirits. 

Because we had a small wedding party, we didn't have to worry about a lot of things. Our suppliers were very helpful and provided a lot of input into our planning. 

Everyone found the ceremony different in a good way and of course, dinner was superb. Everyone enjoyed the food, talked and laughed as a group as you will see in the photos, we only had one table for the entire group. 

Booking everyone in the same hotel was a plus and provided our families additional time to bond before and after the wedding. 

It was our perfect dream wedding and even if we were given a chance to go back in time, we wouldn't change anything. We had a chance to savor the moment, talk to our loved ones and enjoy the food.

I know that our wedding is not for everyone and we respect those who prefer otherwise but to those who really want an intimate wedding but are afraid or being pressured of doing otherwise, I say go for it! Take a stand and don't be afraid to have your dream wedding. Those who truly know and love you will understand and honestly, those who don't understand either don't love you enough or shouldn't matter. In any case, you can always throw a party for your officemates, friends or extended family before or after the wedding which is exactly what we did.

Congratulations our dear rebellious couple! We are proud of you and we celebrate your wonderful anti-reception wedding! Hail to anti-reception weddings! 

XOXO,
Kai

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Suppliers:
Church = Chapel on the Hill
Dinner = Antonio's
Flowers = Flowers of May
Wedding Photos = Shayla Sanchez and Angie for Imagine Nation
Cake = Hearts and Bells Cake Artistry
HMUA = Fredy of Fredy's Salon

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