We have not had a military wedding for quite a while. I believe the last one was more than a year ago. Having another one in an out of town wedding is definitely something to look forward to. Even the place was a first time for us — Hill Creek Gardens — the estate is owned by the Lirio family which turned a previous vacation home and a working coffee farm to an ideal place for an out of town wedding ceremony and reception. Actually, the place has its own chapel (however the ceremony was not held here) and several spots ideal for unforgettable photographs. The place can easily accommodate more than 500 guests and I particular like the main house which resembles like a french chalet.

Drawn swords and Air Force men in white duck uniforms are welcome break from the usual weddings we usually cover. The tradition of “mistahs” requiring the new groom to do certain acts before the couple is allowed to pass the swords blocking them is always an interesting thing to watch.

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It was raining hard when we reached Tagaytay. With this uncooperative weather, an outdoor wedding is definitely out of the picture. The new venue was equally awesome, the foyer of Midlands Golf Clubhouse with the Taal Volcano in full view. As soon as we arrived in Tagaytay Highlands, we immediately went to Karl’s cabin for some shots. As soon as the mandatory shots were done, it was Gaye’s turn. We were quite early since the wedding wouldn’t start till 4:30 pm but we were triggering away as early as half past noon. Gaye is a natural charmer and very relaxed in front of the camera. We took countless preparation shots not only inside the cabin but outside
as well.

Clear blue skies greeted us at the start of the wedding. Until the end of the ceremony, the weather has been very cooperative which allowed us to take several dramatic portraiture shots. It was quite necessary to have remote lighting for these shots since ambient light was already too low which will result to blurry photograph. Even a tripod will not solve it since the camera might be steady but not the subject.

The reception was a really party participated in by Karl and Gaye’s closest friends. Our movingpictures slideshow summarized the entire event using Daughtry’s Feels Like Tonight.

The welcoming sky of Tagaytay Midlands.

The many moods of Gaye.

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Doctors are really busy people, Jay and Mench, were no exception. Two months ago, they contacted me to do their wedding which I thought it will be next year. To my surprise, the date of their wedding is 08.08.08, without hesitation I already told them that I am booked. They asked me to look at my schedule again since their wedding will be late in the afternoon, luckily our original wedding that day will be very early and most likely be finished right after lunch.

Of course, my heel was still a concern. But at least if something really goes wrong with it, I know there will be a quite a good number of doctors that will be available to render first aid .

Mench Echiverri came in her Filipiniana inspired wedding gown. As expected, she was crying as she walks down the aisle. It was a very tearful moment since this was another case of a first born daughter being given away in marriage.

Of course, Jay, not be outdone, was also crying as Mench approached him . I guess just like in any other wedding emotions can really run high. However, the teary episode was just ephemeral and was replaced by joyous celebration as the ceremony ended. Almost everybody was already in the party mood as the reception starts.

To capped the evening, we played the movingpictures slideshow. I think Jay really enjoyed it — “Ang Pinakamandang Lalaki sa Mundo sang by Janno Gibbs.

Done with a low shutter speed while twirling the camera as I press the shutter.

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This seems to be the longest week (week of August 3). The start of the week, Sunday, was spent with my two boys in the driving range. I started picking up golf again because of the constant invitations from business colleagues and friends. After being more than a year away from this game, here I am again and I like my two kids to be with me. I believe once they are involved it will be more difficult for me to quit . My kids and I have engaged a professional to teach us again the basics. I have to say that except for a few corrections on my backswing, I am ready to play again.

Too early for me to say…. by Thursday, I can’t even take a single step. I was diagnosed of having a heel spur which rendered my left foot immobilized.

Why I am telling you this… just to narrate you how difficult it is to cover a wedding with one leg. Daniel is the son of a co-worker and they definitely want me to be in the wedding, not only to cover it but as a guest as well. In all my weddings, I am present all the time, unless I am dying (when I had dengue) there is no time that I wouldn’t be there to personally call the shots. So this is no exception, even if I know that Edong and Russ were more than capable to pull this off I made sure that I was also there.

The wedding was our earliest so far in San Agustin slated 7:45 in the morning. As you know this church is massive and with an aching left heel the entire place became even larger. It was a very good thing that Daniel and Eloisa took all the pointers I impressed on them last Wednesday. The entire wedding went smoothly and the shoot was even made memorable how understanding the couple were on my situation.

Even if the wedding is just a hobby, never will I let down a client. I always believe that every wedding is special. It is not only a labor of love but one of the most special events that can happen to any couple. As days pass, as years pile up, only these photographs shall remind the couple of that fateful day — we promise that we are always ready to capture these memories.

For their movingpictures slideshow, we chose David Cooke’s rendition of Maria Carey’s “You’re Always Be My Baby”.

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We are again in Don Bosco to cover the very intimate wedding of Phillip and Theresa. Typical Australian, Phillip is a natural comic. He is very comfortable in front of the camera and could pose all day long. This is the total reverse of Theresa, who really needed a warming up. But we will not allow her to miss this grand opportunity to be the center of attention. True enough, after a couple clicks and several flashes, she is raring to go. The lobby of Peninsula Manila is as impeccable as ever and provided a grand backdrop to our portraits. We used to remote flashes to achieve three dimensional lighting.

Meanwhile, the church, Don Bosco is a break from the usual Hispanic churches we cover. The diamond shaped ceiling design is made even more dramatic with a 10mm fish-eye lens. Again, we maximized the use of remote lighting to make scenes more cinematic — as I said before, using the Pocket Wizard is like having the sun at the palm of your hand.

We capped the reception with a movingpictures slideshow played by Goo Goo Dolls’ Before It’s Too Late.