Milestones
Small and Philip Laude renew their vows at a gardeninspired celebration in their lavish new house
Ona balmy midsummer evening, Small and Philip Laude welcomed their closest friends into their newly built four-storey home in San Juan. This intimate gathering didn’t just serve as a housewarming for the Ed Calma-designed house, but also as the celebration of the couple’s 25th wedding anniversary.
e Laudes’ 120 guests started arriving in the late a ernoon, all dressed to the nines in so colours and oral patterns—in theme with the event’s garden luxe aesthetic. e celebrations began on the roo op just as the sun began to set, and while the sky shi ed from blues to pinks and purples, the blooms on the roo op below blended into the sunset, creating an otherworldly backdrop for the ceremony.
MAGIC ON THE ROOFTOP
For the celebration’s extravagant decorations, celebrity event stylist Gideon Hermosa had own in over 80,000 stems of spring and tropical owers from Holland, Ecuador, and Taiwan. “I always style and organise big events but I have a so spot for small and intimate gatherings,” says Hermosa, who adds that the styling for this occasion was quite challenging as his team had to be extra careful around the brand new house’s luxurious furniture and xtures.
It took Hermosa’s team two days to nish the setup, but his hard work paid o . With his elaborate oral arrangements and installations, he successfully transformed the roo op into a spring garden, and the dining room into a tropical sanctuary. Hermosa dreamed up the decor with inspiration from the bride’s Marchesa gown—a delicate tulle number embellished with whimsical oral appliqués—and from the Beverly Hills Hotel, one of the bride’s favourite places in the world.
The Beverly Hills Hotel is so important to the Laudes that even parts of their home mirror the iconic hotel’s design. “e Beverly Hills Hotel has this glamorous and old ambience. It is so beautiful there and its vibe makes me so happy,” Small explains, adding that she loves spending time at the hotel whenever she’s in Los Angeles.
As the sky deepened into the indigoes of twilight, the couple renewed their vows to music from the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, who was also joined by their 14-year-old daughter Allison on the cello.
“e renewal of vows was the highlight of the evening,” says Small. “e speech of my husband Philip made my night.”
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S FEAST
A er the beautiful ceremony, the festivities moved downstairs. Cocktails were served at the living room and poolside area, which was decorated with romantic candlelight; orchids and rose petals oated on the surface of the pool. In the dining room, Hermosa had fashioned a canopy of warm-toned ora that gave the room an ethereal atmosphere. Guests were seated into two long tables that each seated 40, as well as four smaller round tables in the patio that seated 10 guests each.
“We opted to have low centrepieces so guests could see each other and talk with one another across the table,” Hermosa says. Bronze candlesticks and lavish floral arrangements comprised of peonies, ranunculus, anthuriums, and Ecuadorian roses flanked the tables.
e reception dinner, orchestrated by Margarita Forés, started o with a rich zucchine passato made with 24-month Parmigiano-reggiano, panna cotta, and frico; followed by delectable lobster linguine with red wine tomatoes and white wine bottarga di muggine. Guests savoured two steaks: a bone marrow-crusted angus rib cap and a cherryaged angus rib-eye, served with chocolate sauce, sauce béarnaise, and porcini con t alongside Negros garlic adlai with haricot verts and corn. And of course, Forés served her signature roast organic lechon with lemongrass and Cerveza Negra infusion, complete with red wine liver sauce and calamansi-santol mostarda di frutta. Dinner was followed by a delightful dessert bu et created by Bizu for the occasion, back in the ground oor living room.
Chef Castillo Fuentes cra ed a six-tiered wedding cake, drawing inspiration from numerous sources: the impressionist art movement (particularly Claudẻ Monet); Small’s oral gown; and the event’s invitations, which were designed by Papillon by La Belle Fête. Embellished with intricate sugar
owers, handpainted leafy details, and so peach icing, the cake stood over three feet tall.
All the elements of the celebration exuded glamour and opulence, yet the festivities themselves were warm and laidback. Without a strict programme or seat plan, guests were free to circulate and mingle as they pleased, and so throughout the night, the house rang with genuine laughter and well wishes for the couple.
“e outcome was more than what I expected,” says Small. “I was so happy with how the celebration came out. Everything was [close to] perfect.”