UGARTE-LUGTU
A Big Celebration with a Personal Touch
In their almost ten years as a couple, Basi Ugarte and Nikki Lugtu have spent nearly half of that time physically apart. They met at their college orientation at Santa Clara University in 2010 and were inseparable until 2015, when Nikki had to move to Toronto and Basi stayed in California. In 2016, he moved back to the Philippines, and in 2017, she relocated to Sydney in order to be “closer” to him and her family. “People always asked me how we made it work with the distance and they assumed it was hard,” she says. “Although I missed him and wished to see and hug him every single day, the answer is that he was always still so close, even when he was thousands of miles away.” When Nikki received a knock on her door early last year at her apartment in Sydney, the last thing she expected was to see Basi on one knee, asking her to marry him.
Basi and Nikki share a love of music festivals, so they hoped to bring that immersive experience to their guests by throwing a weekend party. “We wanted to create an atmosphere where family and friends could really dance all night long,” they say. Celebrations started two days after the ushering in of a new decade, with sunset cocktails at Amorita Resort, overlooking Bohol’s Alona Beach. The next day, they had an all-white welcome pool party at Bluewater Panglao, which party they had to shut down early to prepare for the wedding day.
The big day began with an ethereal ceremony designed by Gideon Hermosa at the Kawayanan Hall at Bluewater Panglao. Following the wedding, cocktail hour at the garden commenced with lawn games like corn hole, giant jenga, and lawn bowling to entertain guests while they munched on canapés and sipped glasses of Prosecco, sangria, mojito, red and white wine, along with delicious non-alcoholic drinks.
Inspired by Australian and Mexican beach weddings, Nikki wanted the styling and décor to be dreamy and romantic. She says that upon entering the reception area, it was a jaw-dropping moment for everyone. “It was like we were in heaven on earth. We were in awe of the magical fairytale land we had entered into.” The reception was so large, they had to split it into two adjoining locations, one on the beachfront and the other overlooking the beachfront. Unusual for most weddings, Basi and Nikki took the step of casually hosting the wedding program themselves. “A lot of my and Basi’s dates throughout our relationship consisted of going to stand-up comedy shows in different cities we traveled to so we thought of incorporating our love for stand-up comedy,” she says, “And this also made the wedding feel more personal.”
The party started with the Brat Pack band from Manila, followed by a surprise performance from MOFO, a U2 tribute band. “It was practically a live U2 concert,” says the couple. While everyone was at the reception, the ceremony hall was transformed into a magnificent nightclub for the after-party. For Nikki and Basi, seeing Gideon bring their vision to life was like watching magic at work. “We were truly amazed and convinced that anything he touches turns to gold,” they say.
They ended the celebration with a farewell brunch the following day, which gave Basi and Nikki the chance to say thank you and goodbye to all of their guests who celebrated the weekend with them. “It truly was the best, dreamiest, most magical, and most epic weekend ever,” the couple says happily.
According to Nikki, the biggest challenge was having a big wedding but making it still feel as intimate as possible. “We thought the best way was to have a destination wedding over multiple days so that we could have more time to be with all the people we met and love from the various chapters of our lives, and for them to have the chance to mingle and get to know one another too,” she says.
Wedding Dress LIZ MARTINEZ
Wedding Shoes PRADA
Welcome Party Dress MARTIN BAUTISTA
After Party Dress PATRICIA SANTOS
After Party Shoes RAFA USA
Makeup MIKKA MARCAIDA
Hair ANTONIO PAPA
Groom’s Attire STAG WEDDINGS
Bridesmaid’s Gowns OLIVIA & FIFTH
Entourage Hair and Makeup SHYRA QYUMBI
Rings ODYSSEUS SUAREZ
Wedding Stylist GIDEON HERMOSA
Welcome Party Stylist DAVE BANGLOS OF BLUEWATER PANGLAO
Wedding Coordinator STANZ WEDDINGS
Invitations SHIELA MAE JUBAN OF BLUEWATER RESORTS
Printing CDI DESIGNS
Officiant FR. JOHN YOUNG
Caterer BLUEWATER PANGLAO
Cake BLUEWATER PANGLAO
Rental Furniture TNC RENTAL, CEBU COUNTRY CLASSICS HOME DECOR, DEBBIE HUANG RENTALS
Tablescape Items TALA CURATED RENTALS Sounds and Lights DISCO RECORDS CENTRE Videographer LULA FILMS
Wedding Band THE BRAT PACK AND MOFO Wedding DJs DJ TOMAS CABILI, DJ SNU, AND DJ GROOVY LUKI
Giveaways HANGOVER KIT, BEACH ESSENTIALS, AND SNACKS
Honeymoon MALDIVES