MARK CERDEÑA & FRANCES JOANNE SALAS
The Black Wedding
Since college, I have always been fascinated with weddings. Not because I wanted to get married that soon, but because, for me, a wedding gives me that feeling of “kilig” and true happiness. I even helped my family and friends plan their events. And after all this time, I thought that I won’t get married at all. That’s why December 16, 2017 was not just the happiest day of our lives, but also God’s perfect time to grant us this blessing after 14 years of being together.
Mark and I wanted our wedding to be about love and family. We made sure that we invite as much guests close to our hearts to witness this event. We have always had this vision about this wedding, that we want it to be classy but nothing too extravagant. That’s why after Mark proposed, we immediately visited several bridal fairs and inquired to all possible suppliers that will match our ideas, style and budget. We also spent more than a year to finalize every detail and finish all DIY projects. After so many ideas, plans and revisions, we decided to have a black wedding.
Mark and I are both devotees of the Black Nazarene. We alw ays look forward for the 3pm mass of Rev. Fr. Hans Magdurulang every Friday at the Quiapo Church. We love the way he presides the mass especially during the Homily. That’s why it was really a blessing that he agreed to solemnize our wedding.
Our wedding motif is black since it’s our favorite color. I just added a few touches of pink to represent my love for Hello Kitty. But what made this special is that we requested all guests (including kids) to wear all black and they all complied. We did not ask our guests to strictly wear gowns & suits since we didn’t want them to have a reason not to come. They can wear whatever they want based on the attire guide we gave, as long as it is formal and black. That’s why when I entered the church, I was extra happy seeing all our guests in black. The theme is Classic Modern Elegance since we wanted everything to be simple but sleek and sophisticated. Also we opted to have all white decor for our reception to complement the attire of our guests.
I made several DIY items for our wedding like the ring, arrhae and rosary pillows, unity and offertory candles, cord, flower girl baskets, invitation layout, wands for the church & grand entrance, banner held by the flower girls, missalettes, fans used during the ceremony, escort and place cards, reception guide cards, boxes used for the souvenirs for the principal sponsors, personalized black tissue and personalized coffee sleeves.
One of the highlights during our wedding was our first dance. Mark and I just choreographed the dance to the tune of “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole, with the help of some Youtube videos. It took us 3 practices to master the steps on our own. It was a surprise for some since they did not know that Mark can dance. He even is a much better dancer than me.
For us, a couple doesn’t need to be extra colorful and extravagant to depict happiness and class. As long as there is family and love, all else will be colorful in our own eyes.
“Mark and I wanted our wedding to be about love and family.”