Andrei Parma & Annica Hipolito
Anything But Conventional
Annica and I met in 2012. And even then, she’ll say, she wasn’t the marrying type. She has always been an independent spirit who valued her freedom and fostered her self-identity over everything else. She hated the sexist societal expectations that came with marriage here in the Philippines. The subtleties of the underlying expectations was evident in the shocked responses she received after telling people she would be keeping her name or in the expressions of people after finding out children and living together 24/7 were both not part of our masterplan.
However, far from the clamor of expectations and the stress of wedding planning, at the end of the day, I found comfort in knowing that we were in this together. We complement each other the way the greatest superheroes do. With me as the Thor to her Hulk, the Captain America to her Iron Man, the Star Lord to her Gamora, and the Ant-man to her Wasp. It was our differences that made us fit so well together.
Then came May 18, 2019, with more than a year and a half of intense planning (well mostly my wife’s military-level planning and my agreeing), D-day had finally come. It took so long for the doors to open and I was getting antsy worried that she had changed her mind and did a Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride. I was so nervous until those large wooden doors swung open. There she was, walking down the aisle. The moment I saw her, I was calm. Everything just felt right. It was perfect.
For such an unconventional, non-traditional girl, I was surprised that she wanted a classic formal wedding. We found a way to blend formal elegance in the beautiful minimalist geometric invitations, monogrammed gifts, and the personal thank-you notes with our silly and geeky side in the entourage’s Avengers entrance song, the rockeoke after party, and the surprisingly tense Jack-en-poy game with all the guests. Even our photos and videos reflected what I love about our relationship candid, fun, with lots of laughs, and absolutely no serious “look-away” shots.
The reception was beyond what I ever imagined. Entering the venue for the first time to the instrumental version of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin played by our wonderful string octet. Our wedding planners and stylists managed to create such a perfect blend of natural and industrial a reflection of our love for both the city and the outdoors. I loved that we were able to share our fun and silly side especially hers, something only I really get to see. We loved hearing the guests rave about how it was such a fun party, the delicious food and how much they ate, the chocolates they stole from other people’s seats, as well as the Harry Potter/lord of the Rings– esque venue.
HAIRAND MAKEUP
Carissa Cielo Medved
PHOTOBOOTH
DJ Coki
ENTOURAGE GIFTS
Something Personal
PRINCIPAL S P ONSORS GIFTS
Something Personal and High Caliber
OPENBAR
Mixed Mobile Bar
CHURCH
St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori
CEREMONY
White Space Makati
C AT E R I N G
Bizu
C O O R D I N AT I O N
Teena Barretto Events
CAKE
Joy San Gabriel
INVITATIONS
Printsonalities
EVENTSTYLING
Gideon Hermosa
PHOTOGRAPHY
Chestknots Studio
VIDEOGRAPHY
Dream Real Cinema
GOWN
Rosa Clara
SUIT
Suit it Up Manila
CHURCH FLORIST
Cora Mina
GUEST SOUVENIRS
Auro Chocolates
MUSICIANS
Manila String Machine
BAND
Composed Band
BRIDAL CAR
Don Robert’s Bridal
CARS REGISTRY
Crate and Barrel, Knots and Pans
Everything was planned to the hilt. Each and every one of our suppliers delivered above and beyond. My fondest memories would be of my wife crying as she walked down the aisle, our friends dancing like nobody cared, our drunk relatives singing random songs, my wife dancing barefoot with her bridesmaids, singing Eraserheads with my closest friends, our gym friends completely butchering Bohemian Rhapsody, the awesomely upbeat and beautifully captured SDE, the heartfelt speeches from my sister, my wife’s favorite niece, our Maid of Honor and Best Man, as well as my father-in-law‘s asking me to call him Dad–true moments I will treasure forever.
We actually managed to produce the wedding of our dreams. But what matters most is the fact that I married my soulmate, my bestfriend, my cheerleader, and my equal. I married no ordinary girl. As I’ve told my wife before and will tell her every day, I don’t care about other people’s expectations of what a marriage should be. We may be an unconventional couple a lot of people have told us that. And we may have had a kind of unconventional wedding but this is us. There is no pressure to be anything other than who we are.