‘Wedding of the Year’ for Mar and KorinaBy MA. GLAIZA LEE
October 27, 2009, 5:54pm
They are now, officially, no longer the most eligible bachelor and bachelorette in the country.
Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas and broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez said “I do” to each other at the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City Tuesday afternoon to the cheers of select guests inside the church and the public who closely followed their romance.
The exchange of vows was made with a Filipiniana-inspired background that was meticulously set up by the groom’s cousin, Margarita Fores. Sto. Domingo was literally abloom with sampaguita and rosal, Korina’s favorite flowers, for what is touted to be the country’s Wedding of the Year. Six bishops officiated in the wedding. Fr. Tito Caluag, S.J., delivered the homily.
The radiant bride walked down Sto. Domingo Church’s aisle (purportedly one of the longest aisles in the country) in an ecru Filipiniana dress by Pepito Albert and shoes by Cesar Gaupo to the beautiful rendition of Vehnee Saturno’s “Kahapon, Bukas, Ngayon” by the Philippine Madrigal Singers with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra.
The song was inspired by the romantic response of Sanchez to Roxas’ repeat “performance” when the couple became guests in the television noontime show Wowwowee.
Sanchez’s brothers G, Milano, and Mickey gave the bride away to the groom who wore a Randy Ortiz Barong. The senator waited patiently at the altar with the Best Man, his son Paolo.
All the bridesmaids, including Korina’s closest friend Dang Cecilio-Palanca who was Maid of Honor, were dressed in Patrice Ramos-Diaz creations while the male entourage was all in Barong Tagalog by Ortiz.
Baby James Yap, son of actress Kris Aquino and cager James Yap, was the Ring Bearer, while Miguel Sanchez, son of Dyan Castillejos, was the Bible Bearer. Korina’s niece, Shaila, was one of the flower girls.
Broadcaster Ted Failon did the First Reading, followed by Elay Antonino for the Second Reading. Margarita Fores, the groom’s first cousin, delivered the Prayers of the Faithful.
The principal sponsors were Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Chief Justice Reynato Puno, former Senate President Jovito Salonga, ABS-CBN chairman Eugenio Lopez III, George Araneta, Red Cross’ Rosa Rosal, Probe’s Che Che Lazaro, Ruby Roxas, Baby Fores, and Helen Costales.
The wedding was attended by the couple’s closest friends and families as well as political and showbiz bigwigs.
Both public personalities, Roxas and Sanchez opened their wedding to the public with seats reserved within the church on a first-come, first-served basis. There were also giant TV screens outside the church for those who didn’t make it inside the church.
There was none of the pomp and pageantry usually associated with such high-profile weddings. The couple decided to forego their grand reception which was originally planned to cater to 10,000 people at the Araneta Coliseum.
Instead, the couple had a meet and greet with their visitors who were treated to refreshments and sandwiches.
The couple donated the money intended for their wedding reception to the victims of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. An estimated P2.2 million was apportioned to the Caritas Manila, the Philippine National Red Cross, ABS-CBN’s Sagip Kapamilya, and GMA 7’s Kapuso Foundation.
The wedding was all the more memorable for its simplicity. An intimate dinner followed at the Bahay na Puti, the Aranetas’ ancestral home in Cubao, Quezon City with just the wedding entourage, immediate family members, and closest friends of the bride and groom, numbering around 200, in attendance.
The “white-and-wood” themed reception featured wooden candelabras carved by artisans from Pampanga and bedecked with rosal and sampaguita flowers for the table centerpiece, glass vases, candles, Venetian mirrors, and Araneta-Roxas heirloom pieces like crystal and silver.
Traditional Filipino food such as caldereta, kare-kare, and lechon, all prepared by Cibo which is family-owned, was served at the wedding banquet. Guests went home with Venetian mirrors and jewelry boxes all crafted in Pampanga as wedding souvenirs.
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