The vow renewal of Mans and Mimi Meyer was a hush-hush affair as it was meant to be a surprise. For Mans, that is. This made organizing quite a challenge especially for Mimi who had to put things under wraps until the big reveal last February 14, 2013.
But it turned out that keeping Mans in the dark was easy; it was taming the rain that was not. And everything hung in a balance because the grandeur of the event that would unfold on the sprawling grounds of Villa Maria Luisa Hotel in Tandag City owed much to fine weather.
All Mimi wanted was to recapture a significant moment. On her wedding day on 14 February 2008 in Ireland, the weather was perfect: the sun was not only out, it was shining, warm, and bright. While Mans wore a suit, she wore nothing fancy: just a simple, small dress. But for a sweet and petite bride like her, no dress could ever be simple. And so that day, like a poetry in motion, she captured the German heart and soul of Mans.
Five years later, his name is still hers. Because of this, she wanted to relive that single most significant moment. But this time, in a land she calls home and with the comforting presence of families and friends. However, days before the big event, the rain showed no sign of letting up even if some friends were bending their knees in prayer and offering eggs to contemplative nuns of the Order of St. Clare in exchange for supplications for fine weather.
Then miraculously, on February 14, heaven showed compassion.
.And so it came to pass that the weather on Mans and Mimi’s vow renewal at four o’clock in the afternoon of love-day was perfect: the sun was not only out, it was shining, warm, and bright. He was dapper in an Italian vest worn over a matching tie and white dress shirt; and she was alluring in an ecru empire-cut gown by Manila-based designer Ryan Madamba.
As she walked down the snaking pathway toward the Gazebo holding a bouquet of imported, long-stemmed calla lilies, Mimi was a dream-like vision as she was shrouded in a veil of misty tulle that dropped to just an inch from the ground, thus adding chic to an already elegant handiwork of satin and Chantilly lace that was her gown. And when she met Mans at the center where their paths converged, he kissed and held her in his arms like the first time.
The wind sighed and time stood still.
As the beautiful words and melody of “Just the Way You Are” filled the air, Mans and Mimi walked past topiaries, bows, swags, and wreaths made of calla lilies, Holland and lemon roses, Japanese lanterns, lilliums, gerberas, wonder whites, lisiantus, philhopes, papyrus, century leaves, and xanadus; then past hurricane lamps that encased scented candles held by candelabras placed inside vases of lanky crystals. And like a magnificent apparition in a gazebo made radiant by the golden rays of the setting sun, Mans and Mimi renewed their vows before Reverend Antonio Bautista who stood between them and the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean.
After unveiled by Mans for a sweet and lingering kiss before a cheering crowd of over 100, Mimi led the releasing of the eight lanterns of love that reached for the sky like burning prayers in crimson.
Then, cocktails.
Mans and Mimi went up to their room to rest for a while and freshen up. Dusk had set in but guests were still milling about at the romantically lamp-lit gazebo area, washing down with champagne crab cakes in Cajune sauce, California makki ham and cheese rolls, and pigs-in-a-blanket.
At 7:00 in the evening, Mans and Mimi stood by the door of the grand ballroom of Villa Maria Luisa Hotel and welcomed guests to the reception party. The spacious venue held round tables-for-five swathed in immaculate white, carrying centerpieces of mostly white flowers with sprinklings of celadon. The two buffet tables carried the main courses: beef stroganoff, chicken cordon bleu, shrimp thermidor, and roast pork loin in orange marmalade sauce. Side by side with the salad bar was the multi-tiered dessert bar presenting an array of fruits in season, buco pandan, leche flan, and panna cotta in flavors of blueberry, cherry, and mango.
Sandwiching dinner, the reception program was short but sweet and punctuated by love songs personally chosen by the couple and sung by a professional singer from Davao City. Other highlights included the couple liplocking while dancing to the haunting rhythm coaxed from the strings of a violin by the hired singer; the honest and touching speeches of Mimi’s father and Governor Johnny T. Pimentel; the felicitations and wishes in person and on video by kith and kin of Mimi from all over the country and the globe; and the giving of a speech by the former Philippine ambassador to Ireland and his leading the toast in honor of Mans and Mimi that was set-off by a wine parade.
But nobody was prepared for the speech that Mimi gave. While Mans read his, Mimi delivered hers straight from the heart. Garbed in another elegant ecru gown of satin and Chantilly lace by the same designer, Mimi tempered her speech with just the right mix of drama, romance, symbology, and humour. And because the fine lady from Tago is an articulate and mesmerizing speaker, she had everybody in the palm of her hand.
As the night wore on, wine and food still flowed. Some guests had their pictures taken at the posterity wall showing Mans and Mimi cuddling by the pool; others joined Mans and Mimi on the dance floor; while the rest engaged in small talk over wine and canapes.
“A wedding is a celebration of falling in love and beginning of marriage. A renewal of vow is a celebration of staying in love and staying married.” While not a few couples have found a ground for divorce, Mans and Mimi have chosen to find their own solid ground for sticking together.
Until forever.
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(Here are my photos as event organizer, pro bono.)
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