Meaningful joy at Aika & Jim’s wedding
The end of the year was the beginning of a lifetime for Aika Robredo, daughter of the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo and Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo, and digital content creator Jim Guzman, son of Jimmy and Celia Guzman.
During the homily given by Fr. Manoling Francisco S.J. at Aika and Jim’s Filipiniana-themed wedding at the Our Lady of Guadalupe, Montecito Chapel in Calamba, Laguna, he told the couple: “Even before you were born, you were already destined to meet each other.”
Indeed, a close friend of the couple, Smile Indias, who is chairman of the Ateneo Fine Arts Department, says Aika and Jim complement and complete each other.
“I would say Aika is very structured, very organized and very disciplined. You see that translate in our friend groups as she is the one who always has the mindset or mindfulness to make reservations, for instance, in making sure the schedule is on time. She really offers structure and discipline in the barkada. She’s very dependable. I think that’s the common thread between them, they’re both very responsible.”
While Aika is on the “structured” side, Jim is “more on the more spontaneous and fun side—but they’re both disciplined in the same way,” according to Smile.
Thus, she says the couple are nice and easy to be with.
“I think what I enjoy most about being around them is the playful banter, sobrang lighthearted nilang kasama. Though structured si Aika, playful si Jim. They’re super fun to be with together.”
The couple revealed their wedding plans to close friends in October 2024.
“They told us that they were already engaged,” Smile reminisces. “And then sometime around January, we all had dinner together because I offered to give them my design services as a graphic designer. So around January, they already locked me in with the initial aesthetics, the vibe of the wedding, and then I worked on their monogram.”
Sources say that among those privy to the couple’s wedding planning was the late chef Margarita “Gaita” Fores. Before her death, Gaita was reportedly very hands-on in the menu preparations for the Dec. 29, 2025 wedding of Aika and Jim. Her catering firm took over the baton, or should we say the ladle, after Gaita passed away suddenly in February 2025.
‘Tender, simple, heartfelt, meaningful’
The very private wedding, according to Smile, was “tender, simple, heartfelt, meaningful.”
The chapel was decorated with textures of white and green, the arrangements purposely only thigh-level, nothing above the pews, nothing overwhelming.
A wave of emotion passed through the guests as Aika, in a wedding gown by Jo Rubio made from her Papa’s piña barongs, met her mother midway down the aisle to the choral rendition of “With a Smile,” originally by the Eraserheads.
Lift your head, baby don’t be scared
Of the things that could go wrong along the way
You’ll get by with a smile
You can’t win at everything but you can try
“I think people were crying as they were walking down the aisle,” recalls Smile. “But I think more people were crying during the reception.”
The reception took place at the Alta Veranda de Tibig in Cavite, which has a Filipiniana vibe as well. The pre-reception rituals, like the couple’s first dance and the cutting of the cake, were held outdoors, before the reception proper.
Jim and Aika danced beneath clear skies as the sun gave way to the stars, as their nephews and nieces sang Yellow by Coldplay.
Look at the stars
Look how they shine for you
And everything you do
Yeah, they were all yellow
Jim and Aika then passed on the mic to Ebe Dencel for his song, Bawat Daan, as photos of Aika with her mother, who was widowed in 2012, were shown onscreen. The couple dedicated the song to Leni. Smile says most guests, including herself, were “sobbing.”
Sa pagkumpas ng iyong kamay
Aking landas ginagabay
Nag-iisang tiyak sa isang libong duda
Silong sa iyak at pagluluksa
Guests were treated to a main course of sea bass, roast beef and lechon, and pasta was served from a cheese wheel. The pasta was Smile’s favorite; it was very basic like Cacio y Pepe, but you could customize it with sidings like tomatoes and arugula.
Aside from the OTC medicine counters where guests could choose their giveaways (Jim, after all, works with Unilab) there was another unique souvenir station.
According to Smile, “There was also a Lego keychain area where you get to customize a Lego piece, so it looks like you. And then you put it on a board with all the other guests’ Lego pieces and then you keep another copy that they turned into a keychain.” She chose a figure with glasses “and the quirkiest piece of clothing I could find.”
Her wish for the newlyweds—who went back to work right after the holidays (Aika on Jan. 2!) is “the same lighthearted happiness that people have always felt around them. May they have it forever. They really balance each other out in a really inspiring way. So I hope they get to keep that for the rest of their lives.”
That’s destiny.
Best wishes Mr. and Mrs. Jim Guzman!
