Wedding bliss in Bangkok
In 2005, I went to Bangkok to represent the Philippines in the Miss Universe beauty pageant. Little did I know that 18 years later, I would come back to beautiful Bangkok for a more important event: my wedding in December 2023.
For my love story, let’s rewind to the New Year’s festivities of 2023, when Jay Hernandez and I met through his gracious mother’s dinner invitation.
Fast-forward to months later when, in-between our respective work/businesses, he proposed to me at Santuario de San Jose in Greenhills— the church where I was baptized. Apparently he consulted my mother on this heartfelt, on-site proposal, which I found perfect and unrehearsed, unlike proposals with full-blown productions nowadays.
Since the tradition in Thailand is not to ‘kiss the bride’ inside the church, we all had to march outside for the first kiss.
Impressed by his genuine simplicity and unfazed by social media and bling, a strong gut instinct said he was the one, and my “yes” came quite naturally when he knelt inside the church prior to a work event of mine in BGC.
We started to plan for our wedding shortly after and because of Jay’s immovable schedules in his new international airline post as a captain pilot, we knew we had to meet halfway for the wedding venue, and this midpoint was definitely in Bangkok, as suggested by my now father-in-law, where both of us could access the city more easily with familiarity.
Since we decided not to hire a professional wedding planner, I took on that role in this overseas wedding with valuable help from kith and kin alike, personally selecting the venues that reflected our tastes and at the same time showcasing remarkable elements of Thai heritage and culture.
It was providential that the Assumption Cathedral in Bangkok was surrounded by iconic riverside hotels, dotted on its shining, majestic banks. Shangri-La Bangkok had that venue I was eyeing as the first option for the event. Salathip (the Chao Phraya Riverside restaurant venue) was the backdrop we agreed on, with its three quintessential Thai Ayutthaya-style teakwood pavilions to house all our guests for the main lunch reception.
The Saffron Cruise by Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts was something I wanted to experience with Jay, so after planning the details with their event manager, it was best to put her in touch to coordinate with Shangri-La Bangkok’s go-to person for wedding and socials, Suphinya Sukitwattananon, on the docking of Banyan Tree’s boat at the Salathip Shangri-La’s private pier for the cruise sunset after-party and dinner.
Aside from securing the venues, we made sure that our main suppliers were also sourced from Bangkok for practicality’s sake. But my wedding gown was by Filipino designer Renee Salud, and my evening cruise dress by Jun Escario.
Everything was in place two weeks prior to the wedding—quite last-minute with bridezilla stress, too—but it all worked out just fine in time for our celebrations.
At the 1800s French-built church, my beloved parents walked me down the aisle, where I cried profusely walking my last strides as a single woman over 40 before the symbolic transfer of hand from my father to the groom. My parents and I are very close, so this was an emotional moment. And, just like that, my single season came to an end at the aisle walk, where I saw the beaming face of my husband-to-be.
Blessings were given to complete the wedding Catholic ceremony. Since the tradition in Thailand is not to “kiss the bride” inside the church, we all had to march outside for the first kiss! Then I threw the much-awaited bouquet for the “lucky” single catcher, and went back inside for the usual photo ops. Our intimate coterie of 100 guests was giddy to do all these with us.
Monsignor Quitorio of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines joined us from Manila to co-officiate our wedding.
The program was hosted by my friend, Miss International semifinalist and former CNN PH anchor Patricia Fernandez-Garcia, with the introduction of the entourage and principal sponsors, who all sashayed around the pavilion grounds.
The Thai luncheon was highlighted by three cultural dances from three groups of colorful Thai heritage performers.
The second reception commenced as guests were onboard the Saffron Cruise. Jay and I arrived later than departure time, so we missed the golden sunset hour—having not seen the incredible sunset at the magical River of Kings.
We cruised for three hours and saw the glittering sites during the breezy, more relaxed evening. The highlight was the Wat Arun light show, and the Rama VIII Highway modern bridge, two of Bangkok’s most documented sites. Friends and family enjoyed this joyful evening over Japanese and continental fare. Of course, the fun started with unlimited drinks and fortunately, no one jumped off the boat!
My coming full-circle in Bangkok was a blissful surprise that wasn’t in my 2023 resolutions. Jay and I ended the evening with champagne toasts. Kap khun ka, Thailand!