8.18.18. Coron, Palawan. Jeff and I shot this wedding on our own, just the two of us, after having planned to go as a team of 4 for so long. I had to make a Same Day Edit slideshow, too, which means we would need to be at least a team of 3 to do this. I don’t believe in astrology, but perhaps I am now open to keeping a healthy mild wariness of mercury retrograde. Photographers from both Manila and Cebu tried to help, which was beyond moving and humbling. August 18 was a hot wedding date and all the other shooters we knew were already booked. I’m sure everyone had their hands full then, but people still went out of their way to help. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
There was also a large aircraft that overshot the runway at NAIA the day before the wedding, which caused a pandemonium of epic proportions before sunrise, delaying and cancelling nearly all flights that weekend, including a few of the wedding guests’, even the groom’s sister’s. It felt like everything that could have gone wrong did.
Perhaps it was the boat ride and open sea, and seeing the waves crash on that pristine, powdery white sand as we were docking. Perhaps it was planting my feet on it and feeling that familiar calm and peace wash over me. Yes, shooting as a team of 4 is much easier, and our team is so good that they’ve spoiled me rotten as an editor over the years, but we started this 10 years ago as just the two of us. If we strip it down to its most basic, to the very core, we started this just wanting to shoot weddings next to each other. This would be us doing exactly that.
We shot our hearts out, and as we were running around, I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming surge of love for this man I would run to the ends of the Earth with. I knew it was going to be okay because he was there with me. Anywhere with him and I’m alright.
The skies held for Mauricio and Irina’s ceremony. They were happy and so in love, you could almost reach out and touch it. Their families were bursting with joy and excitement, it was absolutely contagious and more than enough sunshine to see us through. One bridesmaid arrived on the island just as Irina was walking towards the ceremony. It was heartwarming how everyone fought so hard to make it despite the weather and airport delays.
I couldn’t hear their vows from where I was, as they chose to speak directly to each other with no microphones, but seeing their faces and how they looked at each other with all the love in the world had me in tears. There was no mistaking how much these two love each other.
For all the things that went wrong that weekend, something of infinitely greater magnitude happened in the most perfect way, and everything in the universe in that very moment was exactly as it should be. And this, this is why we do what we do.
With the help of the kind staff of Club Paradise who looked after my laptop whenever I needed to run out and shoot, I was able to finish editing the slideshow EARLY. I wanted to jump and whoop with unbridled joy and relief, but as soon as it finished rendering, hello, torrential downpour. I wish I were kidding. It was perfect comedic timing, if you’re into black comedy. The tent leaked, and at times, felt like it was going to be blown right off by the crazy winds. But it held. The rain stopped. And everyone, everyone stayed. They partied and danced. Boy, these people can dance.
And as the slideshow played without a single hitch and I saw the happiness and tears on people’s faces, I was flooded with immense gratitude for being able to do this with my husband, for the trust our couples give us, and the meaning we find in the work that we do. 10 years and it still feels this good to make people this happy, and I get to do it all with him. I felt like crying for the second time that day. I had a glass of wine or two and danced instead.
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