Oly Ruiz

Cathy and Chase | Manila Peninsula Weddings

Cathy is probably one of the most beautiful brides anyone could photograph. I saw her first in one of the weddings I shot and then in many other weddings thereafter. We got to know each other throughout that, and I’ve secretly wished that I would get the chance to be her photographer when she gets married. Through wine, I also got to meet Chase. If Cathy is as lovely as they can be, Chase is the ultimate buddy – personable, charming, and never runs out of great things and stories to say. One could just imagine how spirited a wedding with a couple like Cathy and Chase and a photographer like me would be. Add in their amazing friends and the prettiest elements of any wedding, and you have a celebration so beautiful and soul-stirring that you wish it never ended. Though it did end, I got my wish and now have the pictures to show for it. And today, we share with you all the wedding of Cathy and Chase. Enjoy. Suppliers: Photos: Oly Ruiz and Rae Cabradilla Planning: Christine Ong Te Events Wedding Gown: Patricia Santos Yao PS Officiel Flowers and Styling: Dave Sandoval Make-up: Albert Kurniawan Headpiece: Jacatel Jewelry & Adornments Grooming: The Spoiled Groom Reception: Manila Peninsula Emcee: Sam YG [shareprints gallery_id=”96913″ gallery_type=”masonry” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”medium” image_padding=”5″ theme=”dark” image_hover=”zoomin” lightbox_type=”slide” comments=”true” sharing=”true”]

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Robyn and Aaron | A Manila Tinghun

I only shoot a handful of Tinghuns or Chinese Engagements every year; when I do, it’s always something special. It’s special because of the different challenges it brings, the novelty of the undertaking, and always the people involved. When I get to shoot a couple more than the prenup and the wedding, you can just imagine the added bond it brings. Today’s feature couple doesn’t need that extra bonding time with me. As I’ve said in my previous post about them, these two are my persons also – we’ve bonded more than enough even before they got engaged, and we have done so over wine and more wines. By the time they got engaged, we had only more reasons to get together and celebrate. For those very reasons, I’m excited to share photos that are unusual (because they are not prenup or wedding photos) but, at the same time, still very much Metrophoto – photos of distinction, of elegance, of having that personal touch and relationship from the photographers, and pictures that tell a story beautifully. I’m proud it’s Robyn and Aaron this time around.[shareprints gallery_id=”99819″ gallery_type=”masonry” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”medium” image_padding=”5″ theme=”dark” image_hover=”zoomin” lightbox_type=”slide” comments=”true” sharing=”true”]

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Cebu Wedding | Miya and Ken

It has been several days into 2024, but I read somewhere that the new year doesn’t officially begin until we publish our first blog post. So here we are, sharing with you one of our favorites and most beautiful from 2023, the Cebu wedding of Miya and Ken. We traveled to Cebu seven times last year to cover one beautiful event after another, and this particular gem of a place has continued to touch and thrill us. Everything about this wedding is to be deeply admired and appreciated. Details, impeccable. Feels, poignant. Bride, gorgeous. And anything in between those are things to behold. Even the fluctuant weather sort of timed itself ideally so as to add excitement rather than disrupt. The wedding gods blessed us on this one, and we got glorious photos to show for it. My gratitude goes out to Miya and Ken. These two have been nothing but modest, accommodating, and warm – an amalgam of everything we dream for our clients to be. Of course, being good-looking is not a requirement, but it didn’t hurt that they are. So, as we uncover the new year, may this post serve as an inspiration of things to hold on to and of things to hope for. Happy 2024, everyone. [shareprints gallery_id=”104164″ gallery_type=”masonry” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”medium” image_padding=”5″ theme=”dark” image_hover=”zoomin” lightbox_type=”slide” comments=”true” sharing=”true”]

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Kate and Fred | Dipolog Pre-wedding Photographer

While we are in this bizarre new norm, I can’t help but continue to think how most of our shoots are set-up in such a way that they will meet the guidelines of even the modified ECQ. Given what we’ve been through the last couple months and how uncertain things are still, that’s quite a break in the clouds. It gives us more than just hope. It gives us confidence and excitement, which we must admit is not too common these days. So allow us to take you down south to Dipolog, where Kate and Fred had their prenup shoot early this year. Because this part of the country is unknown to us, it was not easy to plan and prepare where we were going to shoot. But I was confident enough that we will find something exciting and worthwhile at all costs. Dipolog City, after all, is Fred’s turf. And find unique places we did. It was a thrilling three days. I never felt so exhausted, but seeing how Kate and Fred willed every idea I had into fruition is just amazing. I’m sure you will appreciate the behind-the-scenes video we included in this post, as it documented all of the things we went through. Including to show how shoots like this can still be the norm in this well, new norm. Enjoy the photos, and we look forward to shooting with you all sooner rather than later. ________________ Suppliers: Photo: Oly Ruiz [shareprints gallery_id=”81933″ gallery_type=”masonry” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”medium” […]

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Jody and Dicky | A Batanes Island Renewal of Vows

Today we take you to one of the most stunning places in the Philippines for a feature of the renewal of vows of one of my closest friends in the wedding industry, Jody Liwanag. Batanes is situated in the northernmost part of the country in fact it is so north, it is closer to Taiwan than it is to any of our main islands. I guess this isolation is the reason why the place is on a world of its own. Its topography reminds you that of the Scottish countryside and yet the people are very Filipino – warm and very hospitable. The spots for amazing photo opportunities are abound. I’ve known Jody for more than eight years now. Being a well-known wedding planner, we were able to work together countless of times and have shared the same passion of providing the best service possible. We have grown close throughout the years, I met her Dicky and her kids, shot both her daughters 7th birthday portraits and I am now a godfather to the very adorable Jacob. It was an amazing experience in an amazing place. Their love for each other is inspiring – even after 15 years. And after many many weddings together, I was happy to be able to witness and share my talents to Jody and Dicky this time around. I’m sure that the best is yet to come to them and their family. Enjoy the photos and the behind-the-scenes video we prepared. Special thanks to Gideon […]

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The Wedding of Sheena and Andrew | Shangri-la Boracay

Having a wedding in Boracay alone is beautiful in itself already. But if you also fill that celebration with impeccably chosen details, beautiful people, and a love that’s wonderfully apparent, what you have are the makings of something that’s a true stand out. And it doesn’t matter if the weather doesn’t cooperate. The wedding of Sheena and Andy was affected by an unexpected downpour. What was supposed to be a garden ceremony turned out to be an exchange of vows inside the hotel. And honestly it didn’t matter because everything else was perfect. Sheena and Andy have thought of and prepared for almost everything that you’ll be able to see how they immaculately go together no matter the condition. These include their amazing gifts and the vows they gave to each other. It’s one thing to shoot a wedding in Boracay and it’s another to shoot a wedding as beautiful as this. Enjoy the photos. Supplier Line-up: Make-up: Gery Penaso Hair: Renz Pangilinan Coordination: Boracay Weddings Emcee: Andrew Wolfe Flowers and Styling: Teddy Manuel Boracay [shareprints gallery_id=”44795″ gallery_type=”masonry” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”medium” image_padding=”5″ theme=”dark” image_hover=”zoomin” lightbox_type=”slide” comments=”true” sharing=”true”]

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Santuario de San Antonio and Makati Shangri-la Weddings | Ana and Jaewoo

I rarely get clients who are schoolmates of mine from the same university, much more from the same college. So it was nice to have a Chemical Engineer from UP book Metrophoto for her wedding. To make it more exciting, she was marrying a Korean lawyer from Ateneo. If there was one thing we were going to expect, it was that the wedding will surely be unusual and beautiful – and it surely was from start to finish. I love Ana’s spirit. She’s full of energy and very beautiful. Jae on the other hand, more reserved yet very striking as well. They make such a lovely pairing and we are very grateful for the chance to document their wedding. Supplier Line-up: Wedding Gown: Rosa Clara Groom’s Suit: Tino Suits Make-up: Gela Laurel Videography: Cinemaworks/John Marvi de Guzman Coordination: Rita Neri/RNEP [shareprints gallery_id=”40816″ gallery_type=”masonry” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”medium” image_padding=”5″ theme=”dark” image_hover=”zoomin” lightbox_type=”slide” comments=”true” sharing=”true”]

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Kam and Lewis | A Shanghai China Pre-wedding Special

It’s a struggle to write blog posts when there aren’t many words to say, but the struggle is most when there are just too many, it seems impossible to determine where to start. I’m at a lost for words writing today’s feature. I don’t know if it is because the experience was amazing, or because the photos were some of the best I’ve shot, or because Kam and Lewis were two people just being incredible in so many ways. Honestly, I think it is all of those. This trip took us to China’s cities of Shanghai, Lijiang, and Shangri-la. Each city has its own charm and each offered a different adventure both photo-wise and experience-wise. Being a city guy, I love cosmopolitans. Shanghai obviously is a favourite and while I was familiar with it somehow, I was still surprised with how we were able to bring about the allure of old China just by walking around. From the shoots we did on a rooftop overlooking Shanghai’s captivating skyline, to those by the streets; we were able to capture contrasting sides of the city (old and new and night and day) that were both intense and beautiful. These photos are those you will see in the first part of the feature. The second part of this special post, showcases the photos from Lijiang and Shangri-la, which I didn’t know was a real place (and not just a hotel brand). A part of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, Shangri-la indeed feels like being […]

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Karen and Roy | An Amazing Turkey Pre-wedding Feature (Part 1 of 2)

Being able to shoot weddings for a living, is a dream come true in itself. If you asked me then what could be better than what I do, I would have answered nothing. But eventually I discovered that travelling for shoots, make it even better. It is doing what you love to do while doing what you love do to – a dream within a within a dream right? Absolutely! From what started with trips within the country and then within southeast Asia, to adventures that has now taken me to the most amazing and significant coroners of the earth, it has really been one heck of a ride. Today’s feature is one for the books. And that is for any book – be it figuratively or literally, as this adventure takes us to the cradle of civilisation and to one of the most consequential places in history. In fact, this shoot in Turkey is breathtaking enough to allow me to split the feature into two posts and still have each set make its own mark. In this first part, we’ll share the photos of Karen and Roy from Ephesius and from Pamukkale. One historic and another exotic – but both jaw-dropping, especially with Karen and Roy in them. In Ephesius we shot ruins of the foremost Greek civilizations, one of the very few still intact today and in Pamukkale we traversed mineral deposits that cascade down the mountain slopes creating a spectacle of lights, shapes, and shadows that can […]

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