Antonio’s Tagaytay Wedding Photographer | Gen and Keith

Up until her wedding day, I can say that of all the brides that I haven’t met in person yet, Gen was the closest to me. I can attribute it to our long negotiation process (she wants a lot of things), her great personality (she knows what she wants), or the fact that the pandemic required constant communication because of all the uncertainty (something she didn’t want). Contrary to Keith, who I had met numerous times before in the many weddings where he was a groomsman or a family of the couple.

One can just imagine that first ‘hello’ with Gen during her wedding preparations when I immediately told her how beautiful she was in person and an immediate response from her of ‘charot ka Oly, sinasabi mo yan sa lahat ng brides mo’. With my honest compliment turned down, I thought I needed more than the truth to get her in the groove. But G for Gen is also G for groove; she was immediately in the element to be photographed – knowing what was being asked of her and taking things further with ideas of her own, yes, bride/creative director.

The rest of the day happened similar to how it started, with beauty, banter, and bountiful emotions that make sharing this feature such an honor. There was at least ten other couples present in this wedding who I’ve shot before. Thus it also felt more like a prelude to Mblazoned in addition to feeling so at home. 

Thank you to Gen and Keith for being the amazing couple they are and for the unforgettable wedding they had. This wedding reminded me that couples always have their own story. No matter how many of their friends I have already shot previously, and even if I haven’t met the bride before shooting her, things will always turn out as unique as I envisioned it as long as the determined sincerity of telling their story is my focus that day. Enjoy the story of the photos of Gen and Keith.

Photos: Oly Ruiz
Video: Bob Nicolas
Gown: Patricia Santos Yao PS Officiel
Make-up: Angelo Eugenio
Hairstyling: Paul Nebres
Planning: Amanda Tirol
Flowers and Styling: Gideon Hermosa
Emcee: Sam YG
Catering: Antonio’s Tagaytay