Every wedding day has a story to tell. Doesn’t matter how many times we’ve seen and shot them. Lej and Dave are one of many couples who were challenged by distance. Lej is a make-up artist based in Hongkong while Dave stays here in Manila. And like many of these long-distance hardships, the end begins with the wedding.
What I like about weddings in old Manila is capturing the city’s extraordinary architectural framework especially within the walls of Intramuros. Really, people form here would be too tired of it but it is likely the equivalent of us seeing the walls of Avila in Spain to the many tourists who visit this historical location. Lej and Dave’s ceremony was held in one of the most sought-after wedding churches (one of the hottest as well), the San Agustin Church, which is actually dubbed as the “Wedding Capital of the Philippines.” Which is not surprising given that a wedding is scheduled there almost every hour of every day. The elegant wedding was adorned under beautifully handpainted ceilings that resembles Renaissance-like churches in Europe. And the church door is one of my most favourite to shoot – it just never gets old.
To make the after-ceremony shoot more unique, we decided to shoot in the Manila Post Office. The European feel of the structure looked very beautiful in photos. It brought consistency with the look of the church as well. The building has a rectangular shaped mast furbished with fourteen Ionic columns. Ionic is one of the classic styles in Greek architecture. Even the interiors inside the building is just astonishing. The mailboxes at the background brings you back to many years when longhand written letters were still the only way of communication in the past. We used all of these in the photos including a tall scaffold that Lej and Dave impressively climbed. Every element of the shoot on that day was cohesive, but the main thing is, everything screams “elegance,” just like the dainty flatlay I created featuring the bride’s essentials including her own make-up and accessories.
I loved shooting Lej, she has this mysterious yet striking look and makes her even more beautiful. And she loved the photos too that she decided that we will have another shoot soon. To Lej and Dave, thank you for picking me as your photographer on your most special day. I’m looking forward to working with you again!
Thank you to Claiza Bihasa for Lej’s wedding gown and to Pong Nui for her make-up.
If you love the baroque style of Renaissance, neo-classical and Greek architecture, then do check Lej and Dave’s wedding photos below. Enjoy!
