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Metro Weddings Exclusive: Santi Elizalde and Maiki del Rosario's Tropical Wedding

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<p>We&#x27;ve seen tropical, garden, and Filipino-themed weddings. But one that combines all those themes, plus a unique twist featuring a color palette inspired by <strong>Southeast Asian fruits</strong>? Love&#x27;s fruition—now, that&#x27;s unique! This motif made<strong> Santiago Elizalde </strong>and <strong>Mikaela</strong><strong> del Rosario</strong>&#x27;s January nuptials all the more vibrant and vivid in the memory of their guests. </p><p>&quot;From the very start of our wedding planning journey, two words anchored us: warm and fun. &#x27;Warm&#x27; reflected both the tropical setting of a wedding in the Philippines and the color palette we chose, inspired by Southeast Asian fruits: <strong>dragon fruit magenta</strong>, <strong>coconut green</strong>, <strong>mango yellow</strong>, <strong>pomegranate</strong>, and <strong>vibrant orange</strong>,&quot;  Mikaela &quot;Maiki&quot; del Rosario told <strong>M</strong><strong>etro.Style</strong>. A unique combination of palette and palate. It was visually delicious—their hearts were full, and so were their eyes, full of wonder from the beautiful color explosion in the thoughtful details. &quot;These colors were carried through to the bridesmaid and Matron of Honor dresses, as well as our logo, which was beautifully designed by <strong>Andrea Wild</strong>; the logo truly tied everything together,&quot; she added. </p><p><strong></strong>The color scheme alone gave the wedding a warmer and more fun vibe, setting the tone of the whole celebration. The couple didn&#x27;t want an event that was too uptight or formal. Instead, according to the bride, &quot;&#x27;Warm&#x27; came from our desire to bring together friends from every stage of our lives to celebrate as one, sharing great food and plenty of drinks.&quot; </p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769640553641embed_DSC03563.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769640802062000031.JPG" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769642874244embed_DSC03618.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769641348253_1MS.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769641521774embed_DSC01134.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>A love story coming to fruition</strong></div><p>As it turns out, Southeast Asia&#x27;s significance in their love story represents how they conquered the world to be together. &quot;We were introduced by a mutual friend at a Christmas party in December 2017, at a time when neither of us was looking to meet someone,&quot; Santiago &quot;Santi&quot; Elizalde shared. &quot;Maiki was living in Singapore and had grown up all over Southeast Asia, only returning to the Philippines for summer and Christmas holidays, so neither of us had crossed paths before. It wasn’t until September of 2018 that we officially started dating, albeit long-distance. When COVID hit in 2020, we remained apart due to strict lockdowns in both Singapore and Manila, and didn’t see each other in person for nearly two years. We were finally reunited in 2022, when I moved to Singapore as part of my MBA program that began in Paris.&quot; </p><p>It&#x27;s really true what they say: love conquers all, transcending physical distance. With a love story solidly grounded in deep emotional connection, their relationship is built to endure even when their personal and professional pursuits each take them to different parts of the world. For one, they&#x27;re both family-oriented, as both come from what Santi described as &quot;very loving, close-knit families.&quot; </p><p>&quot;What we have in common is rooted in our values and the way we were raised... We’re both especially close to our first cousins, as we grew up more like siblings than relatives,&quot; Santi added. &quot;Our parents taught us to be independent, ambitious, and to pursue our dreams. Maiki followed in both our mom’s footsteps and became a teacher at her alma mater, Singapore American School, while I am now working in my dream job in sports marketing at LALIGA.&quot; </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769642364857embed__DSC03886.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769642580823embed__DSC03937.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"/></div><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769642954684embed__DSC03760.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769645479927embed_DSC08412.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769653327718embed_DSC02252.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769653407179embed_DSC01320.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>With tight-knit families like theirs, you can just imagine how the palpable energy of their loved ones jibed so well with their wedding&#x27;s mood board! Interestingly, the presence of each of their families&#x27; histories was seen and felt in their ceremony, as an heirloom veil that has been passed down through the Roxas and Zobel families was displayed at the church. &quot;Stitched onto the back of the veil are the names of each couple who has had it as part of the wedding, going all the way back to Santiago’s grandparents,&quot; Maiki shared.</p><p>Speaking of grandparents, Maiki also found more ways to honor them through thoughtful gestures, such as having the photo of her grandfather, <strong>Ernesto Lichauco</strong>, attached to her bouquet. She also gifted her parents with paintings that illustrated her mom and her <em>Lola</em>, as well as her dad and her <em>Lolo</em>, side by side on their wedding days. <em></em>  </p><p>Santi and Maiki tied the knot on January 6, 2026 at <strong>Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel </strong>in<strong> Montecito, Nuvali</strong>,<strong></strong> followed by a reception at<strong> Pasa Tiempo Pavilion</strong> in the same area. </p><p>&quot;When I visited Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel in Montecito with both our moms, we all had a feeling of &#x27;this is it.&#x27; There was never a question that we would have our church ceremony anywhere else. I also loved the yellow exterior of the church; it made the whole thing feel warm,&quot; Maiki said of the venue whose visual impact was enhanced by a plant-lined aisle, dressed up by events and floral stylist Zenas Pineda. <strong></strong></p><p>She added, &quot;Santiago and I purposely wanted our church venue to be intimate, really only for family and entourage. With around 120 people at the church, the people in our world who know us best, and the whole place filled with the sounds of a gorgeous string quartet and choir, love literally surrounded every corner of our ceremony. Perhaps that&#x27;s why so many people had happy tears in their eyes during the ceremony!&quot;</p><p>The festivity continued at the outdoor reception, which had an elegant yet laid-back feel. &quot;We wanted to keep the program short, with our dads and siblings as the only speakers of the night. Each speech was perfectly tailored to both our relationship and the speaker, and they ended up being what our guests loved most,&quot; Maiki said. </p><p>The reception was followed by a disco-themed after-party at <strong>Anya Resort Tagaytay</strong>, <strong></strong>styled by <strong>Bhem Meijer of Il Fiore</strong>. &quot;The bride looked back, saying, &quot;We danced the night away to the beats of <strong>Luki</strong>, Santiago’s cousin and a DJ, while Anya prepared incredible late-night food—takeout boxes of <em>Pinoy</em> rice bowls and excellent pizzas—and we also had<strong> McDonald’s </strong>(our guilty pleasure) cheeseburgers, fries, and chicken nuggets.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769643634712embed_DSC01781.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769643684431embed_DSC03522.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769643774212_2MS.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769643797213embed_DSC03514.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Wedding planning: team &quot;we&quot;</strong></div><p>When you think about it, &quot;we&quot; in &quot;wedding&quot; is there for a reason. It&#x27;s not a solo journey but an adventure experienced with another. Wedding planning is often a collaboration between the couple. It&#x27;s teamwork, but in the case of Santi and Maiki, this team also included their moms, <strong>Marilen Elizalde </strong>and <strong>Annette del Rosario</strong>. </p><p>&quot;Since we are both based in Singapore, they were our day-to-day eyes and ears on the ground, working closely with <strong>Gia Bernardo </strong>and<strong> Zenas Pineda </strong>on things we never even had to think about. We involved our moms in every step of wedding planning, because they were keen on helping us make our vision a reality. Anything we wanted or asked for, they were so great at making it happen. We genuinely couldn’t have done it without them. It also helps that the four of us have a similar style, Filipino-modern yet tropical chic,&quot; Maiki elaborated. </p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769644421503embed_DSC03458.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769644572383embed__DSC04129.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769645186707embed_10MS.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769645138486embed_0MS.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><p>When asked to share a tip for wedding planning, Maiki said, &quot;Work as a team! We cannot stress this enough. We could not have done any of the planning without our moms and our wedding planner, Gia Bernardo. From the very beginning, each of us had specific roles, and we trusted one another to get the job done.&quot;</p><p>It was truly a wedding that was a family affair, even down to most of the design aspects of the event—including the bar menus, <em>sari-sari store</em> signs, shuttle schedules, and their wedding website—which was a collaboration between Santi and Maiki&#x27;s cousin and Matron of Honor, <strong>Andrea Romualdez</strong>. Meanwhile, Maiki worked closely with the printers to make sure everything was produced exactly as they envisioned.</p><p>Santi and Maiki love spending their date nights perfecting a cocktail recipe (&quot;lately, spicy margaritas,&quot; according to Santi) while listening to country music over dinner on their balcony. &quot;On Saturday mornings, you’ll usually find us walking through the Singapore Botanic Gardens and stopping by our favorite coffee shop, Burnt Ends Bakery, for coffee,&quot; Santi said. And so, having great drinks was also among their non-negotiables during their wedding. They maximized this aspect of the wedding by adding a cute touch that honored family and ties that bind; they had a set of surprise drinks, named after their parents, created for their welcome dinner: &quot;<strong>Annette’s Aperol</strong>,<strong> Santi’s Sangria</strong>, <strong>Marilen’s Margarita</strong>, and <strong>Tony’s Negroni</strong>.&quot; </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769645541228embed_DSC00130.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769645562046embed_DSC01349.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769645584928embed_DSC02786.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div> <span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769645612727embed_DSC08320.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo courtesy of Maiki del Rosario</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>The story behind the bridal gown</strong></div><p>In line with the Filipino theme of the wedding, Maiki wore a <em>terno</em>-sleeved wedding gown by <strong>Rajo Laurel</strong>. The silhouette and style represent history and tradition. But there&#x27;s more to its craftsmanship than honoring the traditional clothing.</p><p>&quot;I never had a &#x27;dream wedding gown,&#x27; but I did know that I wanted to feel like a princess (a nickname my dad has had for me since I was a baby) during my wedding and knew that I wanted to honor being a Filipina by wearing <em>terno</em> sleeves,&quot; Maiki shared. </p><p>The beautiful story behind this wedding gown is that it was made using fabric from the wedding gown of the bride&#x27;s mother, weaving history into a new memory. </p><p>&quot;Working with Rajo Laurel has been one of the best experiences of my life,&quot; said Maiki. &quot;He honored <strong>B</strong><strong>en Farrales</strong>, who made my mom&#x27;s gown, and deconstructed her dress in the most elegant way possible, so that every single piece of embroidery on my own dress came from my mom&#x27;s wedding gown. Even my headpiece at the after-party came from her dress! It was a transformer dress in that throughout the whole day, I was either shedding or adding layers to my dress to show several different looks throughout the night.&quot; </p><p>By closely collaborating with Rajo on this precious piece, Maiki&#x27;s dream wedding dress came to life bit by bit, and she couldn&#x27;t have asked for a better bridal ensemble.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769646546707embed_000035.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769646605022embed__DSC03836.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769647595710embed_DSC04180.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769652866780embed_9MS.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><p>With all these meaningful and thoughtful details, Santi and Maiki successfully made their wedding &quot;warm&quot; and &quot;fun.&quot; Now, wherever they find themselves in the world, even in winter wonderlands, they will always be comforted by the warmth of the memories from their tropical wedding. With Southeast Asian fruits inspiring creativity for this event, the wedding&#x27;s warm palette was truly fitting for a heartwarming event.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Santi and Maiki&#x27;s dream wedding team:</strong></div><p>Wedding Planner: Brides Maids &amp; Co. (Gia Bernardo)</p><p>Stylist: Zenas Pineda</p><p>Photo/Video: Nice Print Photography &amp; Margi Antonio</p><p>Wedding Content Creators: OTD Storytellers</p><p>Food: Cibo</p><p>String Quartet: String Fusion</p><p>Choir: Hangad</p><p>Band: The Plug</p><p>DJ: Luki (Santiago’s cousin, Luki Elizalde)</p><p>Bridal Hair: Val Corpuz</p><p>Bridal Make Up: Anthea Bueno</p><p>Wedding Dress: Rajo Laurel</p><p>Groom’s Barong: Jorel Espina</p><p>Welcome Dinner Bridal Dress: Colena Studio</p><div><br/></div><p>Photos by <strong>NicePrint Photo</strong></p>

<p>Like summer in January, this tropical, garden, and Filipino-themed wedding featured a warm and fun twist: a color palette inspired by Southeast Asian fruits! Dragon fruit magenta, coconut green, mango yellow, pomegranate, and vibrant orange? What a visually delicious celebration!</p>

Like summer in January, this tropical, garden, and Filipino-themed wedding featured a warm and fun twist: a color palette inspired by Southeast Asian fruits! Dragon fruit magenta, coconut green, mango yellow, pomegranate, and vibrant orange? What a visually delicious celebration!

Southeast Asian Fruits Inspired This Tropical, Filipino-Themed Wedding's Color Palette

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Southeast Asian Fruits Inspired This Tropical, Filipino-Themed Wedding's Color Palette

Grace Libero

Published January 29, 2026 09:00 AM PHT

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Updated January 29, 2026 10:24 AM PHT

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