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Real Weddings: Jaime and Kriecia

<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788745403280POSTNUP-77.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div><br></div><p>Part of what makes a wedding so interesting and memorable is how a couple&#39;s love story and personality are reflected in their big day. From the grand design to the small, thoughtful details, attending a wedding can sometimes feel like a treasure hunt for beautiful, significant elements that a couple and their team of wedding suppliers intentionally incorporated. For <strong>Kriecia Espiritu&nbsp;</strong>and <strong>Jaime Ripoll</strong><strong></strong>&#39;s luxurious wedding in the city, which transported guests into an elegant, floral-filled wonderland, there was no shortage of such treasures.&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;We wanted it to really feel like our guests were surrounded by a garden,&quot; Kriecia shared. The couple brought the magical vibe of a whimsical garden into a ballroom, transforming a massive hallway into a sophisticated, predominantly white ceremony area. The venue was chosen not only for its aesthetic and offerings, but also for the meaning it carries.&nbsp;</p><div><br></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788749052115CEREMONY-173.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788749874100CEREMONY-167.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div><br></div><p>Interestingly, Kriecia and Jaime met at a wedding in the <strong>Grand Ballroom of Shangri-La The Fort</strong>,<strong></strong> where they also started their adventure to forever since meeting in 2023. &quot;At one point during the reception, I was called up on stage to join the singles game. Little did I know, Jaime and his parents had noticed me from their table,&quot; Kriecia recalled. &quot;As soon as I stepped off the stage, Jaime&rsquo;s mom asked the bride&rsquo;s sister if she could introduce us. A few minutes later, the bride&rsquo;s sister approached me and asked if she could introduce me to someone. I said yes&mdash;and when I turned around, there they were: Jaime, his mom, and his dad, all waiting to meet me.&quot;</p><p>It was such a memorable meet-cute, so much so that even though an engagement ring hadn&#39;t entered the picture, they knew exactly where to celebrate their union. &quot;Even before we got engaged, we already knew that if we were to get married, it had to be there. There was something so special about celebrating our wedding in the exact same ballroom where our story began&mdash;it really felt like a full-circle moment for us. It felt very fitting that a place that had witnessed the very beginning of our relationship would eventually become the place where we celebrated it with all the people we love,&quot; Kriecia told <strong><em>Metro Weddings</em></strong>.</p><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788749097158CEREMONY-335.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788749131818CEREMONY-352.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></div><p>Two years into dating, they got engaged during a family vacation to <strong>New Zealand</strong>. Jaime orchestrated a proposal straight out of a landscape painting. The family took a breathtaking scenic helicopter ride to the secluded <strong>Lake Lochnagar</strong>. As they landed, the crowd narrowed down to just Jaime, the bride, her parents, and her little brother. Framed by the mirror-like stillness of the alpine lake, pristine snow-dusted mountains, and brilliant golden sunlight, Jaime dropped to one knee. It was intimate, awe-inspiring, and profoundly personal.</p><p>The same breathtaking aspect in the proposal was present in their big day&mdash;from start to finish, from big to small details. In Kriecia and Jaime&#39;s wedding, architecture meets botanical elegance. As soon as they returned home from New Zealand, the couple immediately started planning their dream wedding.&nbsp;</p><p>Working closely with stylist <strong>Nikki Chatto&nbsp;</strong>and a team of trusted suppliers, the bride took a deeply hands-on approach to every layer of the design. Rather than adhering to a rigid, single motif, the aesthetic was built around distinct yet cohesive experiences for every phase of the celebration.</p><p>&quot;For the reception, I knew I wanted a very classic and elegant, floral-filled ballroom, but without it feeling too over the top. From the beginning, I also knew I wanted a large water feature in the center of the ballroom to be the main focal point, surrounded by a lush garden that continued onto the tables,&quot;the bride detailed.</p><p>Drawing structural inspiration from<strong>&nbsp;Bangkok&rsquo;s La Chapelle</strong>, grand architectural installations framed the space, complemented by oversized English-style lanterns hanging from the ceiling to bathe the room in a warm, inviting glow.</p><p>Every printed touch&mdash;from menus and nameplates to lighting and graphics on the LED screens&mdash;carried a unified brand of intentionality. Even the floral arrangements doubled as a parting gift; at the end of the night, guests were encouraged to select fresh blooms from the tables and place them into pre-set vases to take home. On this thoughtful element, Kriecia said, &quot;Everyone really enjoyed choosing their flowers and bringing their own little arrangement home. It was such a simple detail, but it ended up being something our guests really loved.&quot;</p><p>She added, &quot;I wanted every detail to feel intentional&mdash;not just something that looked beautiful, but something that added to the overall experience of our guests.&quot;</p><p>Jaime brought his own distinct touches to the celebration. He wanted a relaxed lounge setup during both the cocktail hour and after-party in lieu of the typical high-octane club vibe. These spaces allowed guests to genuinely unwind, converse, and mingle. During cocktails, an enormous projector wall&mdash;the largest installation supplier effort at the time&mdash;projected romantic imagery across the entire surface, turning photos into living architecture and elements in the wedding&#39;s overall storytelling. &quot;Instead of having a typical screen, the photos became part of the space and created a really nice backdrop while everyone was having drinks and mingling,&quot; Kriecia noted.</p><div><br></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788752549908POSTNUP-63.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div><br></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788752578966POSTNUP-98.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788752690466POSTNUP-44.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788752801409POSTNUP-50.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788754359662POSTNUP-83.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div><br></div><p>The bride&rsquo;s wedding gown was a collaboration with designer Vee Tan, who has been her go-to for five years. This is why it was a no-brainer for Kriecia to choose Vee to craft one of the most special gowns she&#39;ll ever wear. Fun fact: the bride was also wearing a Vee Tan creation on the exact night she met Jaime. Talk about a full-circle moment!</p><p>The finished gown was a masterclass in balance. A sleek, body-hugging silhouette celebrated her frame, while a dramatic ballgown-style train matched the soaring architecture of the Grand Ballroom. Thousands of top-to-bottom Swarovski crystals caught every flicker of light, delivering a timeless elegance that shimmered with quiet grandeur.</p><div><br></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788753222398BRIDE-33.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788753264941BRIDE-76.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788753293521BRIDE-188.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788753360120BRIDE-304.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div><br></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788753464842BRIDE-401.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788753528823GROOM-139.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788753982162GROOM-25.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788754002802GROOM-191.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><p>Even with nearly 400 guests filling the ballroom, the atmosphere maintained a heartfelt intimacy. The couple&#39;s primary goal for the program was simple: they wanted every single person in attendance to walk away saying, &quot;Wow, so that&rsquo;s their love story.&quot;</p><p>Before the grand entrance, guests were treated to a custom rom-com-style trailer setting the mood. But the undisputed emotional peak of the evening arrived with the Same-Day Edit (SDE) by <strong>Bob Nicolas</strong>. Running at an immersive 17 minutes, the film bypassed standard recap formulas by weaving together personal interviews with footage from both their intimate March 2026 wedding and their August 8 celebration. Friends and family later remarked that you could hear a pin drop in the massive ballroom as everyone hung onto every spoken word, laughing and crying along with the couple.</p><p>The greatest compliment of the night came from guests who shared that the celebration made them want to fall in love all over again. &quot;We wanted to create something beautiful, but more than that, we wanted everyone who was there to really feel our love and leave knowing our story a little better,&quot; Kriecia concluded. Beyond the stunning visual details and the architectural marvel of the ballroom, it was the unmistakable, deeply personal current of genuine love that defined the evening, turning a grand celebration into an unforgettable tribute to a modern romance.</p><div><br></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788754311402POSTNUP-85.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1788754509401POSTNUP-73.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcDHrpavNmj/embed/?cr=1&v=14&wp=810&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A15234782%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="510" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background: white; max-width: 540px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); box-shadow: none; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px;"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br></div><div><strong>Jaime and Kriecia&#39;s dream team:</strong></div><p>Coordination: Jen Lim of The Wedding Co.&nbsp;</p><p>Photo: Myio Okomoto</p><p>Video: Bob Nicolas</p><p>Stylist: Nikki Chatto</p><p>Sounds &amp; Lights: High Impact Events</p><p>Stage, fabricated installations: 4th Wall</p><p>Branding / Invitation: Bridal Brand Book</p><p>Host: JC Alelis</p><p>Music: Manila Philharmonic Orchestra</p><p>DJ: Rammy Bitong</p><p>Choreography: Reigh Sy</p><p>On-the-day content creator: Rax Mercado</p><p>Sax: Marc Dimayuga of Sax Serenade</p><p>Makeup: Ennah Trinidad</p><p>Hair: Albert Muyo</p><p>LED: Forsc Inc</p><p>Bridal Gown: Vee Tan</p><p>Entourage Gowns, Mother of the Bride &amp; Groom: Vee Tan</p><p>Graphics &amp; Animation: Always in Motion</p><p>Mirror Display: Tally Ph</p><p>Food Cart: Deli By Chele</p><p>Coffee Cart: Cooper&rsquo;s</p><p>Photobooth: Beyond the booth PH</p><p>Photoman: Photoman PH</p><div><br></div><p>Photos by<strong>&nbsp;Myio Okomoto</strong></p>

<p>Beyond the stunning visual details and the architectural marvel of the ballroom, it was the unmistakable, deeply personal current of genuine love that defined the evening, turning a grand celebration into an unforgettable tribute to a modern romance.</p>

Beyond the stunning visual details and the architectural marvel of the ballroom, it was the unmistakable, deeply personal current of genuine love that defined the evening, turning a grand celebration into an unforgettable tribute to a modern romance.

This Beautifully Curated Grand Ballroom Wedding Will Make You Want to Get Married Again

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This Beautifully Curated Grand Ballroom Wedding Will Make You Want to Get Married Again

Metro.Style

Published September 07, 2026 12:15 PM PHT

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Updated September 07, 2026 12:20 PM PHT

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