#RealWeddings: This Bride DIY-ed Her Shoes And Replaced A Traditional Cake With A Donut Tower!

Gone are the days when wedding ceremonies required certain formalities. In fact, modern couples have been walking down the non-traditional aisle! From exchanging vows in a pink wedding gown to holding a Star Wars-themed ceremony, weddings these days are less orthodox and more out of the box.

For creative couple Erika and Anton, an easy, unruffled wedding was the only way to go. "It was only natural for us to get married in the beach to reflect our laid-back and relaxed personalities," Erika tells Metro.Style. She and her partner opted for a chill, pastel-themed wedding in a beautiful island in Visayas. "Bohol was an obvious choice for us because it has become our special place. In 2016, we attended the Bohol wedding of our good friends (and matchmakers). Then in 2018, we got engaged in Eskaya Bohol."

 

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In lieu of a traditional white cake, the couple had a doughnut tower customized, which helped maintain the fun vibe they were going for. "We didn’t do the traditional cake cutting because we wanted something that guests could easily grab and eat during the after-party!" Over 200 guests enjoyed a night of doughnuts, dancing, and dinner by the shore! 

Planning a laid-back, carefree beach wedding? Keep scrolling to score tips from our real bride Erika!

 

 

About the couple

How did you and your husband meet? 

"We met back in 2013 when I designed his office. I didn’t talk to him much because I knew his business partner more. We didn’t reconnect until 2015 when we worked on a project together, right after a breakup."

 

How long have you two been together? 

"Three and a half years."

 

What are your current occupations?

"I’m a licensed interior designer, and Anton is a managing director of his own digital creative agency, Blankslate Creative Inc."

 

What do you enjoy doing together? Hobbies, interests?

"We both work a lot, so when we do get some free time, we just like to spend it at home. We enjoy catching up on series and movies from Netflix and Fox Plus. We both love staying at home—but when we can, we try to go out to grab a few drinks with friends. We both love sports, so we try to regularly workout! I take spinning classes and go to the gym regularly, and Anton plays basketball."

 

 

Preparing for the wedding

Why did you choose a pastel green and blue color motif?

"I originally chose sage green and dusty blue as our theme, but we weren’t too strict on this. We let our sponsors choose among dusty blue, light sky blue, and gray shades. The entourage wore sage green and sky blue, as we prefer subtle colors that are cool and relaxing to the eye. These shades mimic the hue of the sea and the palm trees!"

 

 

How long did you prepare for your wedding day?

"To be honest, we were really delayed in the planning process. Of course, we booked all the major suppliers early on—but the rest of the planning only occurred a month before the wedding! We had to fly back around three times to meet with the coordinator and other suppliers, but all the nitty-gritty details were finalized just a few weeks before the wedding."

 

What were the challenges you encountered along the way?

"A friend once told me that everyone dreams of a beach or destination wedding, but not all have the courage to actually pursue it! One of the challenges that we encountered was flying in and out of Bohol to finalize details with the suppliers.

"The next one was actually deciding whether or not we would fly in our preferred suppliers from Manila. In the end, we decided to just choose a lot of local suppliers, which helped us keep our budget in check. The biggest challenge on the day of the wedding was transporting people to and from the hotel and church. We had to hire buses, coasters, and vans to accommodate our guests."

 

 

What was the best part in preparing for your wedding?

"Seeing everything come to fruition. The whole preparation was exciting, but also very daunting. We were unsure of how to go about it, and we were very worried if everything would go smoothly.

"I think I got to know my husband more during the process–let’s just say he’s really more of the planner than I am! In terms of overall look and design, he let me have the final say—after all, it is my job to make homes function well and look pretty!"

 

What is your tip for future brides and grooms who want to have a destination wedding?

"Destination weddings can be a wee bit more challenging than a usual wedding, but it is worth it. We realized that with a destination wedding, everyone is more relaxed and laid-back, since they’re also on vacation. I think this set the mood for our wedding—very festive, relaxed, and light. Everyone was just having a good time!

 

 

The Wedding Outfit

Tell us something about your beautiful form-fitting wedding gown.  

"I opted for an RTW dress! I got an Atelier Pronovias piece from Mi Sueño Bridal Boutique.

"As a designer myself, I know that sometimes, the finished product won't exactly look like the sketches. More often that not, it will look gorgeous—but I just didn’t want to keep myself guessing and worrying about how it's going to look like. Although I must agree that fitting your dress with your dream designer is a fun process, I just wanted to know how I would look like wearing the gown, as my body type is very tricky."

 

 

Another thing I didn’t want to spend on was shoes, because I know they wouldn't be seen much. And since we would be taking photos at the beach, having an expensive pair of shoes wouldn't be practical because they might get ruined. I eventually bought a pair on sale from Call it Spring. I ended up embellishing it with some lace I bought from Shell Canvas—I really like how it turned out and it really matched my gown!"

 

Before and after: Erika DIY-ed her shoes!

 

We love your bridal hair and makeup! Tell us something about your fresh, glowing look. 

"Some of the first suppliers I booked was my hair and makeup. I personally love getting dolled up, so I really have a specific makeup look that I like on me. I got May Francisco for makeup and Jeck Aguilar for hair. They were some of the few suppliers we flew in, because Anton knew that this was something I really liked. They were a breeze to work with and they really made me feel and look beautiful on my wedding day!

"For the ceremony, Jeck decided to use some of the flowers the florist provided, and I can say it really completed my look. For the reception, I bought a hair piece with floral and pearl details from Robinsons Department Store, just a day before flying to Bohol. I had other choices for Jeck to choose from, but since I already had jewelry on, Jeck decided to use the hair piece that was the least shiny and the simplest."

 

 

Details 

Number of guests: We originally wanted to keep the number of guests around 150-180. But a lot of family flew in from abroad, and people ended up going, so our final number of attendees was 230—quite a lot for a destination wedding.

Date of wedding: March 9, 2019

Priest: Fr. Algerio Pana, a local priest in Bohol

Wedding coordinator: Mae Supremo Li and Marigold Zaldivar of Bohol Weddings

Photographer: Helium Hearts by Marlon Capuyan

Videographer: Superseven Studio

Invitations: Designed by Blankslate Creative Inc.

Bridal gown designer: Atelier Pronovias from Mi Sueno Bridal

Groom's suit designer: Ciprianni’s

Designer of entourage: Roxanne Montealegre

Makeup artist: May Francisco

Hairstylist: Jeck Aguilar

Florist/event stylist: Blue Grass Project

Hotel & Caterer: South Palms Resort

Cake designer: Lola Lilia’s (cake and donuts)

Entertainment: Joseph Gara (acoustic singer), Adrian Nino Beltran (violinist), Migs Santillan (DJ), JC Alelis  (host)

Giveaways: We gave out some embellished and handpainted Buri fans for the sponsors, and simple Buri fans for the guests. For the embellished and handpainted Buri fans, our supplier is DecoTalisay.

Wedding hashtags: #MeantToVee and #EKAYntLiveWithoutTON

 

Watch Erika and Anton's same-day edit video below:

 

Photos courtesy of Erika Uichanco-Villenueva, taken by Helium Hearts by Marlon Capuyan