Wedding Ceremony
June 11, 2004
Montebello Villa Garden Hotel
Banilad, Cebu City
Philippines
June 11,2004, in the beautiful garden of Montebello Villa Hotel, Banilad, Cebu City, the Philippines. Our wedding was incorporated many of the traditions of a Filipino wedding. My groom was dressed in a formal white colored Barong Tagalog,
a beautifully embroidered shirt that is worn in the Philippines for formal occasions similar to a suit would be in many
western countries. Our bestman, ring, array and bibile bearers and our male sponsors all wore barongs. I wore a long, flowing white wedding gown and a free hanging veil covering my head and face. My long hair was put in a bun with a tiara. My maid of honor, bridesmaid and flower girls wore old rose colored silk gowns.
Behind were our primary sponsors, with the female sponsors marching to the left side of our male sponsors. In our Filipino Wedding tradition these sponsors whom we called Ninang (female) and Ninong (male) were like second parents whom we (husband and wife) could depend upon encouragement and cousel in our married years to come.
Behind our primary sponsors, marched the secondary sponsors, again with the female sponsors positioned to the left of the male. They played a part in our wedding ceremony, and each couple has specific functions: lightning of the unity candle, putting on the veil and the cord on our respective ceremonies. We have chosen them from our friends.
My bridal party then followed in the following order: ring bearer / coin bearer, bible bearer, flower girls, bridesmaid, maid of honor and me with my mother and sister on both of my sides. My sister took the place of my father who had joined our Heavenly Creator since June of 1997.
It was a mixed of emotions when I was marching in...I saw all my guests stood up while watching me as I neared to my loving groom who was waiting for me in front of the altar. My mother and sister were crying (tears of joy) as they handed me to the man I will be spending the rest of my life with.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS
Leonard Bernstein and performed by Neil Diamond)
MAYLEEN: I, Mayleen, take thee, David...
DAVE: For richer, for poorer...
MAYLEEN: In sickness and in health...
DAVE: To love and to honor...
MAYLEEN: To hold and to keep...
DAVE: From each sun to each moon...
MAYLEEN: From tomorrow to tomorrow...
DAVE: From now to forever...
MAYLEEN: TIll death do us part.
MAYLEEN (as she places a ring on Dave's finger): "With this ring I am loved, I am chosen, I will remember each day the circle we drew around us on this sacred day. I will love you forever."
Make of our hearts one heart.
Make of our vows one last vow
Only death will part us now.
MAYLEEN: Make of our lives one life, Day after day one life.
BOTH:
Now it begins, now we start
One hand one heart;
Even death won't part us now.
BOTH:
Make of our lives one life,
Day after day one life.
Now it begins, now we start
One hand one heart;
Even death won't part us now.
They do this in the hope that our union will become a symbol of the greatest promise to merge two lives into one.
The two distinct flames represent our lives to this moment; individual and unique...the rings symbolizes our two lives joined in dependence and growth. Our palns will be mutual, our joys and sorrows will be shared alike.
As we joined ourselves in marriage, there is a vast and unknown future strtching out before us. The possibilities and potentials of our married life are great and now falls upon our shoulders the task of choosing values and making the real dreams that other men and women have strived for over the years. Again in this way, we will create the meaning of our lives, and our wedded life together as one.
With this veil it symbolizes the untiy of our two families into one; it is also a prayer for health and protection during our marriage life.
(Place cord entwined loosely around our necks in the form of a figure of eight)
We are to share our joy and hope and to speed us along the path, which, henceforth, we are to tread together. May it be the path of blessedness, bright with the fragrant flowers of prosperity and spiritual conquests; a path of deepening and widening love that we will travel arm and arm through out eternity.