SONGS MUSIC EVENTS AND INFORMATIVE BLOGS

It was a Saturday trip for a wedding at Tagaytay that took us 3 hours to reach the place timely for the sound system set-up for the ceremony at 6:00 pm. When we reached the breathtaking haven, the wedding coordinators were already around doing the final touches of the wedding ceremony area and the reception venue.

The wedding musicians who came from Manila arrived timely for prelude music as the bridal entourage was assembled ready for the processional march and the bridal music for a silver wedding anniversary amidst the lush of greens and trees surrounding the huge hacienda.

The couple arrived from the states with close relatives and friends around to witness a solemn Catholic Wedding ceremony and festive reception.

The ceremony started at 6:15 pm and provided wedding music and songs for the ceremony and reception. We played mostly Pilipino music as advised for the pictorial and after the wedding ceremony, we performed special Filipino music from their song list as they proceeded for a brief cocktail before the wedding reception program started.

The wedding program was hosted by the best friend of the bride and acknowledged the presence of those who arrived from the states with some introductions for the guests to know and trivia games involving the guests that prolonged the program together by doing the 25 roses where a message was given for each rose before it was handed. The wedding program lasted more than three hours with the usual flair but the program host made it lengthier with more names called for some messages for the couple. But it was an experience. The consolation we had was we were mesmerized with the place. I never thought that such a place existed.

We were back to Manila together with the ever-enduring wedding musicians who provided top popular music from the Philippines and beautiful romantic wedding songs and music for both the ceremony and reception.

From an article I’ve written about a lesbian wedding, I was found and asked to host wedding program of a gay marriage that of a Filipino and a British. They are private persons and I won’t mention their names but only my wonderful experience of a very private wedding ceremony and reception in Tagaytay. Private because there were only 50 guests mostly friends from both sides. If my guest is right, I think they are of the same ages turning forty.

It was a brief Christian Wedding Ceremony having their personal wedding vows exchanged. There was no music background during the ceremony and mostly words of wisdom from the pastor. It took them 30 minutes to finish.

The wedding reception started exactly at 6 pm and after they were introduced proceeded to the dance floor and did the traditional first dance to the music of “now and forever.”  And after that brief moment I let them do the wedding traditions of cutting the cake, wedding toast and dove release.

Before dinner, some acknowledgement was made and a fervent prayer was done by the pastor. Popular mp3 music was provided during dinner and a song from a friend was rendered followed by another doing a classic Filipino song to the guests’ delight.

One of the touching moments of the wedding reception was during the ceremonial toast where a best friend delivered a love poem for both with that sincere British accent. He made that for both and I find it fascinating. Wedding poetry is now becoming an in thing.

They opted not to do the traditional wedding game but introduced two male young couple who are also planning to tie knot as the men of the hour. A romantic song was played and the pairs danced, instead. I found it so touching and thought that love really spreads good tidings.

A message of thanks were said by both and after their sincere words for all of us, a dance party started that lasted for more than an hour straight.

A simple wedding reception program was prepared but to me this is one of the best weddings I’ve attended – no pretentions, no malice and most of all, another exciting Philippine wedding destination experience.

The magic of hand crafts piece from a musician

To share the legal beauty of music for someone

Who appreciates the dazzling score at hand

Everyday I hear the sound of wonderland

Repeating the rhyme from a wedding music band

With eyes closed feeling the easy beat as it runs

Leading me to dreamland

Ah, such anxiety’s gone

From the touch of an artist’s brand

Even sleepily as he strands

But the joy of passion is never bland

Comes now the voice of an angel so grand

Captivating everyone like an artist from France

Where uniquely formed song translates as trance

Mesmerizes like grand theme from Cannes

But wedding music from the heart is never done

Always comes from that splendid catch of a man

Who knows marital theme even they say there’s none

There, the melody creeps, such great fun

Hush! I hear a beautiful melody that rings

Merging thoughts of something yearning

To listen for it tells a wonderful meaning

A wedding song of truth that keeps my faith burning

Alas! It keeps me serene

For the melody so touching it seems

Lilting my soul and beams

What beauty is seen

Few more days, my friend is your wedding

The music in your ears afloating

I know you’ve chosen a wedding song so caring

That speaks about you upon learning

Your love one is there to feel

What it means when you say what’s real

Even the message of the song that heals

There your love as one is sealed

Now the time is near and see your glow

Humming your favorite song as sincerely flows

The music from the soul it makes thoughts grow

For joy is not only mine to show.

Now is your wedding day

And see you walk amidst the brilliance of a ray

With the beautiful melody’s something to say

All our congratulations on a golden plate of tray

Here I am with all frames and shadows

Ready to go for all your errands for me to draw

For that’s the way I want everything’s be

As I fix the marriage of a friend and see

Oh! I am weary but I imagine a wedding’s glow

My mind, my spirit is set to make it so

For a dear friend, yes truly for his glee

As I fashion preparations like a growing tree

Don’t worry I always say

Rely the power of a friend as both pray

Sincerely, I am proud to say

We’ll do right as I stay

There! Listen my friend  as I turn gay

Happiness for me is joy for you to play

For everyday step is not taken away

All my preparations will never go astray

Now is the day

Watch me like the day of May

Armed with the set of knowledge at bay

For your wedding is just another special day

Everything I turn to is a beautiful view

And everyday  I really grow

Especially my good thoughts are so

We planned a wedding me and you

That things get through and we’ll never renew

For my love for you is deep and true

I’ll see my preparations are stamped like glue

By smaller we go on

Searching the right what I believe is born

Yes, it is open as brought

The beauty of a plan it seems like oath

Few more days and everything set

The wedding theme and ideas met

For us to see what it really gets

Feeling marriage is for me to get

Here we are now free and no fright

It seems everything around there’s light

We congratulated ourselves for the wedding plan is right

Before God’s  eyes our marriage will be bright  

It was excitement to be invited for a private poetry reading being new to British accent and still hardly get the real one but a ground for me to really take heart of the beauty of the so called “received pronunciation”. I was hesitant at first but because there will be only few British people, around 20. I accepted.

It was August 14 and rode alone instead of the transport provided going to Somerset Lodge in Tagayatay along Aguinaldo Highway. We were provided a space to sleep on until the following day but decided to go home after the party.

It was 7pm when everybody was around. There was a brief cocktail with a foreign pianist playing all classical music. Around 8pm when the head of British Council did an introductory speech and the first reader from Manchester, England did a short poem but very touching then followed by someone from London, I suppose because of the typical accent, delivered her part longer than expected with that casual manner of delivery with cadence. Next in line is a Filipina with that awesome perfect British accent and heard that she graduated at Oxford University, one of the best schools in the United Kingdom then my turn delivering the piece handed me with utmost care especially the British r to sound authentic even being a Filipino.

The reading was over after an hour and dinner was served with casual getting together. British people are warm like us, not the typical snobs as we thought them to be. They are very casual in manners.

I left the place around midnight bringing with me a certain kind of memory that at last, I discovered a certain class of people.  

Joeben and Babie, as they are fondly called arrived on time for the 5pm golden wedding mass officiated by two priests from Sanctuario de San Jose though the rite was held at a clubhouse intimate enough to house around 150 guests mostly friends and of course, members of the family with their kids.

Wedding musicians from Augustine Music and Events provided the chosen wedding music the couple found appropriate with a participation of the grandchildren playing the bridal march and a song from a mother and daughter tandem during the vows where they did first the song number then vows were exchanged. It was a touching moment listening to the wonderful and meaningful words from both with soft romantic background music live from Augustine Music.

During the offertory, a classic wedding song was offered then for the communion a classical piece was rendered touching the hearts of both for they love those selections.

When the wedding ceremony was done, a cocktail was prepared for the guests as rearrangement of the venue took place. It took about 30 minutes to finish ready for the wedding reception program prepared by the eldest of the children. It was a simple program with mostly the children and kids doing numbers to the guests’ delight. Well, a program more of showcasing talents and entertainment was evident. It was fun to be involved with even just watching as they did their numbers. Even the audio-visual presentation took longer than expected then repeated for the couple to watch after they had their photo sessions with the guests. And come to think of it that they were the ones moving from table-to-table having pictorials with the guests being at their 80’s but looking years younger than their ages. Their agility simply dictates that they live a healthy lifestyle.

Then rain poured heavily timely for the program to end but it did not take that long ready for the guests to go home with light feelings because they had wonderful moments with the couple on their 50^th wedding golden anniversary party.

Perfection is not required for any celebration but the simple joy being around is called for and weddings in the Philippines are most cherished not on its romanticism but the sheer involvement making an affair worth remembering. Being in the arena of music, wedding musicians of the Philippines add soul to WEDDINGS. And for us, artists that is great sharing and if we made clients happy – that is defined as achievement.

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It was fun having our coordination with intimate group of mostly relatives making them so at ease as they were grouped together and the warmth was evident as they engaged themselves during the wedding ceremony until the reception.

One special reason why this wedding event was awesome, at least to honestly say was the presence of Venus Raj who happens to be a relative of the groom. A celebrity is always a celebrity and her grand stature shares a time off to be with her side even just posing for pictures and found that this beautiful creature really has her foot on the ground. She has that earthy attraction not only on beauty but her very natural way of handling herself and uninhibited gestures revealing that she is still human after all the great accolades afforded her all over the world.

I hosted the program and I couldn’t end the show by calling her and say something for the couple and she did with sincerity. She had some casual remarks that charmed us all.