This bride is one of the prettiest and most down-to-earth brides I’ve worked with. She has this beautiful olive skin and a body she has clearly worked hard to achieve. I must admit I admired and hated her for this 🙂 25lbs in 2 1/2 months. Oooooh hate her again! hahahaha! We worked really well together. During fittings, we actually had more time smoking and discussing trivial things than the actual work. She’d fit, be happy and will ask me to step out so we can smoke together. Always like that. It was a cool and relaxing routine. Very her 🙂

Come wedding day, usual preps, fun yet frenzied 🙂 Pressure was mounting with the commanding presence of the father of the bride and the hurried phase of just about everyone. Bride’s excitement aka nervousness has begun ……

I was in front of the church just waiting and watching everyone when I noticed the window of the bridal car open. My bride peeks and calls me. She was nervously motioning me to puff from my cigarette. She wants to get out of the car and smoke with me. We were gonna do our fitting routine here between the bridal car and the cathedral doors.

“Ay hindi pwede, makikita ka nila, memya na!”
“Naman, ninenerbyos ako sobra, dito ka muna please….. ay hindi, dito ka sa loob, yosi tayo dito, buksan natin yung isang window.. sige na please!”
“okay, okay” I obliged seeing the panic in her face. I think the driver agreed with me as he discreetly stepped out of the car.
I opened the door when I saw the photographer approaching, and just like movie special effects, I emerged from the car in a cloud of smoke with my head spinning. But not my bride. She was nervous in the extreme!!”

“Madami bang tao Ms. V?”
“uhmm, okay naman, di naman masyado.. tama lang 🙂 That was me trying to calm her down as I gazed through the church doors onto the aisle overflowing with guests.
“Nerbyos ako sobra pero sobra gusto ko naman to eh, love na love ko sya eh, tsaka tama to eh”
“Syempre love mo sya, ano ka ba?!”
“Kaya nga! kaya nga kami papakasal eh! p#%&^.a o! kinakabahan ako!!”
“Sus wag na! Saya nyan, basta tignan mo si groom pag ninenerbyos ka”
“layo nya no!” (may point 🙂
“Okay okay, daddy mo o mommy mo!”
“Wag daddy ko! Lalo ako iiyak!”

Then I saw this young man hurriedly approaching the car – “Ate, wala talaga eh!”

“Ha!!!!!! di pwede!!!!!” – my bride’s quick reply :)…
“Ke lapad, ke bilog, kahit ano!!!!! isang shot lang! grabe nerbyos ko!!!”
About the same time that the coordinator was asking us to be at the door, a young woman
approached us with a tiny bottle, the hotel room bar kind. My bride took a swig and smiled at me!
“Hahaha ayus!!!!” 🙂

But no, not yet, at the door, she panicked again, brushing the veil away from her face, I could see that she might faint. She was so beside herself that i had to ask the church coordinators – who are well known sticklers – to please just wait awhile, she might faint I said. The photographer noticed it too. He asked me to just stay beside her a little longer as I had been inching away from her so as not to disrupt the shot.

I moved in again and fixed her bouquet while my staff fixed her train and her veil.

“Ms. V, sobrang love ko sya eh…. tsaka love nya ko e…. tsaka gusto ko to eh! gusto ko talaga!”

She was murmuring while shaking her legs 🙂
“Kaya nga!!! kaya game na!!! Tagal mo na ito inantay. Ano ka ba?!… Game na ha!”
“Aaaaaaaaahhhhh shiiiit! wait… wait…”, was her reply.
“Huy game! kaya mo yan! Inaantay ka na dun! Ang saya nyan! Hinga ka malalim! Game! Hey, promise, ang saya saya nyan. Pagkatapos nito, mag-asawa na kayo! Lagi na kayong magkasama! Di ba yun gusto mo?!”

“Tama.. tama… love ko sya eh.. sobra. tsaka love nya ko! Sya talaga..” and she smiled at me.

With that we signaled the coordinator to open the door.

“Don’t move muna ha… wait for the door to open completely…”
“Love nya ko…….. love ko sya sobra…. game…. game….”

She took her 1st step nervously with her eyes on me. I was holding my breath without knowing it.

I whispered, “look at your groom, he’s there….”
She smiled and I felt her calm. Finally 🙂

She was a sight. I cried when she kissed and hugged her dad.
And laughed with her when she saw her groom 🙂

I miss her 🙂