How to Create a Rebellious Brunch Wedding

Photography by A DASH OF JAMIE / Jamie Espadilla

HELLO THERE REBELS!!! Let's get all the apologies, disclaimers, and niceties out of the way first, shall we. First of all, if you noticed that blog updates have been kind of slow for the past few weeks, that's really because I'm on vacation (and by that I mean me as in RB Kai) and well--I've been having too much fun--hihi sorry about that!  Second of all, if you guys remembered a teaser for this post about 3 months ago, that's because this is a long overdue blog feature..and sorry again for that because we had troubles acquiring the photos of this shoot but thanks to stylist/photographer savior Jamie Espadilla we managed to get our hands on some of the photos that she personally took during this shoot! And so there! Let's get right to the feature then! :)

THE REBELLIOUS BRUNCH WEDDING WORKSHOP

I luuurve brunch weddings! I love it so much that we have our own Brunch Wedding Video to back it up! But we've noticed that the idea of a brunch wedding these days are becoming too contrived and are looking very similar in terms of elements and in terms of what's expected of a brunch wedding. So here are simple ideas that go beyond the traditional/classic. 

Tip #1: Keep it simple, personal, and delightful

Don't you think these arrangements are just so cute and charming? The thing is, we just basically put them together ourselves! And boy was it simple! First of all, use your own props that you can just grab from your own home--not only is this more practical, it also has a more personal tone to it because they are your own keepsakes. For instance, real-life bride Cha who modeled for our shoot, loves books! So I took that into consideration and used books as one of my design elements for the tables. Another tip is simply to use old crossword puzzles/comics from newspapers as place mats. Speaking of place mats, can anybody spot the doodle that we put on the table to welcome the imaginary guest for this shoot? :)

Tip #2: Go totally anti-reception and do the reception in an actual breakfast place!

Some couples like to re-create the brunch vibe for their brunch-themed weddings--but why not just do it in a real breakfast place? Some would say that it's too informal and you won't be able to do the usual traditional wedding reception stuff in a restaurant but then again--why do you have to? Doing your wedding in a charming breakfast venue such as The Early Bird Breakfast Club at the Fort allows you to have an intimate gathering with just your loved ones. What's more, the place is already styled and the amazing modern breakfast food is readily available and presented with so much art that it could very well be part of the entire styling! 

Tip #3:  Reinvent the whole fixation w/ Audrey Hepburn and create a Version 2.0 of Breakfast at Tiffany's 

If there's one thing we've learned from Audrey Hepburn, is that you can never be too overdressed for breakfast--and we totally agree. But don't you think it's time to retire that whole fixation about trying to copy Audrey's look from Breakfast at Tiffany's? It's 2013, folks. There'a a lot to pick up from her style but more can be done with reinventing it and making it your own! Here we have for you two entirely different looks from Vidal Clayton of the Cecilio Abad Design Team.  Two looks that are absolutely breathtaking, don't you agree? For that Audrey Version 2.0 vibe, the entire hair & makeup look was created by Toni Rodriguez & Marvic Globasa--since Cha had short/pixie-ish hair, Toni was actually inspired by Emma Watson for the looks! As for Cha's accessories, instead of pearls we styled her with diamonds and emeralds from Cuenca Jewelry, as well as oversized sunnies made of Bamboo from Panda and finished the look with an oversized black Kate Spade bag. Marco, Cha's fiancee was in an equally sleek black-on-black ensemble (it's brunch and we'll wear black, and nothing you gonna do about it! =P). And of course to complete our brunch wedding look for the couple, we have here our non-floral DIY bouquets and boutonnieres from Koni Esteban of Candidly Pretty! 

Having a brunch or breakfast theme doesn't mean that you can't have a rebelliously sophisticated wedding. It's all about pushing the envelope and making things work! 

Hope you enjoyed this one, rebels! 

Lots of people helped make this shoot possible and we'd like to credit everyone here!
Models: Real-Life Engaged Couple, Cha & Marco
Bridal Couture: Vidal Clayton of the Cecilio Abad Design Team
Makeup: Toni Rodriguez
Hair: Marvic Globasa of Toni Rondriguez' Team
Bouquet, Boutonniere, XOXO DIY Sign, Mason Jars, and DIY Paper Straws: Koni Esteban by Candidly Pretty
Photography: Jamie Espadilla / A DASH OF JAMIE
Venue: The Early Bird Breakfast Club, The Fort Strip
Styling/Concept: The Rebellious Brides / Wedding Agency


Follow us on Twitter! @RebelliousBride

Read More »

Add Comment

Unknown audrey hepburn, breakfast wedding, brunch wedding, cecilio abad design team, early bird breakfast club, jamie espadilla, marvic globasa, toni rodriguez, vidal clayton

The Brunch & Church Wedding #Throwback

Photography by J Lucas Reyes unless labeled otherwise

June 4, 2011 - 10ish in the morning - Cafe 1771

My good friend Nins and I were looking at the fun scene that surrounded us. It was a couple of hours before my church wedding and there we were drinking wine, doing brunch, dressed to the nines a'la Gossip Girl, and having a shoot with Ian Cruz and J Lucas Reyes. I called myself a 'rebellious bride' and Nins said: "Why don't you and Mica make a blog out of that?". "Maybe," I replied. At that time Mica and I didn't think much of it. But then a couple of weeks after June 4, something happened and I told Mica we should go ahead and do it. 

Photos by Arnold Camacho

The church wedding that my mother wanted us to do, used to be a sensitive topic. My husband and I actually felt hurt knowing that my parents couldn't accept our Boracay wedding as a real wedding just because it wasn't in a church. We thought this was pretty absurd. The church wedding was actually my mom's wedding. I got frustrated at first but then I realized that I was not a child that can just be 'dealt with'. So instead of moping, I quickly turned this around and positivized it--I created a theme, and I was to have a brunch with my friends 5 hours before the wedding.

So in celebration of our brunch/church wedding's 2-year anniversary, I would like to formally blog about it here in RB, and share some of the rebellious ideas we did on that day.

The Brunch

"We get by with a little help from our friends"--they were our sources of happiness and positive vibes so we wanted to capture this moment in a video that we collaborated with Ian Cruz Films. After Ian shared this video, a lot of his couples asked him if it would be possible to do the same on their wedding day. While this is a great idea, keep in mind that we really prepped for the brunch. It means you'll also have to adjust your schedules to squeeze it in. 

The Portraits

When we first met w/ J Lucas Reyes and explained to him about the brunch, he shared with us a story of his Australian couple who wanted their loved ones to be individually photographed during their wedding because it was tradition. We loved this idea so we thought of doing the same for our friends. Souvenir gifts are fleeting---if you can actually share the limelight w/ your loved ones and have them photographed as well, this is a wonderful gift that would be treasured forever.

Sunshine, Tea Time, Hats, and Pearls

Catering by K by Cunanan

Like I said, the church wedding was essentially my parents' wedding. But I still made sure the overall styling would still come from me. So I gave my mom a theme to work with and I even gave her my pegs. In all fairness we agreed on this and she loved it. It was a June wedding and at that time I didn't even know that pearl is the gemstone of June. So in the end it all came together perfectly. 

Since the church wedding was technically my mom's wedding, I gave her boards to work with then she was the one who made it possible with her own coordinator, catering, and designer. 

So note to all of you who may be having misunderstandings with your parents--my friends laugh at me when I tell them this but I do powerpoint presentations for my parents whenever I need them to visualize what I am trying to explain to them. I'm not telling you to create a powerpoint but all I'm saying is, instead of sulking that your parents don't get you, find a way to get to them. 

Flowers from Dangwa / Photos by Arnold Camacho

Head pieces by Bonne 

I initially wanted a school bus but since I can't find one, we just borrowed a random yellow car instead

Cupcakes instead of a wedding cake / Photo by Arnold Camacho

Up to this very day, my mom considers our church wedding as our official wedding anniversary. While my husband and I consider our Boracay wedding our official wedding anniversary. 

Some couples concede to their parents and follow what their parents want to do during their first wedding--vowing to do their own wedding, their own way when they celebrate their 10th year anniversary. But we turned this around. As the couple, we wanted to do our own wedding OUR WAY first--then agreed to what my parents afterwards. It's a complicated matter but one that I wouldn't have had any other way. 

Choose your battles, learn to compromise, but always look for creative ways to assert yourselves. At the end of the day it's your wedding. 

XOXO,
Kai

PS. As you all know, we've had 3 weddings. But lest you think that this is excessive, I'd like to reiterate that if you sum up the costs of the 3 weddings, it will still not amount to a grand hotel reception wedding with all the frou frou in this world. 

CREDITS:

Video by Ian Cruz Films / Brunch Photographer: J Lucas Reyes / Hair & Makeup by The Makeup of Mica Team / Gown by Tadashi Shoji / Brunch Venue: Cafe 1771, Ortigas / Catering by K by Cunanan / Head Candies by Bonne (Bonsai Fojas) / Cupcakes by Nikki's Cupcakes / Reception Venue: Ayala Hillside / Flowers: Dangwa
Follow us on Twitter! @RebelliousBride

Read More »

Add Comment

Unknown bonne, brunch wedding, cafe 1771, dangwa, ian cruz, j lucas reyes, k by cunanan, rebellious bride, tadashi shoji, the makeup of mica, www.rebelliousbrides.com