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| Twice
as lovely and loved
An exotic indigenous ceremony
in Bukidnon followed by a fairytale wedding in Tagaytay
was the culmination of the romance between Audrey Tan
and Rep. Miguel Zubiri
By Joy Rojas
Photograph by Darren Tieste
Styled by Luis Espiritu
Accessories styling by Fiona Lucas
Shot on location at the Department of Tourism
Special thanks to Edu Jurque, Patricio P. Sarile, Jr.
and Albert |
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| Lucky
is the lady who gets to marry the man of her dreams
twice. For former model and Studio 23 VJ Audrey
Tan, the double date before the altar with Congressman
Miguel Zubiri happened first when the couple wed
civilly on December 3, 2005. This, however, was
no ordinary appointment inside a judge's chambers.
The wedding, which took place in Miguel's bailiwick
of Bukidnon (of which indigenous people make up
40% of the population) was officiated by datus
and preceded by the formal "adoption" of Miguel
and Audrey into the Manobo tribe.
As traditions
go, Miguel, who wore authentic and specially woven
Manobo wedding garb, was escorted by datus to
a hut on a stage, where his bride Audrey and the
datus' wives awaited him. The elaborate ceremony
concluded with a lively concert and packed lunches
for all in attendance.
"This was our
way of saying thank you to all his constituents,"
says Audrey. "Everyone was invited and everyone
celebrated the same way: We all ate the same food
and mingled with each other during the concert."
On December
17, the couple wed again, this time in Catholic
rites concelebrated by Fr. Fileon Ares, Jr., Fr.
John Cordero MMHC, and |
Spaghetti-strap
dress with full skirt by Tracy Reese at
MIX.
Champagne South Sea pearl drop necklace
set in 1.128c diamonds and 18k gold, dark
champagne South Sea pearl dangling earrings
set in 0.50c diamond and 18k gold; all
from Jewelmer.
Makeup by Patrick Rosas using Chanel products,
hairstyle by Noel Jimenez. |
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| Msgr.
Nico Bautista at the garden of the Our Lady of Lourdes
Parish in Tagaytay. Owing to her modeling experience,
the bride immedietly booked the people and institutions
of her choice. "That's what I like about her, she's
very professional," coos makeup artist Patrick Rosas,
who devoted his December 17 schedule to enhancing Audrey's
alabaster complexion with his famous "no-makeup makeup"
touch. With commitments secured from the church, hotel
(Taal Vista Hotel), photographer (Patrick Uy), bridesmaids'
designer (Rajo Laurel) and other key players a year
and a half ahead of schedule, all Audrey's wedding coordinators
(Bridesmaids, Inc.) had to do when she approached them
was make sure the bride's efforts unfolded smoothly
on her big day.
The young couple's
back-to-back exchanging of vows was the culmination
of a courtship between crushes. Audrey was in high school
when she fancied Miguel, one of the "Spice Boys" of
the lower house. Although the two would meet periodically-at
a party, and in Subic where Audrey and her now ex-boyfriend
were having lunch with her mom-it was at a charity event
at Rockwell's Dish in 2002 where she discovered exactly
what he thought about her. "He took me to his friends
and introduced me as his crush," giggles Audrey. "Then
he asked me to go out with him on a Friday and Sunday."
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| In
Amanpulo, where Rep. Miguel Zubiri proposed |
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Naturally,
Audrey's mom Dette was apprehensive. Not only
was Miguel a politician, he was also 13 years
her daughter's senior. Audrey took such matters
in stride. Save for the time he stood her up on
a date because he was too busy filing a bill,
Audrey sees Miguel "as a good man who has a genuine
desire to serve others. I don't want to compete
or interfere with his passion because it makes
him a better person." As for the age difference,
Audrey, who initially believed Miguel when he
jokingly presented himself as much younger than
his actual age, thinks of it "as a blessing. I
guess I grew up a lot when I |
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| met
him, and because of his age, he was so much more understanding
and patient. Besides," says the 24-year-old bride of
her 36-year-old groom, "by the time I found out how
old he really was, we had already bonded."
So bonded, in fact,
that when she announced in 2004 that she was going to
travel alone for a year, the congressman (who months
before had swept her off her feet with a romantic marriage
proposal at Amanpulo) could only wish her well. "I felt
it was something that I had to do," says Audrey. "For
the longest time, everyone- from my mom, my friends
and Miguel-were always here to support me, and I wanted
to know if I could take care of myself." Audrey, who
studied Communications and Economic Sectors in Spain,
traveled extensively around Europe, and took serious
stock of her life. "I loved my year away, I saw what
my 'other life' would have been like. But it was my
decision to come home and get married," says Audrey
who flew back to the Philippines in June 2005. "I realized
that if there was one person I wanted to spend my life
with, it was Miguel."
Finding the right
wedding gown was another good thing that came off the
trip to Spain: Hannibal Laguna designed Audrey's gown,
a long-sleeved, Mandarin-collared top with fully-laced
bell skirt. The gown, chosen by the bride to keep her
warm in Tagaytay's nippy weather, is the perfect match
for the groom's attire-a handsome suit by Giorgio Armani.
Incidentally, marrying Miguel means that Audrey will
be dressing to the nines more often-a fact that doesn't
faze this supportive congressional spouse at all. "Whatever
it takes to help him do his job well and keep him inspired,"
says Audrey, who has proudly attended campaign sorties
and State of the Nation Addresses with her man by her
side, "I'm ready for that." |
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Miguel's Rules of Engagement |
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| Romantically
challenged guys can learn a thing or two from
Rep. Miguel Zubiri, who pulled out all the stops
for a wedding proposal that would leave any woman
weak in the knees. Audrey, who was expecting to
spend their second year anniversary (and Miguel's
birthday) in Boracay with his friends on April
13, 2004, was stunned when the car they were riding
proceeded to a private hangar, where a plane was
waiting to whisk them away to another beach, the
breathtaking Amanpulo. Once settled in, the couple
dined before a roaring bonfire accompanied only
by a personal chef and guitarist. |
"In
our traditional Manobo garb, we were prounounced
husband and wife" |
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| With
music playing softly in the background, Miguel pulled
out a poem he had written, and read it out loud to an
amazed Audrey. "Something he's never done before!" she
says. Elated, she stood up to kiss him and dance, but
the equally smitten Miguel got down on one knee, presented
her with a blue box with a 3.5-carat diamond ring inside,
and said, "Audrey, will you marry me?" Of course, the
tearful bride said yes. "I knew Audrey was the one from
the very beginning, because I used to have the biggest
crush on her. Whenever I saw her in newspapers and ads,
I always wished I could meet her or get to know her
better," he says. "When I finally did, my feelings changed
from infatuation to a deep and unconditional love that
made me do happy and crazy things. That's when I knew
she was the one." |
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Audrey and Miguel's
Manobo-style wedding
Photographs by Alex Van Hagen
Captions by Audrey Tan
With 30,000 guests
in attendance in Bukidnon, Audrey recounts their adoption
to the Manobo tribe |
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"I
peeked through the curtains as he was
walking up the stage and I thought, 'Oh
my gosh...he's so guapo!'" |
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"I
didn't know what to think in the start
but when Miguel mouthed "I love you" the
minute I sat down, I knew everything would
be just fine." |
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| "Sacrificing
a chicken is supposed to atone for any
mistakes we may make in our marriage.
It's also supposed to keep evil spirits
away. I'll never look at a chicken the
same way again!" |
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"Definitely
not your traditional feeding of the wedding
cake." |
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"Now,
I am not just married to Miguel but to
Bukidnon as well." |
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"The
fireworks in the sky were nothing compared
to those in our hearts." |
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| This
article and its photo are republished with permission
from Metro
Weddings magazine.
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For
more tips and ideas, get a copy of the latest issue of
Metro
Weddings magazine, out now
in leading bookstores and magazine outlets. |
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