Spice Up a Wedding at Chili's

I was the makeup artist for a wedding last March and after the ceremony, I went to Fernbrooks, the venue for the touch up and reception. I then asked the coordinator if the bride and groom were on their way. Not yet, she says. They're in Chili's. 

Chili's?! 

And right there and then, I knew I had to feature this couple who chose to down burgers, fries and margaritas right smack in the middle of their wedding.

I love how they had no care in the world. I bet people were gawking at them. But I also bet Erikka and Shannon had the time of their lives. This is how you do a pre-reception shoot, rebellious style!

RB: Why Chili's?

Erikka: A little background: actually, I did not want a traditional wedding. I wanted my wedding to show what kind of a couple my husband and I are - how unique our love story is. We have been civilly married for 5 years and have been together 11 years when we did the church wedding. The original date for our wedding was actually June 8, 2013 but I had to move it to March 2014 because I had an anxiety attack while planning the wedding! I was thinking kasi of what was the right thing to do for the wedding (me marrying into a Chinese family - thus there were a lot of restrictions) instead of just doing what I wanted for the wedding.

 Anyway, when my wedding coordinator and I were discussing the flow of the program during the wedding day, I asked her if it was possible to do a shoot at Chili's instead of doing a pre-reception shoot at Fernbrook Gardens. For me kasi, a lot of couples already had that sunset shot outside the venue, the gazebo shot, the gondola shot, etc and I wanted us to do something different. So why Chilis? My husband and I used to go to Chili's a lot when we were dating. We'd go there with friends, too! When we had kids na, Chili's is the place we go to when I'm too lazy to cook on weekends. A lot of memories were made at Chilis. It was actually a good thing that there's a Chili's branch in Alabang Town Center, otherwise I would've had a problem thinking of where to do the shoot!

RB: What are the other rebellious elements of your wedding?

Erikka: I chose to buy a ready-made gown instead of having one made for me because it was more convenient. I didn't really know what kind of silhouette would look good on me, and going to the bridal boutique and trying on different gowns with different silhouettes helped me in picking the perfect gown. I picked the Fardel gown from the 2013 Collection of the Atelier Diagonal line of Pronovias -- and oh my God! When i tried on the gown at Mi Sueno, I fell in love with the gown instantly! The gown was everything I imagined my gown to be -- classic and elegant, romantic and without too much trimmings! 

RB: Any message for other brides out there?

Erikka:  It might sound cliche, but really, go with your gut feel! It is YOUR wedding, YOUR day, so don't be afraid to follow what YOU feel is right - and don't be afraid to enlist the help of your girl friends because believe me, wedding planning/preps will be easier with them around! At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you married the love of your life :)

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