Before Rebellious Brides, There Was Once A "Bora Hop"

Photos by MangoRed unless labeled otherwise
Prologue - It's Feb. 13, 2013 midnight-- 2 days before my second year wedding anniversary. I can't sleep--tossing and turning trying to remember if my own wedding has a feature in the blog. And since I couldn't get the question out of my head, I open my laptop and begin to search the keywords "Bora Hop" in Rebellious Brides. And I've realized, it's not here. Sure, I've mentioned it in several other topics but there's actually no dedicated feature whatsoever. And it dawned on me that I've been featuring other people's weddings when I haven't even shared mine.

 The fact of the matter is, before Rebellious Brides, before The Wedding Agency, first and foremost there was once a "Bora Hop". A wedding almost two years ago that somehow started all this rebellious blogging and wedding conceptualizing in the first place. It came before the blog and that's why it hasn't been featured here yet. 

The thing is, the "Bora Hop" has been featured everywhere else. So I'll try my best to make this different by sharing my old pegs, highlighting more on the rebellious thought processes, and mixing everything up with other wedding files that aren't necessarily from the official photos.  

This feature marks the FIFTEENTH feature the wedding has had in 2 years (coincidentally, our anniversary is Feb. 15). So I think it's probably time to retire the "Bora Hop". And I'm making this count. Enjoy :)

The Proposal - Well there was none, making this wedding rebellious from start to finish. It was simply two adults, having a serious talk, realizing it was time to get married and it was now or never. That night after the talk, I texted Jason Magbanua asking for February 2011 available dates and he knew right there and then what it was all about. No questions asked. A true fan dork, he was actually the first to know. 

Photo using my own Lumix (Not official photos)

 The Engagement Earrings - "I don't want an engagement ring. I don't need one." This was the challenge I have somehow inadvertently imposed on my then fiancee. So rebellious as he was too, he worked around this and found a loophole. "Everyone else has an engagement ring. But you deserve something no one else has. So I got you a pair of engagement earrings", my fiancee said.

They are my twinkle stars. Secretly, I feel like I'm Jem from Jem and the Holograms when I wear them.

 A Challenging Budget Means Challenging The Norms - I've wanted a Boracay wedding since 2002. Hence, even without knowing who my future groom was, I've already been computing and recomputing how much a Boracay wedding could possibly be worth. The calculations seemed to point to one direction---it could easily go up to a seven-figured budget. So I took a step backward. I realized that this is the amount it will take to have the "usual" templated Boracay wedding. 

Photo using my own Lumix (Not official photos)

I looked at our own Bora trips for inspiration
So I closed my eyes and looked to how we were like as a couple. How have we come to enjoy Boracay? Our trip would never be complete without having breakfast in Real Coffee. Watching the beach for hours and hours in Station 1. Trying out a new spa discovery. Heading on over to The Tides' Sun Deck for Happy Hour. Dinner in True Food. Then partying the night away wherever the thumping music took us. And so I typed in my Excel Sheets the concept of the "Bora Hop" and presented it to my fiancee. I plugged in the initial calculations and immediately the budgets were cut by half. This was a wedding that was authentic to who we are and how we enjoyed the island. And it was within a reasonable budget. 

 Our Dream Team - Every couple has one, right? Here's a quick rundown of ours.

  Jason Magbanua was a no-brainer. But I guess the most special part about it was the fact that I've had prior conversations with Jason about wanting to get married in Boracay with my then boyfriend even before I got engaged. "It will happen. 2011 will be your year,  I can feel it. Just text me when it happens, I'll block off my sched," Jason proclaimed. It was as if the wedding god has spoken and the stars would have to align. 

Jason Magbanua - Photo by Arnold Camacho
RB Mica - Photo by Arnold Camacho

 RB Mica was another no-brainer. She was not just a friend but someone I've already worked with from many, many, other shoot collaborations. 

I knew she would be by my side, not just as the makeup artist but also as a friend. 

Hindy Weber Tantoco was yet another no-brainer. She has been my ultimate fashion icon since way back in college. I've been such a longtime fan. From Rustan's U, to Culte Femme. In fact, when my fiancee proposed for me to be his girlfriend, I was wearing a Hindy/Culte Femme cocktail dress. And from girlfriend to wife, I was going to be in a Hindy creation. For me it was not about the latest "it" wedding gown designer. It was more of going back to my own personal style and fashion roots if you will. 
Mango Ryan Dagooc photo by Arnold Camacho

 For our photographer and coordinator, there were a lot of choices that cropped up. In the end, it really boiled down to which photographer and coordinator would be the perfect fit based on the concept that we were about to have. We were going to hop around several locations so inevitably we felt that MangoRed was the perfect fit for this crazy rebellious concept. And because we were about to take things to a different route, we knew we had to work with the Queen of Boracay, Amanda Tirol. 


Vision Mood Board

 All White w/ Pops of Color aka, Kate Spade meets Jack Spade. My fiancee and I gravitate towards the creativity behind Kate Spade and Jack Spade. The playful colors, the even more playful touches. But we also enjoy the natural, organic things Boracay had to offer. We didn't want to overdo anything. We still wanted everything to go back to the island. And so we decided with just going for all-white. But agreed that once in a while, some color can pop out. Simple with a twist. 

Screenshot from our Jason Magbanua Wedding Video

 The Unpopular Guest Count - It was because of the very essence of the wedding's concept, of all the moving around that we knew the guest count had to be intimate. That and the fact that we were on a tight budget. Plus the fact that my fiancee and I have agreed long ago that our wedding would only consist of immediate family and closest friends because we wanted the experience for each guest to be personalized. That we could easily have a party back in Manila anyway. It was probably the most unpopular decision of the wedding. But we were very honest and open about this to everybody else. And back in Manila, our post-wedding party would  separately be known as a fun night to remember. 


 Intimate Wedding. Dream Team. Boracay in its most organic, natural form. All White w/ Pops of Color. These were our main rebellious elements. And this is how it unfolded:
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Vanessa + Gerard's Mango Farm Wedding

Photography by J Lucas Reyes
It's always exciting when the artists from our Rebellious Bunch List has a new set. And J Lucas Reyes is no exception to that. When you have a wedding in an enchanting place such as Mango Farm, there really is no need to create a theme because that's already your theme right there.  

 Nature is the most wonderful backdrop in the world. But most people are too distracted with shiny, fancy things that we often forget about the organic goodness that surround us. And it is because of this conformity that makes green advocates the rebellious ones.
 And so we celebrate Vanessa and Gerard for choosing to have a natural wedding such as theirs. And we equally applaud their awesome wedding team for executing it so perfectly.



J shares in his blog: "I’ve always thought I’d only see a laid back, magical garden ceremony somewhere in the hills of Napa Valley or Sonoma County, only to discover one unfolding here right in the middle of the hills of Antipolo."
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The Starbucks Proposal

 Happy Valentine's Day RBs!!! Initially, I was going to write about V-Day wedding ideas. But I decided against it. I figured, it would feel more inspiring and giddy if I shared this with you instead. This is one of those entries that somehow went to our spam folder once again--it seems to be happening a lot lately so ladies if you really feel strongly about your entries, send it multiple times.

 Today is the day we celebrate LOVE. And what better way to do it with a video submission that literally got me teary-eyed. I'm such a sucker for these things haha.

Thank you so much Lizette for sharing this with us. You made my day and I'd like to pay-it-forward by making all the readers feel the butterflies too :)


Dear Rebellious Brides,

Hi I'm Lizette (soon-to-be-bride), I am a huge fan of your blog site, I always visit your site since I got engaged. Btw, I just want to share the unique marriage proposal done by my fiance last October 13, 2012.

This is our story:
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A Villa Escudero Wedding

 Villa Escudero weddings are so charming. Even if it borders on traditional Filipino, there's something about choosing to have that kind of wedding to be very rebellious in its own way. But the wedding video I'm about to share brings to life a different side of Villa Escudero that I haven't seen before. And kudos to Angela & Allen for creating such  interesting details! Matched with the awesome hands of the For You Are Mine team, Angela & Allen's wedding has been brought to life with so much color. Enjoy!

XOXO,
Kai

Follow us on Twitter! @RebelliousBride
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Candidly Pretty's Fabric Letters

While Fabric Letters are easily bought in some specialty boutiques, not only are they expensive but they are also small. Enter Candidly Pretty's handmade letters--each are a labor of love and are sized just right. Koni makes sure that each letter is picture perfect for your prenup or wedding photos/videos, and even couple's booths because they are actually visible! Haha.
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