WEDDING

After weeks of meeting requirements and travelling to Abu Dhabi, the date was settled. Jolyon and Michelle were to have their civil wedding on November 27, 2008 at the Philippine Embassy. And so, the preparation began…

 

As per the requirement, the couple got two people to stand as witnesses.  Transportation was arranged by hiring a van which could accommodate all of the few invited guests. The bridal dress was just bought online on a relatively cheap price while the groom’s clothes were bought in a stall near their place. As for the reception lunch, the function hall of Oriental Korner was booked with the help of the groom’s cousin, Ate Janet.

 

The day of November 27 started early in their overpriced studio flat in Al Satwa since the travel between Dubai to Abu Dhabi will take about two hours.  The journey was smooth enough that they arrived at the embassy earlier than expected. This meant some time to shoot photos prior to the ceremony with their good friend, Joms as the photographer!

 

The couple was fortunate enough to have a special civil wedding administered by Consul Adelio Cruz. They didn’t have that “Kasalang Bayan” type which is the standard in Dubai. The ritual went serious with a few laughs on the side. Obviously, the couple was having the time of their lives, starting with the typical readings, to the exchange of I-dos, wearing of the rings, and up to the advices provided by the Consul. It was a celebration that was very solemn yet very casual as well. In addition, during the photo sessions, it was fortunate enough that Philippine Ambassador to the UAE, Ambassador Libran Cabactulan, was coming down from his office and willingly granted a little of his time to congratulate the newly-weds and join-in in photos.

 

Everything was great until they went out of the embassy to proceed to the restaurant. The van driver was missing! Everyone was hungry since it was a few hours past lunch time and the driver was not answering calls. More tries later, he eventually answered and arrived about an hour after. He said that he just went to visit a friend in the area. The reception lunch went fast since everyone was really starving and didn’t even bother to take some photos. Then, everyone was off back to Dubai.

 

Upon arrival at the flat, all were set to have dinner since a lot of the food were left untouched as there were invited guests who were not able to come due to the conflict on their jobs. There was one problem; the couple did not have a microwave yet! Joms and Ge were good enough to gift them with one the same night. While reheating the food, the couple also opened the other gift they received which was a flat iron, which until now is working and in very good condition. From there, they had dinner, shared some stories and laughter, drank some shots, and parted ways a few hours later.

 

Again, the couple was left by themselves and you can only imagine what happened next…