Wedding Anniversary | Rajo's Blog

Posts Tagged ‘wedding anniversary’

Mermaids in Manila!

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

I love mermaids! I am sure all of you played the mermaid/merman/shokoy (LOL!) fantasy as a child! Well… I discovered them recently in Manila! When I was invited to the anniversary party of Dennis and Tessa Valdes, they treated us to a live performance of lovely mermaids! The show is ongoing for a couple more weeks at the Manila Ocean Park!

It was really a sight to behold! The “sirenas” swim amidst the manta and the sharks! A couple of times the mermaids would almost bump into the shark and this gave everyone a bit of a scare. I encourage you to come with your entire family to the ocean park! It’s right near the Luneta Grandstand in Manila! It’s really worth the trip. An educational experience for everyone. Plus, you get to see live mermaids! LOL!

The green mermaid came out first! She was very athletic.

A couple of loop-the-loops!

Then the red mermaid came out. She was the strongest swimmer!

More loops to the music of an acoustic version of "Dancing queen!" I kid you not!

Then all the mermaids came out and did a ring formation.

My girls Patrice, Leica and Malu posing with the mermaids! CRACK!

The fishes in the giant aquarium were quite impressive! The diversity was really evident. Like this giant Manta! I love how it looks like its smiling.

The fishes in the giant aquarium were quite impressive! The diversity was really evident, like with this giant Manta! I love how it looks like it's smiling.

A fierce-looking dragon fish!

A stone fish. They look disdainful, NO?

I forgot what this fish is called, but I had a history teacher that looked like this fish! LOL!

This horned fish was one of my favorites! I love the color and the pattern of its skin. The face is almost alien.

HUGS!
RAJO!

Tags: Fashion Insider, fish, manila ocean park, party, rajo laurel, under the sea, wedding anniversary
Posted in Fashion Insider | 5 Comments »

The Wedding of the Pirate and the Sea Princess!

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

15 years ago, Dennis and Tessa Valdes got married. Their wedding is the stuff of legends! The theme of their wedding was Medieval and they had everyone in Manila going agog and some aghast. I remember that it was a mad scramble for everyone to get costumes. I was just starting my designing then and I was fortunate enough to have done some of the guests attending the wedding.

Fast forward today….The couple…(Hmmm actually maybe Tessa more) wanted to celebrate their anniversary in the most unique manner. When I received the invitation to the party, I knew that I had to clear out my day because this was something I would not want to miss. The wedding had an “under the sea” theme and Tessa and Dennis really made this party truly special and extra memorable for everyone! It was one of the most unique parties that I have ever been too! My wish for Tessa & Dennis is to continue inspiring others how to live. They live their lives truly to the fullest! This is their mantra. Thank you for making me a part of this!

: How lucky was I to have three GORGEOUS dates to the party! My dear friends fashion designer Patrice Ramos-Diaz, model/actress/TV host Teresa Herrera and glamazon/athlete/PR maven Leica Carpo. You should have seen the people move aside when these women strode to the venue. They literally stopped people in their tracks! AMAZING!

: Tessa & Dennis decided to have their anniversary party at the Manila Ocean Park. I have never been there so I was really excited. This is the top of the dome of the park.

: Tessa in her sea princess gown. I was inspired by mermaids and Venus coming out of the shell. Her shell turns into a peplum after the ceremony.

: A back view of the dress: I think we used more than 3 thousand “scales” for the skirt.

: Dennis Valdes! He is the PIRATE! All thumbs up indeed!

: Tessa and her beautiful daughters…Anika and Athena.

: These young men are my cousins! Watch out, young ladies of Manila! Prepare to be enthralled!

: The ocean park is really a sight to behold! I am so happy that we have one in Manila! I will do a separate entry for this.

: This is Dennis and Tessa’s amazing wedding cake! I love the details that they did! It was magical!

: The party came in two parts: first, they had their renewal of vows, and then they had the dinner inside the main hall of the aquarium. The fish were surrounding us the whole night.

: The guests were led to the giant tube so that we could get the full under the sea experience. Here are lovely ladies Grace Poe, Teenee Chan and Malu Gamboa. with Anna Angara and JR Isaac. All having the best time!

: Tessa also had live Mermaids and Mermen lined up for our photo entertainment!

: I am always happy to see hot looking Mermen!

: I had to take photos with the under these under the sea creatures. The production design was utterly amazing!

: Tessa started the party with some fancy sing-along games! A Tessa & Dennis party is never complete if there are no games! The prizes this year were really amazing! From Timex watches to Nokia cell phones, and even a Discovery Shores Boracay weekend get away! The food was catered by Cibo. I thought that Tessa was kidding when she said that she spent so much on every tiny detail for the wedding that all she had budget for the food was Monggo soup and Dilis! When the food came out, I was laughing so hard because it was the most classy Dilis and monggo soup that I have ever had in my entire life! They were other food though as you can always trust Margarita Fores to give you the best spreads in the land!

: Tessa in her mermaid costume! She was supposed to swim inside the AQUARIUM!!! OMG! The thing was, she caught a cold that day and was advised by her doctor to pass on swimming inside the tank. She decided to still wear the costume though. Here she is assisted by her dear friend Tim Yap as they hosted the rest of the evening. Take note of her Mermen entourage. LOL!

: Everyone came home with a prize! Nix shows off the new Nokia phone that he won! Actually, everyone won a NOKIA phone that night! LOL! Now how is that for a party souvenir!

The view from my table! We all had an amazing time! May Dennis and Tessa's marriage flourish for another 150 years!

TIGHT HUGS!
RAJO!

Tags: dennis valdez, Fashion Insider, friends, party, rajo laurel, tessa prieto-valdez, under the sea, wedding anniversary
Posted in Fashion Insider | No Comments »

The Sea Princess!

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Tessa Valdes is the Sea Princess! She and her Pirate Dennis will be celebrating their wedding anniversary very soon and she asked me to do her gown. This is a sketch of what I had in mind for her. It’s inspired by mermaids and Venus emerging from a half shell: two iconic images fused into one.

The peplum actually lifts up and becomes the shell. LOL! The skirt will be made from thousands of “scales” made from hand cut mikado silk and the bodice is inspired by the waves of the ocean. This will be done by using crystals suspended like a chandelier. The overall color of the gown is mother of pearl. I am so excited for the party because I am sure it will really be magical!

HUGS!
RAJO!

Tags: Fashion Insider, gowns, party, rajo laurel, sketch, tessa prieto-valdez, under the sea, wedding anniversary
Posted in Fashion Insider | 2 Comments »

The Under the Sea Bash!

Sunday, June 14th, 2009

I just received my e-invite to one of the most exciting parties that will be happening in the metro! It’s the invite to the wedding anniversary bash of Dennis and Tessa Valdes! The invite alone is something so unique and striking that I cannot wait to see the actual thing! I imagine this to be like one of those pop-up books that I loved as a child. The party will be held inside a giant aquarium! Tessa and Dennis really hosts the most unique parties; when they got married, they did a medieval themed wedding. They even had hamsters and dogs in church! OH MY! I am so looking forward to this! I just wanted to share this with all of you!