ARE LAVISHI WEDDINGS BACK?

The champagne fountain at the 40th wedding anniversary of Eugenio and Pacita Lopez, which scandalised Manila society in 1968 for its extravagance, is now nothing compared to the lavishness of today's weddings.

One hundred long-stemmed flowers from around the world, an international band flew in to provide entertainment, fireworks costing PhP2.5 million and PhP10 million bridal gowns. The list is getting staggeringly longer and glaringly excessive, as though the race were on to break another Guinness world record.

"When it comes to weddings, I believe that even the most frugal couples will spend more than they plan to," attests Gideon Hermosa, top floral and events designer. "A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event in a person's life, a testament of true love and devotion. With digital and social media, he adds, more and more ideas are coming out, tickling any couple's fancy.

Hermosa will never forget one such over-the-top wedding wherein he recreated several destination spots in Singapore that are memorable to his clients on an empty lot in Vietnam. "I felt like an architect, building replicas of the Gardens by the Bay, the Peranakan houses and the National Museum," he remarks. He did such excellent job that the structures were left for the locals to enjoy after the wedding.

Why spend millions for a one-day event? The responses find a common ground in precisely the pricelessness of that one day. "Weddings are all about creating special memories," says Rajo Laurel, a top fashion designer. "It is a life highlight, and one would want to make it as meaningful as possible." Alodia Gosiengfiao and Christopher Quimbo, whose wedding early last year can still compete to being the most lavish, couldn't agree more. "We considered having an intimate wedding at first, but in the end, we decided on a grand one to share the experience with more friends and family," says Quimbo.