When God Writes a Love Story

In Ptr. Anton Josiah Velasco and Gianne Dilay’s story of love, they were both led by God in the perfect time and place. They both knew each other back in college, but Gianne transferred schools and they lost touch with each other. Fast forward to nine years, Gianne decided to fly back home from Los Angeles for the holidays. The first thing she made sure to do is to find a Christian church in Manila, little did she know that the church she stumbled into is where AJ was the lead pastor.

“After 3 months of catching up on each other, he visited me in LA and he asked me if I can be his girlfriend. After just 4 months of exclusively dating, with God’s confirmation Pastor Aj popped the question!”

And that was more than enough reason for Gianne to pack up her bags and move back to Manila.

In choosing the theme for their wedding, the couple wanted to tell how their love story unfolds with God at the heart of it. That is why they went straight to the heart and anchored their wedding in three words: “SEED | FRUIT | HARVEST”, inspired by a verse from the Bible.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future.“

“We wanted something low key, not too fancy but classy. Intimately romantic and festive at the same time and the mood we decided to go for was country-rustic.”

Given only four months to plan the wedding, AJ and Gianne juggled it amidst their busy schedules.

“The best part about planning it yourselves is the whole journey and the revelations of you and your partner along the way, and the lessons you learn. The worst part is probably the breakdowns where you just find yourself close to becoming crazy because of the pressure and tight schedule, especially when you’re both a very busy couple out of the wedding planning.”

As a designer herself, Gianne took care of the dresses of her entourage. But for her dress, she still wanted the full experience of being the bride and indulged in letting Banggo Niu work his magic.

“Bang and I have been really good friends for years now. And even before I met AJ, I kept reminding him that ‘one day you’ll make my gown’.”

1. HEART – Pray for this very vital and most significant part of your big day! This process of planning will sway you and put pressure you like crazy. Without a solid stronghold, you’ll miss the very purpose of preparing for marriage. The wedding is a one-day event, Marriage isn’t.

2. CREATIVES – When you know the heart, you’ll get to visualize the elements of it. This is critical mainly because people are very visual, they relate through what they see “first”. Start with having your mood board and try to be aligned with every part of it. It will help you stay on the path of your theme and you’ll be surprised with the creative juices it will bring out of you.

3. FLOW – Prioritize the flow of the ceremony and the reception. Make sure you get to consider the comfort of your guests and make each part of the whole event a snappy but meaningful one. Aim to engage them by making them catch the story and the heart of your celebration. The flow doesn’t depend on the fanciness of the look, it’s all about the whole experience. How will it impact your guest?