80% Chance of Rain

Featuring Lakhi Siap and Lea Villena

Everybody said it would rain. Without question, without a doubt. It would rain. November 11, 2023 was going to be a rainy day, and I was made aware of this weeks prior. But we stood by our guns, absolutely no tents. Our planner was definitely advising us against it. “It won’t rain, Teena. Trust me” is what my mother reassured our planner. To appease her and to reach a compromise, we bought umbrellas to give to our guests.

The day finally came. It was refreshing to see the color motif amid the gloomy background. It reminded me of how special it was as the colors paid homage to Holi Festival, a Hindu festival known as the festival of colors, love, and spring. Something so lovely and lively! The color greatly reminded me of the fact that it was the color of the dating app that my husband Lakhi and I met on.

Despite all these lovely correlations and memories to the motif, with my entourage entering in and out of my room, each and every one of them knew heavy rain was about to pour down. “It’s going to rain, it really will rain” and “Does Lea know it’ll rain? Surely she was made aware” was all I could hear behind me.

Deep down, I had a slight panic attack knowing that maybe they were right. Maybe I should’ve offered eggs to that church in Quezon City. I was panicking on the inside but I didn’t want to show it. I would never. Not on my own wedding day. To top it all off, I haven’t finished writing my vows yet.

“Neng, it’s so cloudy, but we’re okay.” is all that my mom could say. She fully believed her Batangueña tradition of displaying the celebrant’s attire was going to work. And most of the time, it really did. I did trust her, but I think I would’ve risked it on any other day but my wedding. “Whatever happens on that day is what is meant for you” is what they all told me. But as a perfectionist, I knew that I wanted things to go off without a hitch.

I finished my vows just in time and my planner and my stylist helped fix me up just right before I was about to walk down the really long glass hallway of my venue. I honestly didn’t expect to be so nervous. The only guide I had with me was my videographer who chuckled as I told him not to leave me. It was a nerve-wracking and thrilling experience all at the same time. My planner told me to listen to her, but while doing so I had to keep in mind my videographer and my photographer who was shooting film from outside of the glass hallway. I was also surrounded by my stylist and her team who were hyping me up and cheering me on. It was a lot. To top my emotions, I saw the clouds through the glass window and all I thought was “If it rains, then it rains. There is nothing I could do about it. It’s part of the day.”

You can never really expect the kind of emotions you would feel on your wedding day. The culmination of all those months worth of grueling planning and curation. My husband knew that as I planned this wedding combining both fashion and identity was something very important that it was something we were so eager to see on our day. Not many people knew this but our attires were of personal significance. My ceremony wedding gown will be my very first proper Terno attire. I put off wearing a Terno attire all these years just so I could wear one during my wedding and it’ll be more significant to me since it’s my very first one.

Parallel to me, my husband’s attire was also his very first Jodhpuri Suit (formal Indian suit). It was even more special as it was made by an Indian Designer based in Chicago, our hometown. To top it off, we had his Dupatta (stole/scarf), his necklace and his shoes straight from India so it made his entire wedding garb even more special.

Our wedding’s recurring theme was modern culture. My husband’s multicultural marketing agency based in Chicago allowed us to work with a lot of Asian American clients and communities. To us, culture and identity is something that runs deep in our DNA. So we weren’t just excited for our attires but also for the modern culture attires our guests will be wearing on the most important day of our lives. It gave us something to look forward to. I knew the outfits would blend well together but it was definitely an otherworldly thing to experience seeing it all play out on the day.

Truly, as you walk down the aisle, you have these different waves of emotions flowing through you that you can never expect which one will show first. You see everyone’s eyes and you take a good look at all the guests. You see all the years filled with memories. You see the time you spent with all these people and you realize that a wedding is not just a celebration of two people but a culmination of all the things you’ve done together and with all the other people present there.

I may have practiced sweet smiling but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see. I finally saw the eyes of the one person who mattered most and all I thought “So what if it rains, our love will always shine through.” And shine through, it did. The sun burst from the clouds, and not a drop from the heavens was spilled. I married my partner that day and through an Interfaith ceremony nonetheless, that blended both Catholic and Hindu traditions. It was everything that we could ever hope for and more.