Featuring Angela Crisostomo and Danielle Vitriolo
From the very beginning, Dani and Ayla’s love unfolded with intention, curiosity, and an ease that felt rare. Their story began with what was supposed to be a simple brunch date in Bonifacio Global City; coffee, conversation, then goodbye.
Instead, it became an eight-hour walk through the city and through each other’s lives.
“We talked about everything—books, art, favorite cities, dreams, and life goals,” Angela recalls. “Time felt so easy and enjoyable.” Neither of them admitted it at first, but both quietly rescheduled their plans just to keep the day going.
For Dani, that first meeting arrived at a pivotal moment. Having recently returned to Manila after years abroad, she was relearning what home meant. On a whim, she downloaded Bumble, drawn to Angela’s profile because of her connection to New York City.
“Halfway through the date, I already asked her for a second date,” Dani shares.
That instinct proved right. Their succeeding dates were long and unhurried; coffee, books, pottery, jazz, weekend markets, eventually becoming a rhythm.
“It was a slow burn,” Dani says. “But once it became clear, everything else followed naturally.”
Milestones soon arrived with quiet certainty: introductions to friends and family, Dani’s first time coming out at home, and moving in together in less than a year. Their shared life became one of thoughtful routines, creative projects, and constant growth.
The question of marriage surfaced just as organically. Angela first asked during a work lunch call, openly laying out the realities and risks of a union not recognized in their home country.
“In the end, we both feel that saying yes to love and all its possibilities is a journey well worth it,” she says. Dani never hesitated. “Can I imagine doing life without her?” she asked herself. “It would be much happier with her in it.”
They designed one shared ring together; symbolic, intentional, and brave—before exchanging multiple proposals in everyday moments: a park walk, a new apartment, a spontaneous kneel.
Their wedding was an elopement in New York City, a place that mirrored their values of freedom and becoming. They exchanged vows privately over coffee, then officially at City Hall, where the reality finally settled in. “I broke down,” Dani remembers. “Everything else is trivial next to this.”
The celebration that followed was intimate and heartfelt: city walks, cheering strangers, handmade details, a small dinner with loved ones. It was simple, joyful, and deeply theirs.
Angela sums it up in one word: “Unreal.” What stayed with them was not grandeur, but possibility, the knowledge that love, once unimaginable, had become real.
At Wedding Essentials, we believe love deserves to be seen in all its forms. Dani and Ayla’s story reminds us that love, quiet, intentional, and brave—is always worth celebrating.
Dani and Ayla’s Dream Team:
Ceremony: Manhattan City Hall
Caterer: Lindens New York
Cake: One Girl Cookies
Photographer: Kenneth Gohel Photography
Videographer: Elle Cruzabra
Gown and suit designer: Boy Kastner-Santos
Makeup: Chyla Guerrero
