Unexpectedly Perfect

Featuring the wedding of Garreth-Daniel R. Tungol and Maricel P. Tulfo
Words by Maricel Tulfo-Tungol | Photography by Pat Dy

Our wedding was unexpected.

Around April last year, I found out I was pregnant. I excitedly shared the good news to my then boyfriend and he asked me to get married. I was in shock because all the while I did not think that he would ask me to marry him. I thought he wanted to focus on the baby first but of course, I said yes to the proposal. It’s not how I imagined it to be but here we are now, happily married with our baby Grayson.

The celebration was intimate and special because the people who were present in our wedding were the most important people to me and my husband. We chose a white and gold motif because it’s classic and we both wanted a classic civil wedding. It looks very clean, elegant, and timeless which we were aiming for, and that if we look back and watch our wedding video it would still feel like we are newlyweds.

What’s special about this is the situation—COVID-19. My husband wanted us to have a grand civil wedding since we only had 20 guests, we are in the middle of a pandemic, and I was already seven months pregnant. To be honest, it was difficult to plan the wedding. I was the one who was mainly fixing it and because of the situation, we were uncertain if it would push through because the quarantine status changes every two weeks, but one thing’s for sure—we would get married before the baby comes out.

From the invitations, to wedding souvenirs, and to the food, we had them personalized because we wanted our guests to also feel special, and to also thank them for coming even if COVID-19 cases were still on the rise.

Talking about highlight—it is food. We both love food so much. We like to cook together even for each other. The way we picked the food that was served in our wedding was a definite highlight. We both agreed that even in our church wedding, we would splurge on the food. It was also important for us that our guests—even if it’s just our family members and close friends—are satisfied with the food we chose because food always had an important role in our relationship.

The most memorable part of our wedding? I would say everything. I know it sounds exaggerated, but it’s true. We both felt the happiness and the love from both our families seeing us getting married, and seeing them cry because of happiness that we are already together—finally and officially. It is something I would always look back to and whenever I watch our wedding video, I cry because there were so much emotions, even my dad and brother were crying! It’s the first time I saw them cry. I felt that it was hard for them to let go of me so suddenly but they see me so happy with Garreth, so all of us had mixed emotions during the wedding, but I would not have it any other way.

It was supposed to be a garden wedding. They all set it up in the garden but then it started to rain around four in the afternoon, and the ceremony is set to start at five. We did not expect the rain at all. I was asked if the staff should move it inside and I said yes because the most important moment for me that day was to get married to the love of my life. Besides, it would be much safer for me since I was pregnant and they would not risk me slipping for the garden wedding to happen.

Our wedding was unique because of the situation alone—in the middle of the pandemic. Being pregnant at that time had me complying to the most stringent health protocols. Everything was planned online for our wedding. I met all the suppliers through online meetings, which was fine for all parties because they were apprehensive in meeting in person. I was pregnant doing all these preparations, and pregnant while getting married. It’s a blessing to us and no other wedding can duplicate the feeling of getting married while you appear to pop anytime.

We wanted a classic theme and it reflected us as a couple by how timeless it looked/ Even if we look back, we would not regret any other decision we have made with everything. We were very happy with the outcome and all our photos were so beautiful. Our wedding was truly a classic.