CEREMONY FOR ROMAN & SHALANI
[PHOTO - SOLEMN, SIMPLE Valenzuela Councilor
Shalani Soledad and Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo are married in simple and
solemn rites at St. Benedict Church at the Ayala Westgrove in Sta. Rosa City in
Laguna. RICHARD REYES STA. ROSA CITY]
MANILA, JANUARY
24, 2012 (INQUIRER) By: Alex
Vergara, Marinel R. Cruz - Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad and Pasig
City Representative Roman Romulo tied the knot Sunday at St. Benedict Church at
the Ayala Westgrove in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna.
—A brief kiss but one filled with longing sealed their wedding vows.
It didn't matter that the bride marched down the aisle some 20 minutes late.
Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad sealed her union with Pasig City
Representative Roman Romulo at sunset Sunday at St. Benedict Church at the Ayala
Westgrove in this industrial city in Laguna.
"I'm very happy that I've found you," Romulo, 44, said during the ceremonial
exchange of vows.
"I promise to love you from now on until forever," Soledad, 31, replied.
One of those invited was not around—President Benigno Aquino III.
Officials said Mr. Aquino was resting on his "private time" in the summer
capital of Baguio City when his former girlfriend began her march down the aisle
275 kilometers away.
The wedding capped a whirlwind romance even by today's standards.
Romulo and Soledad were engaged for five months.
Bridal gown
Soledad's gown, which designer Inno Sotto said was "simple, feminine and
elegant," was a white romantic number with a fitted V-neck top with lace bodice
and a skirt made of 17 layers of soft tulle. She wore a pair of shoes by Lila
Almario.
Romulo wore a midnight-blue tuxedo, a white shirt and a gray bow tie by Hugo
Boss and a pair of black leather shoes by Louis Vuitton.
The 22 principal sponsors came from the business and political sectors. The
Mass lasted over an hour, with not a seat empty in the 500-seat church.
The bride's mother, Evelyn Soledad Yumol, and uncle Mon Soledad, who looked
after the young Shalani while her mother worked overseas, gave the bride away.
The bride met her real father only last year.
Soledad was born out of wedlock to banker and businessman Adolfo Aguirre and
Evelyn San Ramon, a flight attendant. While her mother worked, the young Soledad
grew up with her grandparents, aunt and uncles. Her mother never brought up the
subject of her biological father, whom Soledad met only after 30 years.
Soledad wore a Kate Middleton-inspired gown with a lace bodice, tulle skirt
and off-shoulder neckline with tiny cap sleeves. The bride's face was shrouded
in a thin layer of tulle. The look was simple yet elegant, calling to mind
Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton's lacey wedding gown when she married Prince
William of Britain.
But Shalani chose to show off her arms instead of covering them.
The wedding invitation, made from an off-white paper material, had an
embossed "RS" insignia, which stood for the couple's initials.
After waiting for Soledad for 20 minutes, the guests at the church
heaved a collective gasp at the sight of the resplendent bride emerging before
them for her march.
The wedding ceremony, described as simple and solemn, began at 5:45 p.m.,
with Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara, Rev. Msgr.
Bartolome Santos Jr. and Rev. Fr. Isagani Avinante officiating.
What took months to prepare was soon over. Cardinal Rosales commanded the
groom, in jest, to "now take over." Roman gladly did and planted a kiss on the
bride's waiting lips.
Romulo, son of former Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo and Rosie Lovely
Tecson-Romulo, arrived at 5:15 p.m. Soledad came minutes later in a white
S-Class Mercedes-Benz.
The principal sponsors were Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and Gretchen
del Rosario; PLDT-Smart-TV 5 chair Manuel V. Pangilinan and Norma Ona; Sen.
Panfilo Lacson and Corazon Ong; Emilio Yap and former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia
Villar; Ambassador Antonio Cabangon-Chua and Betty Chua; San Miguel Corp.
president Ramon Ang and Bettina Aboitiz; Roberto del Rosario and Elizabeth
Gan-Go; James Sy Gaisano and Lily Lee; Felix Tuikinhoy Jr. and Maria Jessica
Bautista; Manuel Dy and Natividad Cheng; and Bench founder Ben Chan and Janet
Napoles.
Romulo's best friend, J. Antonio Cabangon, was the best man while Joy Marie
Castellvi was the matron of honor.
Romulo's groomsmen were his brother Erwin, Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio
Lagdameo, Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, George Rafael Lorenzana and Dante
Soliven.
Soledad's bridesmaids were Catherine May Hervas, Annaliza Jacinto, Ma.
Lourdes Romero, Monica Garcia and Diamond Villar.
The entourage also consisted of 21 flowers girls. Broadcaster Karen Davila
and Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez, wife of actor Richard Gomez, were gospel
readers at the Mass.
Sunday's reception was held at Evolving Center Dockside of the nearby Nuvali,
also in Sta. Rosa. In lieu of gifts, Soledad and Romulo had asked their guests
to donate to the victims of the deadly Tropical Storm "Sendong."
Aquino's message
An online news report earlier said President Aquino would not attend
the wedding but would send a gift "bought by his staff." He had wished the
couple a happy life together.
"What is the message?" the President said recently. "The emphasis has always
been to strengthen the family. We believe that a lot of the solutions to the
problems of the country will be best addressed by a family that is strong,
united and caring to the children that they bring."
Actress-TV host Kris Aquino, who was not at the ceremony either, wished the
couple "good health … and all of God's blessings in the years to come."
She also said: "I'll echo what P-Noy (Aquino) said, may both of them continue
to be instruments of true public service."
"We thought Roman would not be able to find that person he can be with all
his life," said actress Dawn Zulueta. "He finally did and I think Shalani is
perfect for him."
Family heirloom
Shortly before the ceremony, Romulo's mother Lovely said the diamond
engagement ring that Romulo gave Soledad in September was a family heirloom.
"I've had it for a while. I didn't know it would end up with Roman when I had it
taken out of the bank," she said.
The guests savored such dishes as Angus beef, chicken binakol soup and
cheesecake made of queso de bola prepared by caterer Florabel Co. Penk Ching and
Shen Ratilla did the cake.
Co chose Angus beef because the couple are said to be fond of tapsilog, the
complete Filipino everyman's meal consisting of tapa, or strips of cured beef,
fried rice and egg usually cooked sunny side up. Co included "dirty" ice cream
on the menu, as the bride had asked for it. With a report
from Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon
(Photo - 'Wedding of the Year')
Shalani-Roman Nuptials from:
Cavite : Philippines |
Jan 22, 2012 at 3:49 PM PST
By ken_nic2009
Shalani and Roman seal their marriage with a kiss. BY AJA DE GUZMAN, INTERAKSYON.COM
From abs-cbn
[P-NOY AND SHALANI DURING FORMER PRESIDENT CORY AQUINO'S
DEATH MEMORIAL]
MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino gave a wedding gift to newlywed couple
Roman Romulo and Shalani Soledad despite failing to attend their wedding,
Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Monday.
Lacierda said he did not know what Aquino gave the couple. He also does not
know if Aquino intentionally did not attend the wedding Sunday.
Aquino reportedly went to Baguio on the wedding day of his former girlfriend.
"Hindi ko alam kung intentional. I wouldn't know the schedule of the
President over the weekend. Pero meron siyang regalong binigay po," Lacierda
said.
Romulo and Soledad exchanged wedding vows in a simple ceremony at the St.
Benedict Church in Silang, Cavite on Sunday.
Uncle to walk Shalani down the aisle
abs-cbnNEWS.com Posted at 01/18/2012 12:07 AM | Updated as of
01/18/2012 2:01 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad has
already picked an important person in her life to walk her down the aisle on her
wedding with Pasig City Representative Roman Romulo.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News during the pre-wedding reception held at
the Manila Polo Club, Soledad revealed that his uncle Mon Soledad will be
escorting her towards her soon-to-be husband.
The pre-wedding reception, intended for the couple's constituents who will
not be able to attend the wedding day proper, was organized by Romulo's sister
Mons.
When asked why she decided to personally organize the event instead of hiring
an event organizer, Mons answered, "Gusto rin naman namin personal touch namin
[itong event]. Parang it's our way of welcoming Shalani also to our family."
Romulo and Soledad's wedding is set on Sunday, January 22.
As previously announced, the couple decided to have a "simple and private"
wedding in St. Benedict Church in Silang, Cavite.
This, according to them, is to share a part of their actual wedding budget to
the victims of tropical storm "Sendong" in northern Mindanao.
When asked to spill a few details about her upcoming wedding day, Soledad
replied, "Not that much of a funfare. Just a simple ceremony with family."
"Konti lang [ang bisita] because 'yung reception area is maliit so hindi rin
ganoon kadami," she added. – Report from Marie Lozano,
ABS-CBN News
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
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