Warning: Pardon me for this might be a bit lengthy. I have always wanted to write about this so please bear with me.At the time when I was scouting for our photographer, I had a chat with a friend of mine who’s into photography (thanks Marky!) and asked him for any suggestions. My specifications were: should be somebody good but would not cause a gaping hole in our wedding budget. He immediately mentioned Atty. Raymond Fortun. I remember asking the same questions that must have crossed your mind form the very start: Who? THE Atty. Raymond Fortun? As in THE lawyer? Erap? Impeachment? Marky confirmed in affirmative. Of course, my next step was to seek help from the ever reliable Mr. Google. I remember typing in “Raymond Fortun Wedding Photography” and there he was indeed. The results had me staring wide-eyed in front of the laptop’s screen.
Okay, I thought Marky must have misunderstood. First of all, I did not ask for someone who’s clearly such a pro. Looking at RF’s portfolio, (caution: a habit that can be addicting) I can instantly tell that we can never afford to have those beautiful photos. A talent like that will obviously steal a big chunk of our budget. I shared my thoughts with Marky but he urged me to just try and drop RF a mail. I told him I will if I gathered enough courage to do so. From then on, I became one of RF’s official stalkers. While actively looking for other options, I would always visit his multiply site. I found myself browsing and daydreaming about the possibility that habibi and I will be one of his wedding couples.
After much hesitation and when I finally realized I was wasting time and losing my chance to someone else who might already book RF for our date, I sent him an e-mail. I inquired if he is still free on our wedding date. I never expected that he would reply quickly. But he did – ON THE SAME DAY! I was gawking at his mail and couldn’t be any happier! He’s free on our date! Must be the heavens telling me it’s truly meant to be. An ecstatic me immediately sought a nod of approval from habibi. He was also thrilled but he was skeptic at first. We both knew RF was a busy man and all so we also considered the likelihood that it might be difficult to coordinate with him. On the contrary however, my e-mail communications with him proved that our worries were unfounded. He’s ALWAYS prompt (as in, without any fail) and I am not exaggerating. 24 hours max, I always get a response. So finally after our deliberation with a mixture of too much gaiety, we voted YES and availed of RF’s services.
The Prenup (Quezon City Parks and Wildlife)
One of my fervent prayers back then was for God to grant us a perfect weather: during our prenup shoot and on the day of our wedding. Our original plan was to shoot in Lakeshore Pampanga on July 10. The weather was so glum the day before the scheduled shoot. We were still hopeful that the weather would cooperate the next day. But sadly, the skies decided to pour heavily and we had no choice but to cancel.
We proposed a change of date and venue for the shoot: Quezon City Parks and Wildlife, July 14 which RF willingly accommodated. I was bracing myself for the worst: that our shoot (which I wanted so badly) will never push through. Fortunately, God once again proved I am one of his favorites. The day was bright and sunny, a perfect day for an outdoor shoot.
Fast forward to the first meeting with RF. By the way, I communicated with him only thru sms when we were in Manila. Gosh, what else can we ask for? He also replies fast even with text messaging. We informed him that we were already in the location. He arrived early and went directly in the area where we were stationed. We were starstruck. Even with the simple black Boracay shirt that he wore on that day, he had CELEBRITY spelled all over him. So, I finally got to meet the person whose works I was salivating on hehe. Habibi couldn’t quite speak, hahaha. I must have looked dumb because I remember grinning from ear to ear while talking to him. Actually, what made it even more memorable is the fact that he NEVER made us feel he was the star. He shoved the spotlight to us and made us feel like THE celebrities. He prepped us and talked about how we can achieve a good shoot. Ever the creative photographer, he insisted on finding out some new spots in the park that he hadn’t explored yet. The result was amazing. RF also helped set us at ease because he kept throwing encouraging comments like “Perfect!”, “Ang Ganda!”, “Nice!” every now and then. He lets us peep into his camera so we can see how beautiful the shot was. It made us even more eager to pose and didn’t even complain about getting tired. Come to think of it, we never actually felt tired. With RF’s enthusiasm, getting exhausted will be the last thing on your mind. I also wanted to give a heartfelt thanks to Kuya Ed, RF’s assistant who was so kind and helpful. I don’t know if he was deliberately telling us “Ang galing nyo nga eh” as a motivation, but it sure made us proud hehe!
We ended the day with a group picture with RF. A souvenir that we were thankful for given that we totally forgot to take group pictures with our suppliers during the wedding day (bummer!). It was without a doubt, an unforgettable experience. On an ordinary day, I would play our prenup AVP and it would magically bring back happy memories. I would watch it and still get awed as if I haven’t already seen it before.
Here’s our Prenup AVP, background music is Rhythm of Love by Plain White T:
Okay, I thought Marky must have misunderstood. First of all, I did not ask for someone who’s clearly such a pro. Looking at RF’s portfolio, (caution: a habit that can be addicting) I can instantly tell that we can never afford to have those beautiful photos. A talent like that will obviously steal a big chunk of our budget. I shared my thoughts with Marky but he urged me to just try and drop RF a mail. I told him I will if I gathered enough courage to do so. From then on, I became one of RF’s official stalkers. While actively looking for other options, I would always visit his multiply site. I found myself browsing and daydreaming about the possibility that habibi and I will be one of his wedding couples.
After much hesitation and when I finally realized I was wasting time and losing my chance to someone else who might already book RF for our date, I sent him an e-mail. I inquired if he is still free on our wedding date. I never expected that he would reply quickly. But he did – ON THE SAME DAY! I was gawking at his mail and couldn’t be any happier! He’s free on our date! Must be the heavens telling me it’s truly meant to be. An ecstatic me immediately sought a nod of approval from habibi. He was also thrilled but he was skeptic at first. We both knew RF was a busy man and all so we also considered the likelihood that it might be difficult to coordinate with him. On the contrary however, my e-mail communications with him proved that our worries were unfounded. He’s ALWAYS prompt (as in, without any fail) and I am not exaggerating. 24 hours max, I always get a response. So finally after our deliberation with a mixture of too much gaiety, we voted YES and availed of RF’s services.
The Prenup (Quezon City Parks and Wildlife)
One of my fervent prayers back then was for God to grant us a perfect weather: during our prenup shoot and on the day of our wedding. Our original plan was to shoot in Lakeshore Pampanga on July 10. The weather was so glum the day before the scheduled shoot. We were still hopeful that the weather would cooperate the next day. But sadly, the skies decided to pour heavily and we had no choice but to cancel.
We proposed a change of date and venue for the shoot: Quezon City Parks and Wildlife, July 14 which RF willingly accommodated. I was bracing myself for the worst: that our shoot (which I wanted so badly) will never push through. Fortunately, God once again proved I am one of his favorites. The day was bright and sunny, a perfect day for an outdoor shoot.
Fast forward to the first meeting with RF. By the way, I communicated with him only thru sms when we were in Manila. Gosh, what else can we ask for? He also replies fast even with text messaging. We informed him that we were already in the location. He arrived early and went directly in the area where we were stationed. We were starstruck. Even with the simple black Boracay shirt that he wore on that day, he had CELEBRITY spelled all over him. So, I finally got to meet the person whose works I was salivating on hehe. Habibi couldn’t quite speak, hahaha. I must have looked dumb because I remember grinning from ear to ear while talking to him. Actually, what made it even more memorable is the fact that he NEVER made us feel he was the star. He shoved the spotlight to us and made us feel like THE celebrities. He prepped us and talked about how we can achieve a good shoot. Ever the creative photographer, he insisted on finding out some new spots in the park that he hadn’t explored yet. The result was amazing. RF also helped set us at ease because he kept throwing encouraging comments like “Perfect!”, “Ang Ganda!”, “Nice!” every now and then. He lets us peep into his camera so we can see how beautiful the shot was. It made us even more eager to pose and didn’t even complain about getting tired. Come to think of it, we never actually felt tired. With RF’s enthusiasm, getting exhausted will be the last thing on your mind. I also wanted to give a heartfelt thanks to Kuya Ed, RF’s assistant who was so kind and helpful. I don’t know if he was deliberately telling us “Ang galing nyo nga eh” as a motivation, but it sure made us proud hehe!
We ended the day with a group picture with RF. A souvenir that we were thankful for given that we totally forgot to take group pictures with our suppliers during the wedding day (bummer!). It was without a doubt, an unforgettable experience. On an ordinary day, I would play our prenup AVP and it would magically bring back happy memories. I would watch it and still get awed as if I haven’t already seen it before.
Here’s our Prenup AVP, background music is Rhythm of Love by Plain White T:
On Our Big Day
As expected, the team arrived early. They went straight to work while playfully joking around with the rest of our suppliers. Of course, Kuya Ed was also there plus Pau Bengero (who was mainly assigned for the groom) and Zye de Guzman (the only female photographer in the team). At that point, I was kept as a hostage by my HMUA (Hair and Make Up Artist) Mama Val. I was lusciously savoring the rare moment of getting all swanky so I barely noticed what they were doing. The next thing I knew was RF calling out loudly “Bride, where’s the bride?”. It was my time to shine, my turn to be a supermodel haha!
I was an obedient bride. I smiled here, there, looked at the camera, looked far away, tilted my head this way, that way. I had a wonderful time. My groom did too. So that was how it felt like to be a movie star. We were treated like such and we will be forever grateful for the experience.
I could go on and on and still find myself gushing with delight about how RF’s team made our day special. I would not forget RF’s planking stunt in the church just to get a perfect angle while I took my bridal march. I will forever wonder what sort of vitamins his team takes to have that level of energy. I was beyond happy. More than anything else, they rightfully earned our respect – for the passion and professionalism they devote to their craft. They treated our wedding like they were our family; wanting nothing but the best of the bests for us.
Oh, I just had to share this pic. Guess what’s behind the facial reaction?
As expected, the team arrived early. They went straight to work while playfully joking around with the rest of our suppliers. Of course, Kuya Ed was also there plus Pau Bengero (who was mainly assigned for the groom) and Zye de Guzman (the only female photographer in the team). At that point, I was kept as a hostage by my HMUA (Hair and Make Up Artist) Mama Val. I was lusciously savoring the rare moment of getting all swanky so I barely noticed what they were doing. The next thing I knew was RF calling out loudly “Bride, where’s the bride?”. It was my time to shine, my turn to be a supermodel haha!
I was an obedient bride. I smiled here, there, looked at the camera, looked far away, tilted my head this way, that way. I had a wonderful time. My groom did too. So that was how it felt like to be a movie star. We were treated like such and we will be forever grateful for the experience.
I could go on and on and still find myself gushing with delight about how RF’s team made our day special. I would not forget RF’s planking stunt in the church just to get a perfect angle while I took my bridal march. I will forever wonder what sort of vitamins his team takes to have that level of energy. I was beyond happy. More than anything else, they rightfully earned our respect – for the passion and professionalism they devote to their craft. They treated our wedding like they were our family; wanting nothing but the best of the bests for us.
Oh, I just had to share this pic. Guess what’s behind the facial reaction?
We (I in particular) were still in a daze after sharing our first kiss as husband and wife. We were slammed back to reality because RF was profusely thanking us for the “looooonnggg kiss”. Probably because it gave them an ample time to take as much shots as they wanted. We were giggling with embarrassment. Photo by Pau who was quick enough to capture this candid moment.
Here is our Onsite Fusion AVP, background music is Brighter than the Sun by Colbie Calliat. A memento of the day when we had nothing but pure bliss:
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