After rescheduling three times, the bride says ‘Safety first pa rin, makakaraos din tayo‘
Harmon Cantillan and Alexandra Basbas’ love story begins with a bottle of iced tea and a bag of chips. Back in 2011, Harmon gave Alex these snacks to profess his feelings for the young Alex who was unfortunately unavailable then. A year later, when she was single, he courted her and even chose the same university so he could continue to pursue her.
“Sobrang saya ng college life namin, sobrang daming selosan, awayan, at iba pa,” Alex says in jest. Seven years later, the couple broke up. But Harmon could not accept the news of Alex entertaining suitors after their break up. So he returns to Alex, and courts her and her family again, promising to marry her two years after.
Harmon proposed to Alex on July 2020 and the couple was married on June 11, 2021 at Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Bel-Air, but not without the complications of planning a pandemic intimate wedding. Below, Alex tells us how she dealt with multiple reschedules of their wedding and the hardest news they had to deal with just three days before their wedding.
Read our interview below and see their photos!
What was the theme of your wedding?
Rustic theme. Simple only, slightly vintage and natural. What we made sure to have is our motif, na ma-achieve yung mga colors na rust.
What were the challenges you encountered?
April 10, 2021 was our original wedding date. But due to quarantine and government restrictions, we need to reschedule our wedding so many times–not once, but thrice. Sobra kaming na-challenge lalo na ako kasi nung first na na-resched ‘yung wedding namin, nakarinig ako ng “kasi sabi ko sayo huwag mong isukat yung wedding gown mo “. Kinagabihan nalungkot ako at umiyak but naisip ko nalang din na hindi ‘yun totoo dahil hindi lang naman kami ‘yung affected sa ganitong situation. Madami din namang na-reschedule na wedding at hindi lang ako.
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Every time na nalulungkot ako sa madaming reschedule ng wedding namin, Covid situation nalang iniisip ko at ang kaligtasan ng lahat. Kagulo na kami sa pag a-arrange ng mga suppliers namin. Kasi all of my photo video team ay pinili ko pa kasi sila ‘yung idol ko and gusto ko talga na sila mag-shoot for my wedding. But conflict na halos 50%, that’s why kailangan na makahanap ng kapalit.
How did you handle the challenges?
Nothing, because we don’t have any choice when it comes to the government’s announcement. The hotel announcement (from 100 PAX to 50 PAX) was also hard because all of our suppliers were not available anymore when the hotel finally gave us the signal that they are accepting events already. We decided to do the wedding immediately with a week of preparation only, because baka after a week mag-MECQ na naman. Kaya ‘yung ibang suppliers namin, we are lucky nakahanap kami ng replacement. I’m thankful also na ginawa nilang maganda at masaya ‘yung dream wedding namin.
How did you feel during the wedding?
We were very emotional and happy because finally, our wedding is already real. No more worries of rescheduling! Makakahina na kami finally ng maluwag.
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What were the most memorable moments of your wedding?
Incomplete families for both sides. Nakakalungkot lang kasi kung kailan malapit na ‘yung wedding namin, nagkaroon pa ng problem sa side ko (bride). My parents and our bunso, hindi sila naka-attend ng wedding kasi na-expose sila sa Covid-positive three days before the wedding.
Super stressed and sobra akong malungkot. Iyak ng iyak ako kasi isa ‘yun sa part ng dream ko ‘pag kinasal ako, ‘yung ihahatid ako ng mga magulang ko sa harap ng altar, sa Diyos at sa pakakasalan ko. But we decided to continue our wedding kahit wala sila, kaysa ma-reschedule na naman. Sobrang madami na ang nag-sacrifice at that time. Mahirap naman na kahit hindi sila positive, tapos magkaroon ng symptoms after our wedding at mas madami pa ang maapaktuhan. Thank God, they were negative and there were no symptoms during and after their quarantine.
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But the most memorable talaga is ‘yung walang naging stress and masaya lahat ng guest and kami overall. When we watched our wedding SDE and onsite photo that day, sobrang feeling namin ang perfect, even the weather was good that day.
What’s your advice for couples who are planning to get married in this time of pandemic? And what are your tips for a safe celebration?
Still follow all government protocols. Safety first pa rin, makakaraos din tayo. Like us, kahit hindi naka-attend ibang member of our family dahil mas pinili namin kaligtasan ng marami kaysa mag-take ng risk na magkaron sila sypmtoms after our wedding. Sana ganun din ‘yung iba, maging honest lang sa kung sino man nakasalamuha at nararamdam nila para hindi na mag-spread pa ang virus. At makapag wedding ang couples ng masaya at walang worries.
