Justin Sucgang and Joella Gertrude Pillena had a crush on each other the moment they met, which was in the hallway of their university. Justin was a junior at law school while Gertrude was an incoming freshman. The two began to date soon after and upon graduation, were married in New York.
Justin and Gertrude were originally planned to hold their garden wedding in 2021 but had to keep postponing. On April 27, 2022, they had their garden wedding celebration at Antonio’s.
Their wedding plans and ideas seemed to have been inspired by their relationship, which Gertrude describes as “simple but deep, quiet and stable.” Justin and Gertrude wanted a “laid back and refined” wedding with great food as the day’s highlight.
Below, Gertrude talks in detail about their Tagaytay wedding celebration:
How did you meet?
I’ve always believed I will meet the man of my dreams in a bookshop or a library. Little did I know, I will meet him in one of the hallways of Br. Andrew Gonzales Hall in De La Salle University. It was 2013, and Justin was in his junior year in law school, while I was an incoming freshman. It’s no secret that we instantly had a crush on each other the first time we met. So it was also around that time that we started dating.Our relationship is not the loud type. It’s simple, but deep; quiet and stable. When we graduated from law school, we quietly got married in a courthouse in New York, and got to study again in the same university—this time, at University of Michigan Ann Arbor. We obviously love studying and traveling!
Did you have a theme or motif for your wedding?
We never had a specific theme in mind. We just know it has to be laid back and refined, but also festive, warm, and full of life. When I discussed this with Gathered Creative Co.
and informed them about the venue, they dubbed this as Spanish al fresco, and I think they hit the nail right on the head!
What were the challenges encountered during the wedding preparation? How did you handle the challenges?
We split tasks depending on our strengths, so, Justin’s assigned with project management and planning, and I took the reins in sourcing suppliers and creating a mood board for stylist’s reference. This means making sure we’re on track, on budget, and happy at the same time.
Tell us about your wedding planning process.
It required some compromise, but it was not a difficult task to make since we’re both clear with our priorities: first, we wanted our wedding to reflect who we are and our relationship—fuss-free, refined, unassuming, and full of life; second, we wanted guests to enjoy the food and the vibe; and third we wanted God to be honored and glorified.
So, we specifically asked our officiating pastor to limit the rituals and tweak the ceremony a bit to make it more meaningful. Since we were already married, we requested that he deliver a message that will remind us of God’s design for married life, and practical tips to couples. It did not hurt that our pastor is an experienced marriage counselor.
RELATED: All-White ‘Match Made In Heaven’ Wedding
This also means knowing our weaknesses and the things we don’t want: first, we’re not experienced in events planning, so our mindset is to choose the best, the most professional, and the most efficient suppliers in the wedding industry and second, we didn’t want a long and cringey program, so the solution is to find a very good host.
Thanks to our winning suppliers, and specifically JC Alelis for being our host, we were able to pull it off! In the reception, we deliberately asked JC not to conduct games and limit the program to the bare essentials.
We wanted to allot more time for our guests to socialize with one another. True enough, while each of us has different circles, we were surprised that our world is small. Our guests were acquainted in one way or another and this made the reception more intimate. No need for games to force interaction. Everything was organic!
We did not have a problem with any of the suppliers as well. They all know each other and they all worked really well.
How did you feel during your garden wedding?
We were both nervous, ecstatic, and tired at the same time! We had a very early call time, 3 AM, since the wedding starts at 9:30 AM. I was too excited that I had zero sleep, and never had the chance to eat.
Before walking down the aisle I thought I would faint, but Maxine Covar’s 
team prepared to offer me something to nibble on. A piece of crackers basically sustained me throughout the day!
RELATED: Pia Wurtzbach and Jeremy Jauncey Got Engaged in Amanpulo
During lunch, we were so busy socializing with family and friends, we only got to eat after the wedding. It’s true what they say, it all goes by so fast! But every moment was totally worth it.
What were the most memorable moments from your wedding?
It was exhilarating being in the same room with the most important people in your life all at the same time—we felt like we were both bouncing from table to table, buzzing with excitement the entire time! I think it’s the little things that make the most memorable moments, like the warm and fuzzy feeling you get from being connected with the people you love after being apart for a long time due to the pandemic.
Do you have advice for couples planning their wedding?
1. Consider having a small wedding; choose your guests well.
In our case, we kept the number of guests under 60. We agreed to have a no-kids policy, and we have equally given each other the same number of invitees. Our rule of thumb was, “Who are the people we can’t imagine not to be present there on that day?” We ended up inviting only the near and dear, those who have a positive influence in our life, and people we’d keep in touch with if we moved away.
2. Choose an outdoor venue, or a well-ventilated space, as much as possible.
Antonio’s was a non-negotiable for me. Justin initially wanted an air-conditioned venue considering the atrocious humidity in the Philippines, but it didn’t take a while for me to convince him otherwise. Antonio’s has very good food, and we wanted food to become the highlight of the day.
The space is also filled with greens, and this means we don’t have to spend much styling the place; the place is already perfect on its own. The marvelous paintings and awnings added a nice touch, we couldn’t imagine having it anywhere else.
RELATED: ‘You Are My First And Last’: Cream and White Wedding
3. Plan ahead and plan well—getting a good coordinator and a vetted set of suppliers helps!
Justin is a good planner and I have an eye for design. We have one thing in common, though: We both love spreadsheets and we don’t ever want to compromise!
Since the beginning of the planning stage, we are equipped with excel sheets, and despite our busy schedules, we find time to discuss wedding-related matters on weekends to take tabs and make progress.
Justin and I split the tasks equally, and we’d report on our tasks every so often. I joined a Facebook group for brides-to-be to check organic reviews and recommendations, meet up with married friends if I have any questions, and Justin would do the same.
He has his way of doing things as well, and at the end of the day, we’d decide on things in a very democratic way. Usually, like in any aspect of life, you’d know whether a supplier is worth the splurge—trust your gut! Look out for any red flags.
We made sure we communicated well with our suppliers — we scheduled Zoom meetings, and on the day itself, trusted everything to our coordinator with ease.
