Jeff and I kicked off 2023 with the Mantaring and Alaniz families at Miniloc Island at El Nido Resorts, Palawan. We’ve shot Arthur and Tina’s engagement session in Tokyo and their wedding in El Nido. We also covered Gijo and Bea’s Manila wedding a few years back. Gijo and Tina are siblings, and Bea is best friends with other beloved brides of ours.
To say we were bursting with joy is an understatement. It was our first trip back to Palawan since the lockdowns. We were scheduled to shoot Arthur, Tina, and their kids in Tokyo back in Spring 2020, had flights and accommodations ready and everything, but we all know what happened then.
Getting to the island was quite the adventure because of inclement weather. The boat ride in the rain from Lio was rough, and the winds were so strong at Miniloc that a lounge chair actually flew right into the pool. Hilarious. I love that everyone had fun still, and the rain stopped in time for us. This was special and one for the books.
Asher’s giggles were maddeningly adorable. Cuteness overload! I got to hold baby Gab in my arms and my head was near exploding from the restraint it took not to bite him. Hahaha. And Catie, we got to meet as an infant at Gijo and Bea’s wedding before. She’s grown to be a lovely little girl with the sweetest curls and eyes that see right into your soul. It’s funny, I always say people you love make offspring you adore.
Seeing both couples as parents, this new chapter in their lives, feels like continuity to the story they’ve shared with us over the years, and it means the world.
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