A wedding tale of many cities
Pam Pastor | Wednesday, 4 June 2008
To tell the love story of 30-year-old Carisa Aleta and 29-year-old Hahn-Ning Chou, one might have to bring out a world map. Cari, the daughter of Drs. Carlito and Isabel Aleta, was born in Manila. Hahn, the son of Dr. Liu-Gei and Chyau-Bin Grace Chou, was born in Bangkok.
They first met in Singapore. She studied in London. He studied in the United States. They've both lived in seven different cities in seven different countries. Hahn-Ning proposed in Bangkok. The weddings (yes, two of them) were held in Bangkok and in Manila.
Cari was taking up Legal Management at the Ateneo de Manila University and Hahn was studying engineering at the National Taiwan University when they met through AIESEC, the world's biggest student organization, in 1997.
The two became busy with their own lives. Cari took up her Master's Degree in Development Management at the London School of Economics, Hahn worked in chemical companies and environmental consultancies before taking his Master's degree in Environmental Chemistry at Yale University. They lost touch.
Seven years later, she sent a mass e-mail to friends, to greet them a happy new year and to give them an update about her life.
Hahn, who was a regional manager for a chemicals company and whose region included the Philippines, wrote Cari back to say that he would get in touch with her once he got to Manila.
Two months later, they met again. "I was so surprised that we connected on so many levels, including our passion for development issues. We ended up chatting for eight hours that day. I left that meeting thinking, this is a very special guy." Hahn obviously thought Cari was special too.
The old friends soon became more than that-and the romance led to a proposal that happened sooner than Cari thought it would. Hahn fell on one knee at a special restaurant in Bangkok and Cari immediately said yes. "I was wonderfully surprised. It was the easiest decision I made in my life."
Two weddings
Most brides would balk at the thought of planning two weddings but Cari loved it. "It was wonderful to be able to experience traditional Thai and Filipino weddings!"
It took them months to set the date of their Thai wedding but planning it was quick. Three weeks before the wedding, Cari and her family went to Bangkok so she could finalize some decisions. She selected the flowers and the traditional Thai clothes that they would wear. But Hahn did most of the planning.
Cari and Hahn's Thai wedding was an intimate gathering, attended only by 21 people, all members of their immediate family. It was a traditional Thai ceremony.
"Unlike our church wedding, where the groom waits for the bride at the altar, in Thai weddings, the groom has to 'prove' himself worthy to pass through the gates to meet the bride, who is waiting for him." Cari said. "It starts with Hae Khan Mark, a lovely tradition wherein the groom has to pass through several gatekeepers before he can meet the bride. The groom has a 'negotiator' who has to negotiate with the gatekeepers to let the groom through. The gatekeepers are from the bride's side and they can pretty much ask the groom to do anything."
Her favorite moment during their Thai wedding was the Rot Naam or water-pouring ceremony. "It was beautiful. Water blessed by a Buddhist monk is poured by each family member on the couple's hands while they say a wish for us. I loved the fact that our families were participating in the ceremony; it was really personal."
Wedding in Manila
The couple's Manila wedding required more preparation. "It took a year to plan the wedding." We wanted a December wedding so that our family and friends living abroad who usually come to Manila for Christmas would be able to celebrate with us," Cari said.
Although planning a wedding long-distance was difficult, the couple faced the challenge head on. Their wedding planner Jody Liwanag of Events Experts also made things easier.
The couple faced two big challenges. One, keeping their guest list down to 200 people. They managed to do it. Challenge number two was trying to figure out where to store the wine they had flown in from Portugal. A very helpful stranger suggested that maybe I can store the wine in the climate-controlled room of a moving company, which is what I did."
On her special day, Cari wore a gown by Frankie de Leon. Because the couple wanted a vintage and homey atmosphere, the reception was held at the beautiful old house belonging to the family of Do
They first met in Singapore. She studied in London. He studied in the United States. They've both lived in seven different cities in seven different countries. Hahn-Ning proposed in Bangkok. The weddings (yes, two of them) were held in Bangkok and in Manila.
Cari was taking up Legal Management at the Ateneo de Manila University and Hahn was studying engineering at the National Taiwan University when they met through AIESEC, the world's biggest student organization, in 1997.
The two became busy with their own lives. Cari took up her Master's Degree in Development Management at the London School of Economics, Hahn worked in chemical companies and environmental consultancies before taking his Master's degree in Environmental Chemistry at Yale University. They lost touch.
Seven years later, she sent a mass e-mail to friends, to greet them a happy new year and to give them an update about her life.
Hahn, who was a regional manager for a chemicals company and whose region included the Philippines, wrote Cari back to say that he would get in touch with her once he got to Manila.
Two months later, they met again. "I was so surprised that we connected on so many levels, including our passion for development issues. We ended up chatting for eight hours that day. I left that meeting thinking, this is a very special guy." Hahn obviously thought Cari was special too.
The old friends soon became more than that-and the romance led to a proposal that happened sooner than Cari thought it would. Hahn fell on one knee at a special restaurant in Bangkok and Cari immediately said yes. "I was wonderfully surprised. It was the easiest decision I made in my life."
Two weddings
Most brides would balk at the thought of planning two weddings but Cari loved it. "It was wonderful to be able to experience traditional Thai and Filipino weddings!"
It took them months to set the date of their Thai wedding but planning it was quick. Three weeks before the wedding, Cari and her family went to Bangkok so she could finalize some decisions. She selected the flowers and the traditional Thai clothes that they would wear. But Hahn did most of the planning.
Cari and Hahn's Thai wedding was an intimate gathering, attended only by 21 people, all members of their immediate family. It was a traditional Thai ceremony.
"Unlike our church wedding, where the groom waits for the bride at the altar, in Thai weddings, the groom has to 'prove' himself worthy to pass through the gates to meet the bride, who is waiting for him." Cari said. "It starts with Hae Khan Mark, a lovely tradition wherein the groom has to pass through several gatekeepers before he can meet the bride. The groom has a 'negotiator' who has to negotiate with the gatekeepers to let the groom through. The gatekeepers are from the bride's side and they can pretty much ask the groom to do anything."
Her favorite moment during their Thai wedding was the Rot Naam or water-pouring ceremony. "It was beautiful. Water blessed by a Buddhist monk is poured by each family member on the couple's hands while they say a wish for us. I loved the fact that our families were participating in the ceremony; it was really personal."
Wedding in Manila
The couple's Manila wedding required more preparation. "It took a year to plan the wedding." We wanted a December wedding so that our family and friends living abroad who usually come to Manila for Christmas would be able to celebrate with us," Cari said.
Although planning a wedding long-distance was difficult, the couple faced the challenge head on. Their wedding planner Jody Liwanag of Events Experts also made things easier.
The couple faced two big challenges. One, keeping their guest list down to 200 people. They managed to do it. Challenge number two was trying to figure out where to store the wine they had flown in from Portugal. A very helpful stranger suggested that maybe I can store the wine in the climate-controlled room of a moving company, which is what I did."
On her special day, Cari wore a gown by Frankie de Leon. Because the couple wanted a vintage and homey atmosphere, the reception was held at the beautiful old house belonging to the family of Do