If Iceland is not yet on your travel bucket list, well, this will definitely convince you to put it right at the top. Fashion designer and celebrity favorite Patricia Santos, best known in the wedding industry for her fairytale-worthy frocks, is now a bride-to-be herself—and she had an absolutely breathtaking engagement shoot with her fiancé, Lester Yao, in Iceland! The photos, all shot beautifully by Metrophoto, look as if they came straight out of a storybook featuring the groom clad in Dior and the bride looking like an ice princess in her own designs.
In an exclusive interview with Preview, Patricia shares more details about their prenup shoot, including how they pulled it off plus the glamorous outfits they wore. Read all about it and see more photos from their engagement session below.
Why Iceland?
"I’ve always dreamt of traveling to Iceland and seeing the Northern Lights. When I found out about this beautiful place, it instantly became my dream wedding destination spot. Being a bridal gown designer and witnessing so many weddings, I wanted mine to be different. But because logistics-wise it’s hard for both our families, we decided to have our prenup shoot there instead. I can say it’s all worth it because the moment we saw the photos from Metrophoto, I was speechless."
It must have been tedious to plan! How did you both pull off planning everything?
"Team work. We designated tasks to each other but honestly Lester did everything mostly. I think he is more organized in terms of planning than me. I’m really lucky to have him. Haha!"
How did you choose the shoot locations?
"Before flying to Iceland, I did research on the places where I wanted to shoot. It was the peak of winter so we had to be efficient. Lester was the one who made our itinerary since he’s familiar with the place. He and his friend Jimmy personally drove us around for the entire shoot. The long drives were really tiring especially at night. It was a bit scary because the roads were slippery and the trucks passing by would cause our cars to shake. But overall, it was so much fun and it’s definitely an experience we will always remember."
Tell us about your outfits.
"I was the one who planned our outfits. I bought Lester his suit from Dior as a gift, and the other one we chose together in a local tailor in London when we arrived before going to Iceland.
"I think one of my favorite things about being a designer is that I can make anything I want to wear. The white lace dress I wore was actually off the rack. It was an old collection I made for a show in Cebu in 2019, and I fell in love with it when I tried it. The other gown I designed for myself. I was inspired by the idea of looking like an ice princess so I made an embroidered dress that mimics the ice and embellished the dress with thousands of Swarovski crystals. The faux fur I just borrowed from Renz Pangilinan, my hairstylist, it was perfect and it kept me warm the entire time. I was really happy to see how it all came together—I felt like a mermaid in a sea of ice."
So when is the wedding?
"Our church wedding is supposedly happening this January but was postponed due to the pandemic because our families can’t be complete at this time, so for now we decided to have our civil ceremony which is happening soon."
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