"Picturesque, elaborate..." was Zero Moustafa's description of The Grand Budapest Hotel in its glory days, both of which aptly describe this exuberant Wes Anderson-themed wedding. Lovers of the famed auteur, newlyweds Maika Cruz and Jeian De Jesus dreamed of an out-of-the-box fun, quirky, yet relaxed theme for their big day, which led them to bring to life Hotel De Jesus.
Before guests were welcomed to their hotel-designed reception area, they first got a glimpse of the theme at their actual wedding ceremony at Christ the King Church. "We wanted something subtle yet dreamy for the church. Just little punches of how our reception would be like but you won’t see it as a whole [yet]," Maika tells Preview. "You’ll see it in the details found in our entourage—custom flower girl dresses, our Hotel de Jesus patterns found in the principal sponsors bouquet, micro mini bags filled with flowers instead of bouquets for the entourage, and hair ribbons as accents. All these little things definitely contributed to the overall feel and look of the church [venue]."
The blushing bride was a vision in a classic laced Monique Lhuillier gown, while her husband, Jeian, donned a handsome double-breasted Ziggy Savella suit.
Their entourage, of course, didn't get left behind. As explained by Maika, "We also had matching pajama style short sleeves made for our entourage. We wanted a statement top that would elevate their look..." The bride says of the designer, "I’ve been friends with Esme [Palaganas] for the longest time and if there’s anyone who knows my style the most, that’s her. She obviously went above and beyond and produced one dreamy and frothy number after another. We wanted it mismatched so as to bring out every girl's unique personality."
"A little project I did with Esme [were] the custom flower girl dresses. I made the girls draw and color random objects, which Adworks Manila then digitally enhanced. Esme printed them on fabric and made them into the cutest dresses."
As for the reception, in service of the couple's wish, seasoned events stylist Gideon Hermosa transformed Whitespace Makati into a dreamy hotel lobby decked in The Grand Budapest Hotel's iconic pastel pink, red, and purple color palette, coupled with whimsical patterns always present in his films. The couple also took a few elements from some of Wed Anderson's other works, such as Darjeeling Limited, and Bar Luce—a bar in Milan of the filmmaker's own personal design.
Tables were draped purple and lit to manage a darker shade reminiscent of the Hotel's purple uniforms, while Darjeeling Limited-inspired faux palm trees added vibrance to the reception hall's overall aesthetic. They even had their waiters dressed as lobby boys for the evening as they brought in meals packaged in Mendl's boxes—the fictional pastry store in the movie.
The rest of the venue's color scheme harkened to other aspects of the film, such as the unforgettable bold red color of the hotel lift, re-created by a cool dark lighting cast on orange sofas, along with the latter half of the film's deep blue shades as exhibited by the carpets and chandeliers that decorated the venue.
They even had their flower girls hold up quirky signs similar to the reminders plastered all round Grand Budapest. Meanwhile, the boys wore pajama suits in a light pastel blue similar to the Mendl's delivery boy uniforms worn by Zero and Monsieur Gustave. Absolutely adorable!
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
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