FRANCO & LALA santuario de san antonio – manila polo club » ERRON OCAMPO Wedding Photographer Manila, Philippines

Franco and Lala were still in high school when they first met, and Lala had a crush on Franco. After 8 and a half years of being together, this is where it all came down to.

I met Lala through her sister, Monica who got married last year to Gio. And early next year we’ll be heading to Baguio to see each other again for the wedding of yet another one of their sisters, Nikki. She’ll be getting married to, get this, Franco. Yes, two sisters marrying two different men (emphasis, different men) with the same name Franco. How cool is that!

During the wedding reception, Franco’s Dad together with one of the female sponsors, danced the Curacha, a courtship dance usually performed in Waray Fiestas. Franco’s mom followed, partnered with one of the male principal sponsors. Their family hailed from Western Samar so this is a way of paying respect to their culture. The Curacha is traditionally danced by people who hold high ranks in a group such as a leader of the tribe, and Franco’s dad being a congressman in their district, was well suited to dance the Curacha. While watching them dance, I was in awe. I’ve never seen Curacha danced before. The male dancer will dance with his partner and occasionally will throw money in the air to shower the female. Bundles and bundles of bills were tossed in the air, from 20 pesos to 1,000 peso bills, and guests were also encouraged to do so. And the kids, the kids were just ecstatic about the bills all scattered around the dance floor! This sure beats the money dance!

And Lala, a “senior” poi spinner, invited some of her poi friends to spin to cap the program proper. I too do poi, but not as much anymore and I miss it. The maple leaves on the table settings are real and were flown in from Toronto by one Lala’s best friends Camille Tonolete Lee.