Riviera-inspired ferries drifting along an old-world backdrop of Filipino heritage houses set the mood for Vitto Tagle and Jovy Acuzar’s wedding.
Vitto Tagle and Jovy Acuzar had long existed in the same orbit. They shared the same circles, yet didn’t quite intersect. “I’d heard Jovy’s name float around for years through mutual friends who’d studied in the UK,” Vitto recalls. “I’d catch glimpses of friends hanging out with her, but we were never properly introduced.”
They finally met in June of 2021 at an intimate gathering in a friend’s apartment. At first, their friendship was unassuming. They quickly grew close, bonding over tennis with friends, television shows they loved, and group games. These interactions eventually evolved into one-on-one sessions and a shared obsession with outplaying each other. “Everything moved with this surprising ease,” Vitto says. “No forcing anything.”
That same ease would carry them to the altar five years later, where the two would say “I do” at a grand wedding celebration at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. Proof, perhaps, that the best love stories don’t rush, but rather, steadily find their way at exactly the right time.
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Liquid Courage On Lake Como
Four years into dating, Vitto finally decided to propose to Jovy during a work trip to Italy, breaking his family’s long-standing rule against bringing partners along on business. He asked for an exception, revealing his plans and setting the stage for a memorable moment at Lake Como.
On the final day of their trip, they had lunch at a quiet restaurant by the water, the setting so picturesque it almost felt too perfect for what he had in mind. Vitto would later admit it was the most nerve-wracking experience of his life. He steadied himself with a few glasses of wine for a bit of liquid courage. After lunch, they wandered into a small garden where they found themselves completely alone. Vitto knelt on one knee, and unexpectedly, they both burst into laughter.
“There was something about realizing we were actually at this point,” he remembers with a chuckle. “It just struck us both as genuinely funny and kind of wonderful.” Jovy’s first instinct? To call her family, who, she knew, had been waiting on standby for the news.
A New Beginning In An Old World
Despite having already exchanged vows in a more intimate city ceremony, Vitto and Jovy chose to celebrate on a larger scale at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, a heritage hotel and museum in Bataan owned by Jovy’s family and dedicated to preserving and restoring Spanish colonial-era houses. The setting lent the celebration an old-world, cinematic charm with unmistakable touches of home.
To bring their vision to life, Jovy collaborated closely with her cousin, artist Angelica Regala, to create a hand-painted wedding crest filled with botanical and floral elements that became the visual motif of the celebration. Las Casas reimagined a jeepney in the same motif, complete with the couple’s names painted on top, which they especially loved. Several traditional balsas were also painted in the same style, ferrying guests on the river from the ceremony to the cocktail hour. “It was designed to feel like the Italian Riviera,” Jovy shares, “But filtered through a Filipino heritage town.”
Standing at the center of it all was the sweet, ethereal jewel: a wedding cake created by their ninang, the acclaimed chef Heny Sison. The four-tiered confection was adorned with fresh fruit and flowers, its vanilla chiffon and berry filling chosen simply because it was what they loved most.
The Unexpected Headliner
The couple planned several surprises for their guests, including a flash mob and funky band at their welcome dinner, as well as multiple performances by the Las Casas dancers to showcase their talent. However, nothing quite captured the guests’ attention as much as Vitto himself, who performed a fully choreographed routine alongside his groomsmen, delivered a speech that was equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, and later led a musical performance. Renditions of All-American Rejects pieces and the song “Teenage Dirtbag” filled the entire room, guests singing along in unison.
“I’m not even surprised,” Jovy says. “I already knew I married a true frustrated popstar.”
The night carried on with Vitto and Jovy celebrating alongside their closest friends and family, the joy of it all unfolding with an easy, unfiltered energy. They already exchanged vows, but this celebration allowed them to share the moment with the people who mattered most.
Looking back, Jovy reflects, “I don’t think I’ve ever felt such a rush of emotions in my entire life as I did in those moments before walking down the aisle. But underneath it all, I was just so excited to see how everything came together, and to finally go through the day after such a long time of planning.”
Photography by Pat Dy and Trasienne Estrada, courtesy of Vitto and Jovy Tagle
Frequently Asked Questions
They had long shared the same circles but only properly met in June 2021 at an intimate gathering in a friend’s apartment, where their friendship began.
Vitto proposed during a trip to Italy, at a quiet garden near Lake Como after a lunch by the water.
They celebrated with a grand wedding at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bataan, a heritage property owned by Jovy’s family.
The celebration featured personal touches like hand-painted motifs, themed elements inspired by the Italian Riviera, and performances (with Vitto himself captivating the audience through a line-up of performances).
