Tessa Prieto and Dennis Valdes celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary at Santuario de San Antonio Church. Their renewal of vows followed an extravagant party at the Marco Polo Club. While the anniversary marks the couple’s years of marriage, it is also a celebration of the gift of life filled with love.
Bringing the ‘princess’ and ‘pirate’ together
A spontaneous scuba diving trip brought Tessa and Dennis together for the first time at Anilao, Batangas in 1993. This is among the many special memories the couple treasures. It even became the inspiration for their current Instagram handles: ‘Sea Princess‘ and ‘HK Pirate‘ since Dennis was working as a Hong Kong-based regional marketing manager at that time. Tessa may have been different before the passing of her brother, but this change together with the constant presence of Dennis positively influenced the way Tessa sees life. After a year of dating, the couple who both love the sea and watching films exchanged beloved vows to each other.
The Silver Wedding Anniversary of Dennis and Tessa also foregrounds what the couple values in life. One of these is bringing to light the Philippine reefs and the pressing concerns surrounding it. Tessa shares, “‘25 Reefs for 25 Years’ is an idea we want to focus on over the next few years. Our idea is to find 25 ocean reefs we can help protect, one for each year we are celebrating.” This project highlights the couple’s passion for safeguarding the environment and life within it.
An extravagant affair
While the spouses decided to keep the ceremony solemn, the dinner party that followed was a splendid affair. African Royalty was the wedding anniversary’s central theme, taking inspiration from films like Black Panther and Lion King. With this theme in mind, Rajo Laurel designed Tessa’s anniversary dress in vibrant hues, intricate details, and layering of fabrics and feathers. The result is a beautiful rendering of African Royalty fashion. As Tessa walked down the aisle in the magnificent dress, a special Disney compilation played together with gospel music during the communion. It was certainly a special moment for both Tessa and Dennis.
Important friends of the couple like Robby Delgado and Maribel Ongpin graced the celebration. They have been present in the wedding of Tessa and Dennis as well as their 20th anniversary with a Game of Thrones theme, the couple’s favorite TV series. Society figures like Butch and Cris Albert, Freddie and Kaye Tinga, and Franklin and Jo Lim were also there to join the celebration.
During the afterparty, the couple danced with their friends and important guests amidst a rendering of safari jungle. The pulsing 80s music and the colorful lights of the dancefloor elevated the positive energy that night. It was certainly an unforgettable celebration of the gift of life and love.
Scroll down to see more photos from Tessa Prieto-Valdes and Dennis Valdes spectacular Silver Wedding Anniversary.
