Mikaela Pacubas and Carlo Yap flew their guests and their all-Filipino team to their destination wedding in Bangkok, Thailand.
Bride and groom Mikaela Pacubas and Carlo Yap had a very unique wedding in mind: an event full of unconventional details that would make their big day one of a kind. Which is why they flew in their guests and an all-Filipino wedding team to their destination wedding in Bangkok, Thailand.
Mikaela and Carlo said their “I dos” at the La Chapelle Bangkok on December 1. The newly-married bride said that Thailand isn’t as popular of a country to hold weddings, but their history with the country was enough to celebrate their forever love there.
She said that it was difficult to find the right suppliers as their wedding was an ambitious dream to fulfill. However, it’s as if the stars aligned when she and her then-fiancé met with Stanz Catalan, a wedding specialist and events planner based in Cebu.
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Stanz has been one of the pillars of the wedding industry in Cebu. Her desire to deliver the best event for her client and extraordinary attention to detail makes her one of the finest wedding planners in the country.
The couple worked together with Stanz in making sure they have the top-caliber Filipino suppliers on their most special day.
Bringing a whole FIlipino team abroad
A destination wedding is not an easy feat generally, what more if the event is held overseas? Stanz and Mikaela told the story of their unforgettable Bangkok wedding.
The wedding planner said that the couple opted for Thailand as they fell in love with the people and the food. They also had wonderful memories there, so it was the best option.
Stanz brought a brilliant team of Filipinos alongside her for the couple’s upcoming nuptials: from the photographer, videographer, stylist, florist, dresses and suits providers, invitation artists, and more.
The couple and the event planner hailed highly-acclaimed names in the industry for their wedding: Pat Dy for photography, and Gideon Hermosa for the event styling and floral arrangements. Meanwhile, Mikaela’s wedding dress came from celebrated Filipino designer, Michael Cinco, with her bridal robe from Robert Ortega and Mark Bumgarner.
They collaborated with a Bangkok team for the rest: from the entertainment, venues, lights and sounds, and the cake.
Both Stanz and Mikaela said they were already familiar with Bangkok and they had Filipino friends who are based there. However, the fact stands that there was still a language barrier present, which added a challenge to the wedding mission.
“The good thing also is we have site partners,” Stanz explained. “We worked with some Thai people who speak good English so we’re able to communicate well with all other suppliers.”
Finding the right people
Stanz said that her way of doing weddings involved a lot of research and consultations with her clients. According to her, it helps when a client is also very hands on when it comes to finding the right suppliers, which was the case in the Pacubas-Yap nuptials.
The wedding specialist also commented that finding suppliers is easy, but her and her clients need to make sure if they’re the right people.
“It takes a lot of time and a lot of research,” Stanz continued. “So even with the entertainers, the couple needed to see them perform before confirming. We tried three to five restaurants from hotels or big caterers.”
Mikaela agreed and remarked that even if a certain supplier claims they’re the best, if they did not align with their visions and values, they’d proceed with another supplier.
The bride added that she was very proud of the wedding team, who were mostly composed of Filipinos. They shared the same vision with the couple and worked in complete sync with each other. Their partnership with their all-Filipino wedding team was a plus because they had a professional yet fun dynamic.
Mikaela and Carlo’s non-traditional wedding
The wedding planner highlighted a few things that made her project from Mikaela and Carlo’s wedding extra special. She said that most of the details of the reception were outside the ordinary Filipino traditions.
Stanz relayed the story of how their wedding’s cake slicing wasn’t what you would normally expect at a wedding. “The chef had to make the cake on the spot and the couple participated,” she said. “It was made in less than 10 minutes.”
She added that the usual champagne toast between newly-married couples took a different approach for their wedding. Instead of the customary linked-arm toast, the couple poured into a tower, where the top glass had champagne cascading down the others.
They toasted at the end of the reception, a fitting culmination to the wedding of their dreams.
They incorporated unique touches in the wedding as well, like the petal toss, the umbrellas made from recycled papers, the coconut juices with openings reminiscent of canned drinks, a rustic drinks station, and a bathtub of spirits or alcohol during the party.
Going above and beyond
Mikaela expressed that she and her husband enjoyed working with Stanz due to their similarities personality-wise, and the fact that they all had the same vision.
“We’re very happy with Stanz because she really goes above and beyond to make sure we get what we want,” the bride said. “Even if what we wanted was impossible.”
She further explained the wedding planner’s efforts in making the impossible possible. “For example, I wanted a bathtub of drinks,” Mikaela added. Most of our guests are into hard liquor, so I wanted them to be able to get hold of bottles of tequila and champagne. What Stanz didn’t tell us was that she bought a bathtub in Bangkok just so the vision would come to life.”
The bride praised Stanz and said that they appreciated her efforts when she roped in an all-Filipino wedding team. A destination wedding is indeed challenging especially if the venue is outside the country.
Stanz weighed in that her work wouldn’t come through without the couple’s clear vision. She stressed that her clients’ wants and needs are as pivotal as her side of the work, which is to enforce their ideas.
“Always understand the vision of your client,” Stanz said. “Be aware of the client’s inspiration or ideas, and then put it together.”
A love that transcends all boundaries
The Pacubas-Yap nuptials is one of the rarest events where an all-Filipino wedding team and guests are flown abroad. It was tiring and a laborious journey but everyone ended up being happy and fulfilled.
The best thing about Mikaela and Carlo’s wedding is that everyone was willing to travel abroad to celebrate their love. It only proved that true friends and a family’s love transcends any situation, including distance.
Stanz’s efforts in combining the best Filipino team also contributed to the event’s delightful completion. The teamwork between her and other local suppliers just proved the talent, hospitality, creativity, and ingenuity of our people.
WEDDING GOWN Michael Cinco
GROOM’S SUIT Tom Ford
BRIDAL ROBE Robert Ortega / Mark Bumgarner
ENTOURAGE GOWN Patrice Uytengsu
BRIDE & GROOM’S WELCOME DINNER ATTIRES Mark Bumgarner
WEDDING PLANNER Stanz Catalan, #stanzweddings
INVITES Artist / Illustrator, Brogan Scott Studio (New Zealand), Printer | Mai Madelle
STYLIST/FLORIST Gideon Hermosa, House of Hermosa
PHOTOGRAPHY Welcome Dinner – Leftfielder Photography, Wedding Day Photographer – Pat Dy Photography
VIDEO Studio King
MAKEUP ARTISTS Bride – Kristelle Baflor; Entourage / Wedding Guests- Shyra Quimby, Raisa Bercede, Nicko dela Peña
THAI SUPPLIERS
SOUND AND LIGHTS Blackbox Bangkok
WEDDING DAY DINNER CATERER Mandarin Oriental Bangkok; Cocktails & After Party – I Do Catering
EVENT VENUE La Chapelle Bangkok
WEDDING CAKE Live Cake Making by the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok’s Pastry Chef
WELCOME DINNER VENUE The House of Sathorn, W Hotel Bangkok
ENTERTAINERS Violin Princess and Strings, Bangkok Quartet, Bangkok Harpist, DJ Espee, Phil DJ Seije Tan
SAXOPHONIST Burin Khan
GUEST HOTELS Park Hyatt Bangkok, W Hotel Bangkok
Banner photo from Pat Dy.
