E-Session: Kris + Niki

Kris is one of my pole dance teachers. I still remember the day she announced that she was engaged. It happened during I think the first of April. I kinda sensed things because the Polecats were sending hearts and kilig expressions in her Facebook wall, but no final announcement yet. It was then that I confirmed my hunch when she changed her relationship status and posted a video of how Niki proposed to her. It was absolutely a cute and romantic video that had friends and family involved.  From that day on, Kris, despite the stress of wedding preparations, classes, Polecats gigs, and organizing plus performing at the Polecats third anniversary show was a picture of happiness and love. You could tell how excited she is. Being her student and her friend, I can't help but be happy for her.

I felt really flattered that I got to do Kris and Niki's prenup photoshoot. I've done Kris's makeup countless times already as she performs in many of their gigs and also our shoots. This time, the loud colors, glitter, and  heavy lip colors are replaced by neutral palettes enhancing her natural beauty and super-happy glow.

Usually, prenup photoshoots have a certain theme or concept or done at a remote place that requires the crew to go out of town. Kris and Niki decided to have their prenup right smack at Metro Manila with a very cute concept - it would be showcasing their future life together as a married couple.

What a pretty way to wake up in the morning!

I love that they are such a very laid back couple. Everyone was so relaxed in this shoot and enjoying every minute of it.

Dinner out. At this point, I pegged an Angelina Jolie look for Kris. I was inspired by her dress.

The shoot was awesome, pretty, and fast. Kris and Niki took care of us and fed us and I probably stuffed myself with five servings of pasta that day.

Niki and Kris got their friends Gino and Marco to help with the set up. They did such an amazing job! And yep, that's me hiding my makeup-less face with glasses and a default Hello Kitty shirt. :) 

Congratulations Kris and Niki! Thank you so much for trusting me to do your makeup!

Image Credits:

Photos: Bokehbug Wedding and Lifestyle Photography

Set Design: Gino Nacianceno and Marco Ortiga

Bridal Work: Kaycee

The day finally came where Mike and Kaycee finally tied the knot. Everything was beautiful, from the flowers, the details on the dress, and of course, our bride, Kaycee

During our prenup session, I discovered that Kaycee loves makeup too, she's got awesome gear that she specifically wanted to use. On her wedding, she got gear for the day. She had her foundation ready (MAC Studiofix, the holy grail of all foundations), her eyeshadow palette (Urban Decay Naked 2), and she had two choices of pink lipsticks - MAC Viva Glam Nicki Minaj and NARS Schiap. Since I wanted a bit of freshness, we chose the Nicki Minaj lipstick for her wedding lip, as I previously reviewed it before, it brightens up the face instantly for a fresh, youthful glow without looking too overpowering. we kept the rest of her makeup neutral - browns for the eyes and just a kiss of pink on the cheeks. 

Wacks busy at work. Photo from Kaycee's Facebook account

For her hair, Wacks decided to go with a loose and romantic updo, to fight humidity since it was raining so hair does not mushroom up or fall limp and flat. 

Artistic minds really do go together well. Kaycee and Mike designed and printed their wedding invitations themselves. Mike's a graphic designer. I love the vintage artsy effect of the invites. Their monograms were also reproduced into stickers on our powerpacks, which were snack packs given to suppliers so they are constantly energized. Thanks guys!

photo from Kaycee's Facebook account

For those getting married, they can design and print your invitations too! (Plug plug!)

Santuario de San Antonio provided an excellent backdrop for their photos. It was a rainy wedding day for both of them, but thankfully, there were no rains by the time the post-ceremony photos came.

 Bubbles! Bubbles! Bubbles! (Finding Nemo mode)


MIKE + KAYCEE | SDE from Kris Matanguihan on Vimeo.

Kris Matanguihan did an excellent job with their SDE. You can see most of the happenings there.

Thank you Mike and Kaycee, and have a happy awesome life together!

Makeup Technique: Airbrush
Hair: Wacks Joaquin
Photography: Bobby de los Santos (solo photo of the bride and photo of the couple are his)
Videography: Kris Matanguihan
Flowers: Vatel Manila
Coordination: Tie-The-Knot

E-Sessions: Mike+Kaycee

I met Mike and Kaycee last year at my first wedding fair ever with iSnap Creatives. They were such a cute and fun couple to work with. Kaycee loves makeup and she was game with a bit of experiments. They booked me that day even if their wedding would be the year after (July 2012 to be exact). I was one of the suppliers they first booked, that's why I'm so happy.

Their wedding is definitely a dream team and their e-session shoot was styled by Lifestyle by Feliz (whose studio I fell in love with when we passed by there during our shoot).

Our shoot was a rainy summer Friday. Traffic northbound was crazy since there was a sale at Megamall. Thankfully, the cab driver knew how to bypass EDSA while getting to the place. I did Mike and Kaycee's makeup at a hotel in QC and then proceeded to the location of the shoot - Cubao Expo. I've been to Cubao Expo already for a fashion photoshoot and it's such an interesting place if you're looking for artsy and unique knick-knacks that you can't find in the mall.

With the right angle, it doesn't look like you're right smack in one of Metro Manila's busiest cities with a bus terminal a stone throw's away from the location. It looks like a quiet artist's village, yes?

Since it was raining, we had to time everything to make sure our couple and photographer's gear doesn't get wet. The rainy weather provided a good background though. There were some stores and galleries that allowed us to borrow their pretty backgrounds for us to shoot.

Vintage mini coopers are just too cute! Thanks to the owner too for lending his wheels as a cute prop.

Mike and Kaycee ordered helium balloons for this shoot. Balloons are scary when they explode but they do brighten any atmosphere right?

A pop of red lip and hair pulled back for Kaycee's neutral-colored outfit. Who says you can't wear brights in a prenup? 

This location too, turned out to be a blessing for me. As you all know, Cubao Expo not only has ukay and gift stores but also shoe stores that sell shoes at a fraction of what department stores sell. I was able to get my boots for my Stellar show here for only Php 1,000 (It's priced at Php 2,000 usually in malls) and they had my size! More on the shoes later.

Credits:

photography by Bobby Delos Santos | MavAsia Photography

Coordinated by Joanna Rumohr of Tie-The-Knot Wedding Specialist 

Styling by Tine Cortes and Penny Bunag of Lifestyle By Feliz 

prints and graphic designs by Purge inks