Into the Woods; A Metro Weddings Magazine Editorial (Part 2)

Set design by Jo Claraval

 "All things work together for good..." is a favorite Bible verse I inherited from my late Nanay, and believe me, this editorial had its own problems, but in the end, ended up exceeding my expectations. For one, I originally had a different set stylist for this one, but because of schedule conflicts, he didn't pushed through. I did, however, already had Jo Claravall in mind originally, but to be really honest, I was... intimidated. I've already worked alongside of Jo, but this is MY project, and Jo is a PRESENCE!!! So anyway, long story short, we had a meeting, and ended up working together for this Metro Weddings Magazine editorial offering. The set is really amazing, and it deserves a separate post from the main editorial. Good thing Shaira thought so too, and took these amazing shots of the set. Add cake artist Michelle Stephann and Junjun Ablaza's vintage fur collection, drop the mic, it's a win.

Into the Woods; A Metro Weddings Magazine Editorial (Part 1)

It's very rare for me to consider set design in my editorials. I usually choose the venue thoughtfully to match the theme of the project. This one, however, and as you can see, is totally different from any that I've created, and I'd dare say I want more of these in the future. It's maximalism at it's finest, with the best the industry have to offer. Getting to this point is hard, believe me (and if you have time, I'd tell you how this editorial started and ended; a day full of hassle) but in the end, it was all well worth it.

Metro Weddings Magazine; Stage Presence

My first exposure to musical theater was when I was somewhere between 7 or 8 years old. Actually, it's not really musical theater, but the movie Annie. I think that was the first time I cried watching a movie. Since then, I've been inlove with musicals, and I've been watching classical movies from then on (My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, etc etc etc). Years after that, I find myself falling in-love with theater and auditioning for stage-plays, but never really getting anywhere, hahaha (long story). Yet the warm, fuzzy feeling I get while watching musicals remained. Needless to say, this editorial is very near and dear to my heart. Here's my interpretation of theatrical plays and musicals translated as a bridal editorial.

White Light; A Metro Weddings Magazine Editorial, July 2015

White Light; A Metro Weddings Magazine editorial

I've been through a phase. I think seeing all the clutter in my studio led to this... creative explosion of blank, clean, uncluttered, editorial. Not to mention I've been going from one event to another featuring wide, open, industrial designed venues.

I guess there will come a time, in a stylists life, where "couture" or stuff that's "out there" becomes a bit redundant. That's why I concocted this editorial. Nothing fancy, "no styling" styling (if there is such a thing... like "no makeup" makeup)... just the model, the dresses, and an awesome team of creative people "pulled back" to tame things down a bit. Not to say that this one didn't go through a thorough thought process... it's actually more difficult to think clean and simple, because every bit of mistake will be seen. Just like a lengthy article, every bit of grammatically error and wrong speling will be seen, probed, poked, and slapped on your face. Not to be redundant... but again... here's another editorial I creatively directed again... and again... and I'll do it again.

Metro Weddings; Love on Sandy Shores, October 2014

Blush pink gown by Eric delos Santos for KARIMADON, earrings, Em Mariano, ring, N+Studio

Happy 2015, everyone!!! I promised to update this blog before the year ends and put all my 2014 projects here... but... family first!!! And I'm sure I've skipped a project or a campaign before this... actually maybe a few.

Anywho... so here is another Metro Weddings editorial I directed and styled. I conceptualized with Rae Venturanza-Salazar (W@w top, make-up artist), a friend I got to know more over the past two years. She showed me the pegs for something desert-ty and I absolutely loved it. Made me think of getting hitched in Vegas then hitting the desert to snap photos of the bride. For this editorial, Noel though of putting the original photo next to how it was layed-out in the magazine. I used some of them for this entry.

Metro Weddings Magazine; High Glamour, May 2013

In case you were able to get a copy of Metro Wedding May 2013, here are the official photos that made it to the magazine, with a few extras. Featuring the couture gowns of designers Rocky Gathercole, Kristel Yulo, Albert Andrada, Eric delos Santos, Francis Libiran, Fanny Serrano, and Joel Escober. Accessories were provided for us by Jewelmer and Toni & Berne.