EACH wedding ceremony has its unique concept.
For Filipino couple Zharie Mae Coderes and Kyle Maglaqui, their wedding theme has to showcase their roots: modern Filipiniana.
Coderes and Maglaqui, who have been in a relationship since high school, exchanged their “I dos” in a ceremony on July 13 at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Muntinlupa City, which was attended by their family and friends.
One notable part of the wedding was when Coderes—clad in a modern Filipiniana wedding dress—arrived at the church in a traditional purple jeepney that served as her bridal car. The public utility vehicle (PUV) was adorned with colorful flowers and Anahaw leaves.
The video of the jeepney bridal car was posted by events and wedding content creator Story Diaries on Facebook, which now has over 2,800 plays.
Ferdinand Gonzales, the owner of the jeepney, was also proud of how his PUV became a head-turning bridal jeepney.
“‘Yan [yung] jeep ko nalagyan na ng bulaklak [siya] malapit na sasakay [yung] bride,” he said, sharing a photo and a video of his jeepney on Facebook.
In another Facebook post, Gonzales shared a screenshot of Coderes’s Facebook story of the bridal jeepney becoming the “Talk of Alabang.”
“This jeepney has a whole different story to tell. From the moment we were looking for the perfect jeepney [four] days before the wedding until sa [pag-aasikaso] ng permits na ‘yan. Worth it sobra,” Coderes said in her story.
Meanwhile, Gonzales said it tugged at his heartstrings and congratulated the newly wed.
“Nakakatuwa naman! Baka may mga ikakasal dyan, pwede niyong arkilahin tong jeep ko,” he said. “Thank you ma’am Zharie Mae, best wishes po.”
Showcasing Filipino culture
From Coderes’ modern Filipiniana gown, Maglaqui’s Barong, to the bridal car, everything about the wedding is Filipino-inspired.
The couple held their prenup shoot in Manila City. They visited their school Sta. Isabel College, the historical Intramuros, and Plaza Mexico. Their prenup photos were taken by photo and video services RPFilmworks.
The bride posted several clips from their wedding on TikTok, including their reception that featured Filipino delicacies.
Among them was a traditional sorbetes cart that offers Filipino ice cream flavors; taho, a popular Filipino snack made of soft tofu, arnibal or sweet brown sugar syrup, and sago pearl; street foods which included squid balls, kikiam, and kwek-kwek; and a sari-sari store decorated with Filipino junk foods and vegetables.
One netizen asked in the comment section why there were no balut and penoy which are popular Filipino street foods.
Coderes responded to this and said they were supposed to include them, along with iskrambol or ice scramble, but their supplier did not have it.
The couple also prepared gifts for their entourage that were wrapped in native bayong boxes and had cards that bore their names in Baybayin.
Meanwhile, their wedding invitations were printed like newspapers, along with the headline, “Breaking news! 13 years on July 13!” referring to the date of their wedding.
In another TikTok video, Coderes shared a few photos of their guests wearing modern Filipiniana and Barong. They were seen holding jeepney signages that read “Kasalang Zharie at Kyle.”
