I Went To Melason's Wedding

With Melai (center) and Jason (right) after dinner in Quezon City.

The Melai-Jason wedding entourage.

Groom Jason Francisco is flanked by Best Men Paul Jake Castillo and Ryan Bang as they await for the arrival of the bride Melai Cantiveros.

                         Melai is escorted by parents Dionisio and Virginia in the wedding march.

The Holy Cross Parish in General Santos City is witness to the wedding of Melai and Jason last December 9, 2013.

Melai and Jason show off their wedding rings.

    Bugoy Drilon sings the newlywed's theme song 'This I Promise You' by N' Sync.

Male guests dance as they prepare for the throwing of the groom's garter.

Richard Paras (right), popularly known as Rica, Pinoy Big Brother Double Up housemate, hosts the throwing of the bride's bouquet for women during the after-wedding party.

Jason Francisco shows his dancing skills to to the delight of guests and relatives.

     

Kapamilya stars Melai Cantiveros and Jason Francisco could not ask for more when they tied the knot in General Santos City last December 9, 2013. For the new couple, everything about their wedding was just perfect.

'Wala na kaming mahiling pa dahil kasama namin ang mga pamilya namin sa wedding. Okay ang weather. Walang technical problem sa simbahan at sa reception,'' says Jason, 26, during an interview days after their wedding, in his home in Quezon City.

For Melai, the most memorable part of the wedding, aside from saying their I do's of course, was the all-night dancing by members of their families during the reception at the Green Leaf Hotel in GenSan."Lahat nag-cooperate.Walang nag-inarte. Tinuruan ko sila ng sayaw parang cha-cha, at lahat nakipag-cooperate naman,'' says Melai."Natapos 'yung reception mga midnight na pero 'yung dance party ng mga relatives namin halos madaling araw na natapos.''

Melai also laughs about the broken drinking glasses during the reception. "Yun lang naman ang kakaibang nangyari. May mga nabasag na baso pero okay lang kasi sabi nila swerte raw yun. Buti na lang mga baso lang ang nabasag. Walang mga pinggan.''

It was December 7, 2013 when Melai and Jason arrived in General Santos for their wedding. The couple rehearsed and double checked everything just to make sure that there will be no hassles for the big day.

Wedding Vows

Almost everything about Melason's wedding was carefully planned. From the wedding invites to the pre-nuptial shoot, Melai and Jason were hands-on except for the wedding vows which they read in the church to the delight of the church guests and fans who watched portions of the ceremony on national television.

Said Jason: "Yung wedding vow ko ginawa ko lang 'yun mga 30 minutes bago 'yung kasal namin. Pina-check ko lang yung English ko kay Paul Jake yung best man ko. Okay naman daw.''

Melai also composed her wedding vow approximately around 30 minutes, while in the bridal car, waiting for the go-signal for her to alight from the vehicle and march down the aisle.

"Pina-check ko naman 'yung wedding vow ko sa driver at photographer. Okay naman daw. Nakalimutan ko kasing gawin kaya minadali ko syang isulat,'' adds Melai, who is expected to give birth sometime in March. Then it's time for the couple to exchange their wedding vows.

As Melai walked down the aisle, a song recorded by Jason as wedding march entitled "Give My Love,'' the theme song from the hit Koreanovela "Save The Last Dance'' played on the background. Then the groom shed tears of joy. "Hindi nakita sa camera 'yun. Walang nakakuha. Sabi nila noon, walang lalaki raw na hindi umiiyak sa kasal n'ya. Hindi ako naniwala noon. Kasi relax lang naman kami. Pero pag-nasa simbahan ka na pala at ikakasal na, iba na pala pakiramdam. Kinakabahan ka na.''

Melai, 25, also confessed that she cried at the start of the ceremony. "Pero hindi halata na napaiyak ako kasi may veil ako. At saka ayaw ng pamilya ko na umarte ako.''

After the wedding, the entourage headed for Melai's home for some family traditions and practices. "Mula sa church, umuwi muna kami para mag-mano sa mga parents namin. Kasama rin namin yung parents namin sa pag-uwi sa house. Then sinabuyan kami ng bigas at coins. Pina-inom kami ng mainit na sopas na may mga dahon. Tapos sinuklayan kami,'' says Melai.

But Jason found some of the traditions unusual. "Parang weird lalo na yung sinusuklayan kaming dalawa at 'yung pag-inom ng sopas na may mga dahon. Anti-malas daw.'' Yet Jason could not do anything but to embrace them now that they are one family.

Outside of the Francisco compound, everyone was also busy preparing food for guests who could not join the couple in the hotel reception. There were meat dishes served to everyone who visited their home. "Hindi naman kinulang at kinabukasan may ulam pa kami,'' says Melai.

After the traditional house ceremony, the wedding entourage headed for the reception. Not all the godparents were able to join them including the Queen of All Media Kris Aquino, multi-awarded television personality Boy Abunda and ABS-CBN Business Unit head Deo Endrinal. "Okay lang naman 'yun. May conflict sa schedule nila at naintindihan namin.''

On the reported rift with actress Angelica Panganiban, which cropped up weeks before the couple got married, Melai simply answered with a smile: "Wala na 'yun. Misunderstanding lang talaga ang nangyari doon. Tahimik na lahat at kung mag-kita man kami, siguro pag-usapan na lang namin 'yun.'' 

The couple said that some of their guests gave them pillows and photo albums as wedding gifts. Others gave them checks.

"Yung mga nakuha naming pera para sa future ng baby namin 'yun,'' the couple added.

Asked if they will go on business venture with the cash gifts, the couple brushed off such plans. They said that going into business takes so much time and effort which they could not provide at this point.

One of the memorable wedding gifts they received came from Mommy Dionisia, mother of boxing champ Manny Pacquiao."Binigyan kami ni Mommy Dionisia ng Orocan. Sa probinsya kasi sosyal ang Orocan.'' Aling Dionisia and Pacman also gifted them checks. 

The boxing champ also gave the couple an advice for a lasting relationship."Sabi ni Pacman, importante daw ang trust namin sa isa't isa. And then dapat ang center ng relationship namin lagi ay si Jesus Christ,'' says Melai.

The couple headed for their Quezon City home days after their wedding. Then they readied for the holidays. Unfortunately, Melai and Jason were not together on Christmas Day. They celebrated New Year together with simple dinner.

"Kahit na mag-sweethearts pa kami, ganun na talaga ang nakagawian namin. Pag-pasko umuuwi kami sa mga probinsya namin kasama mga pamilya namin sa Oriental Mindoro. Pero pag New Year, lagi kaming magkasama,'' said Jason, who added that he is looking forward to the family reunion and the exchange of gifts which they have been doing for more than 15 years now. "May games kami at mga pa-raffle.''

Looking Forward

Now that Melai and Jason are married, obviously, many things will change in terms of preference, lifestyle and priorities. "Siguro, huling Pasko na namin ito na pupunta sa mga pamilya namin kasi pag-dumating na si Baby, malamang dito na lang kami sa Maynila. Halos madami na ang mga pag-babago,'' said Jason.

With her condition, Melai is slowing down in showbiz appearances to prepare for the birth of their first-born child. "Sana mag-mana ang ilong kay Jason at 'yung kulay,'' says Melai. But Jason wanted also features from his wife.

Melai also wants to learn how to cook. She will focus on dishes that are soup-based. "Mahilig si Jason sa mga ulam na masabaw. Either mag-enroll ako sa school or YouTube kasi marami naman doon free demonstration sa pag-gawa ng pagkain. Actually, ang mahalaga may mga pang-sahog ka. Kasi kahit na mag-enroll ka sa cooking class kung wala ka naman mga pang-sahog, wala rin.'' Jason has given Melai the thumbs-up sign on the dishes she prepared before. "Gumawa na s'ya noon at magaling naman ang resulta.'' 

Melai said that she will also be more careful with her money, giving priorities to her husband and the child. "Dati kasi syempre, pera mo 'yun at pwede mong gawin kahit ano. Pero ngayon, consult ko muna lagi si Jason sa pag-gamit ng pera. Hindi na ako buhay dalaga. Simple lang naman kasi pangarap ko. Noong wala pa ako sa Pinoy Big Brother, ang pangrap ko lang ay maging housewife, alagaan husband ko at mga anak. I will be very supportive kay Jason lalo na sa mga magagandang diskarte n'ya sa buhay''

Jason vowed to work hard for his own family and promised a future for them. "Pangako ko sa pamilya ko, magiging responsible akong ama. Lalo na ngayon na mag-papahinga si Melai, ako muna lahat ang gagawa.''

This year, Jason will look for a new house for his own family. 

"Medyo mahal itong ni-re-rent namin na house (sa Quezon City). Ngayong may family na ako, mag-hahanap na ako ng bahay na rent-to-own," he said. The couple also said that they don't want to live in a condominium because they are not used to live in a building.

Jason said that he will allow Melai to continue her showbiz career after giving birth. He is also hopeful that their fans will support them in the hit ABS-CBN TV series "Honesto'' in which they have recurring roles.

"Pwede pa naman mag-showbiz si Melai pagka-panganak. Pero sana 'yung hindi mabigat na work tulad ng mag co-host lang muna s'ya sa nga show. At sana pwedeng dalhin sa set 'yung baby namin para maalagaan talaga namin. Para ma-balance namin lahat,'' added Jason.

For now, the couple are excited about the baby. When asked if Melai will become a stage mother to her child, she said: "Ayoko muna isipin ang mga 'yan sir. Gusto ko muna s'yang lumabas sa sinapupunan ko.'' -- Reposted from my article on Starstudio, entertainment magazine of ABS-CBN.