In a rather unusual arrangement, Regine Velasquez — one of the Philippines' brightest stars — is letting her husband-to-be, Ogie Alcasid, do all the preparations for their forthcoming wedding on December 22. "I am ready to begin a new chapter in my life," she said after it was reported that she cried for weeks when the venue of their wedding was chosen.
"It's true I cried a bucket, because the place that we had in mind would have been a perfect setting for our special moment," she continued, refusing to disclose the original site for their wedding. "But we found a new one, and it's just as perfect. And we have our godfather Manny Pangilinan to thank for that," she said.
Pangilinan is the CEO of PLDT, the largest telecommunications firm in the Philippines, and one of the main sponsors of the wedding.
The venue, according to confirmed reports, will be the exclusive beach resort Punta Fuego in Batangas, a few hours' drive from Manila.
What makes the forthcoming wedding — considered in high society and entertainment circles as the wedding of the year — different is that the country's top performing artists will be singing Alcasid and Velasquez's favourite songs throughout the ceremony.
Lucky
"Everybody's saying this is the best of all weddings this year, but it really is very special for me only because it just happens to be my wedding. I don't want to make a big fuss about it, but of course I want to make it special for me, for us. And I am just so lucky to have Ogie volunteering to supervise all the preparations. He promised I will not be stressed. Except for the mess up in the original venue, everything has been smooth-flowing so far," Velasquez said.
With a big smile, the singer confessed she just wants to be a "pretty bride", but admitted that she is keeping her mind off things. "I'm so happy. I'm about to start a new soap, I Heart You, Pare (I Love You, Bro), with Dingdong Dantes and I have Party Pilipinas every Sunday."
Alcasid's ex-wife, former Miss Australia Michelle Van Eimeren, is in Manila to help with the flower arrangements for the wedding.
"Michelle runs a successful flower shop and wedding planning business in Brisbane. And she was kind enough to offer her help. She's an amazing woman and I'm actually glad she's here," Velasquez said.
Velasquez, who broke off with former heartthrob Ariel Rivera, now married to actress-TV host Gelli de Belen, took many years before getting into a serious relationship with Alcasid .
"It was really what I was praying for all those years. I am very thankful he came into my life, and that we will be sharing, hopefully, a lifetime together," she said.
song on repeat mode and that makes you cry:So Many Questions - Side A. "I get the chills every time I hear this song. I actually use it as a peg whenever I have emotional scenes."
this one makes me move: Amazing - Kanye West. "I used to do karate before I got into show business. Whenever I had a match and I wanted to perk myself up a little bit, I would play this. And now, I find myself playing it when I want to dance."
at karaoke i would sing:"Any song by the Backstreet Boys, N Sync, or Westlife. You'll never go wrong with these songs."
track i'd skip right nowNgiti (Smile) - Ronnie Liang: "It's what people ask me to sing nowadays when I have shows in the malls."
