Paul and Celestine, perfect together

THE NEWLYWEDS greet the fans that gathered at the United Methodist Church in Taytay. Photo: Oly Ruiz of Metrophoto

When my invitation arrived for the Paul Soriano-Celestine Gonzaga (better known as Toni Gonzaga) wedding, besides all the normal details one would expect (venue locations, registry information, date and time), there was also one unique admonishment printed at the top of the RSVP card:

“To keep this affair private, please do not disclose any information about our wedding on your social media accounts.

“Furthermore, the couple would like to request that no pictures be taken during the wedding ceremony to keep the solemnity of this event.”

If you saw the “Perfect Together” wedding special that aired on ABS-CBN last Saturday, we all know how closely the second one was followed. (Subtext: not very!)

And I honestly couldn’t blame the small number of friends and family that were gathered at the United Methodist Church in Taytay on that beautiful Friday afternoon! This was a highly anticipated wedding of two incredibly beautiful people.

That Friday, June 12, 2015, also happened to be Paul and Toni’s 8th anniversary as a couple (celebrated partly by Paul’s friends filming the event with Super8 cameras to capture his bride, whom he called his “Super8”). Also present were cameras from the wedding photo and videography suppliers, as well as ABS-CBN.

But no camera could truly capture the love and beauty of the day, swathed in white with touches of silver and gray, with large white candles in glass boxes lining the aisle.

Memorable moments

Many memorable moments for me included the look and the tears on Paul’s face as the church’s tall wooden doors swung open to reveal his bride’s silhouette (Toni had chosen a gorgeous Vera Wang gown while her mother and sister’s gowns were by Rajo Laurel), the contrast in the delivery and the syncing of content of their individually written wedding vows, the joyous spirit of everyone present, the lightness of Pastor Paul Chase’s celebration of the wedding, Gary Valenciano’s performances at the reception, the mountains of flavored popcorn, the sumptuous dinner by chef Jessie Sincioco, Alex Gonzaga’s incredibly touching and hilarious (yes, both at the same time) speech for her ate and brand-new Kuya Paul, and the whoops and hollers of the entire congregation at their first kiss as husband and wife.

It was indeed such a thrill to be asked to stand as one of their principal sponsors (this was my first time to fulfill such a duty), and to be partnered with the man responsible for them meeting in the first place, Gary V.

It was also wonderful to be introduced to the other sponsors, many of them old acquaintances, a few of them good friends. (I was lucky to be seated with Charlene Gonzales-Muhlach… it meant having someone to cry with, and we cried a lot.)

PRINCIPAL sponsors laugh and cry during the touching church ceremony: (first row) Liza Marcos, Vicki Belo, Charo Santos-Concio; (second row) Charlene Gonzales and the author. photo: Toni Gonzaga’s Facebook

Incidental celebrity

Contrary to anyone’s belief, it was not a celebrity wedding, but that of a boy and girl who love each other very much in front of God and everybody. That Toni is a celebrity and Paul a film director is incidental.

To the newlyweds, congratulations on your brand-new life together!

It was so wonderful to be able to witness this coming together of two souls that keep God at the center of everything.

May you build a great life with much laughter, and I pray that through it all, you both will, besides love one another for all time, like one another for all time.

A million blessings upon your house!

Good night, Junix

A theater light has gone out.

The day after Paul and Toni’s wedding, news began to spread on the Internet about the death of theater heavyweight Junix

Inocian.

I thought it was some idiot’s idea of a sick joke, so I sent a message to (actress-director) Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo to confirm it. Sadly, the news was true. He had died of an apparent heart attack in his apartment in the United Kingdom.

I first met Junix when I was 8 years old. He was cast as Lazar Wolf in “Fiddler on the Roof,” while I was one of the kids in the

ensemble.

Force of nature

JUNIX Inocian, even with a simple hug, gave his all.

I remember sitting on the floor on the sidelines, watching all of his scenes with Freddie Santos (Tevye) and Baby Barredo (Golde), and thinking of how he, as a Repertory Philippines newcomer, was not one intimidated or afraid of the forces of nature that stood before him.

Unsurprisingly, he was a force of nature, too. He went on to perform in so many more Rep productions, and would also at times work on lights, sound, or compose incidental music for their plays.

To the television audience, he was known as Kuya Mario on “Kalye Sesame” and “Batibot,” a role he played before he headed off to London as one of 13 Pinoys who came from Manila to perform in the original West End production of “Miss Saigon.” Later on, he rose up the ranks to play The Engineer.

As serious as a few of his theatrical and film roles would get, Junix would always be up for a good laugh.

I heard it in my ear on the opening night of “Miss Saigon” when, after the curtain came down for the last time on Sept. 20, 1989 and the cast jumped up and down in jubilation, he gave me a tight hug, and laughed. It was

indicative of his spirit of celebration on this illustrious night. Even with a hug, he gave it his all.

Junix, even though my heart is heavy, I recall your laughter and your light. All your colleagues and friends celebrate the life you led, the roles you played, and the dent you made on this good earth because of the actor and the man you were.

Yudikutkut… I am goodnighting you.