Abs-cbnnews.com also put it as happening “somewhere in Luzon.”

It was a wedding that was kept under wraps up to the last hour, and known only to their closest family and friends. They were celebrities, but looks like they succeeded in making their wedding a very solemn, touching affair. As of early morning today, young superstar Judy Ann Santos married her sweetheart of four years Ryan Agoncillo in a private, out-of-town ceremony – somewhere in Batangas province to be exact.

Although the “unimpeachable sources” of Inquirer showbiz columnist Dolly Ann Carvajal says the wedding will take place May 2 in Tagaytay, our own sources said the wedding already took place today in a church in Laiya in the beach town of San Juan, Batangas. And the guest list was kept to less than 100.

Some important details: Judy Ann wore a Paul Cabral gown and megastar actress Sharon Cuneta was reported to be the matron of honor (or at least an important part of the entourage). Reception was breakfast, not lunch.D

We wish Judy Ann (a.k.a Juday) and Ryan the best in their new life together!

Ryan first proposed to Juday in May last year, at the Antulang Beach Resort in Negros, Oriental. That is why the couple have also planned a series of post-wedding receptions – one at a beach in Anilao, Batangas; the next on May 2 at Rockwell to be catered by Le Souffle, and the last one for their fans and the press.

The fact that the celebrity couple (who will appear soon in an ABS-CBN show ‘George and Cecil’) kept it very hush-hush and engaged media in a guessing game is admirable to say the least. It seems family members, guests and suppliers were sworn to secrecy about the wedding. We like it when public figures and celebrities do not engage in a circus, as expected of them. A live media coverage of a solemn event such as a wedding takes the essence out of it. (what more in something shocking, as the death of Ted Failon’s wife) Am sure Juday and Ryan didn’t want to exchange vows amid the glaring lights.

I’ll probably write more in my new wedding blog later

In fact, I would tell my fellow brides out there not to limit themselves to these expos because not all suppliers join them. So it’s also good to depend on word-of-mouth, Googling and visiting your locality’s bargain havens.

What’s great about wedding fairs like W.E.P. is that the exhibitors really try to court you in terms of freebies and discounts just for booking them on your special day. We had fun munching on cake samples. There were also food tastings, free make-up sessions and the like.

Here are some pictures I took of the wedding fair:

A bridal car with Mickey and Minnie Mouse in it adds a unique touch from the usual bouquet of flowers pinned to the front of the car.

This is me playing around with the free photobooth from this company called Pose n’ Print. Photobooths are getting to be in-demand wedding souvenirs or reception fixtures….. obviously because guests love seeing their happy, funny faces.

This is me with Ms. Joy San Gabriel, the pastry chef who did our Tiffany Box wedding cake. She’s as busy as ever, and for good reason!

This wedding cake with the couple caker topper is certainly colorful and attractive.

A lot of wedding gowns, like these, were on display. All of the exhibitors prohibited taking pictures and I really don’t know why. Certainly they didn’t want unfair competition or their designs to be copied. Or maybe they don’t want other people to know they copied the designs, hehe. The rule against taking of pictures is really obsolete, considering that a lot of wedding gown designs are available on the internet and other sources

A jungle-inspired table arrangement. The table settings were what caught my eye the most, but am sure they were expensive too. I was definitely glad that our wedding’s over, and I wasn’t as harassed as the couples who inquired at the booths.

Hubby and I have a nifty picture in today’s issue of my blogging column in the Manila Bulletin. I’ve come back to writing it after an absence of three weeks!! Good thing my editor forgives me. The caption reads:

” A love that was Made in the Internet, and a wedding that was made possible by the Wonders of the Internet.”

I thought this was apt for my article entitled Planning a Wedding Online which is what happens when you can’t be physically present in a given place every single frickin’ time. In this digital age, this is the easiest way to do it.

Complete text follows:

A wedding can be a very stressful occasion to prepare, most especially if it’s your own.I found out that accomplishing paperwork is crucial, as much as canvassing suppliers that will comprise your Dream Team.

For someone like me who was based in Manila, preparing for the big day meant making the computer our best friend. It helped us save time doing errands, wasting it on traffic and gasoline money. In the case of my then-fiance, doing things online simply made the impossible possible for him, as he tried to find documents in two countries. Luckily, some state agencies, and even the Catholic Church, now have websites to make it easier for the public to gather documents, even while away.

In the United States, hubby availed of the services of Vitalchek, a service provider for official US government certificates related to birth, marriage and divorce. You can place your order online and they can get it to you in as little as two or three business days with express delivery.

In the Philippines, I called the 737-1111 hotline of NSO. In truth, their website at ecensus.com.ph looks good enough. It allows you to order your documents online, verify status, and pay online or through their accredited banks and credit cards. I hope to make use of this service next time when ordering my family’s certificates.

The Archdiocese of Manila official website at http://rcam.org was also helpful. They have a section on documents needed for marriage by the Chancery. It makes you compile things even before you go to the actual office. Useful if you get married in any of the parishes in Manila (other cities also have their chanceries).

I found out that only a few churches have an online presence, and understandably so. I received, at the last-minute, my Sacrament of Confirmation at the Quiapo Church and found out that they still write on the logbooks by long-hand. Whew! We should expect more churches to go the digital route soon though, if they are to keep up communicating with their modern-day parishioners.

When it comes to wedding suppliers, the internet is a haven of good finds, if you know where to look. Weddings@Work is a popular resource, and I enlisted in its Yahoogroup to get intimate, inside stories from brides and would-be brides.The exchange of emails from the members proved to be too many and overwhelming, but I totally liked the honesty of the reactions. Members posted Suppliers’ Ratings after the wedding and it truly helped us what to look for and what to avoid.

I was able to find our official wedding photographer, RedSheep, via the W@W Yahoogroup. Same with the person who made our invites, Handcrafted Expressions. I couldn’t help but admire Airees who conducted her handmade paper business from the comforts of her own home. Our wedding cake maker , Joy San Gabriel, is also popular with the online community of brides, and I got her because the gallery of cakes in her blog looked delicious indeed.

I also tried to make our wedding website via Wedding Announcer. It allows you to add photos, videos, music and has ready made tabs for listing your bridal entourage, and such. The user interface isn’t so friendly, but at least our relatives and closest friends had something to look at, even if the official invites weren’t out yet.

I’ve heard that there are couples who plan their Philippine wedding from abroad. The good news is that the selection of good finds in the internet has just made it easier for them to get married. You just have to do your research and be in the right support group. Good luck!

Catholic Churches with an online presence:

Manila Cathedral

St. Peter The Apostle Parish

Baclaran Church

Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Tagaytay Cit

Add your church to this list!