InsiderPH has learned that only six people were inside the room during the ceremony, making it an affair so intimate that the couple reportedly did not even bring their own photographer or videographer.
Instead, the only photos taken during the ceremony came from the official witnesses present.
Here’s another detail that perfectly captures how understated everything was.
Although Bea reportedly brought a bridal bouquet, she never held it during the actual ceremony.
Only after everything had concluded did the officiant — Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay, of course — someone notice the bouquet had been left untouched.
Realizing the missed photo opportunity, she suggested a quick “take two” so Bea could pose holding the flowers, resulting in some of the images that have since circulated privately.
The timing was also carefully planned.
Sources said all of the documentary requirements were completed Monday afternoon, while the ceremony itself was held at around 7:30 p.m., after regular City Hall office hours, when the building had largely emptied out. Makati City Hall’s regular public office hours end at 7 p.m., allowing the couple to keep the proceedings away from public attention.
Interestingly, the plan almost happened a day earlier.
According to sources familiar with the arrangements, the couple initially hoped to hold the ceremony on a Sunday. But they were informed that this would not be possible because City Hall offices are closed on Sundays, prompting the ceremony to be moved to Monday evening instead.
Perhaps the most remarkable part is how successfully the secret was kept.
People involved in the arrangements reportedly maintained strict confidentiality in the days leading up to the ceremony, with even the Mayor even keeping her close family completely in the dark about the wedding.
Until social media chatter erupted Monday night, virtually no one outside the small circle involved knew that one of Philippine showbiz’s biggest stars had apparently just gotten married.
If the couple’s goal was to have a wedding that was about the marriage—not the spectacle—they pulled off one of the best-kept celebrity secrets in recent years. —Daxim L. Lucas
