Veggies as wedding giveaways
When singer-musician Krina Cayabyab exchanged marriage vows with stage actor-choreographer Stephen Viñas last Dec. 21, the guests had the thrill of the wedding day when they were treated to free market shopping and went home with bayong-ful of harvest.
The intimate wedding ceremony, attended by a little over only 50 guests, was held at the Saint John Paul II Parish in Eastwood City. Not all those who went to the church graced the reception that followed at the Green Meadows Clubhouse.
Not minding they were in formal attire — the men in barong tagalog and the ladies in high heels — the guests happily shopped to their hearts’ content and filled their bayong with everything they could take home. There were only a few guests, so shopping from the farmer’s market was not crowded nor chaotic. Everyone took his own time. Everybody knew each other.
The “father of the bride,” National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab, shared everything that happened in the wedding was the idea of the couple. “I was wondering the night before kung ano ang papel ko,” Mr. C shared. “Was I assigned to bring something? Ako ba ang driver? Ako ba ang in sa ganito o sa ganyan? Waaahahaha. Ang saya. Wala akong responsibilidad.”
Krina disclosed back in November 2019, she and Stephen really planned for their wedding to be an eco-friendly and minimalist themed one. “At the same time, we wanted everything close to Filipino sensibilities with a modern Filipiniana look,” Krina said.
In January last year, Stephen came across the page of Sierreza Zero-Waste Store and Artisan Cafe on Facebook. “We found their advocacy and activities to be very inspiring,” Krina offered. “They accommodated our plan and even invited us to their farms (in Laguna) to meet the farmers.”
However, Taal eruption and the pandemic ensued, so communications between Sierreza and the couple were halted. “It was not until November when we touched base with Sierreza again to inform them that we were continuing with our plan,” Krina granted. “Aside from Sierreza, we were also able to gather produce from the group The Murang Gulay Shop.
The couple initially became worried when the vegetables arrived two days before their wedding. “There were more than 15 sacks and crates of vegetables, grains and other produce,” Krina recalled. “We thought that it was too much, that a lot might be left behind after the reception. So we were absolutely surprised when everything was wiped out and we could see the excitement and eagerness of our guests to bring home what they can.”
From Sierreza, there were ube, turmeric, ginger, peanuts, gabi, camote, black rice, red rice, saba, latundan and lagkitan. The Murang Gulay Shop offered cucumber, carrots, lemon, tomato, zucchini, Korean radish and sayote.
The couple also sourced out potted vegetable plants for gardening from the Quezon City Circle, like rosemary, siling labuyo, purple chili pepper, tomato, eggplant, wansoy, basil, calamansi and okra.
Krina and Stephen got engaged on Dec. 25, 2018, the birthday of Krina. “Our original wedding date was supposed to be Feb. 20, 2020,” she revealed. “But we realized we weren’t preparing and thinking about the occasion enough, so toward the end of 2019, we decided to postpone and find a later date in the year.”
On the wedding day, Mr. C and his wife, Emmy Punsalan-Cayabyab, received a special blessing from the priest for celebrating their 35th anniversary which coincided with the wedding.
Krina, whose real name is Cristina Maria, is the elder of Mr. C and Emmy’s two children. The younger is Toma, whose real name is Antonio Maria. In 2010, Krina graduated Bachelor in Music in Chorale Conducting, summa cum laude. She is a member of the popular Baihana trio, with Mel Torre and Anna Achacoso-Graham. In 2018, Krina finished the Musicology Graduate Program. She is also an instructor and faculty member at the UP Arts Studies Department. Stephen is a Theater Arts graduate from the University of the Philippines. He previously joined the cast of the Eraserheads’ musical, Ang Huling El Bimbo at Resorts World Manila.
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