Edmin Tarriela-Maggi Rivera: Onion selling led to this union

MANILA, Philippines - Edmin Tarriela was busy attending to his onion trading business when he met a simple girl from Bulacan named Maggi Rivera. His parents, lawyer Ed and banker Flor Tarriela, had always prayed to God to give their son a wife who was kind and would be a good companion to Edmin.

Maggi was the answer to their prayers. And on their wedding day, members of the couple’s families and their assorted friends were all there to make it memorably beautiful.

The bride’s idea of her wedding was very clear: She wanted it colorful, lively, and happy. Thus her choice of vivid colors — fuchsia with touches of canary yellow, aqua blue, and apple green. The bride, who owns Porang Wedding Gowns and Barongs, made her own lovely piña gown and her groom’s barong with the same design.

The invitation was as colorful as the entourage who wore fuchsia, except for the matron of honor Tricia Valderrama, sister of the groom, who was in yellow. 

God was in the detail. As the bride and groom were both busy with work, planning was a bit late, and no venue was available. However, when Edmin’s dad Ed passed by Manila Polo Club, the ballroom reservation was just cancelled so he took it immediately.

Officiating at the wedding was Bishop Efraim Tendero, a good friend of the groom’s family. Bishop Tendero emphasized that

the marriage needed a third party to be successful — Jesus Christ.

Edmin and Maggi prepared their own personal vows and commitment to each other.

Best men were Ted Tarriela, younger brother of the groom, and Nick Carpio of Vets in Practice, both of whom did an excellent job in helping the groom prepare for the wedding. They both offered a toast to the couple. Ted remarked that after the engagement ring comes the wedding ring but sometimes there is also suffering but with God as the center, love can also be enduring. Offering best wishes for the couple were the groom’s uncle Ben Gozon Jr. and the bride’s sister Sandra Young.

Emcees were cousin Joel Jimenez, GMA 7 director, and Marga Carpio of Vets in Practice. Joel even got a bronze gong to complement the spoons when it was time to clink the glasses as the guests shouted their request for the couple to kiss. What a blast!

The bride wanted a garden wedding. A polo field ceremony was planned, but with the unpredictable weather and cloudy forecast that day, the ceremony and reception had to be done inside a ballroom. Cocktails were served right after the ceremony in the area facing the polo field, made perfect with the round moon and roasted calf and lechon  plus a fresh fruit and salad bar.

The couple asked the groom’s mom, a passionate gardener, to help with the flower arrangement. She immediately turned to good friend Ging delos Reyes of Flower Farm who did a superb job together with daughter Anna. Tall bamboos from Carolina Bamboo garden transformed the place into a magical bamboo forest garden draped in fuchsia. The unity and nuptial candles were on bamboo stands. Adorning each table were beautiful bamboo center pieces, which were given away to guests and to Edmin’s secretary Fely Gaco who was also getting married that Monday. And since Edmin’s mom didn’t want anything to go to waste, the bamboo aisle pieces found their way to a church service the next day and to a rondalla concert. Recycling to the max!

The guests went home with red onions,  a product of the groom who’s a UP Los Baños agribusiness graduate and now into onion trading.

For the bridal car, Joel lent his light blue topdown which was a photographer’s delight. The photographer, Dan Villarama, is a good friend of the groom way back his Pioneer badminton days.

The principal sponsors were GMA 7 CEO Atty. Felipe Gozon, engineer Ben Gozon, Noli Liboro, Atty. Sotero Mendoza, Carolina Jimenez, former Judge Ludy Ignalaga, sister of the groom’s dad represented by Judge Maricon Ignalaga, Teresita Marcos, Rep. Pedro Pancho, Capt. Mamerto Cervania, Dr. Feliza Cabalquinto, Gina Estrella, and Baby Santos.

Popular gospel singer Tricia Amper Jimenez sang with Kenneth Cataylo the beautiful song My Prayer  at the start of the wedding ceremony.  She also sang Someone Like You and for the reception, the couple requested the song Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka. Tricia who has a song studio, practiced the groom’s nephews and nieces who did a lively musical number Seasons of Love from the musical Rent and Right Back Where We Started From.

For the first dance, Jaime Jimenez played the trumpet with Ferdinand Rivera who sang Stand By Me.