Love Someone

"Naked" Wedding Cake

(There was hardly any icing or frosting on it.)

Love is a funny thing

Whenever I give it

It comes back to me

And it's wonderful to be

Giving with my whole heart

As my heart receives your love

- Jason Mraz

(Love Someone)

A wedding is always special.

And a bride is always beautiful.

That's because a wedding is God's picture of His deep love for His creation, and in heaven, the first thing that will be waiting for everyone who goes there is a wedding banquet -- the marriage supper of the Lamb and His Bride, the Church. 

It will be an extravagant, magnificent love feast celebrating the love between The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel and His covenant people.

And heaven is truly the Land of Forevermore, because there, the Bride and the Groom will really live happily ever after.

This is not to be interpreted in human, romantic terms, or we will fail to understand the pure,  eternal, and beautiful implications behind it. Rather, it is a deeply spiritual truth... and of course, something not easily grasped or understood by the finite mind, because spiritual things are spiritually discerned.

And in these last days, many Kingdom Truths are being revealed, as there is a deepening spiritual hunger for heavenly realities. Abba Father is pouring wisdom into hearts that are seeking to truly know Him.

He who has ears to hear let him hear what the Spirit is saying...

(Read more: The Marriage Supper of the Lamb)

Joey and Sitti were wed in Baguio City yesterday.

Oh, there is so much more that I could say about this wedding. 

But I won't.

Instead I will just let the photos speak for themselves. Because it was raining, I wasn't able to take as many pictures as I wanted... but that is not really a problem. I am sure there will be tons of photos of this wedding on the internet as the weeks go by.

All I want to say is that it was... well, beautiful!

The sunrise I woke up to at 5:30 a.m. just spoke a deep message to my heart. I offered a prayer for my friend Jing, and her whole family, for the ceremony, for Sitti and her family, that God will touch their lives with His loving presence.

And I asked for God to favor us with the kind of weather we had all been asking for -- no rain.

And indeed, there was no rain, up to 2:59 p.m.

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, just when the guests and the bridal entourage, all elegantly dressed in relaxed formals, were heading toward the golf course, in a lovely corner of the Baguio Country Club grounds surrounded by majestic pine trees, it began to drizzle.

The nice thing about it was that Jing had prepared 200 white umbrellas... "just in case."

The gentle drizzle fell... let up a few times... then fell some more.

But the rains did not get in the way of the wedding. 

No, the rain drops could not dampen everyone's spirits who had gathered in this mountain city for this very purpose: to witness the wedding of Joey and Sitti.

Sitti arrived on the golf course riding a golf car... and she walked toward her waiting groom, oblivious to the gently falling rain... while Gary Valenciano sang the song Love Someone by Jason Mraz.

It was a truly fitting song, though this is my first time to hear it.

(Posted below is the official music video for this song, as well as the lyrics.)

I have to be honest... I have been to many weddings but this is the first wedding I attended that had everyone cheering, clapping, and just being an interactive part of everything that was going on.

There was so much love in the air.

It was star-studded, and Sitti is herself a celebrity, being the Bossa Nova Queen of the Philippines, and the music was provided by her company's jazz band... but the wedding was not a show or a performance.

We all loved Sitti for being so humble, and human, and down-to-earth real.

The evening mountain air was chilly, but I can say that we all felt warm and comfortable, enjoying every moment.

I could almost picture God smiling... and also enjoying Himself. He once again delighted His children with His unexpected surprise gifts... way beyond what we had asked for or imagined.

Everything turned out to be picture perfect, despite the rains. The white umbrellas made everything look so beautiful.

Without the white umbrellas, it would have been just another Baguio Country Club golf course wedding. But more than that, the umbrellas over our heads also became so symbolic of the protective covering of the Holy Spirit over this wedding.

And the naked cake, which as its name implies, had almost no icing on it, has a beautiful meaning as well: This wedding, no matter how grand everything may have begun... is a no-frills marriage. This is a marriage dependent on the provision and protection of God to keep it going.

We all know very well that the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

In the same way, the proof of the marriage is in how it grows, deepens, and eventually ends.

Joey and Sitti... 

I am praying for you and your love - 

that it will give joy and healing to your hearts, 

and glory to our Father in heaven... 

In good times and bad times, may it always be a shining testimony of God's redemptive love... 

Well, after that prayer, I won't say anything more.

Here are the photos. I did "grab" a few from Facebook, but most of these photos were taken by my camera. Some of them are really special shots. I'm so amazed at how they turned out!

For a more dramatic effect, click on Forevermore video then
slowly scroll down to view the pics while music plays:

Joey and Sitti's Wedding... In Photos

Dateline: BAGUIO CITY, May 29, 2015

Sunrise over Baguio City
May 29, 2015, 5:35 a.m.
taken from my balcony, Baguio Country Club

photo courtesy of Atoy Yulo

Gary Valenciano sings Love Someone

Photo courtesy of Jonas Sason

soothing music by harp and violin ensemble

Martin Nievera sings Forevermore

First Dance for the newlyweds while Martin sings

A group hug after Martin's song, as guests cheer and clap

Love Someone

- Jason Mraz

Love is a funny thing

Whenever I give it

It comes back to me

And it's wonderful to be

Giving with my whole heart

As my heart receives your love

Oh, ain't it nice tonight we've got each other

And I am right beside you

More than just a partner or a lover

I'm your friend

When you love someone

Your heartbeat beats so loud

When you love someone

Your feet can't feel the ground

Shining stars all seem

To congregate around your face

When you love someone

It comes back to you

And love is a funny thing

It's making my blood flow with energy

And it's like an awakened dream

As what I've been wishing for is happening

And it's right on time

Oh, ain't it nice tonight we've got each other

And I am right beside you

More than just a partner or a lover

I'm your friend

When you love someone

Your heartbeat beats so loud

When you love someone

Your feet can't feel the ground

Shining stars all seem

To congregate around your face

When you love someone

When you love someone

We're gonna give ourselves to love tonight

Lifting up to touch the starlight

And we will savor every second

We suspend together

You and I will

You and I will

You and I will

When you love someone

Your heartbeat beats so loud

When you love someone

Your feet can't feel the ground

Shining stars all seem

To congregate around your face

When you love someone

It comes back to you

Sitti and Joey Sing at Their Wedding

by Jason Magbanua