Real Weddings Monday: Presenting Cynthia Lucero-Obusan and Oliver Obusan

The Couple: Cynthia Lucero-Obusan and Oliver Obusan
Wedding Date: June 2, 2012
Photography by Fisher Photography
Tell us a little about you and your beloved: Cynthia was born and raised in San Jose, CA. Oliver is from a small town called Talisay in the Philippines and moved to the U.S. in the fall of 2008. Oliver and Cynthia met in May 2010 at an Asian Pacific Heritage Event at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto where Cynthia works as a public health physician and Oliver as on occupational therapist. Although not of Filipino decent, Cynthia has been dancing as a semi-professional Filipino folk dancer for more than 15 years and after seeing Oliver perform at the event she approached him to join her dance company. Romance blossomed instead, although Oliver eventually ended up joining the dance company after finishing his master’s degree in 2012. In addition to dancing, the couple enjoys traveling, hiking, camping, tennis and their 18-month-old Siberian Husky, “Cyber.”
What was the most amazing part of your day?  The most special part of the day was our nuptial mass which incorporated the Filipino traditions of the veil, cord and coin ceremonies and was officiated by Cynthia’s cousin with music by members of Cynthia’s church choir. Other highlights were our beautiful reception venue, the amazing food and cake which our guests raved about, and special performances by the couple’s dance company, LIKHA-Pilipino Folk Ensemble, which included live string music during the cocktail hour and a dance presentation during the reception.
What else would you like to share about your big day? The flowers were absolutely amazing…especially the bouquets which were gorgeous and incorporated our wedding theme of “poppies.” In fairness, all of the flowers were fabulous… better than we ever imagined! The DJ was great and the photo booth was the most popular place to be outside of the dance floor. After dinner, the groom changed into a Barong Tagalog (traditional Filipino dress shirt) and the bride into a dancing dress before unveiling a specially choreographed first dance. The rehearsal dinner was held the night before in the beautiful glass lobby of Oshman Family Jewish Community Center Cultural Arts Hall in Palo Alto and guests were treated to delicious Filipino cuisine from Tastebuds of San Bruno.

Ceremony Site:  St. Nicholas Catholic Church
Reception Venue & Caterer: Fremont Hills Country Club
Photographer: Fisher Photography
Videographer: Slava Basovich Weddings
Wedding Planner: The Test of Time Weddings
Cake: Beverly’s Bakeshop
Flowers: Petals & Posy
Favors:  Favor Bags by Paper Supply of Grace Graphics and Wildflower Photo Glass Coasters by The Knot Wedding Shop
Wedding Dress:  Brides Against Breast Cancer Tour of Gowns
Bridesmaid Dresses:  Elegant Lace Bridal
Hair: Shaida Locascio from Krush Salon
Makeup: Rebecca Duggan
Invitations: Sincerely Yours Events, Inc. with Calligraphy by Lisa’s Lovely Calligraphy
DJ: Cope Entertainment
Entertainment: LIKHA-Pilipino Folk Ensemble
Band:  LIKHA Rondalla
Photo Booth: Amaze Studios
Honeymoon location: We took a five day mini-honeymoon to Oahu, Hawaii, and are currently planning a bigger dream honeymoon for later this fall.
Any other of your wedding vendor(s) you’d like to call out? (1) HeirloomDVD: by Memory Gardener; (2) Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Oshman Family Jewish Community Center, Palo Alto; (3) Rehearsal Dinner Caterer: Tastebuds, San Bruno; (4) Engagement and Wedding rings: The Classic Rock, San Jose; (5) Scrabble Mr. & Mrs. Wedding Chair Signs: Purple Peony Couture; (6)Wedding Garter Set: Demure Allure; (7) Bridesmaids’ Jewelry: Luxe Adornments; (8) Satin bridal clutch and Rhinestone Hair Comb: Wearable Artz; (9) Hotel Accommodations: Cypress Hotel, Cupertino
First Dance Song: “Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel” by Tavares
Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now? Weddings are expensive so try to find ways to put the money you’re spending to good use. We saved money and supported charities by purchasing my wedding gown from Brides Against Breast Cancer Tour of Gowns, my wedding day hair and makeup from a local school charity auction, and our invitations, photo montage DVD, photographer, DJ, and wedding coordinator services from the “Wish Upon a Wedding” charity auction which provides weddings for couples facing terminal illness or serious life-altering circumstances.
Be realistic about your time and talent when deciding what to DIY and ask for help if you can. I made our wedding programs and menus which was about all I could handle and I’m glad I didn’t attempt more. My mom made our silk flower pew decorations and my dad designed some fantastic handmade wooden signs to direct our guests to our venues. Rather than paying for special dance lessons a friend of Oliver’s choreographed our first dance and a co-worker volunteered to be DJ and MC for our rehearsal dinner.
Finally, one of my bridesmaids painted a “wedding tree” on a large canvas to which our guests added leaves with their fingerprints. It’s gorgeous and a beautiful piece of art hanging in our bedroom now. So utilize the talents of your family and friends!
Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance? The groomsman’s tuxedos were a bit of a disaster and probably the most stress-inducing part of the wedding. We had a bad feeling pretty early on that there might be an issue and wish we would have followed our gut and gone with a different shop. Lesson: always listen to your gut!
After our wedding we’ve seen a couple friends who made photo books of their engagement pictures and had guests sign that in lieu of a traditional guest book…it’s a great idea and we wish we had done that.
Finally, we had planned in our timeline a chance for Oliver and I to take the mic to thank our family and wedding party and those people who helped with various wedding tasks. It got overlooked by the coordinator and DJ and by the time it crossed our minds the reception was nearly over and many of our guests had left. Be sure to let your vendors know what things in your timeline are most important to you and what you don’t mind skipping if time is short.

Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Social Media Maven, Aimee Carroll.
Photos courtesy of and copyright Fisher Photography.