Everything was #PITTurePerfect

MANILA, Philippines - I have never seen a newlywed couple kiss more times than Cristalle Belo Henares and Justin Pitt.

Maybe they were just really happy to be blessed with perfect weather that afternoon and onwards. Earlier in the morning, the wedding party woke up to dark clouds and some very strong rains. By lunchtime, the sun came out and smiled upon us.

Exactly 100 guests came from all over the world to Lake Como, Italy for Cristalle and Justin’s wedding. Lake Como is a favorite destination for the jet set and A-list celebrities. Other notables who are Como regulars are Madonna, Donatella Versace, George Clooney and that other Pitt couple, Brad and Angelina.

It is a known fact that both Cristalle and Justin are unapologetic perfectionists. Nothing is left to chance. From the luggage box wedding invitations that were sent to all the guests’ social media accounts to their website, everyone knew that this wedding was gonna be unlike any other.

The bride’s mother, well-loved and iconic dermatologist Dr. Vicki Belo, came from the United States and went straight to Lake Como to be with her daughter on her special day.

The night before the actual wedding, a welcome dinner was hosted by the couple at Restaurant Momi. There, in front of the lake, Cristalle thanked everyone for making the trip to Lake Como. Fresh pasta was being made right before our eyes, served straight to our tables. Then a band played vintage hits to get the crowd moving. It was a good warm-up for what was to come the following day.

The actual wedding the next day was held at Villa Erba, a 19th-century national heritage estate in Cernobbio, Lake Como. In 2004, the villa served as a location for the movie Ocean’s 12, starring Clooney, also a proud resident of Lake Como. In fact, his villa by the lake is one of the most visited sites here.

At the wedding, guests were requested to turn off their phones and everyone was asked to not take any pictures. It was quite refreshing to actually see the actual ceremony take place, instead of through a phone screen. It made me appreciate the solemnity of the occasion more.

A string quartet played Somewhere Over the Rainbow and then there she was, Cristalle, a vision wearing Israeli designer Inbal Dror couture. The bride descended the red velvet carpeted stairway of Villa Erba slowly and gracefully. Time stopped. The room broke into applause.

After the wedding ceremony, guests were transported to a private port where they boarded the Milano, a steamboat that’s been gracing Lake Como shores since the 1950s. This was the first surprise of the couple for their guests. Here, we were given a tour of the lake, with the homes of
George Clooney, Steve Jobs and other celebrities as tour highlights. My personal highlight? When, at the height of cocktails, a speedboat zoomed past ours, with Justin and Cristalle looking like a newlywed James Bond and Bond Girl waving at us.

After the cruise, we all proceeded to a four-course feast prepared by La Fenice that made even the discerning foodies in the house happy. Apulian burrata, heirloom tomatoes, freshly made tagliatelle drowning in truffles, chateaubriand, scamorza cheese. And dessert? It was in an entire room altogether, with cheese and sweets like there was no tomorrow.

In between courses, a waiter walked in and started singing opera favorites. He was then joined by yet another waiter, and yet another waiter. They were, in fact, The Tenors and they serenaded the couple and their guests the entire night. Each song garnered standing ovations from the audience and made the meal even more delectable.

The men in Cristalle’s life took turns in talking about her. Father of the bride Atom Henares told the guests about all his nicknames for Cristalle and that it all means, “You are my daughter and I love you.” The groom also spoke and praised the bridesmaids and how they reminded him of his bride. He also thanked Javi Martinez of Yaparazzi Events and his team for bearing with “two brides.”

Photographer Jose Villa, one of the top wedding photographers in the world, went around taking snapshots of the guests and the happenings all day. I can’t wait to see his coverage of the wedding.
After dinner, the couple surprised the guests with their first dance. This was followed by Cristalle’s dance with her dad Atom. Entourage, a six-piece band from London composed of trumpet, sax and percussionist, plus violinist, singer and a DJ, kept us all up till the wee hours.
Some trivia and a little rundown on the numbers:

• The production behind the #PITTurePerfect wedding comprises a 37-strong team coming from London, Paris, Madrid, Mexico, San Francisco and Manila.

• 10 boats were used to transport guests to and from their villas on the lake.

• I asked Cristalle what her favorite moments were from her wedding. “I loved my quiet time while preparing with my mom before going down to the actual ceremony,” she told me a day after. “The look on my husband’s face as I walked towards him. I forgot about my buwis buhay stairs entrance!”

Everything was just #PITTurePerfect!

* * *

For more behind-the-scenes action: @officialtimyap on IG Stories, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. Photos by TIM YAP