Luis and Jessy’s second wedding a ‘100-percent complete’ family affair
MANILA, Philippines — Proud mother of the groom, Vilma Santos, has shared the most touching moments from her son Luis Manzano’s recent Catholic wedding to Jessy Mendiola in Palawan.
Three years after their civil nuptials in February 2021, the celebrity couple pushed through with their “dream wedding,” which was to “get the Lord’s blessing on our union” and have “both our families present during that special moment,” as Jessy wrote in a social media post.
Luis quipped in his vlog that he has married Jessy three times to date, with two ceremonies held in Palawan. The STAR learned that, following Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) guidelines, they had the Sacrament of Marriage at a Catholic chapel in the morning with a few witnesses, while a beachside ceremony was held in the afternoon with everyone present. The wedding was officiated by Fr. Tito Caluag.
“Ang saya-saya! Complete ang family ni Jessy, complete din ang family ni Lucky. During the civil wedding kasi hindi, kami-kami lang yun. Because it was also pandemic time... with 30 or 35 people only. But this one, we were 100-percent complete,” happily noted Ate Vi in an exclusive interview with this paper.
One of the most heartwarming scenes at the ceremony was when Luis and Jessy’s one-year-old daughter Rosie (nicknamed Baby Peanut) accompanied her father while waiting for her mother to walk down the aisle.
“Sa tagal na ng buhay ko, sa dami ng kasal na inatenan ko, hindi dahil anak ko si Lucky and Jessy, but isa itong kasal nila sa Palawan na very, very memorable and pinaka-masaya,” Ate Vi further shared.
“It was well-prepared in a way na… pagdating mo, alam mo yung light, nagbibiruan… Hindi yung masyadong detailed na scripted, hindi eh.
“Even my apo. When it was time for her to walk, she was carried instead. That’s when I got emotional, especially when Lucky held Peanut... Then I saw Jessy coming out with her parents, and there were Lucky and Peanut, waiting for her to approach. I was very touched by that because ang ganda-ganda-ganda tignan talaga!”
Another poignant moment was caught on cam — this was when Ate Vi and Lucky shared an emotional dance at the reception.
“Lucky and I really cried because ito yung mas may puso ‘di ba… I really felt, while hugging Lucky, ‘Oh my God, my son has his own family,’” the industry’s Star for All Seasons said, recalling the time when she always ended her “Vilma” show in the ‘80s and ‘90s, with her signature shoutout to her firstborn, “I love you, Lucky.”
“It fills my heart with happiness, maligaya ako, but I cannot imagine my son Lucky — ‘I love you, Lucky!’ — na meron ng pamilya. Bumabalik lang sa isip ko, especially every time I see him on TV and ay may binabati na rin siya, ‘I love you Howhow, I love you Peanut,’” she added, referring to how it’s now Luis’ turn to greet his wife and child by their terms of endearment.
“So, I was telling him, habang nagsasayaw kami, ‘Anak, you have your own family now, I will be praying for you. We will still be always here for you and your family.’”
In his behind-the-scenes wedding vlog, Luis asked guests for tips as he was getting “married again.” The STAR asked Ate Vi the same question, and she shared her oft-repeated advice: that they maintain their respect for each other. She believes that if their relationship is founded on respect, everything else — love and understanding — will naturally follow.
“Lagi kong sinasabi ito sa kanila, sila ni Jessy, dahil madalas naman sila dito (sa house), because they now have Baby Peanut, definitely this is the next chapter in their life. This is no longer the ligawan portion. They have graduated from that.”
She continued, “This is definitely the next chapter ng buhay nila so they have to prepare for this. It’s not going to be smooth, hindi madali yan, aaminin natin yung totoo, nothing is perfect but as long as… maiwan lang lagi yung respect, everything will follow.
“Love will follow, understanding will follow. (Again) ‘wag niyo lang tatanggalin sa relationship niyo yung respect. So far, nakikita ko naman… I mean, it’s not a perfect marriage, too, pero nakikita ko pa rin yung pagmamahal nila sa isa’t isa.
“Especially now that they have Baby Peanut, iba na yung (relationship) nung dalawa. Maski ako, nakita ko yan. ‘Di ba they stayed with me (for a time)? Iba yung outlook nung dalawa ngayon sa buhay.
“When you’ve seen the wedding, it came out in their vows, yung nararamdaman nila now that they’re nanay and tatay already. Like even in times of hardship, they were saying, I will make sure I will do my best to make peace. I mean, ganun na.”
Ate Vi’s message at the first wedding more or less echoed the same sentiments.
She remembered saying, “They’ve been saying that the first three years (of marriage), it’s an adjustment period. But I want them to know that there’s no such thing as an adjustment period. The whole time of the relationship is always an adjustment.”
But she stressed “to always put God at the center of the relationship” and reiterated the value of respect to make their marriage endure the test of time. “Respect first before love. Yun ang magpapatagal. Even if you love that person, if the respect is no longer there, in my experience, nothing will happen.”
Ate Vi said it’s the reason why she and Luis’ dad, veteran actor and TV host Edu Manzano, despite living happy, separate lives, still consider each other like family.
“If you notice, may kanya-kanya na kaming buhay, ako, si Edu, then (I have) Ralph (Recto, my husband), but we’re one family,” the actress further said of the wedding moment that saw Luis both hugging her and Edu. “Respect ang nagpapatagal diyan. Respect ang nag-iwan ng ganyang klase ng relationship.”
Meanwhile, netizens commenting on the wedding photos pointed out the striking resemblance between Baby Peanut and her Momsie Vilma during the latter’s time as a child star. And the proudest person to hear such comments is none other than Ate Vi herself, who wouldn’t be surprised if her granddaughter would enter showbiz in the future.
Ate Vi shared, “Every day, Jessy and Lucky send me pictures and videos. Every day, we Facetime to see my Peanut. And yung apo ko, she’s so maarte and marunong tumingin sa camera talaga hahaha!
“That’s why I was telling Lucky and Jessy, you know, si Baby Peanut, believe you, me, artista yan! She can really flirt with the camera with her smiles. When you say, give me a pa-cute face, ang arte-arte niya haha! Now, in her latest videos, she’s wearing a headband, ginagaya talaga si Momsie.
“She’s my inspiration now. Everytime I wake up, I look at her videos. Whenever I hear her laughter, nagiging positive na yung araw ko. One thing I’m very, very happy about is it’s so obvious that she’s a happy baby.”
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