Cover Inside the San Antonio de Los Alemanes
church
Inside the San Antonio de Los Alemanes church
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Read on to know more about Samantha Hiranand and Carlos Otermin Barrera's three-day celebration in Spain
The bride’s family has roots in the Philippines and India, and the groom’s family in Spain. Different cultures are coming together to celebrate the three-day wedding in Madrid, Spain, of Samantha Hiranand and Carlos Otermin Barrera.
“It was a real treat for Carlos and me,” says the bride about being surrounded by loved ones during this most memorable of days. “The wedding was so small, but we had our nearest and dearest by our side come together from different areas of our lives—the Philippines, Spain, United States, Singapore and more!”
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The couple merely had five months to prepare for their big day. And it came with its challenges. “First of all, Madrid was not our initial wedding city,” Samantha relates. “So, we had to start planning from scratch to plan an overseas wedding with major language barriers. English is not commonly spoken by many wedding planners [in Madrid]. And we could not travel [yet] to Spain either. Thankfully, The Mandarin Oriental Ritz supplied us with their events person, and she was incredible! She made planning our reception a breeze.”
to church with her The bride, all dressed for her altar date
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Before the big day, the guests had the opportunity to mingle during the aperitivo at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz’s “El Jardin”. Then the following day, the Sangeet (Indian wedding party) was held at Castillo de Batres, decorated with Spanish and Indian elements with the help of Hiranand’s mum, Sharmila. Samantha wore a sparkly pink Lehenga by couture Indian designer Cherie D (Sherina Dalamal) for this occasion.
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“My friends and family performed dances for us to Bollywood music, which I picked, but they were professionally choreographed by Naachography MNL, a Manila-based dance group. The decorations were so beautiful at the Castle [inside and out]—another feat by my talented mum. And the saxophonist who played both Indian and Western numbers got the crowd dancing. I caught my dad on video dancing, and it was so precious that I keep watching it repeatedly!” she shares.
“I cannot forget that moment when the female Bollywood dancer performed my favourite song Kajre Re by Aishwarya Rai, mixed with [the Latin song] Bamboleo! It was fantastic and such a blend of both our cultures,” she adds.
The couple with Shiv Hiranand, Sharmila Hiranand and Seth Hiranand
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The next day, guests gathered inside San Antonio de Los Alemanes, a Gothic church rich in history, to witness the bride and groom take their vows. The bride, who donned three different gowns for the two main events, wore the second gown when she walked down the aisle. It was an A-line bridal white gown from the Spanish bridal house Pronovias. She had bought the piece in 2020 when they had initially planned to hold the wedding. “But it was too poofy for me”, she relates “, so the super talented Filipina designer Andrea Tetangco altered the dress to make it more ‘me’ by slimming down the sides and adding a [sweetheart bustier]. She did a fabulous job deconstructing this Pronovias gown; I felt so beautiful in it.”
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The celebration continued at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid ballroom, decked with orange trees and colourful blooms. Samantha recalls, “The ballroom was a sight to see. I was in awe when I walked into the reception. My mum is the best wedding planner anybody could ever have! She has a vision! She worked very closely and endlessly with our lights vendor, Bosco of Unique Events, our florist Aquilea Flores, our furniture supplier Cashmere, our menu and table cards designer Kasali by Mela, and the Mandarin Oriental Ritz to create a Sevilla vibe for the ballroom. After all, this was the theme we wanted for our original wedding city in 2020.” The wedding also had no less than Michelin star chef Quique Dacosta of the Mandarin Ritz Hotel Madrid behind the scrumptious feast enjoyed by everyone.
The bride squad
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Making the occasion truly memorable are the family and guests of the bride and groom. Samantha’s friends from the Philippines delighted the bride with a song they wrote about her and Carlos’ love story. “[The song] was so special! I was in shock [that] they knew all of those details; but apparently, they had done some research with Carlos,” she gushes.
But nothing could top Samantha’s favourite moment. When everyone was already on dessert, the walking band they hired only a week before the wedding made their entrance and brought the house down. “Everyone was really into it as every table stood up to dance! The music was amazing, playing classics like La Bamba and Sweet Caroline. Carlos’ best friend even taught me to [dance] Salsa. I had so much fun. My dad also danced with me to one of the songs for our father-daughter dance,” she shares.
On this high note, the special day of Samantha and Carlos was sealed in a heartfelt memory that the two, for sure, will continue to go back to with fondness and cherish for a lifetime.
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Credits
Images: Courtesy of Samantha Hiranand
Hair: Oui Novias Spain
Make-Up: Jelly Eugeni
Location: Madrid, Spain
Christine Andas is a features writer and the style lead of Tatler Philippines. She mostly covers style-related content but enjoys writing about space, sneakers, and her favourite stars. She acquired a master's degree in Creative Writing at the University of Santo Tomas and has written young adult short stories which can be read online.
