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Check out our exclusive peek into the wedding of the lovely Jessica Kienle and the dashing Jesse Ho Maxwell
Though Jessica Kienle and Jesse Ho Maxwell weren't engaged when they visited El Nido Resorts in Pangulusian Island back in March 2015, they couldn't help but let their imaginations run wild and picture a wedding there. And who could blame them? With its fine white sand, tuquoise waters, and magnificent karst cliffs, this Palawan island boasts some of the country's most picture-perfect - not to mention romantic - views.
In addition to the beauty of the place, the couple were impressed by the service in the resort and the people on the island, so much so that Maxwell had to ask for the general manager’s card—just in case. That calling card would come in handy later that year, when Maxwell would pop the question. “I knew that this relationship was the real thing almost immediately,” Kienle says. “Within three months after our first date, I just wanted to see him all the time. And he felt it right away as well.”
The couple met in Paris. The year was 2008—she was studying design there, while he was just visiting with friends. Sparks didn’t fly right away, however; as they were introduced as part of a big group, the two didn’t have much opportunity to chat, and ended up just exchanging a few pleasantries.
Years later, after Kienle had returned to Manila, their common circles would cause their paths to cross repeatedly, pushing them to make small talk with one another. (One of the events they were both in attendance was the 2012 Philippine Tatler Ball, which, in fact, had the two seated next to each other.) But it wasn’t until the Solaire opening in 2013 that Kienle and Maxwell finally got to have a real conversation, and soon after that, he finally asked her out on a date.
He ended up proposing to her on a spontaneous trip to Hong Kong in July 2015, and they set their wedding date on the anniversary of their first date—the 19th of March. That meant they had nine months to plan a wedding, which isn’t an easy feat under normal circumstances, let alone with the complicated logistics of a destination wedding on an island. Thankfully, Kienle had the fortune of being able to enlist the help of veteran events planners—her mother- in-law, Doris Magsaysay-Ho, Reena Gabriel from the wedding planning team The Bride’s Maids & Co, and Kaye de Jesus of El Nido Resorts group.
Her fianceÌ was also very hands-on, much to Kienle’s surprise. “He’s the type that says he doesn’t want to be involved, but if he’s there at the planning sessions, he’d chime in with his opinion,” she says. “He was very involved and helpful, especially with the logistics.”
Find out more about what went on during the wedding on Philippine Tatler's June Issue, available in all leading newsstands and bookstores. Download it on your digital device via Magzter, Zinio, and Pressreader.
Words by Cristina Morales | Photography by Pat Dy
