Behind the Scenes at Janice Szeto and Jian DeLeons' Weddings in New York and Manila

The invitations

The artist friend couple Naomi Otsu Janice created the invitations for both events. Each one has a different tone and manner, because you'll see that there's a lot more of a party atmosphere in New York, whereas Manila is much more refined and serious, because there's family involved, Janice explains.

New York inspiration

Janice and Jian have a lot of friends who work in hospitality and nightlife, so planning the New York event started with text messages. They both knew several people from Jeans who helped them book the basement for the night. “We didn’t have a planner at all, we were just in touch with our friends, like a group project where everyone did their part. It was very personal. We didn’t hand over the decision-making to someone we hadn’t known for years,” Janice says.

New York Wardrobe

The bride had three dresses set aside for the party, but she was having so much fun that she didn't take the time to change into the third one.

“I found this gorgeous feather-sleeved dress from Mango for my first look,” says Janice. Her shoes were by Stuart Weitzman and her bag was by Simone Rocha. Her friend Bernard James She helped me with the jewelry. I'm very minimalistic when it comes to jewelry. I don't wear a lot, but her diamonds are so gorgeous. I just wanted a simple tennis bracelet with a matching necklace, she says.

Then I went for a Solace London mini dress with a train. I put my hair up and felt really beautiful because I was able to show off some of my assets, says Janice. She also loves the Prada platform shoes she wore with it.

The third dress, which was hard to get, was backless and a little more flirty. It was something a little more fun for my parents' going away, Janice explains. Alas, I didn't get to wear it because I didn't want to be interrupted!

Jian wore a custom tuxedo by designer Emily Adams, Bode Aujla is a friend. To give it a personal touch, there was embroidery depicting a restaurant once owned by the Janice family, called Sunluck.

The matchbox [from the restaurant] is embroidered on the inside pocket. Some of the architecture from the postcards is also on the inside flap, as well as some of the menu inscriptions, he said. Jian also wore the tuxedo in Manila.

New York Party

“I don’t think we’ve ever been in a place where there were so many people that we all wanted to be around at the same time. When we walked in, it was really, really special,” Janice recalls.

The two created a fun menu that included Red Farm meatballs, Williamsburg Pizza heart-shaped pizzas, and Jeans chocolate chip cookies as a wedding cake. “Instead of a full meal, we served these options throughout the evening and timed it in waves, knowing that some of our friends would be coming later,” Jian says. “It ended up working out because Jeans has a certain capacity. We were able to seat about 300 people in the end.”

People went crazy when We Found Love in a Hopeless Place started playing. It was everything Jian wanted from a wedding. The nostalgia of the Rihanna song and the fact that it was in a nightclub with everyone dressed up was the ultimate manifestation of what we wanted to achieve, which was this energy that we had when we were younger, but now we have together as a married couple.

Ceremony

Janice and Jian hired a wedding planner who had worked with several of their friends. Planning the party in New York was relatively straightforward, but they needed help planning something overseas. In Manila, it was really important to have someone on-site to look at and find as many options as possible so we could narrow them down, Janice says. We had a really great wedding planner, but we were also able to rely on our friends and family for their personal input.

The wedding took place at the Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, a gated community in Makati. The church in particular was important to Janice’s family, but also to mine, Jian says. Growing up, this place was practically in our backyard. My parents were really excited that we were [getting married] there.

I remember being there for my cousins' weddings, so to be there myself and have my own wedding there was really surreal, Janice says.

Manila Looks

The couple flew to Manila a few days before the ceremony and were able to avoid jet lag. Janice met with fashion designer Martin Bautista, who custom-made her three looks. She loved working with him and appreciated how comfortable he made her feel. “I spent most of my time going back and forth to different fittings and making alterations to the three looks,” she says. “It wasn’t stressful at all. He was very calm and very knowledgeable. He told me that I had enough on my plate and that he would take care of the rest. That was the best thing to hear with such a big event coming up.”

Jian wore two tuxedos, one by Thom Browne in a midnight blue inspired by JFK Jr.'s wedding, and one by Bode that he wore in New York, which he later changed into a custom Bode tuxedo jacket and denim pants.

Manila Reception

The Shangri-La, where we had the reception, is a hotel my family frequents both as locals and as foreign visitors, Janice explains. This was the newest property, and it was truly special and a new iteration of the experiences we had growing up. Dinner was a traditional 10-course Chinese buffet served family style.

The couple’s friends, Cassie and Vinny Locsin, who are siblings, gave speeches. “I think people tend to choose speakers from the bride’s side and then the groom’s side separately, and they tend to talk about the individual,” Janice says. “They were able to coordinate their speeches so that each one had elements about both of us.” Janice and Cassie met through work, and their deep friendship later extended to Jian and the Locsin family.

These words reflect the warm and welcoming nature of Janice and Jian. They run at 10,000 miles per hour, socialize and interact with seas of people, and yet they manage to cultivate so many genuine relationships. And these relationships aren’t just acquaintances, mind you, they’re friendships, connections and powerful bonds. Janice and Jian nurture these connections like seeds. They check in with them regularly, nurture them and grow them, and they show them fierce loyalty, Cassie said.

Afterward, Janice and Jian changed outfits and headed to a new Japanese-inspired izakaya owned by a friend for the after-party. “I think we had a lot more fun at the after-party,” Janice admits.

Janice Szeto and Jian DeLeon's Wedding

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Adrienne Gaffney is a senior features editor at SHE and has already worked at WSJ Magazine And Vanity Fair.