Touched that her ninang Nedy Tantoco had arranged for the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra to play at the church, Lagdameo-Murphy’s bridal march was to “The Indian Queen.” Both being based in New York, the wedding planning phase had its challenges but family came through for the couple in more ways than one. While the bride enlisted the help of Bride’s Maids and Co., “thankfully we have a great support system in the Philippines, between my family and our close family friends, who helped bring everything together. I joked that the best advice was to have a big family with a lot of siblings—everyone helped to create such a magical evening for us,” she says.

The couple put their trust in Ponce Veridiano, who used an abundance of tropical flowers and plants from around the archipelago to create a magical garden setting. Later on, a standout moment for the newlyweds was walking into the reception as Mr. and Mrs. Brendan Murphy, surrounded by loved ones, “and seeing how beautifully Ponce had transformed the space. We were both in awe!” she shares.

During dinner, the Manila String Machine set the mood followed by the Yellow Lane Band and DJ Gino Yulo. The dancing let up for a few minutes for the traditional cutting of the cake. The gorgeous five-layer confection with buttercream frosting was a creation by the talented Heny Sison. Recalls Lagdameo-Murphy, “Each layer was a different flavour, because we couldn’t decide which one we liked best!”

Running through the entire celebration, the couple had so many moments that felt truly magical. But most especially was having Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle offi ciate their wedding. “We met with him before the wedding and so the sermon felt very personal and he seemed to capture us as a couple,” she says, adding, “For me, what stands out was walking down the aisle with my dad, which was such a special moment… and meeting my mum at the end and having them both give me away to Brendan before approaching the altar.”

It was so touching to have everyone there and it meant so much to us

- Isabel Lagdameo-Murphy

Still simmering down from their big day high, the newlyweds are still in the midst of ironing out their honeymoon plans. “We are planning to go later this year, perhaps at the end of summer or early Fall. We were originally thinking of going to Argentina, but may go somewhere in Europe instead. We’re trying to think of places we haven’t been to before, so we can explore them together,” she shares excitedly.

Now that husband and wife are back at home in the city that never sleeps, the question that begs to be asked is, what’s changed? “Honestly,” starts Lagdameo-Murphy, “it doesn’t feel very different. I’m definitely still getting used to calling Brendan my husband, instead of my fiancé. It’s been great being back and settling into the apartment, figuring out our new routines together. It’s funny looking back at last year, because just over a year ago today is when Brendan was going ring shopping with my sister, Caterina, and I had no idea any of that was happening. We are both looking forward to just being together—doing the little things like grocery shopping, laundry, and binge watching the latest Netflix series.”