Former Ms. Chinatown weds in Crazy Rich Asians style

The couple exchanged their vows at the National Shrine of Saint Jude Thaddeus in San Miguel, Manila.
(Photo: @victorbasa/Instagram)

Miss Chinatown 2016 Shirley Vy married long-time partner businessman Kevin Ong in a ceremony and reception inspired by 2018 Jon M. Chu film “Crazy Rich Asians” (adapted from the Kevin Kwan novel of the same name) last Sunday, October 14.

The 26-year-old wore a custom-made Elie Saab wedding gown that cost around $27,000 according to bridalmusings.com. Her husband wore a Dior tuxedo. Shirley’s look was by celebrity makeup artist Albert Kurniawan and hairstylist Jerry Javier. The bridesmaids were dressed by Elizabeth Hallie Design.

The couple exchanged their vows at the National Shrine of Saint Jude Thaddeus in San Miguel, Manila. The church was decorated with whimsical orchids and bouquets, candles paving the aisle. Shirley walked down the aisle to Side A’s “Forevermore.”

The guests and entourage then moved to the Grand Ballroom of Solaire Resort and Casino in Pasay City, where they were greeted by a Greek garden-inspired venue. The place was filled with pastels and LED lights. The wedding cake by Mannix Pena was unmissable as it stood at 11 feet, Cakes by Mannix’s “tallest cake to date.”

Among the performances were by the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra and Shirley herself who sang Filipino classic “Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko” to her husband. However, the most notable numbers were by American acoustic band Boyce Avenue, who flew to Manila just for Kevin and Shirley’s wedding. Eva Marie Poon, one of the hosts of the event, shared a photo on Instagram that captioned, “When you have one of the most popular bands in the world, with 10 million subscribers and 3.4 billion views on YouTube, take a break from their current U. S. tour and fly in just to sing at your wedding reception. It was an honor to introduce and listen to you, the Manzano brothers, more popularly known as Boyce Avenue.” The pop and rock band performed numerous songs like “Unchained Melody” and “Say You Won’t Let Go.”

Christine Ong Te was the couple’s wedding coordinator.

The star-studded guest list included actor Victor Basa and girlfriend Stephanie Dan, Eat Bulaga’s “You’re My Foreignay” runner-up Dasuri Choi, and Mister and Miss Chinatown finalists Wryan Chua and Sabrina Ng. CNN Philippines’ James Deakin and Poon hosted the event.