Invited to a Wedding in Tarlac, Philippines
This is a post regarding my recent travel from Albay, Philiipines to Tarlac, Philippines to attend my best friend's wedding. Images are from the recently opened Bicol International Airport, La Maja Rica Hotel, La Sagrada Familia Parish Church as well Uma Private Villa. Tarlac is a province in the Philippines located north of Manila City. This means that there are more influence of nature to the design of places I will be showing in the images.
I hope you enjoy the post :)
Bicol International Airport
Since the pandemic restrictions have loosened up, my friend decided to “tie the knot” or in simpler terms, get married. Obviously I was invited though it would require me to travel from our province in Albay to Tarlac. This means that I have to ride the plane and commute using the bus. But this also means a new adventure after 2 and a half years stuck in Albay.
Bicol International Airport. The words “Dagos Po” is a way of politely welcoming someone inside their home. Image taken by 
My trip started in the Bicol International Airport which was recently opened in Daraga, Albay, Philippines. The structure has faced countless hardships from planning to construction, which ranged from arson of heavy equipment(happened twice), delays since 1996, as well as constant typhoons which happens every year in Albay. Despite all this, in 2021, the airport was officially in operation. Upon arrival, tourists could instantly see the perfect shape of Mayon Volcano. For more information, check their website at this link
As I was too nervous due to the Pandemic situation, I was not able to take pictures inside the airport that much. So I will describe it for now. The airport is very spacious due to how few the passengers are leaving and arriving in Legazpi City. Due to the pandemic situation, tourism is just starting in Albay, Philippines once again. So the airport is very unpopulated right now. Outside the airport, one could see some construction debris and materials still lying around. The airport has just opened but to me it seems unfinished. But for now, I will hold all my judgements to myself since the pandemic situation.
Do visit our province in Legazpi City, Albay!
Scenic View of Mayon Volcano and the airport. Source
La Maja Rica Hotel
Image of Recption Area and Premiere Tower. Source
Upon arrival in Manila, I stayed a night in a condominium before joining my friend in the trip to Tarlac City, Tarlac. There we stayed in a popular hotel named La Maja Rica Hotel. It is a 3 star hotel according to Google. It is located along MacArthur highway in Tarlac City. Despite being in the central economic hub of Tarlac, the place is very clean and well maintained. The staff follows the strict protocol for the pandemic as well.
@grenfunkelWe were booked in their Premiere Tower double room. Five of us including the groom will be staying there the day before the wedding. Their rooms were clean and the bathroom has hot water. Each room had a lot of room for storage for our clothes and bags. I am feeling a bit complex for the refrigerator since it is a nice addition but would be useless when the room's key card is brought outside the room. This means that would we put inside would not cool at all(design flaw for me but energy saving for the hotel). There is some difference between the room shown in their website when compared to the actual room. More specifically, there was no extra square pillow as well as the gray bed runners. Toiletries was also lacking. Only two sets of towels, cups, tooth brushes, etc. was included in the room. Good thing we were prepared with our own.
Room sample from the La Maja Rica Website
Actual Room. We made it messy quickly. Image taken by
La Sagrada Famila Parish Chruch
The following day, we had a pictorial with the groom in the morning. We were constantly being photographed since it would be used for the wedding’s “one-day shoot” which will be shown during the reception. In the afternoon, the wedding was held in a small but beautiful parish church. It is named La Sagrada Familia Parish Church. It is located in the outskirt of Gerona, Tarlac.
Beautiful sunny weather perfect for a wedding. La Sagrada Famila Parish Church. Image taken by
This church was designed by the late priest-architect, Rev. Fr. Alex Bautista in a donated land. It is basically in the middle of farmlands of Gerona, Tarlac but surprisingly this church was even visited by Pope Francis in the year 2015. To be honest, I was surprised when I learned that this church was built just in 2015. I even thought that this was built during the Spanish colonial era of the Philippines due to the intricated design of the church inside and out.
@grenfunkel
Rear Side. Paintings and statues of saints could be seen. Image taken by
Though the church looks big on the outside, it is quite small on the inside with only around 20 rows of benches. Despite its small size, the details inside the church were outstanding. You could clearly see the grandeur just from the ceiling alone. Carvings on wooden embellishments are intricate and the paint job made the inside vibrant and full of life. This is quite the opposite of usual churches that I have been to.
@grenfunkelNature seems to have embraced this church. It was not just a mishmash of plants strewn everywhere. It surrounded the place and brought fresh air inside the church. It seems that the church was designed with nature in mind as well. The sides of the church filled with plants seems to have connected the inside space to the outside making it less enclosed and crowded.
More plants. Image taken by
At the opposite side of the altar, figures of saints could be seen. But in the middle of it all, was a small galley of paintings which depicted the events in the early life of Jesus Christ but with a distinct Filipino flavor. It was painted by a contemporary artist, Mr. Albert Dancel who was a resident of Tarlac. The painting was titled, “Via Gaudiosa” or the “Way of Joy”
”Via Gaudiosa” by Mr. Albert Dancel. These are 5 of 14 paintings. The place was a bit dark so the image taken has lower quality. Image taken by
Dedication of the paintings
After the wedding I can’t help but be amazed once again by the beautiful structure. Looking at the building closely, made me feel the passion of Rev. Fr. Alex Bautista. The priest-architect may have passed but his legacy and art shall remain for a long time. For more information about the church, you could check this website or their Facebook Page.
10 out of 10, I would definitely come back again. Image taken by
Uma Private Villa
Night View of Uma Private Villa Source
To finish of the wedding, a reception was held in the evening. This was held at Uma Private Villa which was located back at Tarlac City, Tarlac. It is located a bit further away from the hustle and bustle of the city proper. The place is refreshing due to the pool and the nature surrounding the place. The family of the groom and bride enjoyed the reception without problems. As I enjoyed the evening, I decided not to take pictures that much. So I took the images the next morning.
A grill and cottage which was not part of the reception area. Image taken by
The bedroom we stayed the night at. Double deck structure is very sturdy. Lots of white color to look clean all the time. Image taken by
A small cottage with rattan furniture. It would have looked better with natural wood color as contrast to the silken drapes. Image taken by
Lots of trees incorporated in the villa. Gives off a serene and fresh morning. Image taken by
More wooden furniture. The warm color makes a good contrast to the tiles and walls. Low profile and minimalist and lots of nature is the theme of this villa it seems. Image taken by
The place was relaxing due to plenty of furniture distributed in the entire place. Though it may look amazing, there were some problems which popped while staying there. The water was rusty. While brushing my teeth, rust could be tasted from the water in their faucet. Aside from that, the water supplied to their toiled flush smelled putrid. So despite how amazing the exterior of the place was, I was not too impressed by the place. Great place to host a reception, not so great for staying in. 6/10 stars for me.
Extra Notes
If you are planning to go to Tarlac, Philippines, do check out these places. The camera I used was the one in my phone which is not really great for taking images specially in low light conditions. Furthermore, I rarely take pictures at all lol. So as you can see I added images from their website. I hope you enjoyed this post! Thanks~