In a celebration that encapsulated their shared passions, Gian and Elva Uygongco tied the knot last June 12, 2024 in a spectacular anime-themed wedding. Their ceremony was filled with personal touches and references to their favorite anime and video games, making their big day a memorable experience not just for them, but for all their guests.
The couple often spent evenings on the couch watching shows or playing games together. Elva explains: "We wanted to put a little of ourselves into the wedding details to make it truly our own. We were only going to do this once in our lives, and we wanted it to be fun!"
"We're both massive nerds, and our parents just told us to go with what we liked," Gian added. "The planning was actually pretty smooth. The first stumbling block was us holding ourselves back from going full anime. Then we just decided to go full anime."
In an exclusive interview with Preview, the couple walked us through each detail of their thoughtfully planned nuptials. From Elva’s Cardcaptor Sakura-themed wedding dress to their "Final Fantasy"-inspired invites, the newlyweds shared exclusive insights about their inspirations, planning process, and favorite moments from their extraordinary wedding.
Preview Exclusive: Gian and Elva Uygongco on the Details of Their Dream Anime-Themed Wedding
1. The invitations
Elva: "We wanted a unique invite for our guests. We thought 'Why not a scroll?'. Our scroll invite was created by Neonovelties. The artwork featured on our scroll invite was made by Paulo Gaddi and takes inspiration from my favorite game, 'Kingdom Hearts.'"
2. The wedding logo
Elva: "Our wedding logo was quite popular. When we started releasing the initial save the dates, our fellow video game nerd friends commented, 'That’s so 'Final Fantasy!' Which is exactly what our logo took inspiration from. We were excited when our guests got the reference."
3. Elva's gift to Gian
Shortly after their wedding in June, Elva's wedding gift to Gian quickly made the rounds on X (formerly Twitter). As a present to her now-husband, Elva commissioned artist Julian Bacani for an animation film inspired by their love story.
Elva: "Our love story is like an anime plot in real life, why not make it into an anime opening? Since giving each other art became our love language, I thought to myself, 'Our love story is like an anime plot in real life, why not make it into an anime opening?'"
"Julian Bacani’s (JujuArts) talent in animation made him more than perfect for the job. He previously animated SB19’s anime music video. His background and scenery work made me sure that he’ll be able to capture the moments beautifully."
Elva: "On top of this beautiful animation, I hired talented musicians to do a custom English duet cover of 'Fiction' by Sumika from the anime Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, as well as make a base backing track and accompaniment string orchestration. It was like I was producing my very own anime, which I guess I was. [laughs]"
4. Gian's gift to Elva
Elva: "My second favorite moment [from the wedding] was receiving Gian’s wedding gift. He gave me a custom 3D-printed Cardcaptor Sakura staff that lights up. I was quite excited when I opened the wrapper. This amazing piece was also crafted by Jose Marie Yu David (Canamon)!"
4. The food and drinks
Elva: "Our drinks menu had video game references as well. It was fun creating custom names for the different drinks. "
Elva: "These custom [cake] toppers by Dreams of Pop actually take inspiration from the very first artwork I commissioned for Gian."
5. The art books
Gian: "We loved giving and commissioning art for each other for our birthdays and special occasions, and we wanted to give something that would add character to the reception, and also give a giveaway that could also help promote the artists who we commissioned.
When we consolidated everything we commissioned, we came to the realization that, at this rate, we have enough for one of those video game and anime artbooks– so we just followed that to its natural conclusion. We really did that to showcase the artists we met and commissioned over the years, some of whom have become also friends of ours. They are all very talented, hardworking, and friendly people that do deserve to be promoted."
Elva: "We thought our entourage, ninongs, and ninangs would also enjoy having themselves turned into an anime. We wanted our gift for our guests to be something unique, personalized, and special. It was fun showing the anime counterparts of the entourage during the reception."
6. "Shrek"-inspired prenup video
Gian: "I was tired of the usual prenup styles, and it was very halata that most of the couples doing that were just going through the motions. We’re nerds, and well, when I told her, 'Hey, why not Shrek 2?' She was on board. The concept was initially supposed to be a more isekai story, but I think the Shrek juxtaposition won out for maximum meme material and comedy."
7. The wedding dress
Elva: "It was actually Gian who suggested the concept [of my wedding dress] to me. He was wondering why I wasn’t excitedly talking about the wedding dress after the first fitting. He suggested that maybe I should re-design it and take inspiration from my favorite outfit from Cardcaptor Sakura. An anime wedding gown, but make it couture."
Elva: "The wedding gown has this beautiful overskirt with a long train which I wore to the ceremony at St. James. The skirt is detachable, revealing my reception gown underneath. Ingrid Santillan crafted each individual wing meticulously and placed them one by one to create the beautiful detailing you see on the final gown. We were trying to find that balance of ethereal and elegance without being too costume-y. She really created a wonderful piece of clothing that I will cherish forever. Oh, and the best part? The gown has pockets!"
8. Bridal shoes
Elva: "Even my wedding shoes were anime-inspired! This pair is Cardcaptor Sakura-themed shoes from Japan."
9. The wedding rings
Elva: "Our wedding rings are Lord of the Rings-inspired, created by Hans Brumann. We even have a story behind it. A dwarf fell in love with an elf. The elf learned Dwarven and crafted a Dwarven wedding ring for the elf. And in turn, the elf did the same. We each designed our wedding rings. Gian’s Dwarven wedding ring has Dwarven on it. Elva’s elven wedding ring has Elvish on it."
What a wedding! Congrats, Gian and Elva!
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