Friday, October 21, 2016

AlDub Wedding: Reel or Real?




DISCLAIMER: I am writing this point of view before the actual event. See below for my post-script report and reaction after the fact.


PART 1- October 21, 2016, 930pm
New York City




Photo from Manny and April photography

I could be totally wrong in my belief that the supposedly-reel AlDub wedding is REAL. Other tweeters had cautioned against disappointment and heartbreak if it turns out that all this pomp and circumstance is just for show. One disgruntled journalist had called the fans as gullible and advised us to call off the charade. His suggestion is suspect since he proceeded to endorse a rival show, despite a previous seemingly-amiable relationship with the GMA network and the AlDub love team.

Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza are scheduled to be married in the much-awaited episode of the Kalyeserye segment of EAT Bulaga. On July 16, 2015, the split-screen romance started innocuously then, out of the blue, a phenomenon was born. It caught us unaware, captured our hearts & made us willing victims of a nationwide craze. The phenomenal love team inspired an unprecedented 41 million tweets last October 2015 at the Tamang Panahon event in the Philippine Arena.

The Oct. 22, 2016 marriage ceremony is touted by the wedding organizers and the AldubNation as the epic wedding of the year. The excitement had galvanized the fans into a Twitter party. The sixty-four dollar question is: Is the wedding REEL or REAL?

I say it’s for REAL. I am going out on a limb and proclaiming that Eat Bulaga just managed a genius twist of the ultimate surprise. A stunt like no other. Real priest, real recitation of the vows, real proclamation as husband and wife. Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Faulkerson.

I have a pragmatic view of the end result. It is a win-win situation. If it is REEL, I will be happy for the delicious feeling of excitement and the sense of camaraderie that has united the fans in a frenzy of speculations. I am grateful for the endorphin rush, a temporary respite from the worries of this world. This I believe, Alden and Maine are very much in love. I am hoping that the cameras are trained on their faces at all times so that we can see the real emotions on their faces. I am certain that if not now, the wedding will be inevitable, it will be SOON.

But if I am right and this is a REAL ceremony, I will explode in triumph and inexplicable joy. I will self-combust, as a result of days of tweeting and late-night live streams of the KS episodes here in New York. Forgive me, I will flap my arms and sway in an attempt of a dance. Fantastic, baby. The thought makes me excited already.

Why do I think this is REAL? This is like hiding in plain sight. Let me count the ways:


1. Pre-nuptial pictures- 150 plus pictures point towards a REAL event. Why spend thousands for just one 30-minute segment? Have you seen the engagement ring purported to be the E-ring gift from Maine’s birthday celebration? Why use a different engagement ring from what was shown on Kalyeserye?

2. Top-notch wedding crew- stylist, videographer, wedding coordinator, and imported flowers. Even Bossing Vic was impressed with hearing about Liz Uy and Jason Magbanua. I am convinced that the preparations have been well in place since Alden tweeted a dancing banana. Epic preparations for the real thing.

3. The haut couture Rosa Clara is an international franchise of wedding dresses. Even a pre-used wedding gown costs $1500. I don’t care how generous the EB producers are, they could not be THIS generous. Did you see the expression of awe on Maine’s face when she browsed around the shop?

4. Nicolette’s (Maine’s sis) and her family flew back from Korea in time for the event. She is a self-confessed AlDub fan but, would she come back for a fake wedding?

5. Decoy entourage- There is a mix of the reel and real in the entourage that is meant to whet our appetite and further confuse us. Why include Maine’s sister and friends, but not include Alden’s family? Well, because the AldubNation will implode before the event.

6. Suspicious tweets from friends- Alden's friend tweeted about the ring. Maine's friend posted about the first wedding among friends.

7. Alden and Maine- There is no way that there are no deep feelings between the two. The tell-tale glances, the subtle touches, the twinkle in their eyes, the off-cam reports of “tambols”. Alden, why are your ears so red? You’ve often told the fans, “Believe what you see”.

Finally, what I have secretly dreamed for you since last year will come true. You are both beautiful inside and out and you deserve to start a life together. Full of love, romance, laughter, and trust in God.

It looks like the event is cloaked in secrecy. But hey, I’m into you, Eat Bulaga. Well, I hope that I am right and the naysayers are wrong. As I said, if it’s reel, I will survive the very slight disappointment. The palpitations are part of my cardiac exercise. Hopia at my own risk. I am a grown woman. I will pick myself up and just blame it on my over-active imagination.

But if I am right, Oh my God!!!! I will brag, "I told you so". Expect me to be in cloud nine for a few weeks. It might even get me a free dinner from my sister-in-law. At the very least, I will scream like the rest of the believers. EEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!



P.S. Reel but Real...
PART 2- 10/22/2016. 7am, New York City

With just three hours of sleep after live-streaming the event, I am here to report that it was not an official wedding. The priest was not real and no papers were signed. The presence of the Kalyeserye characters Tatay Dodong, Lola Babah, and the three Lolas (Nidora, Tidora, and Tinidora) firmly established that this was meant to be FICTION.

Eat Bulaga proved to be a bottomless pit of resources. No expenses were spared to create a beautiful and classy wedding worthy of the phenomenal love team.

BUT, everything seemed Real in the middle of the Reel. The genuine emotions that flowed between the “bride” and “groom” touched our hearts. They read their hand-written personal vows with such conviction and sincerity that the audience cried with them. Unscripted feelings and reactions were evident in the twinkle in their eyes and Alden's reddened ears.

The wedding rings are a mystery. There are reports that Alden bought the rings himself and had them engraved. If this is not romantic, then I don't know what is.

Their love is undeniable. The promise of forever was enough. Romance was in the air, and Alden and Maine glowed with an aura that can only be described as magical.

And the kiss. That 17-second kiss was just marvelous. EEEEEEEEE!!! Even now as I replayed the kissing scene (for the nth time), my smile stretches my face so much. I'm afraid it will snap back & crumple my face beyond recognition.

There is so much to be thankful for. The pair continues to bring joy to their fans. We can all relate to the romance of this unlikely story. The future is exciting. Richard Faulkerson Jr. may not have claimed his bride in real life yet, but in God's perfect time, Mrs. Richards will become Mrs. Faulkerson.









UPDATE: 3/21/19

REEL, it is. Sadly, it was not meant to be. AlDub is no more. Maine has her own love life now and Alden is exploring other career options. Some fans have taken sides and some have thrown ugly rumors left and right. I am not one of them. I am extremely disappointed, of course, but I accept that it was all just wishful thinking on my part. However, I am still grateful for the joy that AlDub brought into my life. For a few years, the possibility of a real-life romance made me smile and made my heart remember. AlDub was phenomenal and nothing can ever dispute that.