I've known Chichi for the past three years - she was one of my junior pediatric residents during training.  I met her fiance, Bong, in January of this year when we all flew to Davao City with some other doctor friends to be at a wedding. We bonded over the next few days as we toured the neighboring towns (and islands) of Davao City

Being the only couple in a group of fourteen, and with their own wedding just couple of months away (they are getting married in September), Chichi and Bong quickly became a favorite subject for me and the rest of our companions and our cameras. We took photos of them every chance we got. 

"Prenups," we said.  

They were very shy at first, but as the days went by they became more comfortable with all the cameras pointing at them, and eventually got used to being directed to strike different poses. 

As our Davao trip came to an end and we were going our separate ways, ChiChi and Bong asked me to tag along and take pictures too when they had their official prenup pictorial, and I promised I would.

Fast forward to 6 months later...

The dates were set, and the couple told me where we were going to shoot.

Ilocos Norte!

I'd been there last year and I enjoyed every minute of that trip!

I boarded a bus at 3am early Saturday and 11 hours later arrived at my destination.

We were going to shoot at five different locations in two days and we got started right away!

Otherwise known as the White House of the North, this palace overlooks Paoay Lake and used to be the residence of deposed Ferdinand Marcos and his family when they were in the north. It was built in 1977 and became the venue of the trendiest high society settings. After Marcos was deposed in 1986 and died a few years later, the palace was transformed into a museum of the late president’s memorabilia.

Known as the “Earthquake Baroque” church in the Philippines, Paoay church is the best known Baroque church in the Philippines and has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. The cornerstone of the church was laid by the Augustinian missionaries in 1704 while the cornerstone of the belfry was laid in 1793.

The church was built of baked bricks, coral rocks, salbot (tree sap) and lumber, and has 24 carved massive buttresses for support.  The church facade faces the setting sun, and the unique mix of materials used to build it gives the church a golden glow at dusk.

Built in 1892, the lighthouse stands on a promontory in Burgos, Ilocos Norte.  It is the highest lighthouse in the Philippines and is the most accessible of all lighthouses in the north of the Island of Luzon. It was built in 1892 and is still functioning to date, serving ships passing by the northern part of South China Sea.