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Newlyweds Zeinab Harake and Bobby Ray Parks Jr. addressed netizens' criticisms about the use of paper plates at their lavish wedding, and denied rumors that the celebration cost ₱20 million.
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In their guest appearance on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda this Tuesday, June 17, Zeinab explained that the paper plates were used only in the cocktail area: “Kaya may paper plate, dahil sa cocktail area. May pika-pika kasi after the ceremony, before mag-fireworks, para hindi naiinip 'yung aming mga bisita po and magutom. Nag-ready kami ng mga pika-pika. So that's a pika-pika. Hindi siya 'yung sa reception.”

She added, “Actually, lahat na lang pinapansin.”

Because of the grand setup and aesthetics of their wedding, some social media users speculated that the event may have cost as much as PhP20 million, which Zeinab quickly debunked.

“Ako talaga, nag-comment ako, 'OA.' Kasi, masyado nilang pinapalaki. Even the cake, naging PhP2 million na hindi naman po talaga. And hindi po umabot ng PjP20 million 'yung wedding namin,” she said.

The couple emphasized that many parts of their wedding--including the location and set design--were blessings, and expressed gratitude to their principal sponsors.

Ray also responded to the online buzz, saying: “To be honest, na-humble po ako and blessed at the same time kasi po ganu'n po na po kataas ang tingin nila sa amin. Pero 'yun nga po, hindi naman gumastos ng PhP20 million po. Pero blessed kami na na-present namin 'yung elegance and 'yung wedding na gano'n at saka standard.”

As for married life, the basketball star smiled and said, “Happy wife, happy life.”

Zeinab and Ray tied the knot on June 1 in Tagaytay, with celebrity guests including Hans Sy, Yassi Pressman, Toni Gonzaga, Paul Soriano, Alex Gonzaga, and Awra Briguela. Ray proposed to Zeinab in July 2024, and in a sweet twist, Zeinab also proposed to Ray in September 2024 during a trip to Japan.

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