Luli draws inspiration from ‘Sex and the City’ movie for wedding

MANILA, Philippines - Presidential daughter Evangelina Lourdes “Luli" Arroyo, the most private among the members of the First Family, drew inspiration from the “Sex and the City" movie for her wedding. Fr. Joaquin Bernas, who officiated the wedding of Luli and former investment banker Jay Aloysius Luigi Bernas on Wednesday in Tagaytay City, revealed this to reporters Friday. Bernas, the uncle of the groom, defended the decision of the 37-year old Luli to keep her wedding a private affair. He said that it was the wish of “two hard-headed people," the bride and the groom, that the wedding be very private. “The way they explained it to me, they wanted it the way they saw in the movie," he said, referring to SATC, a box office hit movie starring Sarah Jessica Parker. In that movie, Parker’s character, columnist Carrie Bradshaw, and her beau Mr. Big decided to simply have a civil wedding after their much-anticipated union had been a subject of public speculation. “[The movie] started as a very simple thing then it became very elaborate. It exasperated the groom and he didn’t show up (at his own wedding). So they didn’t want that to happen," he added. Bernas said that Luli apparently got her wish. Only 30 people attended the wedding, most of them family members. “It was solemn. It was the way that they wanted it, a purely a religious ceremony, not a show of extravaganza. Masaya rin si Luli (Luli was happy). I was happy that my nephew is finally getting married. We have been pushing him to get married after several girlfriends," he said. When asked how it felt to be related by affinity to the Arroyos, Bernas said he was not uncomfortable at all. Bernas has been critical of some of the Arroyo administration’s policies. “Paano yan, di ko na sila mapipintasan (So now I cannot criticize them anymore)," he said while laughing. “I have been very polite. I was seated next to her (President Arroyo) during dinner. We didn’t talk about politics at all. We talked about some legal issues. The only thing I discussed was what happened to the Galoc oil field in Palawan," he said. Talk about the wedding had been circulating since last week, but the Palace kept mum about it. - GMANews.TV