Hosting Aboard Charisse & Steven's Nautical Love Boat

I am still sailing at high seas, and so happy for Charisse Siao-Prakash who has proven that indeed, true love is worth sailing (even stormy seas) for! She found her prince, Steven, in Singapore and their love story is just inspiring - how their love breaks race, culture and all other sorts of barriers. I am truly honored to be the master of ceremony of their union, held at the New World Hotel Makati. Very apt that they chose this hotel for they will surely explore new worlds together! 

The theme was nautical-inspired, and I just had to note the Anchor accent, which was right beside the initials of the bride and groom's name - at how love must be anchored on the most essential values such as respect, honesty, faith and selflessness. Nautical and Naughty, too, as  we had a beer drinking game which ended with the ladies strutting their sexy stuff on the dance floor.

Just had to post the breathtaking table center piece: these beautiful flowers! 

Thank you, Charisse and Steven! More than inviting me to emcee your wedding party, I thank you for inspiring me with your love. May you be blessed with good health, prosperity, lots of healthy kids and a love that will continue to inspire us all through the years! 

 *****

Please check out my videos of hosting the wedding by clicking the Youtube links below: 

Cake and Wine Toast Ceremony led by Marylaine Viernes

Opening Ceremony led by Marylaine Viernes

For weddings/corporate events, contact me via my online portfolio: 
 Marylaine Viernes Events Host Profile

Fun, fashion and friends at the Total Girl Magazine Model Academy 2015

The young girl in me got to run, wild and free, at least for a few hours, all thanks to the successful event of Total Girl Magazine - the much-anticipated and well-attended TG Model Academy 2015! Again, I am just so honored and blessed to host this fabulous party which was a workshop and go-see too! Below, here I am so excited to share the stage with Ms. Pauleen of Claire's and of course the lovely Mimi Tiu, Total Girl's EIC: 

Held at the bustling atrium of the new Glorietta mall, this event allowed me to bond with my amazing friends from Summit Media, and I also made new ones that day too! I super love love love my Total Girl family (hope you girls and guys are reading this) and I want to thank you all for trusting me with your fab events and for our next exciting (non-hosting related) project. I can't wait to share this to all of you by July! That's for another post. :-) 

So anyway before I get any more giddy and carried away, I'd just like to share the highlights of the day. Photos thanks to Joe Carl of Summit media: 

All these beautiful, high-energy ladies were model aspirants and this harks me back to the days when I too dreamt to be a model! Never really got there (since some things are not meant to be) but I am happy to achieve a bigger dream of mine - and that is to become an events host! Plus a proud mum to this big blazing ball of energy, below who enjoyed attention from his Total Girl big sisters! 

- Marylaine Louise Viernes

Bouncing with Glee at Cordlife's Bumps & Beyond Activity

Walking down mommy-memory-lane is always something pleasant for I will always cherish my son's first years of life. That's why I am always thankful when I get to emcee events for moms like me. Here I am below with super humble and sweet Cordlife Mom-bassador, exceptional journalist and media icon, Ms. Nina Corpuz, and wow was our event jam-packed! 

Happy to be working with Cordlife again, for their recent event held at the Crowne Plaza, where I took my (stage) grandmother, Marylou, to listen, learn and be my occasional photographer.

My hats continue to pile up (busy business development & lease manager, events host, sister, daiughter, friend and most of all, proud mum!), and now I am tasked to be a caring granddaughter (or grand doter) too, and how meaningful it was for the both of us for this event was all about new beginnings. She just moved in with us this year so we can take care of her. So far, she enjoys being my stylist! For this event with Cordlife & Mommy Mundo, I was simply thinking about how apt my placenta-inspired jumpsuit was. But for her, fashion styling is an art - and a business! Happy she's onboard and not bored! 

Above shows the fun raffle draw and below shows me getting serious as I discuss Metascreen (expanded newborn screening) and Cordblood Banking with the Cordlife experts. Cheers to more happy times with Cordlife, and your newborns. Congratulations to all the loving and excited parents!

- Marylaine Louise Viernes  

The most DOLE-lightful & DOLE-licious event ever!

It just keeps raining in my life... raining blessings, raining love, raining joy and raining light! Not just Light; but in fact, DOLE-light! Yes, I am simply so honoured and so blessed to be the emcee for an intimate bloggers activity by DOLE Philippines held at the Cookery (at beautiful and luxurious Burgos Circle, Taguig), which is really the most relaxed yet most invigorating event I have ever emceed for! I was in the company of friends new and old, such as mommy blogger and true girl's girl who inspires me: the beautiful, statuesque Michelle Aventajado (her blog: Momma 'N Manila by Mish Aventejado and of course, Chef Rosebud "RB" Benitez, who remembers me from way way back my humble hosting days, when I got to be co-host for the Shop TV Network. Below with my beautiful girl friend, Mish: 

And below, with Chef RB, Chef Mom too! I'd also like to thank Ms. Weng, Brand Manager of Dole and the Waddage Team led by Ms. Katia for trusting me to be part of this lovely affair! 

DOLE you wish that everyday looked as marvelous as this? Check out these beautiful party accents... wish I was artistic as the amazing event stylists/ design team behind this setup:

It was such an intimate affair, part walking back to my humble yet exciting earlier days as an event host, and now as a mom and busy, busy events host too! I also had the honor of meeting other mom-bloggers who took part in the fun afternoon tea with cooking, using of course, only the best - and most DOLE-lectable food products from DOLE! 

Indeed, this event serves as a reminder that some beautiful memories and people, will always be part of our lives, and will continue to enrich us, make us smile (Like my beloved EP). Reminiscent of Dole's cheerful Blue & Yellow brand colors, life - even when it's down - is always a sunny day. Like they say, "the lowest ebb is the turn of the tide," and knowing this just makes life so exciting! Happy to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones! Thank you, DOLE for making me part of this event where every part of it was simply, A-DOLE-able!

- Marylaine Louise Viernes  

Love and Passion come alive at 'The Longest Ride'

I am so blessed to attend the press night of Warner Bros. and Fox Philippines’ latest box office hit, “The Longest Ride,” and was pretty much everything you’d love in a movie – superb, breathtaking, heartwarming, inspiring – except that I found its title very ironic for it wasn’t a long ride at all; in fact you won’t get enough of this gripping story of life and love, it will leave you applauding with tears in your eyes, asking for more! Those hours were just short yet sweet and mesmerising. The movie unraveled the beautiful foundational layers of love, such as respect, humility and sacrifice.

PHOTO ABOVE PROPERTY OF WARNER BROTHERS

“The Longest Ride” is adapted from the novel of the same title but Nicolas Sparks – who never failed to make me cry since I met him (through his books) during my college days – really produced a winner in this one. This movie is so delectable with a zesty twist you never expected! It resonates the truth of how love is a seed that grows love really starts with just the seed of pure, simple intentions, and definitely, as it grows, it leads you to something beyond your wildest imaginations.

The characters were powerfully given life in the movie. The beauty and charm of Sofia (played by Britt Robertson) simply grows on you. Shy yet spunky, she unwittingly finds her prince without looking for him, only because she is destined for him (and she shows how destiny is synonymous to sacrifice and selflessness). And you can’t help but take a second, luke her bull-riding prince, Luke (played by Scott Eastwood). With his Clint Eastwood-solid-faced good looks, laced with gentlemanliness, you can’t help but gush every time they share the screen!

Everything about the movie was simply spellbinding, the generations of love in the film, and the different forms that Love takes. Beyond the romantic love between Sofia and Luke, they also meet Ira after they save his life but it turns out that it was he who saved their love as he walked the young couple through consummate love and solidarity. I loved how the story spoke of how simplicity – of simply loving and sacrificing without demanding the same, of simply helping without expecting praises or monetary rewards, of simply listening without expecting any gratification in exchange, of simply letting go for the simple reason that you love the person and you want her to be happy. Indeed, the story tells of how Love and Life should never be complicated. That all it takes to find lasting greatness is a pure, selfless heart. This movie is the epitome of subtle perfection and as I do not yearn to spoil the plot for you, to excite you let me quote a line from the movie that simply summarises this beautiful tale: “A story like so many others, except Ruth happened to have an eye for art while I had eyes only for her and somehow this was enough for us to create a collection that became priceless to both of us.” 

- MARYLAINE LOUISE VIERNES 

Total Glee with Total Girl!

I love being a girl again! I feel that I have finally evolved into a woman, with the different roles I treasure as a mom, a corporate girl, and striving entrepreneur, but it is essential to always keep that little girl inside of me. As a mom, I enjoy playtime with my adorable boy. At work, I always have to keep churning new ideas out. I also help out with my parents' small businesses, and of course there are still those dreams I have yet to fulfil. 

In the meantime, I try my best to juggle it all, and that is why I am thankful that my hosting work - especially with Total Girl Magazine events - help me develop new ideas, and I get to savor some of the indefatigable good vibes from all the beautiful and smart Total Girls I meet. So let's look at the recent - totally awesome and exciting - Total Girl event held at Elizabeth Seton School: 

 Total Girl and 3m (Post It and Scotch) made sure that the girls unleashed their creativity with awesome activities that made their imagination run wild. 

My college degree is BSE English Linguistics. I am a licensed teacher too! Although I am not a full-time professor, I get to teach and enjoy during my hosting jobs. I am also my baby boy's teacher (we are trying to get serious with Basic Mandarin, he can now say 'Hello,' 'Good Morning,' 'I love you,' and 'Good Night,' in Mandarin) but perhaps we save that for another blog post! 

 Total Girl Big Sis, Beam Mariano all smiles as she wows the Setonian Total Girls with her impressive handcrafted products! An artsy entrepreneur with a big heart (and a big smile too). Visit shopartwine.com to see more of her crafts!

 And of course our other beautiful TG Big Sis, Ines Bautista - Yao below, talking about she fulfilled her magnificent dreams. You can tell most of the kids in the crowd look up to her (especially the biggest kid there - me!)

Loved the well-rounded activity that talked about reaching for your dreams, overcoming your fears, making and keeping great friends and more. I have come to learn that DREAMS need BFFs too, in order to come alive. They are: 

Determination. Never stop, no matter how hard it seems to be. Everything is hard at first, so commit to your vision. Stay focused, always. Responsibility. You need to be accountable for everything you do towards your dreams. Own up to your mistakes, learn from them and continue to better yourself! Energy and Excitement. To keep the dream alive, you must continue to believe in it, even if nobody does at first. Never give up! Action. Turn that energy into something good. Don't wait for the perfect opportunity for it never comes. Make it. Carve it. Chase it, right now! 

Mentors. Okay, so you have an awesome idea, all the 15-year old energy in the world, but are you heading on the right path? Listen to wisdom of people who have been there, and who  genuinely care for you, to help ensure you are on the right track.  Simplicity. So I really wanted to put in HUMILITY for I have seen how important true humility is. So be simple and humble always. HUMILITY is the foundation of all the other good values that you will need for the journey. (D.R.E.A.M.S.)

Thank you so much, Total Girls! Stay sweet, joyful and don't stop believing in your dreams! - Marylaine Louise Viernes

Just got Lucky: The Philips Kulinarya show at Lucky Chinatown

I am so thankful for the many years that I have worked with Philips and their amazing brands, especially Philips AVENT. But it really is so humbling yet spectacular at the same time to also be trusted with their Philips Kulinarya tours, which were held in many community centers, business districts and malls. My most favourite and the most memorable one for me was held at the Lucky Chinatown Mall (nope, not memorable because it took me 2 hours from the bridge to get to the mall, and another 2-3 hours getting out of Chinatown area, no exaggeration) because it was sadly the last of the Philips Kulinarya legs for the fiscal year. But I really do cherish the COOL-inary tricks I have learned, taught by no less than Ms. Nancy Reyes Lumen herself, the country's Adobo Queen! 

Here are some more photos of Ms. Nancy and I having a blast, and the audience too, walking away with a ton of amazing appliances only from PHILIPS!

Thanks and I hope to catch you on the future PHILIPS & PHILIPS AVENT activities coming soon! - Marylaine Louise Viernes