By Ruel S. De Vera, Associate Editor
Sunday Inquirer Magazine

BELIEVE it or not, I decided on my wedding photographer long before I decided to get married. I was assigned to do a cover story on an up-and-coming actress; the cover photo would be taken by Patrick Uy.

I had heard of Patrick before; my former boss Alya knew him and had written about his vibrant career as a wedding photographer as well as the unfortunate fire that razed his studio even as he was on the clock at a wedding.

But I had never met him nor seen much of his work until that assignment. His new Pacific Light studio could be found on Annapolis, Greenhills, atop an incongruous escalator. The studio was tastefully minimalist — and floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall full of gorgeous wedding photographs. Patrick himself was an extremely amiable guy.

Good thing, too, because the actress was three hours late for her shoot. Patrick kept his cool the entire time, even when the actress arrived shockingly unapologetic, and hungry. I wound up springing for the food even as her handlers breezily informed us she still had a pictorial after this (imagine how late she was going to be for that one). Patrick was the very soul of professionalism during the pictorial, managing to put together one awesome image after another.

While we were waiting for the actress, I got to see all of the photographs hanging on the studio walls and leafed through Patrick’s wedding portfolio. Over five years before my own wedding, I was sold. I promised myself Patrick would be my wedding photographer — once I decided to get married.

Cut to about five years later, and I was lucky enough to find someone who actually would marry me. My then-fiancee Joysie and I plotted our wedding down to the last possible detail, bringing in a professional planner only in the month before the ceremony itself.

When it came time to choose the wedding photographer, I enthusiastically recommended Patrick; Joysie didn’t know him or his work — yet. So she kindly agreed to accompany me to Pacific Light — and the hanging photos had the exact same effect on her as they did on me. Sold.

It helped that Patrick is a lively, charming worker. On the day of the wedding itself, he was smooth and unflappable, a spot of poise and laughs when we were frazzled and dazzled. He was patient, he was creative; he understood us and what we were going through.

The wedding was a year and a half ago (I know, I know, I need to get cracking on that album) but Patrick’s impeccable manner and powerful vision remains one of the vivid memories of that hallowed, harrowing day, a detail eclipsed only by my bride’s stunning smile, which, thanks to Patrick, I can look at as much as I want to.

For Patrick Uy’s best bridal shots, as well as those of other top wedding photographers Mel Cortez, Pat Dy, Eddie Boy Escudero and Edwin Tuyay, check out the June 29 issue of the Sunday Inquirer Magazine.