Celebration of love in an urban safari

A fitting celebration for the couple on their 25th wedding anniversary

Wedding reception venues are no longer just limited to hotel ballrooms or resort function rooms.

Today, couples decide on where to celebrate their important milestone several months ahead to secure the venue and the wedding stylist who will transform any location according to theme of their dream wedding.

To transform the Manila Polo Club main ballroom into a dramatic African safari style wedding reception, event stylist Gideon Hermosa was called upon to work on this project. It was in celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary wherein we wanted to express our love for our fave destination, Africa.

From the start, our vision was clear, but Gideon infused his incredibly creative styling to turn these pegs into reality. He sourced materials from all over the country to make sure all spaces had touches of Africa.

#DandTLove25 celebrates with loved ones.

Working closely with several suppliers such as Adworks Graphics, Gideon made sure every detail had personalized elements with the logo and hashtag, #DandTLove25. To complete the dramatic effect, Gideon worked with the lighting and set production of Trojan Darcen throughout the setup.

His works are dreams turned into reality. With African touches, Gideon used flowers and foliage, oversized chandeliers, tall candelabras, big candle lanterns, mirrored tables and other reflective pieces, string lights, cascading centerpieces, dangling accents, exquisite dinnerware, and many other luxurious accents. His attention to detail is superb.

To add to the festive African vibe, Steven Tan of SM lent the entire Christmas decoration of SM Aura for Gideon to arrange throughout the venue. We had giant golden monkeys, leopards, elephant, giraffe and many more.

Gideon is self-taught and self-made, establishing himself as the favorite and go-to celebrity event stylist and florist—and he’s only in his 30s.

Event stylist Gideon Hermosa used tall candelabras and big candle lanterns to complete the dramatic vibe.

Gideon’s list of celebrity clientele goes on and on. Coleen Garcia who got married to Billy Crawford in Balesin last year expressed how impressed she was with how dreamy and beautifully surreal their wedding venue was, with the magic touch of Gideon.

From Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes, Toni Gonzaga and Paul Soriano, to Kim Jones and Jericho Rosales, Gideon’s clientele of celebrity couples just keeps getting bigger.

In 2013, beauty queen Shamcey Supsup and her husband Lloyd Lee got Gideon to have their wedding #Gideonized.

His other celebrity couples include Yeng Constantino and Yan Asuncion, Camille Prats and VJ Yambao, Rachelle Ann Go and Martin Spies, Luis Alandy and Joselle Fernandez, fashion designer Francis Libiran and Christian Mark Jacobs, Ai Ai delas Alas and Gerald Sibayan, and fashion stylist Boop Yap and Kevin Tañedo.

Materials were sourced from all over the country to make sure all spaces had touches of Africa.

Delivering by exceeding all expectations, Gideon surprises and impresses with his signature lavish, extravagant and over-the-top aesthetic in event styling. He is so humble and unassuming—he just creates masterpieces that are totally breathtaking. His client’s event vision and requirements are always met beyond expectations.

From his hometown in Tarlac, Gideon has made a gigantic name in the event styling scene in Manila. Now, he is penetrating the international market, too, with his social media account speaking volumes about his talent and expertise.

From a wedding in Austria with zero Filipino guests, Gideon also worked with clients from Hong Kong for graduation and birthday celebrations. Other wedding locations include Spain and Ecuador.

With his flair for risk-taking, Gideon founded The Events Studio by Gideon Hermosa in 2010. His place of business was in Pangasinan. Describing the wedding scene back then while looking back at the early design challenges he faced, Gideon says, “It was not as big as now. ”

Gideon transformed the Manila Polo Club main ballroom into a dramatic African safari.

Aside from weddings, The Events Studio by Gideon Hermosa also works on creating dreamy venues, setups, and vignettes for debuts, birthdays, anniversaries, engagement parties, baby showers, corporate events, and even proms.

Among the beautiful weddings of The Events Studio by Gideon Hermosa, I loved the overall dreamy aesthetic of Maika Cruz and Jeian de Jesus’ Grand Budapest Hotel-themed reception that Gideon did at White Space. The events stylist captured the movie’s quirky yet enigmatic aura through the use of the film’s dominant color palette, lighting the pastel decorated venue in dark shades of purple and blue.

Check out the Instagram account of Gideon Hermosa to see all the beautiful transformations of this creative genius.