Christian Tantoco and Siobhan Moylan wed on April 7, celebrating the reception and after-party at the Sta. Elena Estate’s Lakehall. Photographed by Joseph Pascual, courtesy of Siobhan Moylan
At Nena’s Sanctuary, Siobhan Moylan and Christian Tantoco brought friends and family together for their second wedding ceremony.
Tucked away in the heart of Sta. Elena Estate in Laguna, Nena’s Sanctuary makes summer afternoons feel slower, softer. At its center, Lakehall stands with its floor-to-ceiling windows framing the glistening waters and the ever-changing colors of the sky. Here, afternoons stretch languidly beneath sun-dappled trellises, and twilight descends like a hush. It’s the kind of setting that invites pause, reflection, and for Siobhan Moylan and Christian Tantoco, a wedding.
The couple first tied the knot in a private civil ceremony at New York City Hall in February of last year. This time around, Moylan and Tantoco chose to celebrate their union with a formal church wedding, gathering loved ones from across the globe.
The directive was to orchestrate an intentionally modern Filipino wedding that honored both heritage and home. For Moylan and Tantoco, it was about bringing their people together. That sense of home was cultivated over months of collaboration among friends, family, and creatives.
Stylists Carla Villanueva and Mano Gonzales, who are behind the wedding’s creative direction, reflect on the journey from ideation to execution. “It really started with Chris and Siobhan,” Gonzales shares. “They were inspired by summer and by the location where they were getting married. That gave us our starting point: environment, color, warmth.”
Villanueva adds, “They envisioned it at Nena’s Sanctuary. Apart from gathering their family and friends from around the world, they wanted to show the Philippines at its best.” With that in mind, the challenge became: how do you make a large venue with a long guest list feel intimate?
It had to feel like home. Not just any home, but one that mirrored Moylan and Tantoco’s intersection of cultures: living in New York yet still deeply rooted in the Philippines.
The creative team drew inspiration from anything and everything Filipino. They sourced pieces that felt contemporary yet anchored in culture. “There’s always a risk of going cheesy when people hear ‘Filipino wedding,’” says Villanueva. “We wanted to move away from clichés and do something casual, chic, and grounded.”
The venue, Lakehall, had seen many weddings before, leading the team to want to craft something distinct. “We wanted it to feel different,” Gonzales explains. “There were ideas like dirty ice cream carts that came across our table, but we crossed those off. Not because they weren’t nice, but because they weren’t necessary.”
The creative team worked with both established designers and emerging ones. “We had Joey Samson and Dennis Lustico [dressing the entourage], but also TOQA and Carl Jan Cruz. We wanted to push each of them to play and experiment a little,” Villanueva says.
Even the essentials were chosen with care. These included cream custom-woven pamaypays and parasols. “We knew it would be hot,” Villanueva laughs, “so fans and umbrellas were non-negotiable. But we didn’t want just any fans. We found this supplier in Quezon who made beautiful fans that even resembled the stripes of the baro’t saya skirts.”
The garden merienda was a favorite among guests, offering a moment of quiet, comfort, and genuine connection. “People didn’t even take photos. They were just in the moment,” says Villanueva. “That was the goal.”
Set against a landscape that was both idyllic and familiar, the celebration brought together the warmth of Filipino tradition with quiet, contemporary elegance. It was less about spectacle and more about creating space for presence, for connection, for homecoming.
