As Jolina walked to the altar, an instrumental version of her favorite “Moon River” was played instead of the usual “Here Comes the Bride”. The principal sponsors included Mel Tiangco, Arnold Clavio, GMA execs Lilibeth Rasonable and Redgie Magno, Jolina’s manager Perry Lansigan, Sen. Franklin Drilon, Celia Rodriguez, Jaya, and Beverly Vergel. Among the bridesmaids were Judy Ann Santos (who kept on crying), Angelika de la Cruz, and Kyla (who’ll have her own wedding this Monday). Bamboo, Mark’s friend in RiverMaya, is one of the groomsmen, but he’s in the U.S. How come Mark didn’t get Rico Blanco, who replaced Bamboo as vocalist? “We’re not on speaking terms,” he says. “But I pray to God to give us an opportunity na matapos na ito.”
So how does it feel being Mrs. Mark Escueta? “Naku, hindi pa fully nag-sink in so I can’t really feel it yet,” says Jolens.
What’s each other’s most endearing qualities? “Mark is really sweet from the start, writing simple notes, letters and giving simple gifts that always touch me, like after the wedding, he gave me a ballpen na engraved: Jolina Escueta.”
“Jolina is very appreciative of even the smallest things, details. Kahit pangit ang nangyayari, she’ll see something positive in it and it’s contagious. Sweet and thoughtful din siya. Also, we can talk anywhere, mababaw man o malalim ang topic.”
What have they discovered since their wedding? Mark: “Matagal talaga siya sa banyo. Mga one hour.” Jolina: “Tinata-try ko na ngang bilisan after our wedding.”
We guess their marriage will last longer than other showbiz couples since statistics show that those who marry in their 30s are more mature and ready to commit than those who marry in their teens or early 20s. Jolina is 33 and Mark, 35, but they both look 10 years younger than their age. Also, both of them come from whole original and not dysfunctional families so they get good examples from their parents.
