The big day included a Vietnamese tea ceremony organized according to the groom’s parents’ expertise and a Western non-denominational ceremony that incorporated Filipino wedding customs. The couple honored each other in their attire: She wore a traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai for the tea ceremony and he a Barong Tagalog, typical Filipino formalwear. “It was more important to incorporate our traditions and cultures than religion,” he added. Regarding the move to have a destination wedding, Raquel asked: “Why not do things in a grand way? Why not do things unconventionally?”