Make no mistake: in spite of—or perhaps because of—its noble intentions, the wedding industry is as professional and profitable as any business can get, emerging unscathed and triumphant amid the political turmoil and economic uncertainty that have doomed other industries in the country.

Maybe it’s successful because our frenzied lifestyles and collective belt-tightening have made us more determined to cherish and celebrate the things that really count. Whatever the cause, the effects are easy to see. More and more bridal fairs are held every year, and in 2006, About Weddings partnered with more than 90 percent of them in order to clue ourselves in on the latest innovations and trends in the wedding industry.

And when it comes to innovations and trends, my, what a year it has been. We featured the myriad ways in which Filipino ingenuity has gone international. Witness Bliss! Weddings, featured in John and Benz Rana’s Prep Talk column in January. Fil-Ams Florante and Cheryl Galvez launched this pioneering web site (www.blissweddings.com) in 1995 to fill the void in the information superhighway when it came to the nitty-gritty of planning weddings. An online store, the Bliss! Wedding Market (www.blissweddingmarket.com) followed soon after, making native handicrafts such as the iconic abaniko and products made from sinamay available as wedding favors for discerning couples the world over.

Then there’s the first-ever online "honeymoon registry" in the Philippines. Featured in October, this brainchild of Trish Samaniego-Chica allows guests to chip in toward a couple’s dream getaway in lieu of giving toasters and china sets. Simply point your browser to www.wedgiftsregistry.com and decide whether you want to give your favorite couple the gift of plane tickets, accommodations, or anything else related to their honeymoon. Alternatively, you can choose to donate to the couple’s chosen charities instead of giving gifts!

Speaking of honeymoons, About Weddings also continues to actively promote each and every one of the Philippines’ more than 7,100 islands as wedding and honeymoon destinations. We’ve published articles about weddings in Baguio, Tarlac, Pampanga, Cavite, and Bulacan; we’ve devoted entire issues to getting married in the Queen City of the South, Cebu, and in Metro Manilans’ home away from home, Tagaytay.

Of course, Lonely Planet devotees with incurable wanderlust weren’t left wanting, because international destinations had their time in the limelight as well. Benjamin Sandoval contributed a November cover story about honeymooning with wife Fiona in the mysterious Easter Island off the coast of Chile. Couples also talked about making the best of their budgets when in destinations like France, Switzerland, Singapore, and Vietnam.

It’s not just where you have your wedding that makes it unique. What better way to let your personalities shine through than having a theme wedding? One of our August issues featured Lorie and Nathan Cruz’s Lord of the Rings-inspired wedding, in which they transformed the Lagoon in UP Diliman into Middle Earth and had "Frodo" and "Sam" as ring bearers. A September issue trained the spotlight on Spanish-themed weddings like that of Ma. Cecilia and Jonathan Santos, who wowed their guests by dancing the flamenco at their reception.

About Weddings is not above gushing over celebrity weddings, either. Foremost among them was Claudine Barretto’s wedding to longtime love and fellow thespian Raymart Santiago in May, as well as the June nuptials that bound councilors Kate Galang of Valenzuela and Julian Coseteng of Quezon City. We featured stellar suppliers as well—well-known designers Tippi Ocampo, Patis Tesoro, and Edward Teng, as well as photographer Lee Llamas, are only some of the big names on our list.

We also delved into the little details that are often overlooked but which truly make weddings more memorable. We hailed the country’s best wedding videographers Dominic Velasco of Imacron and Jason Magbanua, who have been generating quite a buzz around the world by combining mad photography and editing skills with a flair for heartwarming narrative. Their work has prompted many an international observer to conclude that the Philippines is now the "Wedding Videographers Capital of the World." These movers and shakers are generous, too, sharing with readers their tips and tricks for making fabulous AVPs for their own weddings.

Trina Belamide of "Tell the World of His Love" fame talked to us about writing wedding songs, and Paulo Clemente had readers in stitches with "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Wedding," a collection of some of the stickier situations he’s gotten himself into thanks to his gigs singing at weddings and emceeing at receptions.

Last but certainly not the least is the brilliant Bitter Bridesmaid. Since the smashing July debut of "Accounts of the Bitter Bridesmaid," she’s made it her personal mission to uncover each and every wedding faux pas. It doesn’t matter if you’re a guest, a supplier, or the bride herself, or whether it’s the crème de la crème of society weddings or the latest mass nuptials cooked up by the government—her irreverent wit spares no one. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Make sure you catch the next installment of her column soon.

Take a trip down memory lane with us in this last issue of 2006. These pages honor the Best of the Best of the wedding industry: suppliers, organizers, and companies who came up with the Best Wedding Package, the Best Food Tasting Event, and the Best Bridal Fair. For the eternal kikay in you, Wedding Essentials magazine's beauty associate Tatin Yang has the goods—the Best Makeup Products of the year according to experts, makeup artists, and newlyweds themselves. We also hooked up with Sanctuario Spa to quiz the folks over at www.WeddingsAtWork.com about what they loved in About Weddings in 2006, and the results are in for your Favorite Real Weddings Story, Favorite PrepTalk topic, Favorite Wedding Destinations Issue, and Favorite About Weddings Cover.

The French philosopher and writer Albert Camus once observed, "When you have once seen the glow of happiness on the face of a beloved person, you know that a man can have no vocation but to awaken that light on the faces surrounding him." Join us in raising a toast to all of those who have devoted their lives to that light. Here’s to another year of celebrating love and life. Cheers!