Were you one of those who wanted to personally witness the Mar Roxas-Korina Sanchez nuptials last Oct. 27 at Sto. Domingo Church---but were uninvited?

You are not alone.

At least a thousand fans even waited outside the church in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Senator Mar Roxas and broadcaster Korina Sanchez after they had tied the knot in what was dubbed as “Wedding of the Year.”

Unmindful of the elements, some of them arrived as early as 7 a.m., with a few coming from as far as Pampanga and Cavite.

The wedding was a by-invitation-only-affair for about 2,000 guests. However, a few pews inside the church were made available to the public on a first come-first serve basis.

As a concession to the fans, a mini-stage was erected beside the church entrance which the newlyweds later mounted from where they acknowledged the crowd.

The couple must have appeared transfigured at that point---their wedding mass, after all, was con-celebrated by no less than seven bishops!

And although the fans’ strategic position ought to have given them the chance to espy the bride before the groom did, a long sheet of white cloth shielded Korina as soon as she stepped out of the bridal car; guaranteeing that the guests inside were first to gaze at her.

The fans tarried outside Sto. Domingo about an hour longer than they thought they would. Apparently, Korina , en route to the church, made a side trip to her late parents’ grave at Heritage Park in Taguig to pray for blessing and guidance.

As the wedding progressed, strains of Basil Valdez’s “Ngayon At Kailanman;” the bridal march song “Umagang Kay Ganda,” sung by Jamie Rivera and Robert Sena; and new song “Kahapon, Bukas, Ngayon” [written specifically by Vehnee Saturno for the Roxas’s and performed at the wedding by the Philippine Madrigal Singer with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra] were heard from the inside.

Two rounds of applause erupted from within. News programs later reported that these were right after the wedding vows and the wedding kiss.

Seen outside the church were torn petals of sampaguita and rosal, Korina’s favorite flowers. More of these folia [used as wedding decoration] were blown onto the streets as the groom and bride and everyone else exited the church.

Some commuters got lucky. The Roxas’s opted to drive to the reception using Mar’s vintage Mercedes Benz with the top down. Given the traffic jam in Quezon City that night, these commuters probably had more time to grab their mobile phones and snap a picture of the happy couple during stops versus those who waited outside the church.

No fan was able to join the reception held at Sen. Mar Roxas’s ancestral home in Cubao. That’s because instead of holding the wedding banquet at Araneta Coliseum as originally planned, the couple opted for a private dinner. The allocated funds, they said, went to the victims of typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng.”

This means only the invited guests including Gretchen Barreto, Richard Gomez, Dennis Padilla, Kris Aquino and Vicki Belo were able to feast on the Filipino food that were served then; the ones cooked according to Mar’s and Korina’s secret family recipes.

These lucky ones went home with Venetian mirrors and jewelry boxes as wedding souvenirs, too.

Mar and Korina have announced that they will have two honeymoons: First in Japan, then in Europe.

It is hoped that those who were not invited to the dream wedding, would get invited to either of the two dream destinations.

Dream on.