MANILA, Philippines — A viral video which circulated Facebook shows Ogie Alcasid serenading newlyweds with a performance of “Ikaw Ang Tanging Pag-Ibig Ko.”
In the video, the wedding guests and couple Noureen Ojastro and Ryan Lucila were visibly moved, some even crying as the veteran crooner filled the venue with his soulful voice.
It was perfect, except Alcasid was not invited.
The big secret
The emotional moment was thanks to Ian Celis Productions, the team behind the viral wedding gatecrash, that set out to do the first video of its kind in the country.
The eponymous production house had shot music videos, television commercials, weddings and sporting events before Star Music, a frequent client, tapped Ian Celis.
In an online interview with Interaksyon, Celis said the record label asked him to collaborate with Alcasid a week before the Ojastro-Lucila nuptial.
Celis did not hesitate, having worked with Alcasid a few times before.
“We already knew each other,” Celis said of Alcasid. “Good thing Sir Ogie agreed to the plan even if the venue was in Silang, Cavite!”
Only Celis, Alcasid, the wedding coordinator and the Star Music representative knew of the plan.
Pulling it off
Everything went as planned, and Celis could not have been more satisfied. What surprised him were the reactions to his video.
“Grabe, naiyak ako sa tuwa. Sana lagi mong gawin ‘yan, Sir Alcasid, para marami kang mapasaya,” said one viewer.
As of press time, the 3-minute long video earned at least 550,000 on Celis’ Facebook page alone.
“All we wanted to do was to make a unique video and to make our couple very happy,” Celis said.
Celebrity wedding crashers
Celis’ first inspiration for his new project was Maroon 5’s “Sugar” MV where the band storms into weddings and performs the hit song. Raw reactions are captured on film and compiled into what would become the wedding crashers’ canon.
Unlike Maroon 5’s video, however, Celis wanted a video that he would edit on the same day and play before the end of the wedding reception.
Alcasid may be the first Filipino singer whose gatecrashing video has earned attention online. But there have been a few big names before him who did the same besides Maroon 5.
A-list comedians Kevin Hart and Josh Gad did not sing when they walked into a wedding and surprised everyone. But the momentary awkwardness turned into boisterous laugher when the two dished their comedic spiels.
Singers Jennifer Hudson (with backup dancers), Taylor Swift (with an organ) and Ed Sheeran (with a guitar) had also crashed into weddings. While done in loose collaboration with organizers, the newlyweds had no clue.
Beyonce, Selena Gomez with Justin Bieber as well as Justin Timberlake, meanwhile, accidentally walked into weddings on different occasions. Their serendipitous appearances caused some flurry in what would otherwise be solemn occasions. No one seemed to complain!
