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Journey of the Barong Tagalog, 20th Century Philippines Part 8: The Carrion-Legarda Wedding

According to society columns from the Philippines, the 1957 wedding of Juan Antonio Carrion and Carmen Milagros Legarda was “the first, grand wedding which made use of the Barong Tagalog for the groom and the other male members of the bridal entourage.”

As you can see in the first three pictures below, this seems to be the very first all Filipiñiana wedding. The groom, groomsmen, ring and coin bearers and the photographer are all wearing barongs. The bride, bridesmaids and flower girls are all wearing terno gowns. This would be the first of many Filipino weddings where we observe the national garment of the Philippines.

Further research appears to show that the groom is actor Tony Carreon, who has acted in many films from the Philippines and the United States.

Entire wedding party of the Carrion-Legarda wedding in 1957. All males wear barongs, and all females wear ternos

The entire wedding party of the Carrion-Legarda wedding in 1957. All men and boys wear barongs, and all women and girls wear terno gowns. From the book The Barong Tagalog: The Philippines’ National Wear by Visitacion R. de la Torre (1986).

 Bride and groom of the Carrion-Legarda wedding are photographed in 1957. Groom and photographer are in barongs

The bride, Carmen Milagros Legarda, is photographed with the groom, Juan Antonio Carrion, at their 1957 wedding. The groom and the photographer wear barongs. From de la Torre’s book The Barong Tagalog.

The groomsmen of the Carrion-Legarda wedding all stand together in their barongs. From de la Torre’s book The Barong Tagalog.

The groomsmen of the Carrion-Legarda wedding all stand together in their barongs. From de la Torre’s book The Barong Tagalog.

Juan Antonio Carrion, whose stage name was Tony Carreon, as Don Simeon in the film The Impossible Kid (1982).

The groom, Juan Antonio Carrion, whose stage name was Tony Carreon, as Don Simeon in the film The Impossible Kid (1982). From the blog Name That Filipino Actor, August 16, 2018.