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Social media star Zeinab Harake and professional basketball player Bobby Ray Parks Jr. are setting the record straight following online chatter about their lavish June 1 wedding, which was held at the Crystal Palace of Aquila in Tagaytay.
Rumors have circulated that the couple spent as much as ₱20 million on their big day, with some netizens even claiming that their wedding cake alone cost ₱2 million. Adding to the buzz, several social media users raised eyebrows after spotting paper plates used by guests, questioning the practicality in contrast to the wedding’s supposed opulence.
In their recent appearance on ‘Fast Talk with Boy Abunda’, Zeinab and Bobby Ray addressed the controversies directly. Zeinab clarified that the paper plates were only used during the cocktail hour and not during the main reception.
“Kaya may paper plate, dahil sa cocktail area. May pika-pika kasi after the ceremony, before mag-fireworks, para hindi naiinip ‘yung aming mga bisita po and magutom,” she explained. “Nag-ready kami ng mga pika-pika. So that’s a pika-pika. Hindi siya ‘yung sa reception. Actually, lahat na lang pinapansin,” she added.
On the alleged ₱20 million wedding cost, Zeinab called the claims exaggerated. “Ako talaga nag-comment ako, ‘OA.’ Kasi masyado nilang pinapalaki. Even the cake, naging ₱2 million na hindi naman po talaga. And hindi po umabot ng ₱20 million ‘yung wedding namin,” she said.
Bobby Ray echoed her sentiments, saying he felt both “humbled and blessed” by how highly people viewed their wedding, but clarified that they didn’t spend as much as rumored.
“To be honest, na-humble po ako and blessed at the same time kasi po ganu’n po na kataas ang tingin nila sa amin. Pero ‘yun nga po, hindi naman gumastos ng ₱20 million po. Pero blessed kami na na-present namin ‘yung elegance and ‘yung wedding na ganu’n at saka standard,” he said. “Happy wife, happy life!” he added with a smile.
Zeinab also took to Facebook to address another issue: claims that she profited from the wedding through social media content. Screenshots of her posts showed copyright claims on several of her wedding videos, which prevent her from monetizing them.
“Hindi lahat ng pinopost na video ay kumikita ng pera!” she wrote. “Dami ko nakikita, bawi daw gastos dahil sa views and likes na nakikita nyo. But to be honest, ito yung reality ng social media. Moment and feeling ang gusto ko ma-achieve kaya kahit pwede ko gamitan ‘yan ng music na kikita kami…”
“Mas pipiliin ko ‘yung feels ng videong mapapanood nyo. Kadalasan sa mga videos ko, copyright ang music kaya sana bago mag-post, alam ang social media rules hehe,” she added.
She ended her post with a reminder to stay critical of online information. “Iwas din kayo sa mga ‘fake news’. Again, di lahat ng nakikita nyo online/reuploads ay totoo,” Zeinab said.
Despite the speculation, the newlyweds expressed gratitude for the support and love from their principal sponsors, entourage, and guests.
