ANTHONY & ROSSEL

ESCAPE TO PARADISE

By: Mylene Campos

When interviewed about his wedding proposal to Rossel, his wife of eleven years, Anthony Taberna replied, "nothing was memorable about it. That's why I wanted to make it up to her."

THE FIRST PROPOSAL | Anthony brought some flowers to Rossel while she was in the dorm. They already had plans to celebrate her special day, and that was to have lunch with her family. And what was supposed to be any regular birthday for the celebrant (who turned 22 at the time), turned into an unexpected surprise.

He was then deemed stable, given that he already had a house to his name. But no one ever suspected his intention to get married so soon, including Rossel who got used to hearing his marriage puns. She always disregarded these as any other joke.

Anthony casually asked Rossel if she would marry him. Only this time, things felt different, as she started to sense the seriousness in his words. She was caught off guard and was a little intimidated by it. She didn't quite understand her reaction, but she readily answered him with a ‘yes’. That's how simple it was. There were no special effects, no engagement ring, and no elaborate presentation whatsoever. They canceled their plan to have lunch with her family so they could talk about their upcoming wedding.

REALIZATIONS | When she realized that she was about to enter a new stage in her life, Rossel asked herself how she would manage things. She was a young, fresh college graduate who's never lived on her own. She had not even accomplished anything in her life yet. Even her relationship with Anthony, who was her first and last boyfriend, was all she had ever experienced. She knew nothing about rearing children either. For her, getting married had become a challenging concept all at once.

However, this wasn't an obstacle for Anthony, as he was comfortable with the traditional family set-up of having the father as the sole provider, and the mother as the homemaker. Rossel was a model and artist at the time. And he was set to marry a young, career woman who possessed so much talent. But this made him think about her future if she was only to stay home. He was concerned with her personal growth, so he allowed her to do her own stuff with his guidance and support.

"Rossel, a beautiful woman inside and out, is a package from God. Young of age, yet wise beyond her years. I'm glad I married her,” Anthony shared, as he described his wife, whose eleven years his junior.

A HAPPY MARRIED LIFE | The couple has had their fair share of obstacles throughout their married life. But these never affected them. In fact, these challenges have kept the fire in their hearts to burn further. Anthony loved his bride even more after discovering his wife’s compassion for others, especially when she took in his brother and his physically challenged sister into their home.

Rossel, on the other hand, feels blessed and grateful to have married Anthony because he taught her how to value money the right way. He assured her that money matters should never be an issue in their life. She loved him even more, as he was quite generous not only to her family but to other people in need as well.

BONDING MOMENTS | Despite their busy schedules, the couple maximizes their bonding time through their travels. Anthony and Rossel enjoy going on road trips. They take pleasure in simple conversations made during car rides, as they make short trips to places like Tagaytay (a memorable destination for them) for example.

A SECOND WEDDING | The theme of their second wedding was paradise inspired. "Paradise for me is a wonderful place that two people in-love share together," the bride defined. "There is no such thing as a perfect union. You are bound to experience a lot of problems and difficulties along the way. But as long as you're together, you will always feel like you're in paradise."

Rossel was quite surprised by how cooperative Anthony was during their wedding preparations. He willingly traveled to the pictorial’s venue, obliged to dress up, and even posed to the camera.

Now, their hectic work schedules may have been one of their biggest challenges when preparing their nuptials. But Rossel had all the help she needed. She felt grateful as she and Anthony had a team on their side that supported all of their wedding needs (her Outbox Media Powerhouse family, the writers, suppliers, Fernwood and others more).

A RENEWAL OF VOWS | Their eleventh-year event was not pre-planned. Even Rossel had no idea that she was going to wear a wedding gown the second time around. She admitted to showing her husband different and modern wedding proposal styles, as a way of reminding him that she missed experiencing something exceptional from their first nuptial.

As they came home from the U.S., after a Mother’s Day celebration, Anthony surprised his wife with a ring that had a wedding proposal letter attached to it. This made her very happy, knowing that Anthony made her feel worthy by fulfilling her heart's desire

The bride found their renewal of vows memorable in every way. There were eleven Ninongs and Ninangs, and eleven other pairs who they were close with, who were part of the entourage. They compared this to their first wedding, which was a time when they did not know each other's close friends that much yet. Today, the couple happily shared, "sa practice pa lang naging emosyonal na sila."

Feeling very blessed, Rossel saw things more differently knowing that they stood before God again, as they recited their wedding vows before their witnesses, and received the Lord's approval for more years to come. It was a deeply committed and emotional event. Everybody felt the sacredness of that moment.

WORDS OF WISDOM | Anthony's advise for those who desire to get married is to pray for their life partner. "Wait for God's decision patiently. In due time, your prayer will be answered," he shared. "Proverbs 19:14 tells that houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord," quoted the groom.

Rossel's advise for a soon-to-wed couple is to love each other. "Love should be the dominant foundation when getting married. Whether the couple belongs to a different generation or a different social status, let love be the reason for everything." She also recommended that couples share a mutual understanding when it comes to preparing for the wedding, especially their budget. "Also, hire an expert wedding coordinator to help make your event unique, artistic and memorable," she added.