“I DO”

By: Mylene Campos

Sherwin and Cristina’s love story is one-of-a-kind. What started with a simple friend request on Facebook sparked a love of a lifetime.

SURPRISING BEGINNINGS | The bride, Cristina shared, “Sherwin and I have a lot of common friends in high school. But we didn't take notice of each other back then. Until one day, I got bored and checked things online. It was around February 2016 when I checked a friend request on my Facebook. That’s when I saw the name Sherwin Cabrera pop on my screen. His request must’ve been there for a year or so. Anyway, I saw that we had several common friends, so I checked his account to see if I knew him. But I didn’t remember him. However, I still gave it a try and accepted his friend request. And it all started from there.”

The couple decided to tie the knot after being in a relationship for around three years. The road down the aisle may have been a little bumpy, but being in love with each other always kept them together. “We were in a long distance relationship for a long time and had different schedules (there was a time difference). So we made sure to set a time to talk via Skype every day. Now, as a couple, we’ve also had a lot of differences, which is usually the reason for our quarrels. But we never let our fights last that long because we know that fighting would do no good and that saying sorry and I love you to each other mattered more. It was in loving each other, especially in accepting our imperfections, that helped complete us. We love the part of us that respected and accepted our differences,” shared the bride.

THE PROPOSAL | The couple was celebrating their monthsary in the City of Pines when Sherwin popped the question. “When I showed him my favorite place in Baguio, the part where you can see how the mountains kiss the sky, he suddenly knelt down and asked me 'will you marry me?' I was in total shock! He had to repeat his question twice until I came back to my senses and finally said YES,” Cristina shared.

WEDDING PREPARATIONS | The bride originally wanted to have a red motif for her wedding, but due to her mother being against using bright colors for the occasion, she opted to use blush pink instead. “I ended up choosing blush pink for our wedding as it showed elegance and simplicity.”

The groom did most of the planning with the wedding coordinator, as the bride was busy with work. “He just showed me every option and asked me what I liked. But we still decided on things together. In the end, he still followed what I liked. In addition to our preparations, I would also like to thank my friend from work who shared her suggestions and ideas from her sister’s recent wedding.”

The couple also chose their wedding entourage by arranging things accordingly. “We made it half-and-half on everything. We only chose our closest relatives and friends who were available on our wedding day,” Cristina shared.

THE CALM AFTER THE STORM | It wasn’t smooth sailing for the couple, as they faced a big problem two months before their wedding. The bride shared, “our caterer backed out two months before the wedding! This pushed me to do some research (on the owner’s Facebook) and discovered that he has a political issue with my mother-in-law. Him backing out from our event was probably his way of getting revenge on her. That’s when I talked to his wife, who was so apologetic. But time was ticking. We had to disregard him by looking for another caterer.”

MEMORABLE MOMENTS | The bride did not want to cry on her wedding day and was thankful that a family tradition kept her from doing so. “Thankfully, we threw a family party before the big day, where I got to dance with my father. It was there that I cried a lot. There were no more tears left to cry on the wedding day. I only found myself smiling all day long.”

For the bride, the most memorable part of their wedding is when she walked down the aisle. She felt like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Everyone was looking at her and her husband-to-be, as he waited for her at the altar.

ADVICE FOR SOON-TO-WED COUPLES | The bride recommended for couples who are planning to get married to prepare some alternatives. She shared, “there are times or seasons that we want to plan our wedding around, but it would be, unfortunately, not available. So make sure that you have other options in place. Also, it’s easier to get a wedding planner/coordinator to help you with everything and to hire a trusted supplier. It would be better to hire someone who is also recommended by your friends/relatives; those whose services have already been tried and tested.”

THE VOWS | Sherwin’s vow to his wife was heartwarming. “I prayed for you, and I will be forever grateful that God gave me you. I will cherish every moment with you and thank you for completing me as a person. I promise to be faithful, to protect you, to make you happy, to cherish you, to always be there for you, and to love you every day for the rest of our lives. I love you.”

Cristina also promised to love her husband for always. “As your loving wife, I promise to hold your hand, to hug and kiss you, and to cherish and protect your heart in good times and in bad times. As I live, I will love you, respect you, and cherish you as my other half forever, while we take this path called life.”