Not your ordinary wedding

Because it’s still the Love Month, I’m still in the mood to talk about love.

Never in my wildest dream occur to me that I’d get married via Zoom. As in never. Yet I did.

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) said this to Sally (Meg Ryan) on their movie When Harry Met Sally that became one of the most beloved movies of all time.

I don’t know whether my then-boyfriend (now my ex boyfriend) wanted to be Harry Burns that he decided to propose to me one sunny afternoon only after 53 days of being in a romantic relationship. (Natagalan pa daw yun kasi matagal dumating yung inorder nyang engagement ring online!LOL!)

I guess when you have the blessing of your Spiritual authorities, indescribable peace coming from the Author of Love stories and ultimately, His approval, everything will just fall into place. You don’t even have to lift a finger, it will just come about, smoothly.

I believe we were one of the first couples who got married via the famous App, Zoom in the midst of the pandemic, which made our story land on featured story of Erwin Tulfo on YouTube c/o our Ninong. (link here: https://youtu.be/M1EGObfVpVU)

However, while researching, I stumbled upon an article from The InsideHook Newsletter by Kayla Kibbe,

"The first online wedding happened 144 years ago. William Storey, a telegraph operator at Camp Smith in Arizona was denied military leave to travel to San Diego to marry his fiancée, Clara Choate. He was able to get Choate to travel to Arizona instead, but there was no minister within 100 miles who could perform the ceremony, so Storey decided to telegraph one in. The couple was married remotely by a minister in San Diego, who performed the ceremony by communicating with the couple via telegraph. Operators across the telegraph line tuned in to witness the event, and one in San Diego reportedly wired to the let newlyweds know that a band was serenading the couple from hundreds of miles away."

But how on Earth our Zoom Wedding happened? Here’s the timeline;

March 18, 2020 was when my ex bf admitted (rather, was forced to admit) that he was praying for me.

May 5, 2020 he went to my sister’s house to officially ask permission to court me but we ended up being official that night when my discipler said “you can be in a relationship as early as today if you have confirmation from God”.

May 6, 2020 we decided to jog (I mean he decided to jog! lol!) and while resting, sitting on green grasses at the park, he said “kagabi hindi tayo nakapagpray bago naging tayo so pray tayo ngayon and ngayon officially tayo”. Those words confirmed that I am at the center of His will.

June 27, 2020 while having a date by the river after eating sushi, he taught me Nihongo (that I resented because hello, date nga tapos may pahirap!) Little did I know that when he closed the book that we used to study, he would open the book that would change our lives forever.

He kneeled down, opened the box, and I saw a ring with tiny glimmering stones that radiate towards my soul.

“Will you marry me?” he asked. And with peace in my heart, I answered “yes!”

Then we started praying when we’d get married since it was the peak of the pandemic where the borders were closed and offices in the Philippines and here in Japan were also not operating in full capacity.

Romel decided that we’d do it in December of the same year but later on was changed to September. However, the Lord impressed upon my heart a different month which I didn’t tell him because he might make fun of me and say “excited ka nang maging asawa ako noh?”

We tried to process our documents online (CENOMAR and Birth Certificates) and to our surprise, we got them in a week.

July 13, 2020 we went to the Philippine Embassy to apply for our marriage license. We got the greatest shock of our lives when the staff said “pwede na kayo mamili ng schedule pero eto lang ang mga available”

July 29, 2020! Wait, what?! We’d get married in 16 days!? How could that be possible when we’re both working full time? It made me anxious, rather than excited.

I immediately told my sister, discipler, my friends and church mates.

Overflowing love just poured out ☹

From our venue, prenup shoot, decoration, photo and video coverage, everything! Some people chose to file a day off of work just to be there since the embassy only officiates weddings on Wednesdays.

Up to this day, I still can’t fathom how everything happened smoothly. We had our prenup shoot (supposed to rain but suddenly became sunny), we had our Pre-wedding seminar with our beloved Pastor Bong Saquing (who had a very hectic schedule), I even had online bridal shower, I had pre wedding Video of our love story, an SDE, we had almost everything a normal well-planned wedding would have.

“Your wedding day is the one occasion that can bring those closest and dearest to you together to celebrate yours and your partner’s commitment to marriage.”-Charlotte O’Shea

I guess even if ours was done via Zoom (after our 10 minute-wedding at the embassy), we were still able to honor God that day with our beloved family and friends. And that’s what really matters.

By the way, the month the Lord impressed upon my heart when we’d get married was July. And it was so.

Now tell me, how can I not be head over heels in love with this kind of God? How can I not use this marriage to give Him glory and praise?

I know many of us, if not all, desire to have their own love story that would end up on their dream wedding. However, an extraordinary wedding is only possible if it is from God and for God.

I will forever thank my Extraordinary God for my not your ordinary wedding. Not just because it was done via Zoom but because it was ordained by Him.

Credits to Marijane Gonzales for the wedding photos and Warren De Luna for my Prenup pics