Planned by both

 by Michelle Siaotong - Llaban 

{MY STORY}
Kirby, my boyfriend for two years proposed before a crowd of 50,000 young people during a concert rally for Gawad Kalinga celebrating the Edsa People Power Anniversary in Quezon City Circle. We were both missionaries and volunteers for Couples For Christ and Gawad Kalinga then. It came as a pleasant surprise for me when he finally asked my hand in marriage, with my heart bursting with joy, I replied a big yes to his proposal. We got married exactly 6 months after in my hometown in Davao City. It was a memorable moment as so many of our friends flew to Davao to be with us on our wedding day.

{TIP} 
Offer your relationship to God, for if He is in the center of it, everything will just fall into place. Also, both parties should be involved in the preparation. Our wedding preparation has always been planned by the both of us, from the biggest to the smallest detail. It’s important that both groom and bride disclose the kind of wedding they want to have and agree on how to accommodate each other’s wishes. Together you can mount the wedding that you want.  Another tip I can give is to pick out the people to be part of your entourage very well. You must be able to choose the right Principal and Secondary Sponsors down to the Flower Girls. You must ask those who are really close to you, or people whom you really look up to and those who can really guide you in your marriage. A relationship must be built between the couple and their entourage because their role won’t end after the wedding but will go one during your marriage.

{DISCOVERY} 
On your wedding day, you will discover how many people truly love you. They will insist on helping you mount your wedding and they will make sure that everything is in place. They will take a leave to attend your wedding day, travel far to be there and shower you with their love, presence and presents. Wedding day is just the start of a wonderful marriage- simple or grand, the most important thing to prepare for is the Marriage Vows and being true to them. Marriage vows, must be renewed often not just on the 25th or 50th year. On our 5th year, Kirby and I renewed our Marriage vows in Cana, Israel and on our 7th year we renewed vows in Camp John Hay, Baguio.