RAFAEL MONGE AND MARIA ANN KRISTINE VALERIO

Love In The Time Of Corona: Our Story

The path to “I Do” is not always a straight one. This line was particularly true in our experience - from the day we met until we reached our special day. Rafael and I met on one of those joiner tour hikes that were so popular pre-pandemic. I was with my friends, and he was alone because his friends backed out at the last minute. As a fun-sized girl, there were times when I was struggling to get past the big rocks along the trail. He belonged to the group in front of me and when he saw me struggling, he assisted me and held my hand. Little did I know that I will be holding that same hand forever. As one of my friends jokingly said,”umakyat kang single, bumaba kang taken.”

We’ve always dreamt of getting married in a church; that was our first plan. We booked the church near our reception venue, selected the songs to be played, and carefully chose the passages to be read. Sadly, near our date, Covid cases continued to rise, international and local borders were closing, and there was only one decision to make – and that is to reschedule the wedding. In fact, we had to reschedule the wedding three times. It was so frustrating and sad because everytime, we were almost there. But Rafael told me that there is no need to rush. He assured me that at the end of the day, it’s still us together. He said “Ikaw pa rin naman ang papakasalan ko”.

By the time we decided to make one last push for the wedding, it was already impossible to book a good date and time for the church as Antipolo had very few Catholic churches to choose from. Because of this, we decided to make it a garden wedding instead. We wanted our venue to resemble the vibe of being in the mountains, surrounded by greenery and trees – something similar to the day we first met during our trek in Rizal Province.

The change in plans turned out to be a blessing in disguise (truly, third time’s a charm!). From the original 100 guests to just 60, we were very grateful that people close to us chose to be present that day. During the planning, I told Rafael that it would be nice if we personally knew the presider. I wanted the homily to be solemn and at the same time, very personal. Thank goodness his childhood friend turned out to be a pastor! We wanted our ceremony to be not just for us two, but for it to also have a wonderful effect on our guests, especially those already married. Days after our wedding, some of the married guests kept

complimenting us about how moved and touched they were about the whole experience. And to be honest, we couldn’t ask for more!

When the guests arrived at our ceremony, they were greeted by a signboard that read, “Gather with a Grateful Heart”. We chose this line because everyone went through so much during the pandemic, and being able to gather - at all! - was really a celebration in itself. Amidst the uncertainties, doubts, and many changes - celebrating love together with our close friends and family was truly a blessing.

The weather that day was perfect, it didn’t rain at all despite the whole week being rainy (I guess offering eggs to Sta. Clara actually works!) When I was inside the bridal car, it was bright and sunny. But when I started walking down the aisle, there was a crazy breeze. The guests were looking up at the swaying branches of the mango trees. It only stopped when I was already at the altar. Deep down, we had a feeling that it was Rafael’s parents and the person in my memorial locket cheering for us.

The petal cones with phrases from the Bible verse, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, found at the entrance arch were a foreshadowing of my personal vows for him. Growing up, I never had a list of things I’m looking for in a partner, not until I read this particular verse in a reflection book. The author said that in order for you to know if he is the right one, you just have to replace the word “love” with his name. That’s when I knew that he was my God’s best.

If there’s one symbol to represent our faith during these trying times, that would be our mango tree ceremony backdrop - strong, rooted, and unshakeable. Planning a wedding during the pandemic was a never-ending challenge. You’d never know when the next surge or lockdown was going to be but really, all one needs to do is trust in Him. All things work together for the good of those who love God, for those who are called according to His plan and purpose.