My second "I do"

It was the 25th of March, 2006 when I formally became Mrs. Paulinius Ong Ante.

Six months before our church wedding we got married in civil. Not because we were so eager to be called husband and wife (of course that's one of the many reasons why we planned to get married) but a surprising opportunity came knocking at the door.



Poms's US employer asked him to submit legal documents so he could start working with them in Chicago more or less before November of 2006. At that time our church wedding was all set on October 28 (which I based on Feng Shui). The church, the reception, the hotel and all were perfectly scheduled. Poms faced dilemma during his phone interview. He said he was already married and requested his wife to be with him as his dependent. Soon after that call, my relatives and friends thought a little bundle of joy just came before our big day for less than two months our civil wedding was arranged.

It felt awkward of course explaining to everyone why we need to get married in civil when our church wedding was just seven months away. In the Philippines obviously you just had to explain everything. It could have been the only challenge we had at that time but changing the rest of the wedding plans, church, reception, and date all became primary factors why I had to quit my job. Just imagine it was barely five months away when I got the church and the hotel confirmed our final schedule. It was the most strenuous and energy-consuming moment in our lives. It's really hard to prepare wedding nowadays in the Philippines because couples wanting to get married do their reservations at least a year or more before their wedding date. My parents and my parents-in-law said it wasn't that complicated during their time. Maybe because there are so many "nice-to-haves" in weddings now that makes it even more complicated. That is why wedding planners suddenly sprung like mushrooms everywhere. That's a good business too since wedding happens almost everyday.



Well, that was an experience worth telling to little generations to come in our family. Now people ask us often "so what wedding anniversary are you going to follow?" The civil or the church? That's a nice question. Honestly, we haven't really thought about it yet because until now Poms and I go out on a date every year on July 24th-the day we became a couple and the day we got engaged. Yeah, that's too much dates to celebrate - I know but what can I do. I just love to celebrate special occasions. I think the most important thing in this world is keeping the faith and love alive as if everyday is a special day.

To all the couples celebrating their anniversary this month, Happy Anniversary and you're not survivors as others humorously say. You're faithfully keeping the vows you made from the day you said "I do."