The prequel to "When superheroes fall in love"

Remember my entry about "When superheroes fall in love". In the spirit of prequels, my blog entry for today is about how the characters in that previous entry, She-Ra and Wolverine met and began their relationship. 

HOW THEY GOT TOGETHER

Seven years ago, Michelle and Mark met in L’Oreal Philippines Inc. Yes! They were office mates! :-) It was not until their first date that they really got to know each other. 

Office friends set up their first date, which was a movie date.  Both Mark and Michelle thought they were going to watch a movie with office mates right after work, but to their surprise, it was just them and another couple. After the movie, they spent the whole night talking at a café and from then on started going out more frequently, with friends or just them. Four months later it was official, Michelle and Mark had a solid relationship, they became  boyfriend and girlfriend. 

HOW THINGS LEAD TO...THE PROPOSAL. (As told by Michelle)

Eight Boracay vacations, three Bacolod homecomings, two Cebu excursions, a couple of Tagaytay trips, one European adventure, a really long Baguio drive, and hours and hours logged on in Azeroth and Kalimdor (yes, we are World of Warcraft geeks!)

Mark and I have been together for a long time. Together, we've spent twelve birthdays, five valentines’ days, had countless visits to Rockwell, Serendra, Galleria, and given each other dozens of comic books, shoes, computer games, shirts, toys, and gadgets.

We've shared an unbelievable number of wonderful experiences and Mark could have picked any one of our amazing trips or quiet moments together to propose. Like when he gave me our first puppy. Or while we were having ice cream in Piazza Navona where we fell in love with a cute little Bichon (which led us to purchasing our own a few months later). Or when we visited the top of the Eiffel Tower which he refused to go to without me despite his having gone to Paris twice before.

But Mark waited for more than just a perfect place or a romantic moment. He waited for me to be ready to give the right answer to a question he too needed to be ready to ask. 

On the eve of our fifth-year anniversary, I was so excited to give him my gift. It was a survival kit for him so he could last another five years with me :) There was a bunch of stuff inside - shirts to replace his ratty old ones that I’ll eventually throw out, earplugs for when the puppies I spoil get so noisy, eye-covers for when I mess up his apartment and he can't stand looking at it anymore. And, all the way at the bottom, was a little toy ring with a tag that said "for when you want to marry me but can't afford it." 

Not everyone will understand the note so let me explain the context. I've always been afraid of marriage so at the start of our relationship I gave Mark an almost impossible requirement to meet if he wanted to propose to me - a clear, princess cut, tiffany setting, 2-carat diamond ring. And this really stumped him I think, because an expensive, seemingly shallow, intimidating piece of jewelry is really not my style. I don’t even wear earrings! But to me, this requirement had 3 important purposes:

1.    I'd get a heads-up from one of my friends if he was ever crazy enough to propose 'coz he'd have to ask for help to find out what all those terms meant.

2.    He'd have to REALLY REALLY want to marry me to spend an unreasonable amount of money on something so small.

3.    And, (this is my favorite purpose) just in case he left me standing at the altar, I could at least sell the ring to get some cash in exchange for my dignity >:)

I had no idea that Mark had been trying to figure out what kind of ring to get me for weeks, ready to ask me to marry him but terrified I'd say no because he didn't get me the right ring. He had planned an amazing dinner at a lone table at the edge of the Shangri-La Mactan pier overlooking the ocean, hired a guitarist, practiced to sing six songs, and even had a photographer on standby. But he arrived in Cebu with no engagement ring so he was resigned to the idea that he couldn't ask. And there, in my survival kit for him was a clear solution to his dilemma (and perhaps a reassurance that I didn't just want a really big rock on my finger).

And so, after the Koreans partying at the beach had sung their hearts out and left for their rooms, and before the dessert was served by our butler (yes, we had a butler, isn’t that so cool?!), Mark arrived with flowers and his guitarist in tow (who is in ALL our engagement photos by the way). I had a huge smile on my face when he sang The Way You Look Tonight but he started making me tear up when he got to the end of Beautiful in My Eyes. Somehow I couldn’t really stop crying and laughing at the same time at Love Story, 214, and Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing. His last song was Feels Like Home and when he finished singing he started telling me how much he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Every detail was wonderful, beautiful, perfect. But I wasn’t just caught in the moment. When he got down on one knee, slipped the ring on my finger, and asked me to marry him, I was not dazed or dreaming or giddy. Nothing was cloudy or hazy to me. I was certain. I was sure. I was ready. My answer was yes.

I have never been a silly little girl. I’ve never dreamt of a fairytale wedding and started planning it when I was five. I’m a grown-up and itwas clear to me what I was getting into. I was more prepared for my marriage with Mark than I was for the wedding day. And Mark could have taken that for granted. He could have not made a grand gesture. But he STILL made sure I got a fairytale proposal and a dream wedding that any girl would envy. 

Super SWEET! Hmm...What is it with guys and singing during proposal? whatever it is! it's SWEET! and oh so ROMANTIC!

Mark proposed to Michelle on November 15, 2009 at Shangri-la Mactan, Cebu.  

Mark and Michelle's pre-nup was not planned. They don't really have any plans on having a pre-nup pictorial. One Saturday, Mark, Michelle with three good friends (Arlene Amante, Barbie Ramos, and Chris Nazareno), decided to have lunch in Antonio’s in Tagaytay. Then their friends suggested to take their photos together. Voila! What should have been just a plain lunch date turned out to be an unplanned pictorial. The couple was very happy with how the photos came out which showed  how they really are. 

   

Thanks Again Michelle and Mark! Super Lovely Couple! 

Stay Happy and Stay in love!


Happy Anniversary! :-)