I received one of the happiest “YES” in my life last March 25 on the Feast of the Annunciation. It was when Karen, my fiancée said her yes to me when I proposed to her. It happened at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish, Boracay and was witnessed and celebrated by both of our families.

Since April, we have been doing our wedding preparations one step at a time. We are very grateful to the Lord the moment we confirmed the reservation for the church, the reception venue and finalized the date of our wedding, because we know that the most important things have already been set which means everything will just follow. At first, I thought wedding preparation was manageable and not that stressful, but I was wrong. I discovered that every aspect of our life will be involved in this preparation. We must balance our schedule with work and wedding preparations, improve our decision-making skills through constant communication and prayer, listen to the suggestions of our family and friends, look for the right suppliers, monitor our budget, travel for errands, prepare spiritually, and still make time for one another. Gradually, I learned to love every step of it, especially my daily errands with Karen.

Not only are we preparing for our wedding, but we were also reminded that we are preparing for our marriage. That’s why our spiritual preparation is a big part of this journey. The Engaged Couples Retreat that we attended helped us by allowing us to communicate clearly about every aspect of our lives and by listening to the speakers and their stories about their marriage. What I found common in their sharing is that God always remained at the center of their love. Another thing that helped us prepare well is our meet-up with our Ninongs & Ninangs (principal sponsors). They provided spiritual advice and also practical tips in married life.

Karen and I are now 7 months engaged and 2 years & 4 months in our relationship. This engagement period helped us to really know and understand one another better. We came from different backgrounds but now here we are preparing to be one in sharing the same dreams and goals.

Just like the “YES” of Mother Mary to God, we are here preparing ourselves to the bigger commitment of choosing & loving one another every day, and to be a missionary family in the future. The call for us now is to surrender ourselves in this preparation and to dwell always in the presence of God. We know and believe that He will take care of everything.

Pray for us as we continue to journey towards our wedding day.