THE COUPLE

She’s in events. He’s into numbers. She likes singing and dancing. He likes to try. She reads fiction. He reads finance. She’s the princess of her family. He’s the golden boy of his. She can be competitive. He lets her win. She can be found in a TRX strap. He’s at the basketball court. She listens to R&B. He listens to rock. She challenges his mind. He teases her all the time. She drinks cocktails and wine. He drinks beer and whisky. She likes to eat. He also likes to eat. She likes to travel. He also likes to travel. She’s caring and sweet. He’s supportive and thoughtful. She loves him. He loves her. This is their story.

THE STORY

It was a cold, rainy night in May and the VIVID Festival was on. Dewi had a dinner to go to with friends she went to university in Manila with. She had just gotten her Australian citizenship that day and was looking forward to a lovely evening with friends. Erwin, on the other hand, had nowhere to go. He was being kicked out of their apartment as one of his roomies, Aikka, was having a girls night in. With nothing to do, he asked his other roommate, Waffy, what he was up to that night. Waffy said he had a dinner to go to. Erwin did not know any of them but decided to invite himself anyway.

Dewi caught up with Waffy outside the restaurant along Sussex St. They had been talking when Erwin crosses the street and walks up to them. He thought she was pretty. She thought he was good looking too. A little lacking in height, yes, especially standing beside 6’4 Waffy, but he was charming and very funny. She loves people who make her laugh. And as he effortlessly made her laugh the whole night, it didn’t take long for their friends to sense that sparks were flying.

The night ended past midnight. Drinks were consumed. Numbers were exchanged. He mentioned that night that he was flying to India at the end of the year. He asked her if she would like to come. She thought he was crazy. But then again, so was she. And she said yes. Little did they both know that a few years later, she would be saying YES to a different question.

THE QUESTION

They have always known they were going to get married to each other. They already knew in the first couple of months they started going out.  It wasn’t a question of “if”; it was more a matter of “when” and more importantly for Erwin, “how”. So when the talk of a Europe trip came up, he knew he had to do it then. And also because Dewi’s colleagues kept unapologetically dropping hints and perhaps that sparked his idea. Or maybe that was the reinforcement he needed. Either way, it brought him down to one knee in Greece. Mykonos was only the second stop in a 15-city run. So for him to propose as early in the trip as he did really caught her by surprise. Yes, it is the gay capital of Greece and a party island but as their heavenly cliff-side resort sat on an exclusive beach, with blue skies, a looming eclipse, and the Mediterranean waters in the background, he knew then that this paradise was the perfect spot.

Photos courtesy of Cyron Sobrevinas from Captured Frames