Back when the biggest concerns of my life were learning to ride a bike and playing jackstones, my mom was already on her knees, praying that her three daughters would find good men to marry someday. No, she didn't want us to go and marry ASAP -- she was a tiger when it came to the matter of us dating -- but she knew the importance of spending one's life with the right person. She would always go, "Humanap kayo ng mamahalin kayo, yung aalagaan kayo, yung may takot sa Diyos at hindi madamot." At different stages of my life, her uncompromising stance on these things got different reactions from me, some calm, some violent. But my mother never stopped praying -- in their room, at the Solarium, in church, up the Prayer Mountain... Today, I can only thank her for her unceasing prayers and uncompromising guidance. I have found a good man, and that good man loves me beyond my own understanding. God has answered momsy's prayers.

Popsy set the bar high for the man in my life. He was a protective, pampering dad. He worked hard and made personal sacrifices to provide us girls with the best everything. He not only sent us to good schools, he personally took us to them. I remember when I was in first grade, Popsy would bring me to Stella Maris, wait under a tree outside the school where I could see him, and wave at me until I disappeared to class. Even in college, he would drive me to U.P. and bring me home for lunch and drive me back again -- and that's on his workday! Popsy made every effort to ensure that his daughters did not have a hard time in anything at all. We were his princesses. He spent a lot of time with us -- watching UAAP games, helping with homework, introducing us to Elvis, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, the Beatles, and the Beach Boys, and playing the piano after dinner at home so we could sing along. Having enjoyed the company and love of such a wonderful man, I knew that anything less was not worth my time. The fact that I would be spending the rest of my life with Rhoel says a lot.

As I prepare to make the biggest commitment of my life, I also make a pledge to my parents: Momsy and Popsy, you will be honored, loved and cherished as long as I live.

Uncle Francis and Ate Minnie, along with Kukai and Franco (the Bible bearer), are the closest to a family that the bride has in Hong Kong. Ate Minnie is Kukai's sister (Kukai is the grand archon of PDI's yaya sisterhood). They have served as the bride's directory in Hong Kong: where to buy this and that, how to get here and there, which shops sell the cheapest what. We know that more than being great city guides, this God-fearing couple can help us map a God-centered marriage. And because they have the time and talent (and proximity to the bride), these two are such great DIY help with the wedding 8 )

If the groom had someone of kin he wishes he could be closer to, it would be Tita Tima and her family. Although separated by distance, this has not prevented her from being a constant loving presence to Rhoel and his siblings, especially after their mom passed away. In desperate times, she was there to prove that there is indeed a God who cares. Tita Thelma and her girlfriends, along with Tito Lito, are among the couple's most diligent prayer partners during the wedding preparations. Surely, such prayerful guidance would tremendously bless a marriage as well.

The groom, throughout his professional career, has always maintained a fine line between personal life and work - particularly when it came to his relationship with his superiors. The Cristobals, however, were an exception as they treated him more as family than an employee. In the 25 months Rhoel spent working for this wonderful couple, he learned the true meaning of serving others and the pride that accompanies an honest day's work. If there is evidence that God answered the groom's prayers while he was in the States, look no further than Manang Tina and Manong Dom of Nantucket Homes, who not only gave Rhoel a job, but a home.