To have and to hold

A marriage is a beautiful partnership not only between husband and wife but also with God. Any married individual will attest that God is the only welcome third party to the union of the couple. It is this sacred and unseen yet felt force that makes the husband and wife’s covenant perfect.

My niece Nikki Boncan-Buensalido got married to Jason Buensalido, her boyfriend of five years, on 11-11-11. Both are young, very talented and multi-awarded architects. On their wedding day, officiating priest Fr. John Cordero was so pleased to note that this couple strongly believes in the viability of a true love triangle, hence the presence of God was not only evident at the St. James the Great Parish in Ayala Alabang Village where they solemnized their union. Even at the reception, the young couple even made sure that the manifestation of God would be felt. How? As architects who fully acknowledge that their talent and inspiration comes from God, they honored Him through what they do best  through their unique designs.

Nikki and Jason explained that the design for their wedding is triangular in nature  the signia of their invitation as well as the pieces of sculpture on the tables, even the base of her wedding bouquet  to denote that they ultimately submit to God their love for each other. Yes, the symbolism is apparent  the three sides of the triangle represent the free flowing yet exclusive relationship shared by Nikki, Jason and God.

The newlyweds with the bride’s parents Boom and Jaqui Boncan and sister Christel.

At the reception, their first dinner as a couple was served on a table they designed together. It was a white rectangular table with a base containing iron triangles. Yes, they always want God to go in between them, behind them, beside them.

More than anything else, Nikki and Jason proved that they were spiritually prepared to become husband and wife to each other.

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I was proud to witness many significant firsts in the wedding of my lovely niece Nikki to the handsome Jason. It was my first time to hear a couple honoring their parents right there up in the church altar during the nuptial Mass. It touched me deeply to hear Nikki and Jason deliver before God, their family and friends their gratitude to their parents.

I am printing here some excerpts. Please read on…

Nikki’s dedication to her parents, Boom and Jaqui Boncan

Mom and Pop,

In Ephesians 6 verses 1-4, it says: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and your mother  which is the first commandment with a promise  that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

Today I stand here today to honor you and thank you for dedicating your lives to raising me up to become the woman that I am today. Thank you for preparing me to stand on my own feet and for always being there for me no matter what. I may have my quirks at times but thank you for putting up with me on that. You taught me how to be strong and how to fully put my trust in God believing that He will give us what is best for us even if we do not understand the circumstances. It is in faith and hope that we know in our hearts that God is always in control and it is in that same trust that God brought us all here today. Thank you for bringing me up in the training and the instruction of God and thank you for giving us your blessing today. I cannot be prouder to say that you did great in bringing me up and protecting me from the world. You taught me what it means to love unconditionally. My prayer is that you both continue to set an example in speech, in faith, in prayer and in love for both Jason and me. May the two of you be blessed always and may God honor your commitment to love and serve one another. Again, thank you very much and I love you both very much.

Jason and Nikki with the groom’s parents Dr. Adrian and Joy Buensalido and siblings Monique, Dondie and Jocel and nephew Jaime.

Jason’s dedication to his parents, Dr. Adrian and Joy Buensalido

Being an architect, I can compare your partnership and your influence on me to architecture  it has a technical and a creative side. Although each of you has an abundance of both, I attribute my technical development to you, Dad; and my creative side to you, Mom.

Mom, I used to walk to your office right after school, and watching you in action taught me how to be entrepreneurial. You also showed me the importance of keeping relationships. No matter how skilled you are, you cannot be successful if you can’t handle or relate with people well. This holds true whether it’s with clients or family.

You taught me how to enjoy the finer things in life without forgetting to be responsible, like when you’d sneak in grocery shopping before taking me to our regular stage play dates. Without piano lessons and fashion shows you exposed us to, I probably wouldn’t be as passionate about design as I am today.

Dad, again, thanks for exposing me to the technical side of life. Instead of simply buying toys for me, you would actually make them with your own hands and tools. I learned the importance of “building” something  whether it’s a structure or a relationship.

You would give me scaled models of tanks and airplanes as my prize. No matter how tasking it was to assemble all the parts, I was always happy as I did it, and felt so fulfilled at the end. All of these experiences are probably what led me to be passionate about building real structures, now that I’m a full-fledged architect.

Together, you are the best couple I have ever witnessed grow together. Until now, you still have your weekly dates, and you still hold hands. By witnessing you love each other and us, your children, I have learned how to love unconditionally, which I hope to emulate in my own marriage.

I love you both very much.

(Would love to hear from you at miladayjewels@yahoo.com)