Shalani and Roman: A walk to forever
Exactly 21 days from now, Shalani Soledad will walk down the aisle with a promise of forever in her heart. By the altar, her groom, Roman Romulo will wait for her to share her life with him.
Their Jan. 22 altar date is said to be the wedding of the year and at the moment, Shalani and Roman are the couple of the hour. It’s not very hard to understand this, considering that the No. 1 councilor of Valenzuela City and the Pasig City representative are every inch in love.
“I’m excited for our wedding,” Roman whispers to me with a wide smile traversing his be-dimpled face. We are in the middle of a Jun de Leon shoot for PeopleAsia magazine and the subjects are Shalani and Roman.
“Look at him, he’s so cute when he poses,” Shalani points out to me while Jun is taking the solo shots of Roman by the door of the Glass House in Rockwell. Then she stops verbalizing her thoughts. She just looks at him. In her silence, the almost three-meter distance between her and Roman seems to be longer than what it really is. That distance, however, is swiftly bridged when Roman gets her hand after Jun takes his photos.
The gaze Shalani gives Roman is the same gaze — or perhaps more — that he bounces back to Shalani when it is her turn for the solo shots. “She moves with ease. She knows her angle. She knows how to play with the camera,” Roman says, his eyes fixed on Shalani. In between clicks, Shalani, once or twice, gives him a glance before facing the camera, as if asking for his approval for the poses she does. No words are said; Roman just flashes his be-dimpled smile at her — that’s enough flash bulb for Shalani to project better.
In their unguarded moments, Shalani and Roman are a picture of love, of bliss, of happiness. During the interview, they automatically hold hands. And in any moment one lets go of the other’s hand, it takes only a few seconds before they lock hands again.
“We bring out the best in each other,” Roman says. Shalani nods in agreement.
“He’s very caring. He takes care of me very well,” Shalani says. She continues: “With Roman, he’s not only concerned about me. He also thinks of my companions, of my family. He always considers the people I work with. He makes sure that the situation surrounding me is very comfortable for me.”
The love they have for each other, which others are quick to label as a whirlwind romance, is infectious that being with them means being bitten by the love bug, too — vicariously or otherwise. Though they have known of each other a long time ago, theirs is a six-month-old love story that started when, in June 2011, they had lunch together with some friends. Just like the 21st-century tales of love, the seed of their romance started via an exchange of text messages until the seed germinated into a relationship that was neither watered by wooing nor head-over-heels courtship.
“Wala talagang ligawang nangyari. But we were going out,” Shalani says, giving away little giggles. As she smiles non-stop recalling how their romance started, Roman puts his arms around her. They continue to chuckle. That moment — there are only the two of them that exist. Everyone else in the background is happy to witness the kind of love the couple shares. It’s inevitable to feel the kilig, too.
So, no courtship happened. But the proposal is very memorable for the two. In early September, Shalani and Roman were inside the Our Lady of Fatima church in Valenzuela. It was almost midnight of Sunday, the two, after coming from a late dinner, knelt inside the church to pray. A little after midnight, Roman reached for his pocket. Then he presented his engagement ring to Shalani, the same ring given by Roman’s dad Alberto to his mom Lovely when they got engaged. He popped the magic question. Shalani melted in his arms and cried.
“That moment, I was thinking, ‘This is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with’,” Shalani says.
“I’m just too excited to share my life with her,” Roman concludes.
(Happy New Year! For your new beginnings, please e-mail me at bumbaki@yahoo.com or my.new.beginnings@gmail.com. You may want to follow me on Twitter @bum_tenorio. Have a peaceful and bountiful 2012!)
Some things we know about the Soledad-Romulo nuptials
• Shalani Soledad’s bridal gown will be created by Inno Sotto.
• The female entourage’s ensemble will be designed by Dennis Lustico.
•The couple will get married at the St. Benedict’s Church in Silang, Cavite.
• Reception will follow in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
•Principal sponsors include PLDT and TV5 chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar and Sen. Ping Lacson.
• Maid-of-honor is Joyce Castel-Uy, Shalani’s childhood friend.
•Best Man is Jun Cabangon, chairman and CEO of Fortune General Insurance.
• Lavender and green is the color motif of the wedding.
