But to couples, gift-giving is a personal, sensitive, intimate expression of their love for one another. It can grow into a much-anticipated romantic tradition, or fall into a predictable routine.
Through wedding coordinator Rita Neri, we found four engaged couples, soon to exchange wedding vows, and, following tradition, wedding gifts with one another. According to Rita, a growing trend among the affianced nowadays is to give each other His and Hers watches, an offshoot of the Filipino-Chinese custom of exchanging jewelry during the engagement ceremony.
At the Bulgari boutique at 6750 Ayala Avenue we discovered each couple’s love story, wedding plans and personal tastes as they selected their His and Hers Bulgari timepieces.
It was love at first sight for professional athlete Francis when he met one of Manila‘s Five Loveliest. "For me she’s complete. Sometimes you‘ll find someone who’s pretty, or not smart, or unrefined. But Keri came with the whole package."
Keri said of her husband. "We’re soulmates."
Since their four-and-a-half-year relationship began when they were both quite young, Francis and Keri are especially proud that they went through all their milestones and big moments together.
"She’s my lucky charm!" said Francis, who used to play basketball for DLSU and now plays in the PBL. He claimed that La Salle began winning championships when Keri came around.
On the subject of charms, we asked Keri about any memorable baubles or trinkets she has received from Francis. "All his gifts came at certain points that made me happy. All of them are memorable."
And what about the gifts she has given him?
"He has everything, so I really have to think of something he doesn’t have. He likes pets, but he didn’t have any and he was always playing with our pets at home. So I gave him two dogs and an aquarium."
From the Bulgari watch collection, the Zamoras chose the popular Aluminum, because it best reflects Francis‘s personality: sporty, with clean lines, and in black and silver.
But when asked about the greatest non-material gift they could give each other, they answered at once: "Our ten-month-old daughter!"
Lauro was an investment banker in New York; being the son of a former diplomat allowed him to live in different parts of the world. One Christmas break he came to Manila and met Grace at a party, where they were paired off by their parents.
A few months later, Lauro found himself traveling halfway across the globe yet again. "I decided to move to Hong Kong so I could be closer to Grace. Every Friday night I’d catch the last flight out of Hong Kong, and then take the first flight out of Manila on Monday."
Finally, on October 15, 2001 he asked Grace to be his wife at the Tagaytay Highlands before a breathtaking view of Taal.
Grace showed us her eye-catching engagement ring, a round solitaire set in white gold.
"I wanted it to be noticeable enough," said Lauro.
"Big enough!" Grace laughed.
Lauro explained. "I wanted something that would capture the culmination of everything we had been through. I did my research. I took a comprehensive crash course in diamonds. Now I know all the grades, the 4 C’s, the price sensitivity!"
Following their June 22 wedding, the couple will be based in Singapore —— another move to another country for Lauro while it will be Grace’s first time to live abroad and away from her family. But first off is a honeymoon in Spain and in Morocco, at an Aman resort in Marrakesh.
The couple chose His and Hers Bulgari Rettangolo, because Grace liked the camel-colored strap, the face and the numerals while Lauro liked the rectangular shape.
Lauro added a footnote: "When it comes to Grace, I want to give her only the best. She deserves nothing less."
Needless to say, they met at Congress.
Theirs was a whirlwind romance. Though friends for several years, they got engaged almost as soon as they got together. Rimpy acknowledged that he used to be a man-about-town, but it all changed after Paula. "Before, it was like eating dessert all the time. And then you realize you want the real thing."
Their gift-giving habits are based on their hobbies. Said Paula, "I got into his hobby, he got into my hobby, so we’re always together!"
Because Paula loves animals, Rimpy got her a bulldog and fish. She now has 10 aquariums.
Rimpy, on the other hand, is into 4x4s. "When Paula learned I like 4x4 vehicles she surfed the Internet and really researched on them. She ordered me all these small things like shirts, and other merchandise. I’ve always wanted them but I never took the time to buy them for myself. I was so touched."
And what Rimpy gave her in return was? A real 4x4! Paula now drives around in a forest-green Jeep TJ Sahara edition, with tan interiors and a fiberglass top.
Rimpy added, "We’re really into his and hers stuff. Same shoes, same jeans, same watches, same shirts. I don’t get embarrassed when we go out wearing the same things."
For the Bulgari His and Hers watches they selected the LCV sports steel with black leather strap and white face, because Paula prefers white gold and Rimpy thought it was elegant, sporty and simple, but dressy.
They plan on having a family very soon after their September wedding.
Rimpy shared that the greatest gift he has yet to give his future wife is a good family life. "I'm from Pampanga, but in the Visayas they have a better term for that – it’s liwat, meaning your little look-alike. That’s what I can’t wait to give Paula."
Ricky popped the question amid a most romantic setting: the presidential suite of the Manila Hotel, with a real live string quartet! It was there that Olivia accepted his ring, a princess-cut diamond set in white gold.
The couple, both Filipino-Chinese, will celebrate their engagement with their respective families in August. There they will exchange gifts of jewelry in the Chinese dowry tradition.
But this time, they chose the His and Hers Bulgari-Bulgari Classic in all steel.
Said Olivia, "I really like his-and-hers stuff, but it’s quite difficult for us to match things. I shop a lot, and he hardly does."
Meanwhile, the most memorable gift Ricky received from Olivia was a refrigerator. "It was my birthday, and I was so surprised to find a delivery man giving me the fridge. I kept telling them, "Send that back, I didn’t order that!"
The future Yaps always remember special occasions, and swear that it is something they will never forget all throughout their marriage.
As the saying goes, "The gifts we give each other are but echoes of God’s eternal gift." And for these four couples, the gifts they give each other are also echoes of their eternal union.