Featuring Rhon Jhay Abarrientos and Arlove De Jesus
It all started with a missed moment in college, and then turned into a love story written in perfect timing.
RJ and Arlove walked the same university halls, even orbiting the same spaces, she as a courtside reporter, he as a standout rookie athlete, yet never truly met.
“I was supposed to interview him,” Arlove recalls, “but I got reassigned. Looking back, maybe it just wasn’t our time yet.”
Their story truly began after graduation, when RJ reached out through Instagram. At first, Arlove was hesitant. “I told myself, ‘hard pass,’” she admits with a laugh. But RJ’s sincerity proved impossible to ignore. Instead of simply chatting online, he made real, thoughtful gestures, like personally bringing food to her home when she expected a simple delivery.
He drove her to hosting engagements, waited patiently, and made time for dinners afterward. “It felt easy,” Arlove shares.
“Like we had known each other for so long.” What touched her most was how he respected her family, especially her mother. On his birthday, she finally said yes.
Just two months into their relationship, RJ surprised her again, this time with a proposal in El Nido, Palawan. The trip itself was Arlove’s idea, carefully planned with her family in mind.
“I never suspected anything,” she says. “We weren’t even allowed to travel alone yet.” But RJ made sure her family was part of the moment, turning it into a shared celebration. “It felt surreal. I didn’t expect someone to be that sure of me so early on,” she reflects.
On March 31, 2025, the couple chose to begin their forever with a simple civil wedding surrounded by family, ninongs, ninangs, and close friends. Every detail carried meaning, especially Arlove’s bouquet and gown, which subtly paid tribute to her mother’s own wedding. “It felt very close to home,” she says.
Their reception followed at Fresh Buffet in Solaire North, a place already etched in their story. It was where RJ first messaged her during her father’s birthday celebration.
“Natatawa na lang kami when we remember,” Arlove shares. (“We always laugh when we remember”) The buffet setup mirrored their vision: practical, intimate, and genuine.
“If I had to describe our wedding in one word,” Arlove says, “it would be simple, but perfect for us.” Instead of grandeur, they chose intention, investing in their future while celebrating what truly mattered. Surrounded by love, they found peace in each other. And in that quiet certainty, their beginning became beautifully unforgettable.
RJ and Arlove’s Dream Team:
Reception: Fresh at Solaire North
Coordinator: Thoffy Consulta
Cake: Cakes by Alyanna
Invites: DIY
Photographer: Brian Lucas Reyes
Videographer: Verse Studio
Gown designer: Boy Kastner Santos
Suit designer: BKS Men
