All in His time

Featuring Kyle Nacino and Anj Dela Calzada | Words Kyle Nacino | Photography Niceprint Photography

Our Love Story

Anj and I met at our first jobs in Maersk back in 2016.

Unfortunately, Anj was in a relationship back then, but I knew at first glance that she was someone interesting. Months went by, we would oftentimes pass each other, say our hellos and give each other a smile. Not long enough our office clique was formed since we were all of the same age and share common interests.

Being the outgoing one in the group, I would plan Friday nights out with them for drinks in the hopes of having a conversation with Anj outside of the office. And so, we did, I always took the chance to get to know her more.

We didn’t know we were neighbors and “Taftmates” all this time. We told each other stories of where we used to eat chill in Taft or ride our bikes in the village and yet we never cross each other’s paths. Not even once. It was uncanny.

Fast forward to a year or so, word got out that I finally had a chance with her – she was finally single. I knew I had to jump on the chance and so I called again for a night out with friends. What seemed to be a typical tipsy and “turnt” night turned out to be the day where everything changed. We spent the entire night talking to each other as if catching up for lost time, but we were just beginning to get to know each other better and on a deeper level. I can still vividly remember the night – lights were beaming, music in the background fading, and faces started to blur as if nothing else mattered that night but the two of us. Having liquid courage in me (a little more than I should lol), I couldn’t take my mind off the thought of kissing her. And so, I did. And she kissed back. We ended the night feeling “kilig” and parted our separate ways back home. From there on out, we started going out on dates, grabbing brunch, having coffee, and being the outdoorsy people that we are, we went on a lot of beach trips, hikes, getaways, and even the occasional travel out of the country. 2018 was a good year for us.

We thought things couldn’t get any better until a year later, news came that she would be assigned in Copenhagen, Denmark to work with our company’s HQ. We were thrilled with the offer since it was her parents’ dream for her to work overseas so we all supported her to take it and so she did. In the next months up to a year, we went on doing long distance relationship. It was manageable at first, but it eventually took the best of us especially when work came first, and our own separate lives were just beginning. The time difference made it harder for us. In no time, LDR would take a toll on us and things became more difficult, especially when one of us wanted to give up. Truthfully, those times were often until later that year I decided to call it off. I did not want to be the reason holding her back from enjoying her stay in Denmark.

We tried to talk things through. After the long nights of talking, she made the decision to come home. I didn’t approve at first, but she really insisted. She said staying there would not be worth it if we weren’t together.

That was when I knew I had to make her homecoming worth it. I remember telling myself: “all in good time” knowing to myself I see her in my future. As she was about to finish her stint in Denmark in February 2020. We decided to take a trip to Europe to celebrate our coming together. It was as if I went there to bring her home. She gave me a tour of what her life had been like the past year in Denmark. It was beautiful, it was serene. I finally understood why she wanted to stay. In the next 2 weeks, we had the time of our lives touring Berlin, Paris, Prague, and Amsterdam. It was the trip of a lifetime, and we enjoyed our time in Europe. As we were about to head home, news was everywhere about COVID-19. Our flights almost got cancelled. Luckily, we made it home just before Metro Manila announced its first lockdown. Now, imagine if she had not decided to come home, and was left on her own to go through the COVID-19 lockdown. That would have been depressing and lonely. We all know how challenging 2020 was, but we faced it together; along with her family.

In hindsight, I believe our story happened the way it happened to lead us to that point – coming home. All in His time – the same reason why we did not meet early on in our lives; too young and immature. Her stay in Copenhagen allowed her to grow on her own the same way it did for me. The moment we were together again, we knew for a fact nothing could stop our love, not even long distance.

That was when I knew she was the one. Knowing we had overcome the distance and everything in between, we knew there was nothing that we could not overcome together. I decided to marry her. So, in March 2021, I proposed to her.

The Proposal (bride’s POV)

March 10, 2021, almost a year into lockdown. It was our 3^rd year anniversary so both of us had something planned that day. I planned a celebration for lunch, and he had something planned for dinner. We are both competitive at surprising each other but little did I know he was going to outdo me way beyond than I could imagine. His surprise comprised of getting down on one knee, a ring and a proposal of a lifetime.

His proposal was nothing short of extraordinary. Kyle always does things meaningfully – from the venue, where we had our first Christmas dinner to his proposal speech, where he took me down a memory lane, each one from our families was holding up one photo that depicts the milestones of our beautiful love story, to finally the ring, where he bought her mom’s first diamond ring, all while making sure the perfect moment was captured. It was simple yet magical, intimate yet meaningful.

I felt like I was just floating in the air the entire time. I couldn’t grasp the reality in front of me. I was overwhelmed and overjoyed, that feeling when dreams are turning into reality. When things started to kick in, I remember feeling so excited planning the wedding and the adventure of a lifetime with my best friend/ fiancé.

The Wedding Ceremony

We were blessed to have Bishop Socrates Villegas and Fr. Raul Caga, both close to our families, officiate our wedding. It was the heart of the celebration as we wanted to give our parents a beautiful church wedding since this is their first. During the ceremony, we could feel God’s presence as everyone was listening earnestly to the homily. What struck us the most was when Bishop Soc said that Marriage doesn’t last on romance alone but sacrifice for each other is key to a lasting marriage.

On top of that what we loved about the chapel was that it complemented our theme which was sunset hues. It has lush of greens and garden vibes which resembled our love for outdoors and nature. The Notre Dame De Vie chapel in Palazzo Verde was perfect in size that made it more intimate. The aisle was decorated beautifully by Wedding and Motifs. There were white lighted pillars which added a beautiful effect. It was made more memorable as we walked down the white carpet with our parents.

Walking down the aisle was even more a personal experience when they played The Scientist by Coldplay – a song Kyle sings to me. It was beautifully played by Dynasty Chamber Orchestra by Black Tie Entertainment. These moments were tear-jerking, and we will cherish this forever.

The Reception

Before the Victorian doors in Palazzo Verde opened, Kyle and I were able to indulge ourselves in the beautiful décor and styling of Moki Gray. She was my non-negotiable to Kyle and was the first supplier we booked ahead of time. When I came across her work on Instagram, I knew instantly that she would bring out my vision and dream wedding. She specializes in Fine Art Floristry and Event Styling inspired by nature, art & poetry. It was such a bonus to have found a friend in her as we connected easily in our first meeting.

The theme we chose was Ethereal, Dreamy, and Romantic Italian wedding, with a color palette of Sunset to Twilight hues. Every element and detail were beautifully incorporated. Think of a garden where flowers are growing in the wild.

Kyle and I also added a personal touch to the seating chart by decorating with a vintage tennis racket and a You, Me, Oui neon signage to guide the guests to their seats.

The word to describe the reception, was celebration. The evening started and ended with a lot of dancing. Team Bride started off with a well-choreographed dance number with hip sways like Christina Aguilera followed by Team Groom who didn’t back down and danced to the vibes of Bruno Mars. It was continued with a special dance number of the Nacino Brothers (Rocco & Kyle Nacino) who paid tribute to their late lola by performing as part of their tradition.

Our parents were also onboard on the idea of a fun dance number. The mother and son dance was touching and entertaining as they started slow with a “A Song For Mama” by Boyz II Men then turned it up with Let’s Groove Tonight. As for me and my dad, we wanted to hold in our tears, so we danced to an upbeat song, Time of My Life by Black Eyed Peas, it was made sweeter when he spontaneously lifted me and twirled me on stage and ended our dance with a hug. To top it all off, Kyle and I prepared a sizzling, or at least what we hoped for, performance by dancing to Bailando by Enrique Iglesias. It took us a week of practice with our choreographer to get the timing right since it was an upbeat song not to mention the struggle to move with my gown and heels. But we were able to pull off the twists, turns and lifts. It was something to cross off our list.

Finally, as any traditional Filipino wedding, we slow danced during our money dance. Our hearts and pockets were full because of the generous gifts from our families and friends. The money dance gave us the chance to interact with almost everyone as they gave their best wishes personally to me and Kyle.

We felt the celebration as everyone were engaged throughout the performances and it was the perfect appetizer before our scrumptious dinner.

We were thrilled to hear a lot of compliments regarding the food as they enjoyed every dish prepared by our caterer, Juan Carlo. Who was also my caterer during my debut. Of course, it wouldn’t be my wedding without a Cebuana’s staple food, Lechon De Cebu.

The wedding wouldn’t be complete without the heartfelt speeches from both our families and friends which made us shed a tear. The two most memorable were both our dads. Kyle’s dad gave a short but practical marriage advice and ended the speech in Bisaya to give thanks to my relatives who flew all the way from Cebu. On the other hand, my dad wasn’t supposed to give a speech because he knew he couldn’t contain his emotions but surprisingly my dad grabbed the mic from my mom after giving her speech and shared his first meeting with Kyle and recalled his first impression of Kyle which wasn’t good if I may add, but finished out the story by telling everyone the transformation of his relationship with Kyle, who he treats as his own son.

Towards the end of the night, we enjoyed every minute of the same day edit video by Nice Print Photography. They beautifully captured all the precious moments from start to finish.

Kyle capped off the program by playing original songs with his band, Mrs. Fin and my cousin to sing along a cover song.

Of course, the program would not be a success if it weren’t for our amazing host, Migz Anzures, who helped us out a lot in managing the time and keeping our guests entertained.

The moment we ended the program, our DJ, Gelo Morales, did not waste a minute playing remixes of the 80s, 90s and 2000s as requested. Since our families love dancing, we hired dance instructors to lead the line dancing. You could see everyone dancing! It was such a fun night because the guests didn’t hold back with their dancing. Everyone showed up and celebrated with us!

Everything still feels surreal up to this day and we remember it as if it were yesterday. This night of our lives happened on October 8, 2022. A number we chose that symbolizes infinity.