Merce & Ian

11 or so years ago, Merce caught Ian’s attention being the only one in complete uniform on the very first day of medical school. But even if she felt silly at that time, she already had an impact on him and this made him curious about her. Over the course of their first classes together, they had short encounters and small talks and found out some of the things they had in common. They were both from Camarines Sur, they both studied in Naga (high school for Merce and all his life for Ian) so they had some friends in common and surprisingly they both took BS Psychology in Ateneo as pre-medical course, just in different campuses (Manila for Merce and Naga for Ian), so somehow they had the same values and got along really well even from the start. Eventually they were grouped together in a project and ended up chatting until 2AM, talking about everything under the sun except their assignments.

A few weeks in, Ian was starting to express his feelings and asked Merce out to watch a movie. However, Merce was unsure and shy at that time so she ended up inviting the whole class. Ian initially wanted to sit beside her but Merce deliberately sat on the opposite side. This made Ian think that Merce was not interested but the truth was that she was just scared that Ian reminded her too much of her Dad who passed away. He was also very outgoing, had lots of friends, loved to cook and enjoyed good food and music and he was kind. At first Merce hesitated even though she prayed everyday for her Dad to send her someone just like him, because it all seemed too good to be true.

Despite her being pakipot, Ian persisted and showed Merce who he really was. He became a really good friend she could depend on especially in the whole new and difficult terrain of medical school. Both of them along with their barkada stayed up almost everyday to study in Dunkin or McDo and they helped each other pull through many hurdles. They also had the fun they deserved after working hard and spent Friday nights or weekends drinking, singing and laughing out loud together. They continued talking till the wee hours, talking about the most random things until Ian got comfortable enough to introduce Merce to his cousin, Josh and Merce got cutesy enough to send voice notes and covers of songs like, “La Vie en Rose” which they both liked hearing from How I met Your Mother. This back and forth continued seamlessly until eventually they had “the talk” and realized the feelings have always been mutual. However, as adults, they promised to be mature in starting this relationship, hence coining “Yin and Yang” as their term of endearment for one another with the promise of always trying to maintain balance for each other, the good and the bad.

It all worked out, especially with the unending support of all their loved ones from the start, especially Mommy, Mama, Papa, Ate Ia, Kuya Lee (and now Lilo). It hasn’t been perfect but the love has been overflowing. They eventually decided to get Perseverance “Percy” to remind them to keep on going despite all the hardships. They took care of him until he got too big for the apartment they shared with Josh, Ian’s cousin. After Percy was given back home to Mommy, they decided to get Jackson the Boston and they loved him with all their hearts. Percy crossed the rainbow bridge in 2021 and is forever etched in their hearts. Then came Isidro who was adopted from Io and Mashy’s litter. Then Yumi was adopted from Josh’s pack when they had to move. And last but not the least is the spritely Olga who has kept them on their feet and kept the happiness overflowing. They built a life together along with their beloved dogs. And they both would not have it any other way. This wedding just makes it extra official.