For them, this was the perfect way to celebrate and give thanks for their 15-year journey as husband and wife: an intimate and solemn wedding with the majestic Mayon Volcano as its backdrop-capped with a celebration with close friends and family. It was everything that Amaya, a beauty queen and model from Bicol, dreamed of for her second union with Donn, a decorated military officer. The couple exchanged their vows at the Stella Maris Chapel overlooking the gulf of Albay, and the event culminated at the Misibis Bay Resort, Caragay Island. Close friends and relatives of the family were treated to a day of festivities that were both formal yet relaxed, proper yet personal.
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LOVE STORY
Amaya and Donn were introduced in 1995, on the tarmac of the Cebu International Airport, by a common friend. She was a regional beauty queen and model visiting the area; he was a commanding officer for a SEAL team assigned there. "It was in the morning," says Donn. "When I saw her, I was mesmerized." Amaya too, felt the attraction. "I never believed in love at first sight, not until then. He was different from the rest." A few months later, Donn came to Manila on his break. "After that, we were inseparable," Amaya shares.
Nearly two years later, Amaya and Donn decided to wed civilly. "No fancy celebration there," Amaya recalls. "I just felt being married to Donn was more important than how it was going to be done."
Amaya, who once "much admired, but never envied" military wives, now found herself in such a role. "When I married Donn, I was ready to take the back seat just to make our marriage work." With the frequent travels and missions Donn was assigned to, "prayers were my weapon of choice."
As a testament to their love that truly endures, the couple held their church wedding in October 2010.
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Find out about their preparations.
WEDDING PREPARATIONS
Since Donn was away in Jolo, he left it to Amaya to plan the ceremony. For Amaya, choosing the venue was the most difficult part, since she was a Bicolana lass who spent half of her life in Manila. "But my heart was telling me that it should be in my place of origin," she shares.
For the ceremonies, Donn came decked in military white, and Amaya came with a bouquet of 15 calla lilies signifying their years of marriage. They exchanged vows in a chapel overlooking the gulf of Albay, with the Mayon Volcano as its backdrop. After the wedding, the arch of swords ceremony greeted the couple, and guests were treated to cocktails and a buffet spread by the resort's poolside. It was a celebration and setting fit for an officer and his queen, where the décor hues matched the colors of the setting sun.
Most of Amaya and Donn's suppliers were from the area. Amaya also injected the couple's personality in her DIY projects, which included the misallette, kissing bells, giveaways, and place cards.
The couple danced to "Cadette Girl," sung by members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), and guests lit and released 15 lanterns as a symbol of the couple's enduring relationship.
In the end, the couple's beautiful wedding made the 15 years worth the wait.
