Engagement Stories: Aren Dale Santos and Charisma Lico

Calyxta Engagement Stories:

Aren Dale Santos and Charisma Lico

September 23, 2017 at Lemery, Batangas

Can you give us a quick introduction of yourselves? What do you do?

Charisma: We’ve been together for two years, though we’ve known each other since college because we went to the same university. I’m now a full-time Fashion and Advertising Photographer, while my fiancé, Aren, is an architect.

When did you start dating? How did your love story start?

Charisma: Our love story or how we started as a couple isn’t really something fancy or fairytale-like, all I knew is that God orchestrated everything and that His timing is always perfect.

I’m going to let Aren take over in answering this question since his version of the story is more detailed (or maybe, I just like hearing it from him because it still gives me butterflies until now. Hehe!)

Aren: Around eight years ago, way back in college, I was already crushing on Cha, she already caught my attention but since I was in a relationship that time, I just really admired her secretly. Then after college, we got the chance to work together since I used to run a business and I hired her to be my photographer for the materials of my clothing line. From there, we developed a friendship though we never really hung out much but every once in a while, we get to have small conversations. Being attracted to her for a long time, something grew in me that she’s really my ideal girl, but I wasn’t really optimistic since she was dating someone then.

I was really praying for someone who’s God-fearing and learning that Cha is a Christian, it helped me to solidify my attraction to her. I have always said that I really wanted a girl like her, but God has an amazing plan. Three years after and after being single for quite a long time, she messaged asking a question and that gave me a hint that she was already single. Upon knowing that my ideal girl was already single, I gathered all my confidence to pursue her immediately since I really couldn’t miss out that opportunity. Imagine an open shot to the girl I ever wanted. It was really a chance of a lifetime that I couldn’t pass up.

From prayers and thoughts of having someone “just like her,” God knew better and knew what was really inside my heart. I wanted Cha, and to my surprise, He gave Cha herself. So, it also pays to be patient and prayerful. And that’s where it all began.

What was the initial reaction after the proposal? Can you share with us the story?

Charisma: It was overwhelming; I was filled with so much emotion of excitement and joy. I couldn’t believe it was finally happening and that I’m marrying my best friend, the only guy who managed to make me feel killig (I’m not even kidding), and one of the reasons I ever considered marriage in the first place (since I used to not really think about those stuff before). I wasn’t able to sleep the night he proposed to me because we already discussed the idea of it, but I wasn’t really expecting it to happen really soon, although it has been part of my prayer that if he’s really God’s best for me, he would propose within two years—and he did, and that was a pretty clear sign.

Who was the first person you shared your engagement with and why?

It was both our families who knew first because Aren asked my parents’ blessings first before the proposal. Our friends were also there at the venue when he proposed to celebrate with us.

What was the first thing you thought about right after the engagement that’s related to the wedding?

We first thought of the date of the wedding and we both agreed to have it sometime in January 2019.

The Engagement Story

PREPARATION

The proposal happened in an Airbnb in Lemery, Batangas, which he rented and I was clueless about it for I thought we were just going to have dinner in Tagaytay for my birthday. Yes, he proposed on my 25th! With the help of our friends, they filled the pathway with candles, which I didn’t see since I was blindfolded and it also rained after.