Our Love Story, Our Theme: 5 Unique Prenuptial Photoshoots Of Pinoy Couples In The Time Of COVID

True love does make its way through even the most difficult of times -- the pandemic included. Despite challenging situations, quite a number of wedding proposals and weddings have taken place in the last few months of lockdown, as couples rose to the occasion to celebrate their love.

In our modern times, a couple’s journey to forever does not begin on the wedding day. For many, that chapter is marked by the engagement, and immortalized with a prenuptial photoshoot done in the couple’s style and preference. These 5 couples did well to capture the essence of their love through photoshoots in extraordinary ways.

Read the story behind these prenuptial and wedding photoshoots that have gained a lot of attention on social media.

In the rice fields

After being together for 13 months, Imee Borinaga-Gutierrez and John Clinton Gutierrez decided to hold their pre-nuptial photoshoot at a rice field in Margen, Ormoc City on Jan. 4, 2021. The unusual theme and venue quickly caught the attention of netizens and major news outlets.

“It was supposed to be an ’Into the Woods‘-themed [shoot] since we're [both] fans of nature, but we felt that it would be better to incorporate something unusual to a traditional prenup photoshoot and, at the same time, inculcate meaning [through] it, so that's why we did the ’Palayan’ shoot,” shares Imee, a public school teacher.

Taken in three different locations -- Leyte Gulf, Heaven’s Peak, and the rice field owned by their families -- it only took Imee and John a day to finish their photoshoot.

Imee and John were both raised by farmers, so they wanted to showcase the beauty of farming in one of the most special events in their lives.

“We also wanted to show other people that even though we've achieved something in life, we must not forget the things we used to do when we were kids, and that's to play in the mud, showcasing the beauty [of] farming,” says Imee.

She shares that the photoshoot presented an opportunity to “promote farming for sustainability, and to let everyone know that there is life in farming.”

When their “Palayan” photoshoot went viral across social media, Imee and John were overwhelmed as they did not expect to receive so much attention from other people. On a brighter note, they felt blessed that their prenuptial photoshoot became instrumental for many to appreciate the work that farmers do and the importance of farming, especially during these challenging times.

“People need food and farmers are the ones who can provide that basic need.”

Love in the time of COVID-19

Medical front liners Dr. Lennon Vasquez, an internal medicine specialist, and Dr. Jonah Nival-Vasquez, an obstetrician-gynecologist, channeled their inner K-drama persona for their prenuptial photoshoot at the Metropolitan Medical Center in Manila three weeks before their wedding on Dec. 28, 2020.

When Lennon proposed to Jonah on her birthday last year, they also talked about the theme for their prenup. During a recent brainstorming session with their photographer, Mr. Kane, Jonah showed them some photos chronicling a doctor’s daily life in the hospital, which were screenshots of different K-drama posters. Mr. Kane thought of adding a Korean flair to them.

“We love our vocation, and as doctors in this difficult time, we wanted to showcase our profession. It was also in Metropolitan Medical Center where our love story started and flourished, which is why we thought of making it a part of our prenup,” shares Lennon.

“The location [of the photoshoot] were different sites [within] the Metropolitan Medical Center like the famous helipad, doctor’s lounge at the top floor, vacant hallway ward, mini operating room of the emergency room, and other areas of the hospital that are far from COVID-19 patients,” the couple shared.

The photoshoot proper took around six hours and involved four sets of clothes to change into, like the white coat, scrub suit, formal wear, and PPEs, which were all made to order.

Lennon and Jonah are utterly grateful to the hospital management and the medical director for allowing their request. “The management even assigned persons to look after us during the whole duration of the shoot,” adds the couple.

Never did Lennon and Jonah imagine that their prenup photos would go viral. The glowing feedback from their family, friends, and colleagues somehow unloaded the burden of the gloomy outlook they faced at the hospital every day.

“[Ten] or 20 years from now, we can proudly say to our children that we did this [photoshoot] during a pandemic. Despite all the negativity, as front liners we still choose [to see] the greatest gift of our Lord to mankind, which is to love,” shares Lennon.

Bella Ciao!

Though quite an unusual theme for a prenuptial photoshoot, Nino Andrew Roilo and Inez Quial-Roilo chose to go with “Money Heist,” a crime drama series on Netflix.

Andrew, a critical care unit nurse, initially wanted to do a “Bonnie and Clyde” concept to highlight the “for better or for worse” part of their wedding vows, but Inez, an obstetrics-gynecology resident physician, was not into it. They also considered an “Umbrella Academy” concept but shelved it as that would entail many themes and higher costs.

“I decided to stick to one show, and that was ‘Money Heist’ because their costume (the red jumpsuit) is reminiscent of the hazmat suit that we front liners wore during the first wave of the pandemic, and it felt like giving homage to our profession as well,” shares Andrew.

On Nov. 9, 2020, Andrew and Inez held a “Money Heist” prenuptial photoshoot at the historical Temple of Leah in Cebu City.

One of the challenges the couple faced was arranging Andrew’s trip to the Philippines. The groom-to-be has been working in the UK since 2018, and though foreign travel was on hold for a while, he was able to book a flight to Cebu when the community quarantine measures were relaxed in November.

The typhoons that struck the country also worried the couple because the Temple of Leah was located in a mountainous barangay in Cebu, which is a high-risk area for landslides. Thankfully, they were blessed with good weather on day of the photoshoot.

The pandemic has also brought uncertainties to the couple’s wedding plans. In March, Andrew tested positive for COVID-19, “and from that moment I thought that I won't be able to survive, but thank God I fully recovered,” says Andrew.

Andrew and Inez were overwhelmed at how remarkable the photos turned out. “All of a sudden, writers from regional and national online publishing [companies] from Singapore, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, even Spain were reaching [out] to us [and] our photographer to ask some questions about the shoot,” shares Andrew.

The Roilos are very happy that many appreciated their uniquely themed photoshoot. “I can say that despite everything [we went through], our wedding was very memorable.”

A natural and laidback style

After being together for over five years, Adannel Pedragosa and Romelyn Candaza had a simple and unassuming prenuptial photoshoot up in the mountains where they first met.

“Kumbaga, kung saan kami nagsimula ay doon din kami babalik para magsimula ng bagong chapter ng buhay namin,” says Adannel, who works as a nurse. His fiancée Romelyn is a pediatric intensive care unit nurse.

On the day of their photoshoot, Adannel and Romelyn hiked to the Fresno Ago Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite in Rizal and began shooting at 6:00 in the morning.

Due to the nature of Adannel and Inez’s work, they made sure the shoot was something that they could enjoy, and which did not involve a lot of time to prepare. The photos came out beautiful, and a rainbow was even captured in their snaps.

“Noong nag-viral nga yung prenup photos, nakakatuwa na nakakatawa na ang daming taong natawa sa pictures namin,” shares Adannel. Everybody deserves a good laugh, he adds, “lalo na sa stress na pinagdadaanan ng mga tao ngayon, so we are happy na napatawa namin sila.”

A very special wedding

Though usually a competition, sports sometimes also brings two people together, like in the case of Joyce and Jeremias Pasay, who tied the knot on Dec. 15, 2020.

“Tennis played a big role in our relationship dahil dito kami nagkakilala. Dito nagsimula lahat -- ito rin yung favorite date place namin noong mag boyfriend at girlfriend pa lang kami, hanggang sa proposal noong Dec. 22, 2019, until sa wedding day,” shares Joyce.

Right after their civil wedding, Joyce and Jeremias went straight to the tennis court at Cebu Technological University-Danao Campus, where the couple graduated and played during their college days.

Despite the pandemic, Joyce and Jeremias felt lucky and blessed. “We may not be able to push [through with] our planned church wedding but still it's a wrap for us knowing na nagustuhan din ng mga tao at na-appreciate nila yung napili namin na wedding theme,” shares Joyce.

A simple and intimate wedding, a heartfelt exchange of wedding vows, and saying their “I do’s” while surrounded by their loved ones are enough for Joyce and Jeremias to start their new life as husband and wife. “Walang bibitaw at walang susuko.”

This article originally appeared on OneLife.PH.