Jared and Guilia's Wedding

February 26, 2014

Today we attended Jared Garcia and Guilia Nobleza's temple sealing in Cebu temple and then their reception at the Stake Center on the temple complex.  We were so excited to be included in their special day.  Jared served his mission in the Bacolod Mission and was the Mission Assistant when we arrived here. We loved him instantly because he was such a fine young man and he helped us get acclimated. Guilia is the daughter of Elder Nobleza who is an area Seventy who lives in Bacolod.  Elder Nobleza is also the general manager of BDO Bank. Out of the thirty people invited to the wedding we knew all but 5 of them (who were the young friends of Guilia. The temple president, President Pacaduan conducted the ceremony.  We were so happy to meet Jared's parents and be able to tell them what a wonderful son they raised. 

When Jared returned home from his mission he was checking out Facebook and he saw Guilia's post of one of his friends pages and sent her a friend request.  And... they hit is off instantly.

After the wedding we were escorted to the reception and asked to sit at the presidential table.  We tried to politely decline and were asked to sit with the family at the presidential table along with Bishop DI and President Escobar.  We felt like we were imposing by sitting at the special table but the leaders told us we needed to sit these so we do not offend.  I will never get over the humble feeling of being cherished and treated like angels by the Philippine people.  The receptions was so different as they began with a hymn and an opening prayer.  The parents of the groom thanked everyone for coming and gave some advice to the young couple.  The brides parents had asked several people to also give advice including Dan.  The reception also included special soloists, dance productions, and dinner.  During dinner they showed videos of the couples lives prior to courtship, during courtship and during their engagement. They also included the flowers being thrown and the cake cutting ceremony as we do in the U.S.  Another common tradition is when people hit their glasses with a knife so there is a tinging sound the bride and groom kiss (on the mouth, is how they said it).  The couple were embarrassed as the two fathers kept the tinging going constantly. Guilia  asked everyone to add that the parents of the couple be required to kiss when the audience clapped as they clap often. Then after a little while they decided since Elder Sinema and I were at the parent's table that we should kiss also.  Oh my do they know how to have fun.

Some of the advise given was interesting.  Bishop Di said that when coupled disagreed that they had to trade off being the one who explodes and the one who listens with each disagreement.  Not sure how that would work. President Escobar said that the couple had to kiss seven times each day and never go to bed without saying "I love you" to each other. Dan said that life was full of opposites: happiness and sadness, light and darkness, good and  evil and that if we always endure to the end and help each other through the oppositions, life will be a wonderful experience. A lovely sister who was Guilia's teacher said that if the couple always remember that each of them are a son and daughter of God and that as such they are expected to be worthy of that title by remembering the covenants they had made with each other and their Heavenly Father as they were sealed that would be able to keep in mind the responsibility to keep the promises they had made.  After the closing song and prayer, the dancing began: the father and daughter dance, the son and mother dance, the bride and groom dance and then all couples were asked to join in to the dancing.  Dan made a valiant effort before saying that I should go and ask Guilia's Grandfather (widowed) to dance. He is probably in his mid-eighties and uses a cane so we carefully made our way to the dance floor and finished the dance.  He was so thankful that I would offer to dance with him.  His granddaughter kept thanking me over and over for being so kind to her grandfather.  The best part of the evening for Dan was the whole reception was over before 7:30 pm.  What a lovely experience we had and will always remember