"How does your love endure?" is a question we often ask our pre-wedding couples. We ask wondering about the different values in relationships. No love story is the same but there are values that make relationships healthy and strong despite setbacks.
When we asked Christine, a Yakan Tausug bride, she referred to the two most important words in the Qur'an: mawadda which means love (affection & mutual care) and rahma for mercy (forgiveness and understanding).
Vincent, her Maguindanaon groom, revealed their challenges as a couple. When they first met, they were working under one company. They didn't see eye-to-eye first, since both occupied different positions with different responsibilities. But when sparks flew, mawadda blossomed, and rahma followed.
Mawadda and rahma was present when they went through a two-year long distance relationship. Now, mawadda and rahma is present when they have arguments on things. Mawadda and rahma makes them meet in the middle. With mawadda and rahma they have developed their mutual respect, patience, and humility that have become the ingredients to their 7-years and counting relationship.
Now that they are tying the knot, we are celebrating their love with photos showcasing their Yakan-Tausug and Maguindanaon heritage, their partnership, and their aspirations as a couple.
We shot in three locations around Gensan. The fire truck set in Gensan Oval was probably the most fun we had in a shoot. Since Vincent is a firefighter, we were able to get a fire truck on set, and had Vincent and Christine dress up as a firefighter couple.
In the woods of Tambler, Christine and Vincent showed their Yakan-Tausug and Maguindanao heritage by dressing in their traditional clothing, and posing with gamelan instruments. Christine posed with the kulintang and Vincent with the agong. Imagine hearing the sweet melodies of an improvised song from the kulintang punctuated by the bass rhythms of the agong. This set very much captures Christine and Vincent as a couple: playing different instruments, having different sounds, but harmonizing to make wonderful music.
We also featured the couple's adventurous side with the couple as bikers riding into the sunset in the fields of Banisil, Tambler.
Lastly, Christine and Vincent displayed the purity of their intentions and love in the evening set Tambler, with formal Muslim attire.
In the last set, there is a photo of Christine and Vincent that strikes us the most. It is a photo of them standing arm-in-arm while looking at different directions. This is one of the images that is very much grounded on their relationship. It shows their individuality, how they have different views, but also how they maintain their partnership by standing on the same ground and by always holding on to each other. As Vincent said, "Love can change everything. Whatever your religion, if you love the person, you will learn to adapt and respect their beliefs." There's mawadda and rahma at work.
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