A Valentine's Day wedding

What could be more romantic than having a wedding on Valentine's Day, the day of love? Balikbayan Chona Calansingin and Lino Leyes of Villamonte, Bacolod, chose the intimacy of the San Isidro Labrador Parish in Tangub, for their wedding Tuesday. Chona, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edgardo Calansingin (he is a former manager of PCIB-Bacolod), who are now living in the US. At present, she is a cardio-thoracic ICU nurse at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. Lino, a successful businessman (transportation, farming, security agency, etc), is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Conrado Leyes.

Their love story reads like a tele-novela. They had been good friends for years, a friendship that was made even closer when she became the personal nurse at the Philippine Heart Center, of his sister who had leukemia. She saw how caring and kind he was to everyone while he was impressed with how well she took care of his sick sister. Soon she left to work in the USA and after some time, she learned that he had gotten married here. She was happy for them and whenever she came to visit, Lino and his wife would come and see her often. Years past and he now had two lovely daughters while she remained single.

In 2004, Lino's wife died of cancer, leaving her husband and kids grief-stricken. The next year when Chona came to visit, she condoled with her friend who was now a sad and lonely widower.

Fate stepped in, sparks flew and this time, there was chemistry. Before they knew it, they were in love! She went back to the States and their overseas calls became so frequent that, at one time, their monthly telephone bill went as high as P50,000! When he finally asked her to marry him, she couldn't utter a word and her best friend took the phone and said, "Yes, she will!" Feverish preparations began (mostly via long-distance). And so, on Valentine's Day, these two good friends (now both 47 years old), became man and wife.

Shy and soft-spoken Lino, couldn't take his eyes off his stunning bride Chona (who looks fifteen years younger than her age), as she marched down the aisle in a dreamy gossamer fabric wedding gown with a fully-beaded halter top (which she bought in the States). The highlight of the wedding ceremony was the release of hundreds of white butterflies whose fluttering wings glittered in the sunlight. What a beautiful sight they made, leaving the guests awe-struck. The reception was held at L'Fisher Hotel where a superb feast was laid out for the occasion. Relatives and friends from way back were there to share their special moment. Brides always look radiant on their wedding day and Chona glowed with happiness, knowing that after all this time, they were really meant to be.*