LOVE does not always come easy.
It is not always perfect but it is definitely worth the wait.
As they tied the knot and celebrated their nine-year "roller coaster" kind of relationship on May 13 at Bacolod Living Water Christian Fellowship Church in Barangay Tangub, Martian Muyco, 26, and Shannah Torres, 24, only proved that no obstacles can overcome their love for each other.
Their love story started when Martian saw Shannah while he was campaigning for Supreme Student Government (SSG) at Negros Occidental High School (NOHS) in Bacolod City.
It was kind of weird for Martian at first since Shannah was "glowing" when he saw her for the first time. But, he knew that there was something about her that he could not resist.
Eager to get to know Shannah better, Martian added her when he saw her viewed his profile on the defunct social networking site Friendster.
Their conversation started when Martian asked for Shannah's number through her friend in exchange for P30. They began texting until they became friends on December 6, 2008.
After almost a year, the two officially became a couple on May 13, 2009, when Martian was already in college.
Martian finished Bachelor of Science (BS) in Mass Communication while Shannah finished BS Pharmacy at the University of Negros Occidental - Recoletos (UNO-R).
Shannah is currently studying Medicine at the University of St. La Salle (USLS) while Martian is a news reporter at ABS-CBN Bacolod.
Their relationship was tested with challenges but the couple remained strong through their faith in God. They got engaged last December 6, 2017, and tied the knot on their ninth anniversary last Sunday, May 20.
On their wedding day, gray and pink colors filled the church.
Tears began to fall as the music of Side A's "Forevermore", which is their theme song began to play while Shannah, who was wearing a simple white gown walked down the aisle accompanied by her parents Dr. Lewyn Torres and Mrs. Frances Vivien Torres.
Martian, who was wearing a gray suit, was delightedly waiting at the altar with his parents Pastor Gilbert Muyco and Mrs. Mary Ann Muyco.
The wedding ceremony was officiated by Pastor Gil Gasataya and Martian's father, Pastor Gilbert.
As they exchanged their vows, Martian promised to never give up on Shannah and to always love her.
"I almost gave up not once, not twice, but thrice, and yet you never gave up on me, on us," Martian said, as he thanked Shannah for holding on to him despite the ups and downs in their relationship.
Before Shannah gave her vows to Martian, the latter sang few lines of the song "I will be here," as he promised her to never leave nor forsake her.
For Shannah, “2017 has been our toughest year, but also the most rewarding year because it was then that everything became clear. We also proved that our love will always be greater than any of our mistakes combined.”
“I vow to love you best when we have arguments and continue growing my love for you forevermore. And you don't have to remind and wait for me to text you "Good Morning" because I vow that I will tell you myself every morning when I wake up next to you. I love you!"
It was a magical moment for the couple when the pastor officially declared them husband and wife.
Martian and Shannah ended the ceremony with a kiss.
The reception followed at L’ Fisher Hotel.
Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Councilor Em Ang graced the occasion.