LOVE goes beyond religion.
It knows no age, race, distance, gender and belief. It is a universal language, a language deeply understood by May Codilla and Almedi Amad.
Religious differences challenged the love of May and Medi. May is from a religious Catholic family while Medi was born and raised with Islam faith.
“There was a point in our relationship that I almost gave up. But as time passed by, my family accepted our situation,” May shared.
At first, she said, she was hesitant to pursue their relationship because of their differences.
“But I took the risk, just what others say, love conquers all,” May said, adding that she is thankful with Medi's family who, from the start, supported their relationship despite the challenges.
“We may have different views in religion, we will respect each other’s religion and belief. We already agreed that our children will follow the teachings of Allah,” she shared.
How your love story started?
May: We were 2nd year college students, year 2010 when we first met. I am from failed relationship.
Medi: Back then, I am a certified “no girlfriend since birth.”
May: His high school classmate, Ankash Sohail But, was my Biology classmate in college. This classmate introduced him to me. One day, Medi messaged me, our first meeting was in a library, he waited for me in the Filipiniana section while I’m having my research.
Coincidentally, we have the same teacher in Statistics, then the courtship started there, he gave me worksheets with roses, after two days he gave me a cake, he’s a man of surprises, he loves offering gifts to me.
What is/are your common denominator/s?
Medi: We are both food lovers and adventurous. The rest of our attitudes are opposite. I am introvert, she’s extrovert.
How Medi proposed and when?
May: The proposal happened on August 16, 2016. He is practical unlike other men. We just talked about it (wedding) and one day, he bought a house and lot named after me. He said instead of ring, it is better to gift me a house key.
How the wedding went?
Medi: We had two weddings. The first happened last October 5, it was the Islam rites wedding. It was a very simple wedding at Waterfront Insular Hotel (exclusive for immediate family). The second wedding was on October 6 (civil wedding). It was attended by our close friends and family.
May: Two weeks before the wedding, my father who is suffering from chronic kidney disease was hospitalized. We stayed in the hospital for two weeks. I was just praying that my father will recover so he can walk me to the altar.
At first, I was planning to organize my wedding on my own. Good thing, I met a wedding organizer in the person of Kyam Parallon. It was a stress-free wedding.
How do you envision your family?
May and Medi: We want to establish a happy and complete family (with emphasis on “complete” because May came from a broken family).