He gave her a box of chocolates when they were first introduced by friends, and in just 21 days, he had her heart. Chocolate played a significant role in their courtship, and eventually, in their marriage.

Fast-forward to a year later. During a spur-of-the-moment trip to Caleruega, the couple fell in love with its chapel. Raymond reserved the church right then and there, which probably should have tipped Ging off about his intentions.

It’s a real box of chocolates! Their invitation, also the giveaway, was undoubtedly a labor of love crafted by the Tahanan Walang Hagdanan Foundation (TWH).

A whirlwind of planning and preparing ensued, but in the meantime, the couple decided that they wanted, as their wedding present of sorts to themselves, to give something back to the community they belonged to. So they hired Tahanang Walang Hagdanan Foundation (TWHF) as one of their suppliers. TWHF made beautiful wooden boxes with Ging and Raymond’s logo outside and their picture inside the cover. Each box was filled with pink foil-covered chocolates covering the invitations designed by the bride’s sister Gem. They then made sure to deliver these invitation/giveaway boxes of chocolate personally to their guests.

The big day finally came, and what happened next is best described by Ging’s words. "The moment I stepped into the chapel for my march down the aisle, I felt an overwhelming joy and I started crying. Seeing my parents’ and Raymond’s tears falling didn’t help slow down mine." She added a humorous note: "Luckily Patrick Rosas wasn’t kidding when he told me I could swim in his makeup, which held up during the rest of the ceremony!"

The breathtaking glass ballroom of Ville Sommet, Tagaytay, hosted a most chocolate-y reception after the ceremony. A chocolate buffet welcomed guests as they started on cocktails. Tables were indicated using place cards with the names of chocolates instead of numbers. Each guest was surprised with a chocolate after which their table was named tucked into their napkins.

Florists/stylists Manuel Chua and the Party Channel brought life to the couple’s chocolate theme, using a romantic chandelier arrangement to accent candlelit centerpieces and hiding chocolate balls to be found (and eaten) everywhere.

What could be more natural than a chocolate cake for this couple? Theirs was a 5-layer chocolate-prune cake by Alex Franco, which had chocolate mousse, Australian caramel, and fresh mango filling. In lieu of wishes, there were chocolate quotes inserted for lady guests to pull out. To top it off, they held their own version of a "chocolate dipping ceremony" with a Belgian dark chocolate fountain.

Guests enjoyed the couple’s personalized wedding vows, and the funny clip put together by photographers Chito and Cris Cleofas which showed Raymond in his barong and Ging in a gown doing things they loved: Raymond playing golf with Ging as the caddy; Raymond cooking and Ging eating…all to the background music of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love".

But the highlight of the evening was the AVP that Raymond and Ging made to thank their families

Raymond’s friends from Globe Telecom Mads de Guzman, Alexis Ragos, Fen Aldeguer, Mutya Laxa, Joel Tesoro, Christian Reyes, Tin Misa, Cholo Tagaysay, Sharon de Guzman, Veronica Tiong, Goni Tagaysay

Says Ging, "The AVP was even more significant because of the difficulties we ran into that day. There was a major traffic jam due to an obstruction along the highway which delayed our wedding by an hour. Rain suddenly poured and obscured our guests’ view as they looked for Ville Sommet. The train of my Monique Lhuillier gown got wet because of the rain. We weren’t prepared for the glitches that occurred, but these made our special day all the more memorable. My heart swelled when a friend told me days after the ceremony that proof of how much people loved us was that they could have easily just turned around to head back to Manila, but didn’t!"

With a smile, she adds, "Whenever I look back, I can’t help but marvel at how life has its way of surprising us, yet somehow, things always fall into place. Indeed, ‘life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.’ Luckily for me, I got the finest—Raymond. I loved him very much before we got married, and now, I love him even more."

The wedding was just the beginning of their "sweeter ever after": Raymond is taking Ging to Venice to kiss her under the bridge, ‘so that our love would last forever’. "Now isn’t he just the sweetest chocolate?" she beams.

- Charlene Fernandez