Kate already had Julian’s undivided attention when he saw her supporting his candidacy. He promised himself that he would ask her out since he was no longer seeing anybody at the time of his NMYC election.

Newly Weds: Julian Coseteng and Kate Galang

"Well, I was campaigning for him because he was the chairman of the NMYC-NCR which I also belonged to, so all of us in NCR were supposed to campaign for him," Kate responds. "But he did win, so I told him, ‘I guess this means you owe me dinner’."

"Our first date was actually more of a group date since it was kind of a victory party for me with our fellow councilors," Julian continues. "But I already made up my mind that I wanted to see her again, so when I took her home, I formally asked her out."

While Julian sensed that Kate also had feelings for him, it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing for the young councilor. Kate recalls what Julian went through: "My parents are very strict, so I rarely went out without a chaperone, even though I was a councilor. I actually turned him down several times but he was so persistent. He followed me to Cebu, to Bohol and to Boracay. In Baguio, he actually invited my whole family to dinner. He courted my family, right down to my cousin."

Julian knew that Kate was not prepared to have a boyfriend at the time as the former model was focused on her new career as a public servant. But the determined young councilor was pretty focused himself, and wanted to prove to the object of his affection that he was really serious in pursuing her.

"Despite all the challenges, and no matter how far she was and how hard it was for me to get out of my work and rearrange my busy schedule, finding time for Kate was surprisingly effortless," Julian enthuses. Naturally, Kate eventually said yes.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that both of them were in the same line of work, not to mention the fact that they are also part of political families. Julian is the son of former Senator Nikki Coseteng, and Kate is the great-granddaughter of a mayor in Pampanga who served for 20 years. Neither of them also has a problem with the other continuing as a public servant. "We both have our respective constituents to serve," says Julian.

"Like most couples, we’ve also had our share of ups and downs but what I really like about Julian is his fighting spirit. During our fights, he’s the one who always says, ‘I won’t allow you to break up with me’. His resolve is that firm Kate says.

His firm resolve was also pretty evident in taking Kate to the altar almost immediately after he finally won her heart. "I really wanted to prove to her and her family that she was the one I wanted to be with for the rest of my life," beams Julian. Wedding plans were discussed right away.

Determining the date was not as easy as deciding to marry, though. "The original wedding date was set for January 2007; in fact, I had already booked the church and the reception venue. But after my mom suggested that we see a feng shui master for the best date of the wedding, we settled on May 28 because the feng shui master said all other possible dates are unlucky." Well, a little superstitious belief didn’t hurt anybody, least of all soon-to-weds.

Kate had a very clear idea of how she envisioned her big day, regardless of the actual date. "When I was a young girl, I wanted to marry a prince. I wanted to look like a queen or a princess, and for my groom to look like a king or a prince. The wedding should look and feel like an empire," Kate recalls telling Julian then.

That’s when wedding planner JP Montilla, Julian’s schoolmate from De La Salle University and current president of the Philippine Association of Wedding Planners, came up with the idea of a Grand Majestic theme.

With a beautiful gown by Inno Sotto and an equally magnificent suit by Randy Ortiz, the new Mr. and Mrs. Coseteng were a sight to behold during their wedding last May 28—just two years after they first laid eyes on each other. It was indeed a majestic wedding that felt almost like the union of royalty.