The model and her doctor husband know how to make each other laugh. (Photo by PINGGOT ZULUETA)

The high and mighty Darth Vader picks up a brush and expertly applies make-up while casually talking to husband Luke Sky-“under.” At certain times, Darth Vader would rest her head on Luke Sky-“under’s” shoulder. Luke loves teasing his wife, and Darth Vader tries unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh, but she can’t help it. An all-out chuckle escapes her mouth, and the couple looks every bit the picture of wedded bliss.

Now before one’s imagination gets the better of anybody, it’s safe to note that the beloved characters of Star Wars haven’t been altered or changed. Tiger and Issa Litton-Garrido simply love to role-play, and Issa was appointed as Darth Vader because she’s the boss, and Tiger is her very own Luke Sky-“under” because he obeys his wife’s every whim.

They fell in love with their characters so much that Star Wars became the theme of their wedding reception. Issa even wore an intricate fiberglass breastplate and Tiger donned an all-black tuxedo reminiscent of a Jedi uniform. They even had their own army of Storm Troopers march during their reception, and Tiger and Issa celebrated their “I do’s” with a show of swirling light sabers.

But nine years ago, Tiger and Issa had no idea that they would have so much fun during their wedding, much more think of getting married. It was in a blind date set up by Issa’s best friend that Tiger and Issa first met each other.

“They were classmates in med school and they had a prom called the Med Ball. We weren’t even set up to become boyfriend-girlfriend. He just wanted to have a date for their ball. And my best friend said we’d both get along,” Issa shares.

The evening of their date, both parties had their apprehensions. Tiger figured that since Issa was a model, she’d be high-maintenance and hard to please. Issa had no clue who he was, and was afraid to spend the evening with a complete and disagreeable stranger. She did, however, find his name amusing. “My best friend and I were talking about him, and I told her, ‘Tiger? What kind of a name is that?’”

When Tiger picked Issa up, he was so edgy that he even carried a stress ball. “He was bouncing it nervously,” comments Issa. “And I just told him I don’t bite.”

Tiger eventually relaxed when he discovered how fun it was to be with Issa. “I was impressed by her that night,” he says. “I thought she’d go, ‘Oh, I’m hungry so let’s order a salad.’ But no! We went to Outback and I had a steak and she had a steak. And she finished it the same time I did.”

He continues, “After dinner, we went to Haagen Dazs and she ordered a banana split. I thought it was sweet that she wanted to share with me. But then she looks up to me and asks, ‘What are you ordering?’”

“It was all for me!” laughs Issa. “Don’t get in the way of me and my dessert!” After the successful first date, Tiger and Issa both agreed to go out again.

“Issa is exactly my type,” reflects Tiger. “She’s mestiza and she has a very strong personality. And she appreciates my jokes!” Issa adds, “But Tiger wasn’t my type. I liked mestizo guys who were clean cut. He was everything I thought I would never want. But what I liked best about him was his (sense of) humor.”

Despite Tiger and Issa’s many dates, their status was still undecided. “We were together but I wasn’t sure if we’re really together. It’s frustrating. And she had a lot of suitors! They all thought they still had a chance with her,” complains Tiger.

So one day, he decided to confront Issa about it. While she was studying, he picked up a placard and wrote, “Are you happy?” and included two check-boxes, with Yes and No beside it. Issa picked up the pen and checked the box beside Yes. He then wrote, “Are you my girlfriend?”

“I thought his approach was really cute! And I was feeling so kilig. The way he asked if we were boyfriend and girlfriend was so unique,” says Issa. Without any hesitation, she checked the Yes box and Tiger was over the moon.

 The couple waited until Tiger graduated before deciding to get married. “I have already decided way back then that I wanted to marry her,” he reflects. “All couples have their rocky moments and we’ve gone through ours already. After I graduated, passed my board exam and was officially a doctor, I immediately called her dad to ask for her hand in marriage. He replied, ‘It’s about time!’”

Issa remembers the proposal, “He was already on one knee and I rushed to hug him. In my haste, I knocked the ring over and it turned into a comedy moment.” Having experienced so many ups and downs with their relationship, Tiger and Issa simply decided to have a good time during their wedding.

While brainstorming, they thought of their nicknames and decided it would be cool to have a Star Wars-themed wedding. They got married on December 13, 2008 and their reception was held at Le Pavillon.

“It was the only wedding my friends were excited to attend!” notes Tiger. “And you know how guys are during weddings. They would skip it if they could.”

A year into their marriage and the couple has just moved in to their new house. Issa comments, “Our house is still a work in progress but it’s ours and we love it.” Tiger works as an orthopedic surgeon, and being a doctor requires him to be on duty most hours of the day. Issa is left to take care of their kids, but whenever they all have the time, the family would bond over watching movies and eating out. “Chillax” time is how Tiger describes it.

Tiger confesses that Issa’s fiery temperament constantly keeps him on his toes, but it’s also what makes their relationship exciting. After all, who would Luke Sky-“under” be if not for his beloved Darth Vader?

On their relationship

He said: Issa is actually the spice in my life. She keeps me off-balance and I get more stressed out because of her unpredictability, but it’s a good thing. I get bored easily, and she keeps things exciting. She’s born to be a challenge for me.

She said: The Star Wars nickname is a barkada thing for Tiger and his friends. All of them call their girlfriends Darth Vaders because we’ll bring them to the dark side. Every time I would pass by his friends, they would start imitating the hoarse breathing Darth Vader makes. But I loved it! I loved that I was the Darth Vader in his life.

On their wedding

He said: When we were talking about our wedding, I said I could just grow out my hair and walk down the aisle naked just like Chewbacca. (Laughs) Everybody had a great time during our wedding; everybody was a kid again that night.

She said: I told Tiger we should have fun during our wedding. We’ve been through so many ups and downs, and we should just have a blast when we finally tie the knot. When we were talking about the wedding, all these ideas came popping up. We thought of having a Star Wars-themed wedding, and I knew I wanted to have a Death Star cake and dress up to be either one of the two female lead characters — Queen Amidala or Princess Leia.

On parenting

He said: As much as I would love to contribute to raising our kids, I can’t most of the time because of my job. I would love to have four to five more kids though.

She said: I’m the disciplinarian because I was raised that way. My girls know that they should listen to mommy because mommy’s scary when she’s mad.