How this happened

Their story starts in Manila in January 2023. What followed was a long-distance relationship spanning the Philippines, Thailand, Morocco and Taiwan. There's no way it should have worked out, but somehow it did.

Later that year they spent two months living together in Manila for the first time, long enough to learn the things a holiday won't teach you about a person. They still liked each other at the end of it.

That November, Chris's sister Sapphire flew out to meet Cherika, and in December the three of them went to Boracay. The same month, Chris met Cherika's mum over dinner. He survived.

Cherika made her first trip to England in December 2024, came back in February, and stayed most of the following summer, long enough to meet everyone and to get a fair sense of the weather. In April 2025 the two of them went to Iceland, and in a field with a mountain behind them, Chris proposed. She said yes. That is the photo at the top of this page.

In December 2025 Cherika graduated from the University of the Philippines Diliman with a degree in Elementary Education, having been on scholarship the entire way through. She is far too modest to mention this, so we are mentioning it for her.

In April 2026, their daughter Penelope (Penny) arrived, and the story gained a new main character.

And now, Cebu. February 2027. Thank you for coming all this way.