After a series of hit-or-miss encounters and never truly finding the opportunity to meet each other, fate finally plays its hand, leading Acee Paita and Carlo Paita to the altar
When fate plays its hand in love, there are many ways to go: a person can meet the wrong one, fall for another, and begin anew with the most unexpected connection. The journey to that happily ever after is long and full of trials, but with the right one, there’s nowhere to go but forward and say, “I do.”
Acee Sayson and Carlo Paita had been around each other’s lives for a long time, orbiting in their shared worlds but never having the chance to meet. Destiny’s humor was a class of its own, only pulling them together when it was finally time to meet through business, which soon turned out to be an unforgettable romantic trade.
IN A SHARED WORLD
For a long time, Acee and Carlo had been strangers, each moving at their own pace. Years later, fate took control when Carlo was building a software sales application, and he was pitching the said app to friends, colleagues, and mutual friends. “At that time, I was starting an app and pitching it to anyone I could talk to.”
At that time, he wanted a business partner, someone who was willing to invest and believe in him. With a vision and goal, he connected and re-connected with anyone he could find and finally met Acee.
Carlo pitched the app to Acee and she was impressed with the brilliance of his mind. Curious, she met with him often to discuss the application and later on exchanged ideas with him. “Aside from the initial app he pitched, I proposed a partnership with him to make another app,” Acee mentioned.
There was nothing else in play. It was pure business talk, or so they thought.
NEWFOUND LOVE
Hours turned into days, and days became weeks of talking. Carlo looked back to the past and mentioned how different he felt around Acee. Carlo said, “Every day I get to talk to her, I’d think it’s new. I felt inspired [by her].”
Eventually, Carlo made up excuses to meet with Acee about the business plans, when in truth, he simply wanted to be with her, and the feeling was the same. One evening, Carlo was meeting with someone regarding insurance, and as the night deepened, Acee felt something that did not sit right with her.
She was worried about his safety and well-being, which was alarming because she did not need to be distressed over a supposed business partner.
Filled with anxiety and concern that brought back unsettling past experiences from men, she built her walls up. She protected herself against the painful feeling of love and blocked him from all her social media accounts.
This wall did not deter Carlo from reaching out to her because, in all honesty, he wasn’t intentionally doing anything that would hurt her. He fell in love with her and created a different social media account to straighten things out before admitting his feelings for her.
TOGETHER, ALWAYS
They became a couple, but it hadn’t been easy in the years that followed. There had been fights, arguments, and a time when they broke up, but fate would reel them back in. “There was a time when we fought and then broke up, but for some reason, we would still find each other to be in the same place,” Carlo remembered, laughing.
“He was with his brother at this acoustic bar with a band that plays love songs. I was there first, and then moments later, they both came inside,” Acee recalled.
Carlo’s brother knew they broke up, but the brother picked this up as destiny’s sign. “It looks like you two are destined to meet [time and time again],” the brother ominously said.
By faith and grace, Acee and Carlo found their way back to each other’s arms and from then on, the fights lessened and they began to choose each other every single day. They had the same goal ever since: “We had the same goal and direction [for our future]. If we’re going to be successful, then it’s not just us but the people surrounding us.”
As their love bloomed, so did their beauty and wellness business, Juju Glow. With the same goal of achieving more together with the right people, they opened up their business to distributors whom they treated as family. Their milestones of achievements were also the business group’s success. After five years of a beautiful journey together, Carlo proposed to Acee. He wanted to be a part of her life, no matter where it took them. In the private confines of the couple’s hotel room, it was the intimate moment of their lives where Acee happily said yes.
FOREVER WITH YOU
On March 18, 2023, Acee was a vision in white, and Carlo looked dashing in his forest green suit, both in a bloomcore concept of a summer floral splendor wedding. It was more than they could have wished for, all because of fate. From their chance encounters to their wedding preparations, it was the feeling of being destined for a person or a place that brought them to the altar.
In choosing their wedding location, Acee excitingly said, “People tell me that when you find the right wedding venue for you, you’ll just feel it. Okada made me envision myself [in white] as I walked the aisle, and there was a feeling of excitement.”
She imagined it to be her wedding day and loved her choice. But a fun and creative location meant she needed a great event stylist to capture the celebration of their love and union. Fate, again, played its part back in 2018, when the couple passed by a beautiful wedding and thought they loved the set-up. It was then they found the name of their future stylist: Randy Lazaro, who, at that time, was only at the beginning of his career. Later on, he became one of the leading event styling houses specializing in classic aesthetics that also accentuate each contemporaneous detail.
With an intricate wedding dress designed by Mak Tumang, Acee’s dream designer; a lush garden wedding reception with subtle hues of greens and whites coordinated and conceptualized by La Belle Fête and Randy Lazaro; and the company of their Juju Glow distributors, friends, and family; it was an unforgettable moment for lifetime partners, Acee and Carlo.
The couple exchanged vows and rings, and as they gazed into each other’s eyes, they knew it was a beautiful beginning of a future bound by faith and commitment. “Always put God at the center of your relationship and as the foundation of your marriage,” Carlo reiterated.
Love can often feel surreal, but sometimes things happen for a reason, and all it takes is a little trust in the belief that people deserve happiness. When you say yes to goodness, you also open your heart to those willing to share their love with you.
Photos METROPHOTO
