Discover the beautiful love story of two strangers who took the chance to get to know each other and eventually get married.
In Chinese mythology, Yue Lao, the god of marriage and love, goes out every night and ties an invisible red string to couples destined for each other. This invisible string is meant to last for ages—defying time and lifetimes. Although this string might get tangled and looped around, the couples who are tied together will always end up together—no matter what lifetime they are in. Chuckie Antonio and Jy Concepcion didn’t know that their invisible string would lead them to a lifetime commitment filled with love, devotion, and admiration.
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Chuckie and Jy got married in Balesin on September 5, 2024. Their marriage serves as a culmination of a beautiful love story and the start of a fairytale. From total strangers to husband and wife—their journey is filled with genuine and heartfelt fondness from the beginning.
The Starting Knot
In an age where almost all love stories start online—Jy and Chuckie’s relationship began in the most organic way possible. “We met through this common friend who actually set us up during an intimate dinner party,” the groom said.
However, the bride and the groom have humorously conflicting stories about how they were made aware of each other.
“So it was funny, because we were both sort of aware of each other already through Instagram, even before meeting, because of a common friend, but we never really talked about anything,” Chuckie explained.
However, Jy says otherwise. “I did not know him at all, aside from my close friend at the time saying, ‘My friend finds you cute.’ He wants to meet you. And I was like, Oh, okay. And then next thing I know, he’s at our Christmas party,” she recalls.
For Chuckie, the moment he met Jy, everything just fell into place. “For some reason that night, I don’t know, it just felt right. At least for me, you know when you already know what you’re looking for, or at least think you know, then you see it in front of you. It just already feels right,” he said lovingly.
Stitching Through Life
Their relationship started during the pandemic, so when almost everything was at a standstill—their love was moving and growing. Furthermore, they continued fostering love and getting to know each other virtually. They would have dates on Zoom and talk to each other constantly.
“So when I met her, I sort of, as I said, already knew that she was the type of girl that I wanted to settle down with, but it was the constant conversations that we had every day, the getting to know her without even seeing her,” Chuckie said.
When they were starting and laying the foundations of their relationship, Jy admittedly was not ready to date someone. However, as they got to know each other, she constantly felt reassured of their love.
“He said to me, ‘No matter how things play out. I mean, you never know. But for some reason, I want to be there for you for life, like I just want you to be in my life, whatever way.’ And that was when I was like, oh my gosh, whatever way, the way has to be, we should end up together.” At that moment, she was reassured she wanted to end up with Chuckie.
Sealing The Deal
The couple’s journey toward their wedding started on another beach—in Hawaii. Chuckie proposed to Jy on a hill by a lighthouse in Diamond Head. Together with his family, Chuckie planned the proposal in secret.
“So it was a very secretive proposal, and very neat to know because my whole family was flying there just for the proposal, and I didn’t want anything to leak, so only my siblings and parents knew,” he recalled.
The plan for the proposal was executed seamlessly and perfectly. He worked together with his siblings on the proposal. “I asked my younger sister Chelsea to send everyone in our group an itinerary for every day that we’re there, and for one of the days, I asked her to include, like a family photo shoot, so it wouldn’t look too suspicious to single out a specific day,” he said.
“So then the photo shoot started with family pictures. And then, it ended with me and Jy. So she was so hard-headed, and the photographer was telling her to look away, but she kept looking back at me. I couldn’t get the right opportunity until finally, I held her head to look far away. And then I knelt,” he recalled.
“She was so surprised, she ended up choking me and asking me if this was for her. And then obviously I was like, ‘Stop choking me because I have a speech prepared.’ So I gave my speech. Then she said, Yes.”
Putting The Pieces Together
Choosing their wedding suppliers was also a journey for the couple. They started with finalizing the venue. “Balesin is like our second home. It’s always been a place for us to go when we need a quick getaway from the city. The island is beautiful. The food is good. It’s convenient to go. The managers and staff there, they’re like family to us,” Chuckie said.
Aside from the venue, they closely worked with the organizers. The couple admitted that if it weren’t for their organizers, they would have a hard time planning the wedding. Furthermore, they gave credit to PLA Events for helping them navigate through the journey of planning and executing a wonderful wedding.
Choosing who to wear to their wedding was also a journey for the couple—especially for Jy. Chuckie followed his wife’s advice and went with Ziggy Savella. Jy, on the other hand, found Patricia Santos to be her designer. “I really went for Patricia because when I met her, she was so kind and accommodating, and it just felt like it would be so easy to work with her,” the bride said.
“The whole wedding took a village to create, and we’re just so thankful to all the teams that worked together, especially our family who sacrificed a lot of their time for us, and we just love them to death.”
Beginning of a New Chapter
Chuckie and Jy’s wedding in Balesin was a cry fest for everyone who attended. From the moment Chuckie stepped foot into the aisle, everyone started tearing up as his steps marked the beginning of an everlasting covenant. “Honestly. Leading up to it, I thought I would have to force a tear just to show how thankful I am for everything. But to my lovely surprise, obviously, I cried more than I did,” he said.
Jy also agrees that the moment they saw each other on the altar—all the online calls, dates, and that random night they met each other was fate setting them up for that exact moment. “The entire ceremony, especially seeing Chuckie for the first time that day, his vows, which was super funny, but also super sweet. And then our first kiss,” reminiscing her favorite moments.
“The rest was history,” Chuckie lovingly said.
All photos courtesy of Nice Print Photos.