Kim Navarro and Bjorn Limketkai’s relationship is living proof that love knows no limits.
This is an excerpt from Lifestyle Asia’s July 2023 Issue.
After friends and fate steered them towards each other, Kim Navarro and Bjorn Limketkai have finally found their match.
READ ALSO: A Sense Of Completion: On Growing Together Through The Distance
START OF SOMETHING NEW
A woman of many skills, Kim was working as a flight attendant when she first caught wind of her husband’s name. On a flight to the US, Kim was speaking to a fellow Visayan flight attendant when it came up that she was from Cagayan de Oro.
Upon learning this, her friend wanted to introduce her to Bjorn who was also living in the same city. Later on, the same friend mentioned Kim’s name to Bjorn but they weren’t able to reach out to each other and meet because they were both busy at the time.
Though they weren’t fated to meet then, Bjorn’s name came up again during a conversation Kim had with a different friend four years later. While they were talking about random topics such as pandemic realizations, life, and love.
Kim’s friend thought about introducing her to Bjorn and texted him about her. After encountering Kim’s name again after four years, he considered that maybe there’s a reason he really needed to meet her.
Last year, just a few days after Valentine’s Day, Bjorn visited Kim at her family’s cafe where she was working as a chef. It was just a short introduction that led to so much more. “I realized that maybe all my [past] relationships weren’t good because I was so fixated on a different type of guy which, in reality, doesn’t really match my personality,” Kim muses.
She says that while living through the pandemic, she’s gained a different perspective which made her more open-minded and give things the benefit of the doubt. Three months after their first meeting, Kim and Bjorn officially became a couple.
“When we met, we knew that we were each other’s missing piece. We dated and shared many meaningful conversations about life, practical preferences, and beliefs. The rest was sweet history,” Kim shares.
LOVE ON TOP
On the day of the proposal, Bjorn suggested that they eat at Lemuria, a French Mediterranean gourmet restaurant in Manila. This wasn’t anything out of the ordinary because whenever they visit the city, Bjorn loves finding new restaurants to try and as an organized person, he always books their table in advance.
Kim shares that she had a feeling something big was going to happen but she couldn’t be entirely sure because there had been no signs or hints. When they met up for dinner, Bjorn handed her a bouquet of flowers and greeted her a happy monthsary. At the restaurant, he told her that they couldn’t stay in the main dining area because there was an event, so he booked a private room just for the two of them.
“Kim, let’s talk,” Bjorn said while they were seated at their table. At first, Kim thought he was just teasing with his seriousness, but when he repeated those words, the realization dawned on her. She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she scrolled through photos on her phone.
Bjorn then stood up from his chair and kneeled in front of her. “I took a video of him, because I didn’t know if it was real. It’s like when you’re having a hard time grasping reality,” she says. Kim asked if he was able to get permission from her parents to propose but he said no, no one else knew about his plan.
“It was nice because I didn’t want a proposal in public. I want to be immersed in my raw emotions, where I’m not conscious that people are looking at me or there are photographers,” Kim shares.
GETTING IN FORMATION
“The three of us sisters got engaged last year but I was the last to get engaged,” Kim shares. While she originally wanted to have the wedding in 2024, but Kim’s dad insisted that they get married first since she is the eldest among the sisters. Agreeing to this meant that they only really had three months to plan the wedding.
Initially, Bjorn also wanted the wedding to be held in Bali, but Kim suggested a local destination instead because she wanted to showcase Bukidnon and Mindanao and some local suppliers. “It is also nice to get married here since my two sisters will both be getting married in Italy soon,” Kim says.
For their prenup photoshoot, Kim was hoping to have it somewhere out of the country while Bjorn suggested Chateau de Gudanes in France. But because of the time constraints, they weren’t able to fit the trip in their schedules so they chose to look for locations in Manila instead.
“But the challenge is how can I make the prenup unique?” Kim recalls asking herself at the time. Because the two of them are introverts, she didn’t want the usual cutesy couple shots in broad daylight.
“I’m a fan of Beyoncé’s music video for ‘Formation’ which is in New Orleans. I also had my culinary internship in New Orleans, so what’s interesting about that place is it’s like the most unique city in America, because it’s like Africa and Europe in one. And so we chose the Creole theme,” Kim explains.
She took inspiration from the video for their photoshoot, complete with a sinking car and a jazz band. In the morning, they shot at Rue Bourbon in Quezon City then moved to Bitbit River near Angat Dam in the afternoon.
As an homage to one of the scenes in the music video, they set up trusses 20 feet deep to submerge a car halfway in the water. Their photographer, Oly Ruiz, asked the couple if they wanted to take some shots while inside the car. They went ahead since they were already there, and so the photoshoot went on until nighttime. The next day, they shot at a 1940s haunted house called Bahay Lakan, still in keeping with the New Orleans theme.
Read more by purchasing a copy of the Lifestyle Asia July 2023 magazine via SariSari.shopping or select newsstands in National Bookstore and Fully Booked. Subscribe to the E-Magazine via Readly, Magzter, and Press Reader.
Bridal Gown, Reception Dress, Prenup Gowns by VAL TAGUBA.
Bride’s Shoes MANOLO BLAHNIK, JIMMY CHOO
Jewelry by AU & DIA
Hair by AMORIANNAH APAG
Bride’s Makeup by REGINE GERLOFF
Waltz Dance Outfit & Bridesmaids Gown by JUNIEL DORING ATELIER
Groom & Groomsmen Suits by SUIT IT UP
Groom’s Shoes DOLCE & GABBANA
Groom’s Cufflinks DAVID YURMAN
Grooming by JOHN STEINMANN
Video by CINEMAWORKS BY MARVIN GUZMAN
Organizer CELEBRITY EVENTS & CONCEPTS BY MANUEL TAN
Event Stylist GIDEON HERMOSA
Prenup Stylist MILLET GONZAGA
Lashes & Nails by AYUMI
