From the moment Mark Julius Reyes laid eyes on Eliza Joyce Ramos, he was mesmerized. Mr. Reyes said, “Eliza was the only girl in school who attracted my interest on the first day.”
But this story of love at first sight, which began with two high school students in a school in Quezon City, Philippines on June 13, 2011, did not really begin until January 2013.
“We became seatmates assigned by our teacher,” Ms. Ramos said. “We were participants in almost every class activity.”
Both used to message regularly about assignments. But several weeks later, that changed and his messages became more personal.
Ms. Ramos, now 26, said, “Mark is kind of mysterious, so when he finally opened up to me, I got to know a different side of Mark and that’s when I started falling in love with him.”
Mr. Reyes, 26, was also taken. “I admire her for being goal-driven even at her young age,” he said. “It seemed as if she already knew what she wanted to achieve in the future. He motivated me to come to school every day.”
Because Ms. Ramos’s parents were strict, it was difficult for the two of them to spend much time together. But on July 7, 2013, the day after Mr. Reyes’s 16th birthday, she told him that spending a few hours with him would be the best birthday present.
“I already liked him but I still hadn’t told him,” Ms. Ramos said. “I wasn’t sure if he felt the same way about me. But I immediately said yes to go on a street food date with him. We ate fishballs, kikiam and kwek-kwek with vinegar sauce. The date cost about $2.”
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Ten days later, the pair became an official couple. “I asked the question during a class break,” Mr. Reyes said. “I quietly gave her breakfast and asked her to be my girl. When she said yes I couldn’t control my emotions, but I had to stop. We met each other secretly because no one in our class knew about our relationship.
The two dated happily in secret for two years. But in December 2014, as freshmen in college, they made a difficult decision.
“We decided to end our relationship because we were at different universities at the time,” Ms. Ramos said. She also did not want to disappoint her parents, who expected her to focus only on her studies.
Ms. Ramos, an Accounts Receivable Analyst in the Finance team at IBM Business Services in Quezon City, Philippines, holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Financial Management from Far Eastern University in Quezon City, Philippines. She grew up in Bulacan, a province in the Philippines.
Mr. Reyes, who works in information technology at PLDT, formerly known as Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, has a bachelor’s degree from STI College, formerly known as the System Technology Institute in Quezon City, Philippines. Was known. Mr. Reyes grew up in Caloocan City, Philippines, where the couple now live.
Mr. Reyes said that although it was incredibly challenging, he “tried to understand that maybe it was the best thing for us.” However, on every birthday and holiday, he would send her a short message.
He was afraid that he might become the one who ran away. But, Mr. Reyes said, “I decided to risk it and wait for Eliza,” without dating anyone else.
In June 2021, some high school classmates planned a small reunion. As the two looked at each other, Ms. Ramos said, “I felt butterflies again.” Weeks passed, and they realized that they were talking on the phone or texting every day. On September 26, 2021, Ms. Ramos agreed to become Mr. Reyes’ girlfriend once again.
“He immediately brought me to his family home to formally introduce me,” Ms. Ramos said.
Ms. Ramos introduced him to her family the next day. “Our relationship has now been approved by both parties,” Ms. Ramos said. “So, no more secret dates for us.”
Mr. Reyes proposed to Ms. Ramos on July 9, 2023, during the holidays, at Hong Kong Disneyland – the perfect venue for a true Disney Princess fan like Ms. Ramos. When they were in high school, Ms. Ramos told Mr. Reyes how much she loved Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.
“When I proposed she kept telling me how happy she was that I still remembered the details she told me years ago,” Mr. Reyes said.
The couple were married on April 17 by the Rev. June Meneses, a Roman Catholic priest of the Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Antipolo, Philippines, in the presence of 150 guests.
This was followed by a reception at the nearby Jamesville Resort and Hotel, at which Ms. Ramos said, “We decided to have food carts of our favorite date snacks from high school, like Potato Corner Fries and pizza from the pizzeria.”
Mr. Reyes said, “Our love story took longer than usual, but I’m glad it has a happy ending.” “Whenever Eliza asks me why I waited for her instead of looking for someone else, I always tell her that I can’t imagine marrying and building a future with any other girl other than her. He is my first love.”