When love prevails
THE setting that allows a novelist to weave the perfect love story is an important component of any romance novel.
And whether its a cabin in the woods or an exotic island, settings grace those initial intimate moments that ultimately grow into a blossoming relationship.
For medical doctors, Marshanell Seng Leong and Alipate Vakamocea, the setting where their lives crossed paths was their work environment.
It was during the rage of the COVID-19 pandemic that they met.
While Marshanell is a third generation Chinese with a delightful mix on her maternal side, her husband is from Navosa with also a mix of his own on his maternal side.
In the early days of their relationship, Marshanelle would silently admire Alipate’s sense of humour and wit but it was after the first confirmed case in Nadi in April 2021 that their fairytale began.
“We were both in the West that weekend and had to have the first of many nasal swabs, I remember seeing him at the CWMH as we waited to get screened for COVID-19,” she recalled.
“He sat near me socially distanced and masked up and struck up a conversation with a friend of mine then gently included me.
Marshanelle was struck with a peculiar feeling of sadness when they had to get their swabs done because that meant the end of their conversation.
But as luck would have it, he made contact.
“I was pleasantly surprised when I received a friend request and a message about the oddness of my Facebook profile which contained some very graphic images of dogs being abused.
“For context, I am a dog lover and use my social media platforms to raise awareness on their inhumane treatment.”
Work and quarantine along with all the COVID restrictions prevented them from meeting up. They both felt a date was a good opportunity to learn about each other. So one month after their correspondence, they decided to meet.
“We used it as a time to test our compatibility as we played the game of relationship snakes and ladders.
“I know that this is a cliche, but it was very obvious that we were a very good fit.
“Picture the two most deformed pieces of a jigsaw that perfectly fit into each other.
“I guess the other fact is that we were two matured intelligent individuals who already knew who we were and what we wanted and didn’t want in life.”
Eight months after the unexpected COVID-19 screening, Alipate proposed to Marshanell. To add to the magic of the moment, he proposed on Christmas day.
“He proposed to me in the morning while he brought me my usual morning cup of coffee.
“Initially, I thought to myself that it wasn’t the most romantic thing but then he explained that sometimes the most romantic proposals are the once-in-a-lifetime events.”
The couple felt that saying yes was not a hard decision to make. And tying the knot came easy after they spoke and sought blessings from their parents, friends and completing two premarital counselling sessions with close friends and a church pastor.
While Marshanell likes to plan in advance and prepare for disasters, Alipate is the ‘day before’ kind of guy who likes to deal with disasters.
“I created a whole system in a planner with color coded post-it notes and a giant chart to-do list. My husband was delegated the task of ensuring that all the legal stuff were sorted.
“We had a lot of help from the wedding planner at the Shangri-La Yanuca Island Resort, as well as Party and Events who did our wedding styling and advice.”
“Nadi Bay Photography took our beautiful photos and Future Sounds took care of the music.”
The wedding was one of the first to be staged at the hotel after COVID-19. It was held at the seaside chapel blessed by beautiful weather.
“It was a very special moment when my father walked me down the isle,” Marshanell reminisced.
“One of the stand out moments was when the Future Sounds band started a routine with Shaggy songs.
To add to the day’s beautiful memories, the beachside evening reception came alive and drew everyone to the dance floor.
“We were surprised when guests started coming out of their rooms to see if Shaggy was really singing live in Fiji.”
The rest is now history.
We wish the Vakamoceas good luck in their lifetime walk as husband and wife.