Testimonials

When a friend speaks well of a potential romantic partner, taking their advice leads to love and the wedding of one’s dreams When one meets somebody new on a dating app, there is usually the assumption that they are heading in tabula rasa - they don’t know anything about the other person and will need to come to their own conclusions once they know them a little better. In the case of Matt Columbres and Jackie Go, these two strangers discovered a link through a mutual friend. "We first met on Tinder and started talking on the app," Jackie recalls. "Then I found out that one of my friends already knew about Matt, and they told me he’s a good guy." They continued their in-app conversations, but as things began to get serious they swapped phone numbers and started dating around a month later. Their first date was on the beach, a romantic notion that eventually influenced their choice of a wedding venue some time later.

Columbres-Go:  A Good Review Leads to a Gorgeous Romance

Early last year, the couple planned a trip to Southeast Asia, specifically to Singapore. But Matt figured that, since they were already in the region, perhaps it was time to pay a visit to Jackie's parents in the Philippines and ask for their blessing before formally popping the question. Matt was planning a surprise proposal, but wanted Jackie's parents with them when he did so. "It was important that her parents were present for the proposal," he explains. "I wanted it to be a really big event and we kept it a surprise from her the entire time."&nbsp; With a laugh, Jackie admits she wasn't exactly surprised. "I already kind of knew because he asked to see my parents in person," she says. "We didn't see my parents a lot during the pandemic and it took a while for us to visit them. I did know he was going to ask for their blessing, so I thought it was going to happen during the trip - I just didn't know exactly when." Matt proposed at the famed Singapore Botanic Gardens and Jackie, of course, said yes.

An [Un] Surprising Proposal

Given where they went for their first date, it wasn't surprising that they considered a beachfront wedding. While a number of scenic locales came to mind, the couple knew that they wanted to get married in Boracay. Crimson Resort and Spa Boracay was on the list of their wedding planner's recommendations. They liked what they saw and wanted to learn more, surfing onto the resort's website and checking out their social media accounts. "Although we’ve never stayed there before, we liked the modern look of Crimson, so getting there was a surprise," Jackie says. "It was a nice and pleasant surprise that it was just like the pictures," Matt adds. "This was important to us as we were going for a destination wedding at Station Zero. The private beach aspect also appealed and we felt it was a lot more relaxing than the last time we were in Boracay around five or six years ago." Opting for Crimson enabled the couple to select from several expertly curated wedding packages to see what worked best for them and their guests, what fit their budget, as well as the overall aesthetic and feel that they were going for. "And it truly felt like a resort, I don’t know how else to describe it," Jackie enthuses. "The service - not only the planners but also the servers. During dinner they were so welcoming and nice and I wished I could've said hi to everyone. The staff just made it so peaceful. There were no hiccups or issues; nothing like that. It all worked well." From the food and facilities to the glorious evening beachfront ceremony, everything went off without a hitch for Matt and Jackie - and a very good time was had by all.

Columbres-Go: A Good Review Leads to a Gorgeous Romance

Columbres-Go: A Good Review Leads to a Gorgeous Romance at Crimson Boracay