No sparks. No magic. And yet, like every other love story in the world that stumbled and bumbled in the beginning, this one ended with a happy-ever-after.

 

There was nothing really remarkable when Robert “Bob” Salvador and Abegail “Abi” Santos first met in August 2007.

 

Abi, then a new hire at Philippine Airlines, was in a relationship.

 

But even if she were not, she said Bob would not have caught her eye because “men wearing eyeglasses” were not her type.

 

“And I found him aloof, suplado,” she added.

 

On the other hand, Bob, who joined the flag carrier a few months ahead of Abi, said he wasn’t keen on engaging in a relationship because he was focused on his job—having just passed the architecture board exams then.

 

“And my mind was set on working abroad eventually,” he said.

 

Although he admitted that he actually found Abi among the nicest of his female colleagues, he said he still chose to keep some distance from her.

 

“I promised myself not to fall for a coworker again,” Bob explained, citing a previous relationship.

 

Their officemates even tried to play Cupid for them, but their attempts failed as the two ignored the teasing—and each other.

 

But fate seemed to have taken its own course a year later during an office-organized training held in Manila.

 

The training ended earlier than scheduled, and Abi’s boyfriend wouldn’t arrive until after office hours. She had to wait for him to pick her up, so Bob offered to accompany her.

 

It became an opportunity for them to bond and, from then on, things fell into place and they became inseparable.

 

Bob said he finds Abi’s tactfulness and good-natured personality endearing.

 

For Abi, it is important that Bob also belongs to a close-knit family who are devout Catholics. Abi is the younger of two girls, while Bob is the second in a brood of three boys.

 

Compatible

 

Beyond their passion for food and travel, the couple’s personalities are compatible in many other ways.

 

“We rarely fight that sometimes we think it’s strange,” Abi said.

 

Bob, meanwhile, revealed that Abi’s being an obsessive-compulsive organizer complements the systematic planner that he is. And her being “stingy” matches his frugality.

 

“Early on in our relationship, he encouraged and taught me how to save money,” Abi said, adding that somehow it gave her a hint on where the relationship was headed.

 

Abi and Bob officially pledged their life of togetherness on Feb. 8 in a solemn ceremony at St. Pancratius Chapel (Paco Park) in Manila. It capped off the couple’s five-year romance.

 

The groom, son of Pablo and Norma Salvador, looked dashing in a black suit.

 

The bride was a breathtaking picture of love and bloom as she walked down the aisle with her parents, Renato and Milagros Santos, in an Amonn Velasco gown.

 

Abi’s niece, Reinne Beatrice Tulipat, stood as the little bride.

 

Jaycee Daquil, Abi’s high school best friend, proxied for Bob’s brother, Roderick Salvador, as best man; Abi’s cousin, Karen Bernadette Goli, was maid of honor.

 

Secondary sponsors were Maricel and Rolando Salvador, Ricky and Maria Cristina Tulipat, and Rolando and Liberty Peralta.

 

The flower girls were Uel Gabriel Sangalang, Chloe Bernice Mutas and Andrea Nicole Caguimbal; coin bearer Eduardo Mallabo III; Bible bearer Andrei Nicholas Caguimbal.

 

Principal sponsors were Dinah Concepcion, Socorro de Guzman, Rosalie Goli, Judith Salvacion, Lilia Veron, Carlos Dinglasan, Jaime Espirida, Danilo Goli, Samuel Lucanas Sr. and Gil Traballo.

 

Reception followed at Ibarra’s Garden, where more than 150 guests were treated to a sumptuous lunch.