Alfred cries at second proposal to his wife Yasmine

The proposal was lovelier, more dramatic and more sentimental the second time around. So even if he was the one who secretly “scripted” it, Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas couldn’t help but shed tears. And so did his wife, Yasmine Espiritu.

“I was touched,” recalled Alfred who first proposed to Yasmine in 2009.

“The first time, he just put out the ring and gave it to me,” Yasmine told Funfare at that time.

They got married on Aug. 16, 2010, at the Supreme Court officiated by the late Chief Justice Renato Corona in a civil ceremony kept so secret that the public learned about it only a year later when the couple broke the story in The STAR. They have two daughters, Alexandra and Aryana.

“The decision was final,” said Alfred then. “Hindi na puede i-appeal.”

The second proposal, this time for a church wedding, was done last Saturday night at the Lemuria restaurant in Quezon City.

Alfred told Yasmine that he was having a business meeting with his aunt and asked her to accompany him. The clueless Yasmine was scolding Alfred along the way.

The couple’s daughters Alexandra and Aryana.

“Sundays are our family day, kaya pinagalitan ko siya bakit tumanggap siya ng work,” said Yasmine. “If we went out on a Saturday night, so wala nang family outing sa Sunday.”

Seven happens to be Yasmine’s lucky number, so Alfred planned to spring the surprise on her at exactly 7 p.m. As soon as they arrived at Lemuria at 6:30, they proceeded to the second floor and ordered appetizers. A few minutes before 7 o’clock, the waiter (earlier informed by Alfred about the plan) told Alfred that his aunt was waiting for them at the garden which occupied half of the restaurant at the ground floor. Even when she wondered why the place was somewhat dark, lit up only by candles.

As soon as they were beneath the ark decorated with fresh red roses (Yasmine’s favorite), lights were turned on, much to the amazement of Yasmine who gasped at the sight of more fresh red roses covering the whole place. As the couple walked on the petals blanketing the garden hall, the violinist and guitarist started playing Ngayon At Kailanman.

Then, Alfred knelt, opened a box and took out a diamond ring, asking Yasmine, “Will you marry me again?” At the church, this time. As in the first proposal seven years ago, Yasmine replied “Yes!” right away. That was when Yasmine began to cry, and so did Alfred. The scene was made more romantic when the wind blew and dried leaves showered from the trees.

“I planned the whole thing in only two days,” revealed Alfred.

After the proposal, Alexandra and Aryana arrived and offered a bouquet of roses to their teary-eyed mom.

It was love at first sight for Alfred, who was then a Quezon City Councilor and Yasmine who is half-Italian and half-Filipino, always mistaken for an actress. She spent her growing-up years in Milan, Italy. They were really meant for each other…to paraphrase a line from the David Pomeranz song, they were born for each other.

“I was a fan of Alfred’s,” Yasmine had told Funfare. “At home, I had Alfred’s poster on the wall of my room. I’ve seen all of his movies.”

Yasmine was spending vacation with her relatives in Laguna when she finally met her dream boy who was having a show in Sta. Cruz town. That was on March 16, 2008 and she was staying at the family’s ancestral home.

 “I fell in love with Yasmine at first sight,” recalled Alfred then. “She stood out in the audience. I told myself at that moment, ‘This is the girl I want to spend the rest of my life with.’ I was hooked. It was fiesta time and a lot of people were watching the show.”

 After the show, Alfred didn’t stop until she got Yasmine’s celfone number. I made it a point to get her celfone number. He told her that he was into photography, and would she pose as a model?

“Style na bulok,” Alfred had described the approach, “but it worked.”

When Alfred started visiting Yasmine (who was a Fine Arts undergraduate at that time) at home, she gave him a tour of the house. True to her being his fan, according to Alfred, “I saw my poster in her room.”

Yasmine recalled that when he first saw Alfred in a TV show, she told her lola in jest, “That’s the guy I will marry.”

Since that fateful first meeting, Alfred didn’t stop until Yasmine became his and his alone.

“He’s my first boyfriend and my first love,” added Yasmine.

Alfred said that he had to court first Yasmine’s aunt who was her guardian during her vacation in the Philippines. Yasmine comes from a closely-knit conservative family.

“That was the most difficult courtship I’d ever done,” admitted Alfred who had had a few girlfriends (including LJ Reyes before she met and had a child with Paulo Avelino). “Yasmine’s aunt told me, ‘If you are serious with my niece, you have to climb three mountains to win her.’ I was scared but I never thought of backing down.”

With his second proposal readily accepted, Alfred is now planning for their church wedding next year.

Stronger and more binding the second time around, isn’t it?

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