Richmond Perez proposes for the second time to his now-fiancée Sandra Rafanan under a blanket of stars even as the comet Neowise appeared in the sky on Wednesday night, July 22. Photo courtesy of Richmond D. Perez/Facebook
One couple raised the bar for a breathtaking engagement as they expressed mutual love under a blanket of stars while the comet Neowise appeared visible in the sky for a rare period on Wednesday night, July 22.
Richmond Perez, 29, proposed for the second time to his now-fiancée Sandra Rafanan, 25, which he was not able to do before due to the lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On Facebook, Perez shared their engagement photos in whose caption he thanked the Lord for the “two wonderful creations in front of my eyes.”
The couple, who are both from Nueva Ecija, had their first engagement last May 5, which happened inside a car when they were about to visit the farm of Rafanan’s dad.
“Kasi yung first proposal ko po eh medyo hindi po memorable kasi walang chance. Saka hindi din ako naka luhod non. Kaya umisip ako ng mas romantic [na way],” Perez shared with INQUIRER.net in an interview.
(My first proposal was not that memorable because there was no chance to make it one. Also, I was not able to kneel down at the time. That was why I thought of a more romantic way.)
Richmond Perez and Sandra Rafanan (Photo courtesy of Sandra D. Rafanan/Facebook)
Perez and Rafanan are both government workers and had been in a relationship for four months prior to their first engagement proposal.
They first met in 2018 at a gym where Perez was introduced to her by his cousin who was Rafanan’s colleague.
“Kaso may boyfriend pa siya nun, kaya hindi ko niligawan. And then dumating yung time na [naging] single na din siya, kaya ginrab ko na po [ung pagkakataon],” Perez told INQUIRER.net.
(At the time, she still had a boyfriend, that was why I did not court her. And then the time came when she became single again, so I grabbed the opportunity.)
Starry engagement
He had learned of the rare celestial phenomenon in which a newly discovered comet called Neowise was putting on a show and giving spectacular experience to skygazers around the world.
Comet Neowise makes a scenic appearance in the sky on Wednesday night, July 22. Photo courtesy of Richard D. Perez/Facebook
It was then that he thought of giving another try to pull off a memorable engagement proposal to his beloved fiancée.
According to Perez, his second proposal took place on a road with very few vehicles passing and with no houses around, which just offered a breathtaking view of the starry night even as he hoped to witness and capture a photo of the comet.
In that perfect setting, he popped the question and Rafanan gave him her second “yes” as the comet took its propitious appearance in the sky.
For the special person in his life, Perez would do his best to make the occasion a very special one.
Meanwhile, according to NASA, the comet Neowise will be visible across the Northern Hemisphere until mid-August while it heads back toward the outer solar system, and it will be about 7,000 years before it becomes visible again. /ra
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