How they met — and matched

These days, living in is as common as seeing a pile of garbage in Metro Manila streets. Young couples take it as an acid test of compatibility, a deciding factor of whether they will take the plunge or not.

For Christopher de Leon and Sandy Andolong, the convenient setup has been around for as long as 21 years – producing five children, Rafael, Miguel, Gabriel, Micaela and Ma. Angelica. It has given them the best and the worst of times, for sure. But more than that, it has made them realize that nothing can take the place of a marriage blessed by the Church.

And so, last March 27, at solemn, beautiful rites in scenic Caleruega, Nasugbu, Batangas, Boyet and Sandy exchanged wedding vows with the blessing of the Church. GMA-7 covered the rites live, and will air it as a TV special entitled Magpakailanman (director: Maryo J. de los Reyes) on Saturday, March 31, 9 to 11 p.m.

It was Boyet who thought of the TV coverage. After all, he figured – rightly – most showbiz weddings attract a passel of trimedia journalists, plus the usual crowd of fans.

Call it fate or right timing. But Boyet and Sandy’s relatives living abroad were coming home for a vacation, with the wedding as welcome fillip. The couple’s eldest son, Rafael (Sandino) who is studying high school in New York, however, purposely came home to be part of the entourage, headed by Ian de Leon (Boyet’s son by Nora Aunor) as best man.

In keeping with the couple’s no-frills lifestyle, the wedding is as simple as can be. Sandy describes her Lyn Armovit wedding gown as so simple it can be worn for an awards night (Boyet wore a Junjun Cambe suit).

"I have neither a maid of honor nor a bridesmaid," Sandy says matter-of-factly. In the absence of a wedding coordinator, Sandy and a sister ironed out all the nitty gritty of the wedding themselves.

Sandy allowed herself a single concession to uh, things "worldy" (isn’t a woman – especially one about to get married – entitled to that sometimes?) by shedding 10 pounds to fit into her gown.

"I stuck to a no-rice diet, with two slices of bread as my sources of carbohydrate," Sandy reveals how she did it. Then, she only took soup and crackers to go with it.

Not only did she feel lighter, Sandy also felt 10 times better.

Not that Boyet wants a sexier wife. The former ladies’ man has put his roving-eye days behind him for Sandy, whom the late director Ishmael Bernal introduced to him during the Dodong Diamond preimere night.

But Sandy doused water on the instantly-besotted Boyet’s passions when she snubbed him that time.

Little did Boyet know then that he had already impressed his future wife even before they were first formally introduced. Sandy first saw him when she was only 14 and accompanying her mom Florita, who was screening two to three films a day as one of the judges for the annual FAMAS Awards.

When she saw Boyet, she excitedly whispered in her ear: "Let him win!"

As we know by now, Boyet won his first Best Actor award for his debut film, the critically-acclaimed Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang.

"So I owe that award to you!" Boyet gives Sandy a gentle ribbing.

Kidding aside, Boyet doffs his hat off to this woman who stood by him through bouts with dangerous drugs and a host of other problems that could have crushed a lesser mortal. Yes, Sandy, only human as she is would pack her bags and leave, but she would end up going back to Boyet and give their marriage and family another try, and another, and another.

"She is strong-willed. I saw how much she sacrificed when I was down and out and had practically nothing. We were still together. Most of all, we were happy," Boyet looks at Sandy beside him.

It’s a clear case of unconditional love, something that has taught Sandy the ABCs of "selflessness, patience, tolerance."

Still, they’re poles apart. Sandy says Boyet is the demonstrative type who says "I love you" all the time, while she is more reserved (what else can you expect if your father happens to be a military man – Col. Nereo Andolong?).

Now, Sandy says there should be a lot of hugging and kissing in the family. The couple shares many things in common though: sports like scuba diving, tennis, mountain climbing (something new to Sandy), even basketball. They love eating out and traveling around the world together.

Adventurous Boyet would bring his wife to a small cafe in Italy that, says Sandy, serves "the best pizza I’ve ever tasted." They’d ride the sampan in Hong Kong together and, upon Boyet’s urgings, travel all the way from Germany to Amsterdam to go to its famous red light district.

By a strange coincidence, it was a romantic film, Sundalong Ilocana, which revolved around the love story of the late president Ferdinand Marcos and wife Imelda, which brought Boyet and Sandy closer together.

"I felt I can be myself with her. I didn’t have to impresss her," recalls Boyet, who secretly sent his then girlfriend away just so he could have Sandy all to himself in that out-of-town shooting in historic Ilocos.

Time – and eternity, so the couple hopes – has proven Boyet has made one of the best decisions in his life, ever.