Life is a series of beginnings and endings — and even returns.
Recently, Jervi Wrightson, formerly known as KaladKaren, kissed goodbye to singlehood and embraced the married life.
The first “Frontline Pilipinas” transgender woman news anchor takes pride and pleasure to be called the better half of British Luke Wrightson.
“I think it’s a mixture of both,” said Mrs. Wrightson when asked if one should chase the person one loves or let destiny take its course, love- and romance-wise, in a recent interview with The STAR. “I think maganda rin that you chase for it, but not desperately chasing for it. I think it’s a combination of kung nandyan, dumating sa’yo, alagaan mo (if the opportunity of being with the right person presents itself, take care of it), ‘coz that’s what happened to me when Luke and I met.”
To make any relationship work and succeed, however, both parties should nurture it.
“You should exert effort, you should (give) time, etc. to keep the relationship going,” shared she. “And that’s what I did. So, nung naging kami na ni Luke, kailangan ko siyang alagaan (I needed to take care of the relationship and him). I had to keep the relationship healthy.”
“It’s not really like chasing, you work hard for it also, hindi ka lang aasa sa destiny na naging kami, feeling ko ikakasal kami one day (you can’t just rely on destiny that since it brought us together, it would also help us to be with each other forever),” added Jervi. “How would you go to that destination if you were not working hard for it?”
Last Sept. 8 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, Jervi and Luke finally tied the knot and commenced another chapter in their lives. Their union was the culmination of their engagement that happened in 2020, during the pandemic.
“To be honest with you, when we got engaged during the pandemic, alam namin na hindi kami maikakasal (we knew that we would never get married) in the next two to three years,” said she.
“We’ve been together for a long time, actually 12 years na kami nung kinasal kami ni Luke. We were not really in a hurry.”
It was only last year that Jervi and Luke decided to “put a date on it and then just to celebrate our relationship,” shared she.
How did they handle and manage the challenges that came with wedding preparations?
“In terms of preparations, napaka-crammer kong tao. We sent the invites like less than six months before the actual wedding, destination wedding pa ito. The venue itself, we reserved it for maybe like 10 months before the wedding,” said Jervi, who looked elegant and resplendent in a Francis Libiran mermaid silhouette gown.
According to her, she and husband Luke were not pressured and not thinking that “dapat ganito yung design, dapat ganito yung supplier natin, whatever. We just took things easy, and we wanted to enjoy the moment.”
The couple had a coordinator in the UK, and Luke’s mom helped them organize the event to mark another life milestone.
Jervi and Luke had 90 guests. Most of them were Filipinos, including Jervi’s parents, siblings, relatives and UP college friends, who flew from the Philippines. Friends from Australia, London, the Netherlands and the US also witnessed their wedding.
“For a British, English wedding, that’s already a big wedding kasi ang mga tao dun kinakasal na 30, 40 ang tao lang ang guests (weddings there usually have only 30 to 40 guests),” said Jervi, who dreamed of having a good-looking foreigner boyfriend when she was young.
“Tapos nagkatotoo naman (then, it came true),” added she. “I had a high school friend, who was also present in my wedding, tell me that I said, ‘Pangako ko sa’yo, ikakasal ako sa ibang bansa (Promise, I will get married abroad).’ At hindi ko na matandaan na sinabi ko sa kanya yun (and I couldn’t remember saying anything like that).”
And that was another dream fulfilled for Jervi, whose romantic affair with Luke started in Hong Kong when the former decided to go on a vacation. Jervi was 20, while Luke was around 23.
“I was already working on television as a writer (and producer). I was working behind the camera, hindi pa ako artista nun,” shared she. “Kasi kaka-graduate ko lang nun halos. I think I was working at ‘Eat, Bulaga’ at that time.”
As a merchant navy officer, Luke was stationed in Singapore at that time and went to Hong Kong with his workmates and some friends, also to take a holiday.
From being a single lady to becoming a married woman, what are Jervi’s biggest adjustments?
“We’re actually trying to resolve as of the moment is to where to stay kasi I’m a resident already in the UK being Luke’s spouse, so hindi namin alam kung ano ba? Saan ba tayo titira muna?, yung ganun, because I could live in the UK and I can work there, stuff like that,” answered she, who has already established a name as a TV personality and actress.
“Since I am working in the Philippines and I still have a career here, you know, doing a lot of things. So, sabi ko sa kanya, maybe it’s best for us to stay in the Philippines for now and maybe just think about the UK in the future, at least we have an option, and sabi ko naman lagi naman kaming nagbabakasyon (I also told him that we would always go to the UK for a vacation),” concluded she.
For the coming Christmas and New Year, the lovely couple will fly to the UK and visit their family and friends there.