Megan and Mikael’s Playbook

It’s a pretty tough code to crack how to keep a relationship healthy and happy, much more so to make it last. But the newlyweds, Megan Young and Mikael Daez, have some pointers up their sleeves to share.  From the highs and the lows and the challenges they overcome, just like any winning secret for an enduring relationship, Megan and Mikael are a team.
Ready, Set
It took a handful of netizens by surprise that Megan and Mikael have already tied the knot, but in actuality, the two could not have been more prepared.
“When we get married nothing changes,” Megan declares.  And unlike traditional couples where best food forward seems to be the routine during courtship, the two are very much familiar and open how to navigate each other’s quirks and personalities.  “[Even before] we know each other’s habits. We help each other and its a very open and honest relationship,” continues Mikael.
Keeping it real seems to do wonders for the couple.  With honesty being the operative word, the two have learned to speak it and to develop a listening ear that knows how to handle even difficult truths with gentleness.
“[Some of the important values to carry into marriage] are definitely honesty, open communication, and acceptance,” Megan muses.  “Kasi not al truth is easy to accept or ready to hear.  Your mind and heart has to be ready to hear what your partner has to say.”  And true enough, a successful relationship isn’t always about basking in constant good news, but how a couple walks through tough phases and emerges out of those stronger.
Two Players
A couple that plays together stays together seems to be a rather true statement for Megan and Mikael as both are fond of games. “[Our favorite activity together] definitely as of the moment is gaming.  We love playing games together  There are times when we’re quiet but we’re actually playing,” Megan says with an easy chuckle.  And the couple’s current favorite?  Ragnarok Online Mobile.
But their stand as two players in one team is carried over into their partnership, not just in their love for gaming.  As two people with different personalities, Mikael and Megan have shown it is possible to win at relationships even without compromising one’s identity or not being completely alike with one’s significant other.
The couple exchange a look and Megan, recalling a memory, shares one of the important lessons she has carried along from Mikael.  “One of our goals is when were together we have to make each other better people,” she says.  Admitting to be previously the kind to depend on others for decisions, she says that Mikael helped her find her own ground in decision-making. “He was like, ‘You know,  I want you to be able to make decisons for yourself. Ayoko naman na just because I like something gusto mo rin. Push for the things you love and we can do the things we love together.'”
And the couple’s stand on keeping their individualities is an admirable feat in a time when relationships often pressure people to be someone else or somebody they’re not.  A testament of how differences do not divide, but rather complement, Megan and Mikael’s wedding is a sweeter-than-fiction reminder that even two different players distinct from another, despite their individuality can play —and win— on the same team.
Mikael currently stars in GMA network’s ‘Love of my Life’ and the couple has recently started a new series on married life via their podcast, #BehindRelationshipGoals
Photography Von Oneil Buenconsejo
Assisted by Danielle Evan Rosacia Nepales
Make Up Yuventius Albert Kurniawan
Hair Rhoy Cervantes
Styling Janno Styles
Associate Stylist Dan Fernando
Interview Danielle Nepales
Story Danielle Arcon
Location Cocoon Boutique Hotel