Manila, Feb. 10 -- For soon-to-be-married couple Jon Mark Loyola and Anjelica Punongbayan, this year's Feb. 14 will mark the end of an era, as this will be their last Valentine's Day as singles.

As the countdown to their forever begins, these lovebirds-both products of past long-term relationships-reflect on what worked, what didn't, and how love led them to each other.

1. Invest in yourself.

Coming out from a six-year relationship, Anjelica knew all too well that healing was the first step toward moving forward.

"After a breakup, it is easy to wallow in grief and self-pity and constantly obsess about your shortcomings, all while thinking about the 'what ifs,'" the bride-to-be said in a phone interview.

In fact, studies suggest that ...