Metro 2020 Year-Ender: Local Celebs And Personalities Who Got Engaged

Alex Gonzaga and Mikee Morada

Alex and Mikee got engaged in December 2019 during a trip in Hong Kong, but the announcement of their engagement coincided with the 32nd birthday of Alex in January 16 of this year. The engagement reveal was done through a vlog uploaded on her 3-year-old YouTube channel that has 9.29 million subscribers as of this writing. Last October, the couple celebrated their fourth anniversary.

Photo Credit: @cathygonzaga

Photo Credit: @cathygonzaga

Photo Credit: @cathygonzaga

Kris Bernal and Perry Choi

Perry proposed to Kris during his birthday celebration in February 6 at a restaurant in Makati. Guests at the party were accomplices to the proposal, as they helped surprise Kris while holding gold letter balloons that spelled out "Will U Marry Me?" The lovebirds and business partners have been dating for three years when they got engaged.

Photo Credit: @krisbernal and @choi.perry

Photo Credit: NicePrint

Photo Credit: @krisbernal

Ernie Lopez and Michelle Arville

This "lockdown proposal" was what kicked off our "Metro in Love" series on our YouTube channel, where we celebrate the relationship milestones of celebrities and personalities during the quarantine. Ernie, Creative Programs, Inc. president and "G Diaries" host, proposed to Michelle on her birthday last April. With her friends as witnesses via Zoom, he popped the question and asked her to be on "lockdown" with him for the rest of their lives. What's more unique about this proposal is that he didn't actually have a physical ring for her when he proposed because the pandemic was at its peak at the time and there were no jewelry stores open. Instead, he proposed with a hologram ring made with the help of his three children. Their commitment to stay beside each other in sickness and in health was put to test when they both tested positive for COVID-19 and survived the life and death situation together. Last August, after recovering from COVID-19, they donated their plasma to help save other patients.

Photo Credit: Screenshot from Metro.Style YouTube

Photo Credit: Read more about their love story here.

Photo Credit: @michellearville

Laura Lehmann and Von Pessumal

"Lockdowned for life," the professional basketball player captioned the photo he posted on social media, to reveal that he and the beauty queen are now engaged. The Miss World Philippines 2017 titleholder, on the other hand, had a short but meaningful caption, "Yes," adding that the two of them got engaged in May 3.

Photo Credit: @iamlauralehmann

Photo Credit: @von19

Photo Credit: @iamlauralehmann

Brent Javier and Janna Tee

Brent's proposal happened last May 10, disguised as a Mother's Day celebration. He had always imagined this trip in Ontario, Canada to start their road to forever, and the pandemic didn't stop him from pushing through as he intended despite some minor bumps along the way. This entrepreneurial couple has been together for about eight years now, without an exact date for their anniversary because they shared that their relationship (which started from Twitter DMs!) progressed faster than they expected.

Photo Credit: @jannatee

Photo Credit: Read more about their love story here.

Photo Credit: @jannatee

Mo Twister and Angelika Schmeing

Here's one really unique engagement story. What would've been an otherwise ordinary podcast episode about weddings and marriage on the "Good Times With Mo: The Podcast" turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of her life. Mo and his producer planned on a pretend segment on his show where his co-host Angelika would be made to believe she was talking to a person who'd pretended to be a caller. The caller would then describe wanting to get married to her longtime partner, and Mo was tasked to segue the conversation into an actual on-air proposal to Angelika. Check out the episode on Spotify: GTWM Podcast Season 7 Episode 45. Mo and Angelika are parents to six-year-old daughter Amsterdam and 10-year-old son Luca (her son from a previous relationship), and their family is based in Las Vegas. The couple just celebrated their ninth anniversary last month and hinted that their big day could happen on May of next year.

Photo Credit: @djmotwister

Photo Credit: Read more about their love story here.

Photo Credit: @angelicopter

Mark Herras and Nicole Donesa

Mark and Nicole announced their engagement last June, with the promise to be together "to infinity and beyond." Come September, the couple had another revelation: they're going to become parents, and they decided to call their bun in the oven "Corky." That same month, they also shared the gender of their baby: it's a boy! In October, they posted snaps from her maternity photo shoot, and the following month, they organized a baby shower. Mark and Nicole will welcome their bundle of joy next month.

Photo Credit: @nicole_donesa

Photo Credit: @herrasmarkangeloofficial

Photo Credit: @nicole_donesa

Ritz Azul and Allan Guwi

Ritz and Allan got engaged at a farm in Lipa, Batangas last June. She shared that there were many hindrances to his plans to propose, but this only proves that if something is meant to happen, it will happen. If not for the pandemic, this special event would've happened during their scheduled trip in Switzerland. On the day he decided to pop the question, it was raining hard, but the moment the proposal was unfolding, the sky cleared up; "Sobrang magical," she says. Ritz revealed that she and Allan met in 2016 and started out as friends until they decided to take their relationship to the next level. He is her first and last boyfriend.

Photo Credit: @ritzazul

Photo Credit: @ritzazul

Photo Credit: @ritzazul

Maria Fabiana and Tanner Mata

"I know what cloud 9 is now," writes Tanner as he Instagrammed photos and a video from the day he proposed to Maria. It happened last July during daytime on a yacht trip in Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota. The two are reality TV show "Pinoy Big Brother" alums.

Photo Credit: @mariafabiana_

Photo Credit: @mariafabiana_

Photo Credit: @tanner_mata

Melissa Ricks and Michael Macatangay

These two got engaged last August 29 in Batangas. It's a special place for both of them as they met in Jesus the Anointed One Church in Rosario, Batangas. Melissa shared that this church is actually two and a half hours away from where she lives, but she would attend Sunday services there regularly. It was there where she prayed to meet a good man who would accept her for who she is, understand her situation as a single mom, and most importantly, love her daughter like his own. Months after she prayed for that, she walked into the same church with her daughter Kiera and, by chance, sat right next to Michael. It was indeed an answered prayer.

Photo Credit: @mellyricks09

Photo Credit: @mellyricks09

Photo Credit: @mellyricks09

Vern Enciso and Ben Lim

Vern and Ben's engagement happened at home on a typical day in their quarantined life together without any grand event. They were doing laundry, and she was not dressed to the nines as she always is. But she couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate this relationship milestone. They met in Cebu, where he's based, in 2014, and that's where his proposal took place as well. Vern flew to this city back in March before the lockdowns were implemented and got stuck there with Ben and his family for months. After their engagement, she exclaims, "I'm now stuck here [in Cebu] for good."

Photo Credit: @vernenciso

Photo Credit: Read more about their love story here.

Photo Credit: @vernenciso

Alfonso Martinez and Miki Hahn

Alfonso and Miki announced their engagement last September. The proposal took place at Angelfields Nature Sanctuary in Cavite, an event witnessed by his family. The venue was dressed up by Gideon Hermosa, with the special moments captured by NicePrint. Not long after they shared this happy news, they also revealed that they were expecting their first child, a baby boy they decided to name Arturo. This month, they welcomed their bundle of joy, and spent their first Christmas as a family. Alfonso is the only son of Albert Martinez and his late wife Liezl.

Photo Credit: NicePrint

Photo Credit: NicePrint

Photo Credit: NicePrint

Empress Schuck and Vino Guingona

She had no idea they would hold a double celebration last September 28: their daughter Athalia's 5th birthday and their engagement. The special moment happened with her family around, making the event even more memorable. "And so this day has become even more special... It's not just Athalia's birthday anymore but also a new celebration of God's intention," Empress shares on Instagram.

Photo Credit: @itsempressita

Photo Credit: NicePrint Photo via @itsempressita

Photo Credit: NicePrint Photo via @itsempressita

Bettina Carlos and Mikki Eduardo

"Please pinch me," Bettina captioned her Instagram post back in October 13, as she revealed her engagement while still in utter disbelief. "Took a few days for this to settle in." Mikki's proposal, as revealed in her YouTube vlog "A Blessing Channel," took place in October 7. Before he popped the question, he sang Steven Curtis Chapman's "I Will Be Here." With less than two months of preparation, the couple tied the knot (twice on the same day!) last December 2 in Tagaytay. What's even more touching is that Mikki also "proposed" to Bettina's daughter Gummy the night before their wedding. Bettina shared, "He asked her if she will allow him to be her father and raise her up to the fear and knowledge of the Lord. To which she said YES!"

Photo Credit: @abettinacarlos

Photo Credit: Read about their wedding here.

Rocco Nacino and Melissa Gohing

"What better time than now?," Rocco quips as he talked about his decision to choose love in the time of COVID via the proposal video edited by NicePrint. He proposed to Melissa last November 20 in a scenic spot inside the village he resides in, dressed up by no less than go-to event stylist and florist Gideon Hermosa. Their loved ones were with them in spirit as they watched the proposal unfold via Zoom. This couple already has a witty hashtag for their upcoming wedding: #GohingToBeNacino.

Photo Credit: @nacinorocco

Photo Credit: NicePrint via @nacinorocco

Photo Credit: @nacinorocco

Trina Legaspi and Ryan Jarina

"6 years together and forever!! Without a doubt, in a heartbeat, I said YES!," shared Trina, revealing that she and her longtime boyfriend finally got engaged last November 22. She added, "Thank you Lord for giving me my destined partner. It's worth the wait talaga!" The proposal happened at a barber café in Makati. When Trina arrived at the venue that was dressed up with letter balloons that read "Will You Marry Me?," she thought it was not meant for her, and so when she finally realized it, she truly got one of the biggest surprises of her life.

Photo Credit: @trinalegaspi

Photo Credit: @trinalegaspi

Photo Credit: @trinalegaspi

Luis Manzano and Jessy Mendiola

Luis and Jessy revealed that they went through a rough patch in their relationship last summer. In a vlog uploaded on her YouTube channel, Jessy confirmed the breakup rumors that were circulating before; for her, they "broke up," but for Luis, they just "took a break." Followed by more plot twists (like the issue on Jessy finding out about the engagement ring prior to Luis proposing and the debate on the real supplier to credit for creating her engagement ring), the two eventually managed to save their relationship. The proposal happened on an ordinary day in Jessy's house. They didn't post photos from the actual proposal, but when they finally announced their engagement last December 12, they did so with stunning photographs taken by no less than professional wedding photographer Pat Dy in Amanpulo. We love their hashtag: #JessGotLucky.

Photo Credit: Pat Dy via @senorita_jessy

Photo Credit: Pat Dy via @senorita_jessy

Photo Credit: Read about their engagement here.

Andi Eigenmann and Philmar Alipayo

What a year it has been for Andi and Philmar! They celebrated several milestones this 2020, including the first birthday of their daughter Lilo, them receiving the Gold Play Button for their YouTube channel "Happy Islanders," and the sweet revelation that they're expecting their second child (a boy!). As if those weren't enough to turn this pandemic into a meaningful phase in their lives, Philmar proposed to Andi during a trip in Batangas. They shared the happy news a few days before Christmas last December 20. Following their engagement, this surf-loving duo shared beautiful underwater snaps, as they basked in newly-engaged bliss.

Photo Credit: @andieigengirl

Photo Credit: @pernillasjoo via @andieigengirl

Photo Credit: Read our exclusive digital cover feature with soon-to-be mom of three Andi here.

Morissette Amon and Dave Lamar

This music-loving duo has had an interesting relationship; Morissette's father had openly opposed their relationship, and the couple had actually broken up once before. However, nine years after they met, became friends, and eventually fell in love, the pair has revealed their engagement last December 21. She captioned her Instagram announcement with: "After finally letting our families and most of our closest friends know in the past couple of months since this happened, we're finally ready to share it to the world.. WE'RE ENGAGED!"

Photo Credit: @itsmorissette

Photo Credit: @itsmorissette

Photo Credit: @itsmorissette

Glaiza de Castro and David Rainey

It was indeed a merry Christmas for Glaiza, as she said yes to spending forever with her Irish boyfriend-turned-fiancé, David. She shared the news on Christmas Eve, saying, "Who would've thought I'd say yes in freezing cold weather... it just felt right." The two are vacationing in Ireland.

Photo Credit: @glaizaredux

Photo Credit: @glaizaredux

Photo Credit: @glaizaredux