Tay Ying and Singaporean celeb chef Wu Sihan will be tying the knot in June this year.
And surprise, surprise, they’ve actually been engaged for one year.
The 33-year-old chef popped the question to Tay Ying, 28, on Mar 20 last year, which is why they’ve decided to announce their engagement on the same day one year later.
Yes, that means when 8days.sg last spoke to Tay Ying in June 2024, she was already engaged, but dropped no hints at all. Top secret keeper, isn’t she?
But the couple is now excited to share all about their engagement and, of course, their plans for the big day when 8days.sg caught up with them over a call.
Tay Ying and Sihan will be holding their wedding banquet in June this year.
They’d been dating for three years when she said “Yes” and are in their fourth year together now.
Sihan, a full-time chef at Supply and Demand, explains that he’d chosen that day to propose, just before Tay Ying was about to get real busy filming for 2024 Mediacorp drama The Blockbusters.
So, how did he pop the question?
“In order to surprise her, we needed to create a [fake] work scenario so that she’d be distracted,” he says.
Sihan recalls taking a few weeks to plan the entire event, and he even roped in “quite a number of people” to help, including flower arrangements prepared by actress-turned-florist Kayly Loh.
Keeping the secret from her was not easy. “Tay Ying herself is pretty sharp with details,” Sihan shares. “And she can read me pretty well.”
With the help of their photographer pal Bryan Foong, they staged a fake photoshoot in a studio with Tay Ying to film some organic content.
“To me, that was like a normal work day, ‘cos it’s quite common for us to work together,” quips Tay Ying.
While she was busy preening and posing, Sihan was in another room in the studio setting up for the big moment.
Tay Ying only realised what was going on when she walked into the other room and a montage of her and Sihan started playing on a projector screen.
Sihan recalls: “Then I walked in, and my first question was: ‘Are you surprised?'”
He goes on to share that Tay Ying was “tear[ing] up a bit”, and he couldn’t help but do the same.
“Not a bit, I was straight up ugly crying,” Tay Ying interjects.
“When I looked back at the video [of the proposal], I was like: ‘Oh my god, so ugly’,” she elaborates.
Tay Ying’s dad Zheng Geping as well as her younger brother Calvert Tay were already at the venue without her knowledge, and watched the whole thing unfold.
Her mother Hong Huifang was filming in Taiwan at that time but witnessed the special moment through a live video call.
The actress’ friends, including showbiz pals Mediacorp stars Hazelle Teo and Denise Camillia Tay, were present that day too, while Kayly was unable to be there as she was overseas.
When we ask if she could share the clip of the proposal with us, Tay Ying declines so as to keep it exclusive for guests at their wedding.
They also decline to share how big the diamond on the proposal ring was. All Sihan would let on is that it’s “sufficient enough”, while Tay Ying coyly quips: “Up to you all to guess [from the engagement pics]!”
Now, did Sihan ask Geping and Huifang for their blessings before he proposed?
“Of course, I have to right?,” he chuckles.
He tells us that he’d asked Geping in person, and the latter excitedly replied: “Really? Now is the time? Okay!” before giving his approval.
However, Huifang was filming in Taiwan at that time, and Sihan could only reach her through a phone call.
What was his future mother-in-law’s reaction? “What kind of stupid question is that, I was sure about you since long ago!” she’d exclaimed.
The couple, who have already gotten a house and are waiting for renovations to be done, say they didn’t have a timeline for when to get married. But they reveal that they have always been sure about each other since their first year together.
Tay Ying, who gained 10kg for her role in The Blockbusters, previously shared that she’s “taking all the time she needs to lose weight”.
Now that there’s a wedding on the horizon, has she been stepping up her efforts so that she would fit better into her wedding dress?
The actress asserts that she’s still taking things in stride and choosing to prioritise her health as usual.
“Of course, there are considerations when I’m choosing my dress. For me, comfort is key. I never gave myself the pressure of like: ‘Oh I must be super skinny just for the wedding’,” she emphasises.
“The good thing about wedding gowns is you can always alter them. There’s not a size I need to squeeze into, you know?” she laughs.