Calyxta Engagement Stories:
Dennis Tan and Dimple Opulencia
September 29, 2017 at Dimple’s house in Marikina
Here at Brides by Calyxta, we take pride in all the real and heartfelt stories that have been shared by Real Brides on their bridal journeys—in the hopes that their stories could inspire and maybe even help upcoming brides on planning their own weddings. So it was only fitting that we expanded this section by launching Engagement Stories and interviewing real couples on the very moment they got engaged!
To kick off our very first Calyxta Engagement Story, meet Dennis Tan, who proposed to his fiancée, Dimple Opulencia, last September 2017 and is currently planning for their wedding happening in October 2018. From a One Direction song that sparked the start of their romance, to throwing Dimple off and pretending that he wasn’t ready for marriage yet, read through the detailed account of the day Dennis proposed to his bride-to-be.
Can you give us a quick introduction of yourselves? What do you do?
Dimple and I are officemates. We both work at GMA Network under the Sales and Marketing Group where we develop multi-platform marketing campaigns for advertisers.
When did you start dating? How did your love story start?
I met her in 2011 when I started working at GMA. We worked together on a few projects and I remember having a crush on her but at that time, we were both taken. After a couple of months of working with each other, we became really good friends. We clicked and I enjoyed talking to her a lot. We even took the MRT together after work. There came a point, around mid-2012, that we both became single. I still had a crush on her but after getting to know her, I did not think I had a shot. I’d occasionally throw a few playful hints out there but there was absolutely zero reciprocation from her end.
One time, I told her that the song “What Makes You Beautiful” (by One Direction) reminded me of her. She told me she didn’t know the song. Hahaha! I guess she googled it because after five minutes, she approached me, smiled, and kissed me on the cheek. I was so dazed and it took me a while to process that that was the sign – I had a shot. (Thank you, One Direction!) So I asked her out to dinner and the rest is history.
What was the initial reaction after the proposal? Can you share with us the story?
I think she still couldn’t believe it was real. A couple of months before the proposal, I started feeding her with “hints” that I wasn’t financially ready yet to get married so that I’d completely catch her offguard. After the proposal, she kept on saying that she thought she’d have to wait 1 to 2 more years. Hehe.
Who was the first person you shared your engagement with and why?
Apart from our families, our good friends, Keila and Kevin, who were also recently engaged that year. I guess I told them first because I knew that they’d be able to relate to our happiness the most.
What was the first thing you thought about right after the engagement that’s related to the wedding?
She once told me that she wanted a very intimate wedding (a maximum of 50 people) so when she said yes, the next thing I asked myself was “Now, how do I convince her to invite more people?”
The Engagement Story
I asked a couple of my closest friends from college to help me set up her place and shoot the proposal. She’s a very private person. The last thing she would want is a grand proposal at a public place, so I chose to surprise her at their house.
We lit up candles at the staircase leading up to her room.
I got balloons where I taped photos of us through the years. On the floor, we placed a trail of rose petals leading to her room.
The photos on the balloons were laid out chronologically so I could show her how we grew together through the years. Each photo had its own fun memory.
On her bed, I placed two dozen of her favorite flowers (Tulips), and her favorite character (Pikachu).
I initially wanted to put a dog collar that read, “Will you marry my daddy?” on her dog, Bacon, but that proved to be quite a challenge. I gave her Bacon as a gift a few years back and to this day, she considers him as the best gift ever.
After I proposed, her family and our friends surprised her outside her room. Bacon immediately ran towards her – he obviously didn’t want to help me (with the proposal) but he wanted to be part of the photo.
After the proposal, I invited her out to have dinner with me at UP Town Center where I had another surprise for her. I gathered her barkada and a few of our closest friends so we could all celebrate together.
Want to share your engagement story with us? Shoot us an e-mail at bridesbycalyxta@calyxta.com, and we’d love to hear more about it!