Jade Seah says 'yes' to getting married

SINGAPORE - She did not see the marriage proposal coming.

Then her boyfriend of over three years got down on one knee and popped the question.

Local host-actress Jade Seah, who got engaged a few months ago, only announced the news on her Twitter and Instagram accounts on Monday.

She posted a photo of herself sporting an emerald-cut diamond ring with the caption: "So I said..."

The 31-year-old told The New Paper: "It was our anniversary celebration at our new home together, and he made a montage video of us. It was a very sweet presentation and I teared while I was watching it.

"However, I thought it was for our anniversary and was very shocked when he got down on one knee and proposed."

Seah said she was glad the proposal was small and private because she is "very shy" when it comes to such things.

It came as a pleasant surprise to Seah because neither she nor her fiance believe in rushing into marriage.

The outgoing local celebrity and former model who stands at 1.71m, even joked with her mum that she would "get married before 40".

She said with a laugh: "I am quite lucky in the sense that my parents never once pressured me to get married. My mum always told me to take my time and not marry for the wrong reasons."

Seah would only reveal that her fiance is also 31, is taller than her at 1.74m and works in the finance industry.

[[nid:102024]]

The couple go a long way back, she said, having known each other since 16 when they attended religious classes in church.

They lost touch after that.

Coincidentally, she ran into him a decade later and they started spending time together.

Their first date - a supper of prawn noodles.

"I don't even know if I could call it a date, I didn't know what to make of it. He was very quiet and didn't talk much and I remember thinking that he wasn't very exciting and that he didn't seem very interested in me," Seah recalled.

"I was going to just leave it at that but my friend told me to give him another chance as he was probably shy. When he asked me out again, I felt that maybe he was interested, and it was nice that we could connect on a certain level."

WANTED FAST FOOD WEDDING

She added: "I think I've reached a point in my life where I am perfectly happy to be on my own. So, if someone comes into my life, he should make it a lot happier. With my boyfriend, I feel like we are both growing as individuals and growing as a couple. He is someone I know I can grow old with.

Seah said she felt lucky that she has always met men who have treated her well, though her previous year-long relationship went south quickly because she felt controlled and stifled.

"Maybe you need a bad relationship to know what's good," she said.

The couple plan to hold their wedding in a Catholic church next year, and Seah hopes to do as little planning as possible.

She said: "I hate planning. My ideal wedding will be one at the church followed by lunch.

"I was thinking of just booking a fast food restaurant where everyone orders their own meals and I'll settle the bill at the end, but the idea was rebuked.

There will probably be a church wedding with a "small but elegant" dinner at night for family.

Thankfully for Seah, her fiance is on top of things so she is leaving the details to him.

She added: "He is nicknamed 'Groomzilla' now and has already set up Excel spreadsheets. We've already booked a church, and I'm starting to look at gowns."

[[nid:102024]]

This article was published on April 17 in The New Paper.

Get The New Paper for more stories.