The couple announced their engagement on Instagram on March 20, with pictures of last year’s proposal. Photos: Tay Ying/Instagram, courtesy of Tay Ying and Wu Sihan
Singaporean actress Tay Ying and celebrity chef Wu Sihan will soon tie the knot.
The couple announced their engagement on Instagram on March 20, with pictures of last year’s proposal. Tay, 28, said in the post: “One year ago today.”
In a phone interview with The Straits Times, the actress and Wu, 33, said they have actually been engaged on the down-low for exactly a year, as the proposal happened on March 20 in 2024. They will wed in June.
Wu, who staged a surprise proposal for Tay, lured her to a photo studio under the pretence of a solo photo shoot for her conducted by a mutual photographer friend. Midway, a projector began playing a video montage of the couple’s time together, before Wu walked in with a bouquet of flowers and asked her to marry him.
“Tay Ying’s very sharp, so it’s actually very hard for me to plan surprises because she can read me so well. I needed professional help – our photographer friend and an event planner friend, who is now planning the wedding for us,” said Wu.
Tay’s family and friends, including her actor-dad Zheng Geping and brother Calvert Tay, a singer-actor, watched the proposal play out from a mezzanine floor above the studio. Mum, actress Hong Huifang, dialled in to the scene via video call from Taiwan, where she was working.
Tay recalled: “I was definitely surprised. It was a morning photo shoot, not usually the time you would think a proposal happens. So when I saw the video montage, I was like, ‘Is this really happening now?’”
Wu said prior to getting down on one knee, he had asked for permission to propose from Tay’s parents. His future in-laws were very supportive.
He said: “It was a bit intimidating when we started dating because people would say things like, ‘Wow, you’re dating Zheng Geping’s daughter’, and joke about me having to be careful because he’s so muscular and all. But he’s a gentle giant and such a good listener.”
The couple first met in 2021 at Italian bistro Supply & Demand at the Esplanade – where Wu is the head chef – through his cousin, who is also Tay’s friend. They began dating within a month, and went public with their relationship in January 2024 via Instagram.
Tay said: “The frequency and chemistry we shared – it just felt very comfortable and easy. Our mindsets are very similar, so it was easy to communicate. It just felt right.”
The couple, who also bought a home together recently, are now in the midst of wedding planning and home renovation. Their nuptials will include a banquet dinner and customary practices like a gatecrash ceremony.
Tay has already picked out her wedding outfits, which will include a Little Nyonya touch. She is getting a custom-made wedding kebaya, since Wu’s family is Peranakan.
She said: “I thought it would be nice since I’m marrying into the family and their culture. The top will be pink because I love pink and the bottom will be green to match.
“I like it because it’s something I can continue to wear every year on the first day of Chinese New Year, as his family members usually do.” – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
