GMA stars and longtime couple Carla Abellana and Tom Rodriguez have finally decided to tie the knot in a “small, intimate” ceremony at the end of the year.
The two shared this announcement following their engagement in October 2020 (the engagement was only made public in March) during an online event attended by the press, in which Tom shared how he asked for Carla’s hand in marriage.
“I just woke up one day and I knew. I knew it was the right time,” Tom revealed, adding that he always had “the intention to propose” but uncertainties
over the coronavirus pandemic made him anxious—until he realized there simply was no “perfect time” to do so.
“When it happened, there was no fear. It was the most lucid moment I’ve ever had. I couldn’t have chosen a better setup than her mom’s house with her family. There were no pretensions, we were not trying to put something on,” he shared.
The proposal happened at the home of Carla’s mother, Aurea Reyes, which was decked out in a dreamy arrangement of white roses and candles. The actress was made to believe that she was attending a simple family dinner.
Tom’s family members, who are based in the United States, joined the occasion via video call.
“There was a photographer, a videographer, my family, some unfamiliar faces. I wondered: Why all the flowers? I wasn’t sure what was happening,” Carla shared.
“At first, I couldn’t make out what Tom was saying. I kind of spaced out. But when it finally sank in, I started crying,” she said, recalling the moment Tom knelt before her and popped the question.
Tom, on the other hand, was nothing but nervous: “My knees were shaking and my legs felt like jelly. I was 100 percent sure that she was going to say yes. I wasn’t sure, however, if Carla had caught on to my plan? Of course, there was still that uncertainty: What if she says no all of a sudden?”
When Carla said yes, Tom could only stare at her. “It was a surreal moment,” he said.
When asked about what excites and scares them about marriage, Tom said it makes him happy thinking about the prospect of spending the rest of their lives together, even though “the reality of the world” keeps him in fear sometimes.
Carla related that she is wary of many things but she is excited to grow together and build a family with him.
“She has helped me realize my goals of becoming a better person, a lot of things when it comes to my emotional quotient. I’ve benefited a lot from seeing how she reacts to stimuli and adversities, and how
she manages her time and delegates responsibilities. I’ve learned to grow a lot from her examples,” shared Tom.
The couple said they plan to hold a classic-style church wedding once the country’s current situation gets better.
In terms of their honeymoon plans, Carla shared that their priority at the moment is building their own house, although they would love to have kids as soon as they get married.
Carla Abellana and Tom Rodriguez first met on the massive GMA hit series My Husband’s Lover in 2013, and they have been together since 2014 after working on My Destiny.