Virtual wedding proposals have now become a thing for couples around the globe due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Proving there is nothing that can hinder love — not even a pandemic — many have turned to online platforms to profess their love to their partners. One of them is Julius Puentes, a Filipino chemical engineer.
Puentes proposed to his partner and fellow chemical engineer of seven years, Maria Joriza Bondoc, through the popular social simulation game, Animal Crossing.
In a Facebook post, Puentes shared that he initially planned to propose to Bondoc after their return to the Philippines from Australia where they recently completed their double degree for MS Chemical Engineering and MS Metallurgical Engineering.
(Julius Puentes / MANILA BULLETIN)
Due to the pandemic, they could not return to the Philippines yet.
“I had to improvise since the pandemic became another challenge and might delay it further,” Puentes wrote.
“I always imagined going back to UST (University of Sto. Tomas) and proposing in front of our main building with our families, friends, and the Thomasian community. But since we cannot go back yet, I figured that we had to do it on our UST island in Animal Crossing instead (best of both worlds I reckon),” he shared.
Animal Crossing allows its players to build their own “island” in the game. Players can also interact with a “community of residents.”
Puentes said he wanted to propose through Animal Crossing because they both love the game.
“We love Animal Crossing because it is a life simulation game which encourages people to work together and visit other islands to acquire resources,” he said.
“The best part of playing Animal Crossing with your partner is you get to build an island together,” he added.
Puentes said the game also strengthened their relationship as a couple in a way.
Recently, Nintendo, which developed Animal Crossing, updated the game and added “fireworks show,” which Puentes used for his proposal.
“I updated my proposal plan as well and secretly designed custom fireworks to spell out the ‘Will you marry me?’,” he said.
“It was perfect because it reminded us of the UST Paskuhan feels at the same time,” he added.
Since Bondoc streams Animal Crossing on Twitch and Facebook, Puentes decided to do his proposal during one of her livestreams.
“Since we share our UST island, it was very difficult to prepare a surprise because she might come across it if ever she plays. So I had to do most of the prep during her stream day,” he said.
“I made her busy the whole day then when she was live, I posted to FB groups for Animal Crossing. It was a very risky move since she is also part of most groups, but I figured that even if it gets spoiled, I am going to push through with it and ask her anyway,” he continued.
When the “Will you marry me?” question popped on the screen, Puentes who was sitting beside Bondoc during the livestream, kneeled and opened the ring box.
“That moment, I felt his sincerity and overflowing love. Then I cried and said YES,” Bondoc said, saying the proposal was “too perfect.”
Since the proposal was streamed and recorded, the couple's family can watch their love exchange even across the miles.
"We’re not sure if they were able to watch live, but since the stream was recorded, our loved ones could watch it and feel the special moment any time," Puentes said.
Puentes said he and Bondoc plan to get married soon but have not set a “special date” yet.