Among the celebrity weddings that took place in 2023, Lovi Poe's was definitely a highlight. It happened on 26 August, just 18 days after she announced, in an Instagram post, that she's already engaged to be married. She didn't mention the name of her fiancé because the
co-author of her post was her boyfriend Monty Blencowe, a British scientist and Hollywood film producer. They managed to keep the engagement under wraps for around two years.

"Monty is very private," she explained during a a promotional event for the jewelry brand she endorses. "I wanted to keep it [engagement] that way. Then I found the right moment to share it with everybody."

Lovi and Monty's nuptial ceremony took place at the historic Cliveden House, which is described in its website as a "five-star country house hotel" located in Berkshire, just outside the English capital city of London. It wasn't her original choice, though.

"Two years ago, before the wedding, I had a dream to get married in Italy," she said, then considered other factors in choosing the venue. "We first met in England. Cliveden was the first place we saw [for our wedding]. Then we flew to Italy. We went to Lake Como. We went to all these locations to check out what [could] be the best wedding venue. I also wanted to do it in other places, like Sicily."

"We ended up choosing the first one we saw," she added, referring to Cliveden House. "I was like, 'Monty, are you sure of this place?' Of course this is a place any bride will dream of, especially me. It's a dream location. It was so perfect that he was just, like, 'This is the best place for a wedding. I think it's going to be memorable.' I wasn't the type to push for this kind of place, but he was the one who said it was something that I deserve. So he gave it to me. I'm so happy."

Lovi's eyes widened in delight as she narrated what happened next: "It didn't end there. So many things — the flowers, the food, everything. Every detail mattered to me. Everything was a personal choice, even the drinks that we had. 'Yung mga names ng drinks namin, mga simpleng detalye" (The names of our drinks, the simple details).

The wedding day was attended by their close family members and circle of friends, including her mother Rowena Moran and her half-sister from her late father Fernando Poe Jr.'s side, Senator Grace Poe, who also served as a bridesmaid.

"Seeing everything come to life, I was so happy na nagawa namin 'yun (we did it). Teamwork talaga (indeed). Siyempre my taste is different from his taste. So kailangan talaga mag-merge 'yun (they needed to merge). We had to meet in the middle. That's the perfect example of us meeting in the middle."

Married life

Lovi admitted that she was still getting used to being called "wife" by Monty and she calling Monty "my husband." The missus also confessed to just starting to get the hang of using her married name. One thing's for sure, though: She can't stop talking about her better-half, who is also known as Dr. Montgomery Blencowe, by virtue of completing his doctoral studies. He earned in PhD in Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology in 2022 at the University of California, Los Angeles.

"He's not just intelligent, he's funny… I'm lucky, let's just put it that way," she said, gushing. "I remember when we were starting, we weren't dating yet, texting pa nga lang…" That was before 2019, when Lovi began posting photos with Monty, whom she met through a common friend while vacationing in L.A. That common friend is a Filipino-American who has known Monty since childhood.

"I'm used to saying 'I'm on the set,' or other people, [would say] 'I'm going to the office.' Siya (He), 'I'm off to the lab.' Sabi ko (I told myself), 'That's kinda cool.' It's very interesting what he does. I'm very proud of his accomplishments as a scientist, as a doctor. He makes me read his papers, and I'm so flattered."

She added, laughing, "He thinks that I understand them, but I don't. He's actually very genuine when he asks me to read his papers, and I'm, like, 'Sana maintindihan ko ang mga sinasabi mo d'yan' (I hope I'll understand what you're saying there.) It's another level for me, but I'm so proud of him."

Lovi, for her part, gets a lot of encouragement from Monty, who's a member of the Producers Guild of America. His credits as executive producer includes The Prince (2014), Heist (2015), Marauders (2016) and Escape Plan 2 (2018). He's also a producer at his wife's own company, C'est Lovi Productions.

She pointed out, "The fact that I'm here sitting with you, guys, and I'm able to work, is a huge example already of how good of a person he is. He's not demanding, he's very kind. Of course, I don't want to abuse that as well. I try to find time. I will make time."

That's why Lovi will continue her showbiz career in the Philippines as she divides her time between here, the U.S. and the U.K. In fact, she said, she has a few movie projects lined up already. As for Monty, the English-Iranian bilingual is teaching himself to learn the Filipino language.

"He got this app or something," Lovi said. "He kept repeating 'yung mga (those)Tagalog words, and I was like, 'Masyadong deep na Tagalog, hindi namin ginagamit 'yan' (Too deep, we don't use those words). Paulit-ulit n'yang sinasabi (He repeatedly says) bota [meaning] boots. 'Tapos sinturon, mga ganyan."

When Lovi mentioned that Monty is also learning how to sing her Tagalog songs, such as "Kung Puwede Lang," her already radiant face glowed even more: "Nakakatuwa (It's heartwarming). I have a video n'yan na he's trying to sing my Tagalog songs."