LIST: These Pinoys did Korean drama-inspired prenup shoots

Start-Up

This pair proves that you don’t need to shell out a lot of money to be able to do the prenup shoot of your dreams.

Newly-married couple Erwin and Mary Grace Danganan Celosa (they got married last Feb. 12!) dressed up as the gorgeous couple Nam Do San and Seo Dal Mi from Start Up.

Initially, they didn’t plan on doing it because they “got too much photos together already,” but decided at the last minute to do so because, why not? It’s a once in a lifetime experience! “Because we also want to feel that extra excitement, we pushed through and chose a peg which we can really relate to our lives, something we do not have to spend any penny, easy to do, and extra cute,” Mary Grace told PhilSTAR L!fe.

“We are actually really fond of motivational business/investments-related series or movies. Start Up made a huge impact on us for it inspires ground zero entrepreneurs to strive harder for their dreams,” Mary Grace said.

She also added that their love story is similar to that of Do-San and Dal-Mi’s because they both had to wait three years to be physically together. “We were also on a LDR for three years. Erwin was a bartender in a cruise line and I was a cabin crew in an international airlines in the Middle East. Do-San and Dal Mi’s passion for their dreams in building an empire together continued, just like we continued our love story—we both decided to be together and quit our OFW life apart.”

To make the DIY shoot work, the couple had a little help from their relatives. “I did my own makeup, styling, and editing of photos. Jedlee Rose, my cousin, let me borrow some props and the white skirt. My sister-in-law Maya Angelou Mel was the one who took all the photos on that day. She's not a pro photographer but very artistic to act as one!”

Goblin, Descendants of the Sun

The couple that watches K-dramas together, stays together—at least for Jako Martin and Carisa Oliva-Barcarse.

“During that time, Goblin and Descendants of the Sun were our favorites. So when we were deciding on what would be a good theme for our prenup, K-drama agad naisip namin,” Carisa told PhilSTAR L!fe.

Like Kim Shin and Ji Eun-tak’s love story on Goblin, the couple had an age gap between them, but for them age was nothing but a number. “My husband and I met through our parish’s youth ministry. He’s older than me, so back then, I only saw him as an older brother. Until one day, we went on a coffee date and instantly clicked.”

Now, they’re happily married for almost 3 years, and with a baby boy, too!

Reply 1988

Are they actors or what, because Mon and Mhy Arias were able to capture the mood of Kim Jung-hwan and Seon Deok-sun from Reply 1988 for their engagement shoot.

(Spoiler alert!) The characters that they dressed up as may not have ended being together in the show, but these lovers did! As an ode to the crowd-favorite series, they recreated the heart-thumping scenes by the two childhood friends. These photos shot by PhotoErin Photography & Films may look like a fly-away shoot, but it was actually taken in Bonifacio Global City!

Crash Landing On You

The CLOY fever isn’t going anywhere anytime soon! The Philippines’ real-life Capt. Ri Jeong Hyeok and Yoon Se-ri: Al-shadat Hassan Abdurajak and Congresswoman Bai Rihan Mangudadatu Sakaluran got their dream prenup shoot as they dressed up as the North Korean Army captain and chaebol heiress.

Just by looking at their viral engagement shoot, which was photographed by James Montaño of OutLoud Studios, you could say they got everything on point: from the clothes to props, down to the location! Who would’ve thought that this was shot this in the Philippines—in Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, Sarangani, and General Santos City to be exact. 

But that's not all, the couple had a fancy traditional engagement ceremony last Sept. 3, 2020 in Lutayan town, which also trended online. Now, we just have to wait until the big wedding, which will happen this year.

Weightlifting Fairy, Legend of the Blue Sea, Descendants of the Sun, Goblin

If you're a Korean drama addict, then you'll probably be able to identify which on-screen couples Job and Diana Crausos dressed up as without reading the captions. The lovers had a bit of fun during the shoot and shot four themes:Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo, Legend of the Blue Sea, Descendants of the Sun, and Goblin.

What's Wrong With Secretary Kim

Any Park Seo-Joon and Park Min Young fans out here? This couple just had to recreate their favorite K-drama What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? for their prenup shoot!

Another K-drama newbie, Cris Esgana shared with PhilSTAR L!fe why they chose WWWSK? as their theme. “At that time, I was on a WWWSK craze, and Bryan and I thought of trying it as a theme. The wardrobe was mostly corporate attire, and for practical purposes, we knew we could wear that again. Thankfully too, we found a photographer (Anthony Hejie Suralta) who was also an avid fan of the show.”

She also added that her fiancé, Bryan Lee was very supportive of her latest addiction. “Bryan has been supportive of my hallyu craze, and he even watched a few series, including WWWSK?. He gifted me with a WWWSK?-themed cake on our anniversary.

But it wasn’t just because of the show’s popularity or her admiration for Min Young’s style that got the couple to use it as a peg. For Cris, it was her source of “solace.”

“I also like how the stories aren’t all feel-good kilig though, and I appreciate the other aspects of the plot. My favorites are the ones where the lead has a chip on his/her shoulder and works hard to bounce back or get a huge break, just like in Revolutionary Love, Clean With Passion for Now, Itaewon Class, and Start-up,” she said.

Photos from Mary Grace Danganan Celosa, Carisa Oliva-Barcarse, PhotoErin Photography & Films, OutLoud Studios, Jay Razonable Photography