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Saipan now also a marriage proposal destination
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Posted on Jan 23 2020
Travelers Gio Loh and Mia Deng made Saipan a special place in their hearts after Loh’s underwater marriage proposal and Deng answering a big yes. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS)
The Saipan Mayor’s Office officiated 619 tourist marriages last year. Unrecorded, though, are the hundreds of marriage proposals that were made on Saipan by travelers who take advantage of the scenic views and perfect sunset to ask the magic question, “Will you marry me?”
Couple Gio Loh and Mia Deng from Singapore created a milestone in their relationship when Loh asked Deng to marry him two weeks ago. The kicker? They did it underwater.
As Loh tells it: “We saw Saipan through a Chinese website that offers Saipan holiday tour. It has a lot of introduction of places and things to do on Saipan. Mia and I read reviews of where people went and what they did. Many said that Saipan is a very beautiful place. That and seeing the photos, we were captivated and booked a holiday in Saipan right away.”
According to Loh, their planned simple holiday turned into an opportunity for him to propose. “Mia had no idea and, because we travel a lot, she thought that this was just one of our regular travels. Mia thinks that when I propose, I won’t put a spin on it or be creative about it,” he said.
Gio Loh and Mia Deng agree that Saipan has now personal significance for both of them.
“Saipan is a beautiful place, so proposing there and under the sea will totally surprise her. …Mia loves to go scuba diving and we went to beautiful Lau Lau Bay, which is the perfect place to propose underwater,” he added.
Loh made all the arrangements, sharing his plans only with the dive company. “We are extremely grateful to our trainers and coaches— James Hsu, Ansel, and Ling of iMarianas—that helped us with all the arrangement as they did most of the planning. …So I did it and asked her to marry me underwater. Mia said yes and it was perfect because we saw a turtle swimming around us. That made everything more special,” he said
“That was truly a memorable moment for my girlfriend and now my future wife. …We will definitely come back to Saipan. This place now has a personal significance for me and Mia,” Loh added.
