Rufa Mae: The groom will follow

MANILA, Philippines - There’s no truth to a tabloid rumor that Rufa Mae Quinto was about to get married last December. Rufa Mae said a wedding did happen, but that it was actually a friend’s, which she helped organize.

But the 34-year-old sexy comedienne likes to poke fun at the fact that she has been rumored to wed not just once, but several times. “Always! 2008 ikakasal dapat ako. I’ve been reported (to marry) twice, so why don’t we make it thrice?” she laughed.

Rufa Mae finds it surprising that she was chosen to be the face of the Weddings & Debuts 2013 Bridal Fair happening on Feb. 15 to 17 at the SM Megatrade Halls 1, 2 and 3 in SM Megamall, Mandaluyong. (The Bridal Fair is now on its 10th year featuring more than 350 suppliers for weddings as well as debuts and other important occasions.)

Told that her endorsement of the fair might be a sign that she will be a bride herself in the near future, she quipped, “Lagi na lang sign! Can you please show me the real thing?”

But no joke, Rufa Mae was supposed to get married to a Spanish-American expat in 2008. She reached the planning stages of a wedding, but it didn’t push through because, according to her, she went through some personal challenges at that time, including taking care of her grandmother, who was the one who raised her, when she was suffering from cancer until she eventually succumbed to it. Rufa Mae said that “everything felt heavy, there was no time, I couldn’t (concentrate) and I was very sensitive.”

She wouldn’t talk further about the failed relationship with the unidentified foreign guy, or with any guy romantically linked to her (with one she laughingly described as a freeloader, for riding on the rumor linking the both of them), explaining her reasons with a ready quote (saved on her cellphone) from the British singer Cheryl Cole in a magazine interview after a messy divorce.

“Cheryl Cole said, ‘I’ve been to hell and back, and I won’t talk about a relationship in public ever again. I’m not unlucky in love or anything else, and I’m absolutely not a victim. I’m strong, happy and settled.’ I can relate to it.”

She added, “What’s important is that I can stay with one guy… one at a time, and matatagal, one year na yung pinaka-iksi ko na relationship. I mean at least, I can be with somebody, that’s the definite (reason) that I can think of that I’m ready to get married because I can stay together forever with a guy, 24 hours a day. But the question is, who is that guy?”

Isn’t she seeing someone now? “Yes, they’re seeing me!” she quipped.

She’s been hanging out with people who are “matatalino, magaling mag-English, people who talk about the stock exchange, people you would like to hang out with because you can learn from them. Ang sarap makipag-usap sa may alam.”   

“(So it’s) meet-and-greet, nothing definite. Let’s just say, may the best man win,” she said with a laugh.

Rufa Mae claimed that while she feels that now is the time for her to meet a prospective lifetime partner, she’s not in a rush and is giving herself two years. She’s also going to be very busy this year with projects like Huling Henya, her “relaunching” solo starrer under Viva Films to be helmed by Marlon Rivera, director of the hit comedy Ang Babae sa Septic Tank. She said the Henya will be a departure from the Booba movie character she popularized (beautiful, well-intentioned, but not-so-bright — the Pinoy version of the dumb blonde), cheekily adding that it’s going to be “serious” — “serious film, serious acting, serious director.” Part of her preparation for the film is training in boxing and martial arts. The Bubble Gang regular is also starring in Regal Films’ upcoming Love To Ride.

But career-woman mode aside, for Rufa Mae, “It’s every woman’s dream to get married… I will never stop hoping, dreaming and everything!”

(She said she doesn’t want to have kids outside marriage. “I’m actually traditional; it’s just not obvious,” said Rufa Mae, who belongs to a family of pastors.)

She has a dream wedding in mind. Does she want it simple or grand? “Simple nalang siguro,” said Rufa Mae, then quickly correcting: “No grand… I want fans to be there. I want a really showbiz wedding, like a fan’s day! I don’t want it to be a secret (like other celebrity weddings). I mean, fans and family are waiting for it. Let’s all wait together.”

She also has a ready list of make-up artists and designers to prep her up on that big day, and she prefers her gown to be “simple and in traditional white… the whitest!”

She added, “I want a January wedding and in a place where the weather is cool.”

As for the groom, she said, “The groom will follow!”