Mav Gonzales met husband Matthew Valeña on dating app, married 7 months later

Mav Gonzales and Matthew Valeña’s love story started through a dating app, and seven months after matching, they became husband and wife.

On Friday’s “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda,” the Kapuso journalist said that after they matched on the dating app in March, she immediately asked for his social media account to confirm his identity.

In April, the two met each other in person. In June, they got engaged, and in September, they tied the knot.

Matthew said their fast-paced journey was guided by honest and intentional conversations about their plans and values.

“We wanted to know, ‘Oh, what are your plans? Anong plano mo sa ganun?’ And then, they just lined up. So, it was just very easy to…instead of trying to find somebody that fits all 10 checkboxes of something, instead, try to find somebody who actually has nothing wrong with them,” he said.

Mav said Matthew’s clarity and intention stood out early on, noting that they were aligned in their desire to settle down.

“He was very intentional when we were dating. Parang start pa lang, ito ‘yung plans niya, ito ‘yung gusto niya, ito ‘yung ayaw niya, which was nice for me, kasi ganun din akong tao,” she said.

“And I think also kasi, we're kind of close in age, so, parang pareho po kami na pa-settle down na talaga ‘yung mentality na, we're not really dating to play around, we wanna meet the person we wanna spend the rest of our lives with,” Mav said.

While some people around them expressed concern over how fast things were moving, she said the couple felt confident in their decision.

“More than the two of us, mas maraming apprehensions ‘yung mga tao sa paligid namin. Kasi, parang sila—so pinakilala ko siya, one time, we were on a video call kasama sila Tita Mel, sila Ate Kara, mga reporters, and I was introducing him. And then, the next thing they knew, we were engaged. So, nung nakita nila ako, sabi nila parang, ‘Maviel, ano ‘to? Ikakasal ka? Kilala mo na ba ‘yan? Sure ka na ba? Sino ba ‘yan?’” Mav said.

She even received an offer to have Matthew’s background checked through the FBI.

During their guesting, the couple also announced that they are expecting their first child. 

Matthew also shared that he now lives in the Philippines.

“I actually live here now, pretty much,” he said.

“He moved here for me,” Mav said. “Before and after our wedding sa States, LDR kami. And after the wedding, I was crying all the time. Kasi parang kakakasal ko lang, tapos wala siya.”

—Carby Rose Basina/CDC, GMA Integrated News