Uzbek beauty queen Amaliya Shakirova (right) is a blushing bride to her groom Chuck Oreta/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO, AMALIYA SHAKIROVA
Uzbek beauty queen Amaliya Shakirova tied the knot with her Filipino beau, Carlos Alberto “Chuck” De Jesus Oreta, in the Philippines earlier this month.
The wedding took place at the Nuestra Señora de Gracia church in Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City, on Jan. 11, with Shakirova walking down the aisle in a corseted Manny Halasan bridal ball gown with a low back. A huge bow made in the same fabric attached to the backside completed the look.
The couple and their guests and loved ones then proceeded to Backbird in Makati City to celebrate their union at the reception party hosted by RJ Ledesma.
Shakirova was first runner-up to Filipino queen Meiji Cruz in the 2022 Miss CosmoWorld pageant in Malaysia. She later received the Miss Grand Uzbekistan title, which sent her to the 2023 Miss Grand International pageant in Vietnam, where she advanced to the Top 20 of the competition.
The Uzbek model and entrepreneur has business interests in the Philippines. She said she first met Oreta in 2016 at a rooftop bar in Makati City overlooking the Ayala Triangle Gardens.
“It was just another models’ night at Penthouse. I loved dancing, but I had sworn off meeting guys in bars. Then Chuck came along,” Shakirova recalled.
Amaliya Shakirova (center) in her Manny Halasan bridal ball gown stands with her groom Chuck Oreta (right)/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO, AMALIYA SHAKIROVA
She told INQUIRER.net that they started dating in 2018. And in March 2024, Oreta popped the question. She did not hesitate to say “yes.” But the couple officially announced their engagement only in May last year, after showing their engagement photos taken in Cebu.
“The day before the wedding, we checked into separate hotel rooms but ended up sleeping in the same one because we can’t sleep apart,” Shakirova shared.
“On the big day, nerves kicked in. I focused on ensuring everything went smoothly for my entourage. As I stood behind the church doors, I felt anxious, calming myself with menthol scent,” she added.
When INQUIRER.net asked if she is already done with pageantry, Shakirova said, “Let’s see what God’s plan is for me [smile emoji].” Currently, the Miss Universe, Miss Asia Pacific International, and Universal Woman pageants accept married women.
“Who knows, maybe our daughter will become Miss Philippines in the future,” she teased.
Before Shakirova, several other foreign beauty queens had married Filipino men. The late Armi Kuusela, the first Miss Universe winner, tied the knot with hotelier Virgilio Hilario, while the first Miss International titleholder Stella Marquez is married to tycoon Jorge Araneta.