Stressed but stunning bride-to-be

LLOYD and Shamcey. facebook photo/niceprint photo

Shamcey Supsup, Miss Universe 2011 third runner-up, admits she’s been extremely stressed while preparing for her December wedding with Chinese businessman Lloyd Lee.

They have yet to come up with the final list of sponsors. “Our wedding is set between Christmas and New Year. A lot of people have planned trips or parties with their families. We don’t want them to cancel just for us. We hope to have the list this month. Most of our guests will be close friends, colleagues and beauty queens.”

Shamcey is 27; Lloyd, 33.

Last month, Shamcey lost her wedding ring at an event she attended in Nueva Ecija. She offered to give a reward for the white-gold band studded with diamonds.

Tedious preparations

In an interview for her show “Interior Motives” on Lifestyle Network, Shamcey told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that she just got a new ring. “I’m okay now,” she said. For the Dec. 29 wedding, Shamcey will wear a gown by Francis Libiran and Cherry Veric.

She didn’t expect the wedding preparation would be so tedious. “I wanted just a simple ceremony,” she said. “I was fine with 50 guests. I didn’t realize invitations alone took up so much time.”

The beauty queen assured fans that she would continue working after the wedding. “Lloyd is very supportive of my career. He knows that this is what I want. I used to be easily intimidated; I used to feel scared of new things. He would encourage me by saying, ‘You can do this!’”

She said Lloyd pushed her to audition as host for the second season of “Interior Motives,” which premiered on Nov. 7. “He said, ‘This is your niche,’” recalled Shamcey, who graduated magna cum laude in Architecture, from the University of the Philippines.

“It’s challenging because people tend to expect you to know everything,” she explained. “I prepared for each shoot. I did my research to make sure I’d say the right things. Two days before I went to any location, I asked for the description of the place.”

Defending Ariella

Shamcey defended Ariella Arida, the country’s bet in this year’s Miss Universe pageant, being held in Moscow today, from critics.

In a recent TV interview,  Ariella said Filipinos were critical of her inability to speak English when  “Latinas cannot even speak … a complete sentence in English.”

Said Shamcey, “Ara (Ariella’s nickname) doesn’t have to be fluent in English … What’s important is how intelligent her answer is. [In 2011], I noticed that all the girls in the Top 5 spoke English fluently but still chose to answer the questions in their native languages.”

Shamcey said she sat down with Ariella a week before the latter departed for Russia. “I gave her a day-by-day account of what to expect.”

Overall, she said, Ariella  was well-prepared. “I saw her interview on YouTube and noted that she answered questions with confidence. She once told me that she used to get nervous talking with people. I told her, ‘Just be yourself. Don’t think so much about what other people will say because that will affect your performance.’”

Shamcey said she could feel the pressure on Ariella. “It’s like she has no option but to win the title. I kept telling her that, as long as she trained hard and gave her all, Pinoys will appreciate it. In fact, whatever happens, she has already made us proud.”

(Email [email protected])