Dominique Cojuangco married businessman Michael Hearn in a dreamy wedding ceremony on Saturday, March 4, at the San Agustin Church in Manila.
Following their wedding attended by their family and closest friends in showbiz and high society, netizens have been curious about the man who won the heart of Gretchen Barretto and Tonyboy Cojuangco's only daughter.
MICHAEL HEARN'S BACKGROUND
Michael is an accomplished businessman whose numerous ventures include those founded by his family.
At press time, there is no information online about Michael's parents, but he has a younger sister named Rachel Hearn.
Michael will be celebrating his 37th birthday on March 28, 2023.
He has been celebrating his birthday with Dominique and her family over the past four years.
On March 28, 2021, Dominique took to Instagram to greet Michael on his birthday. She uploaded two of their couple photos with the caption: "Michael’s day [cake emoji]"
Last year, Dominique's parents Gretchen and Tonyboy surprised Michael on his 36th birthday with a donut cake they themselves prepared.
Gretchen captured the moment on video that she shared on her Instagram Stories.
In the video, Michael is seen blowing his birthday candle.
MICHAEL: FUR DAD
Michael is also a doting fur dad to El Chapo The Poodle.
The pet dog even has his own Instagram account filled with his adorable photos.
The IG posts have also announced El Chapo will be celebrating his 5th birthday in September 2023.
MICHAEL'S EDUCATION
Michael's LinkedIn profile indicates he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Statistics from the University of Reading in England in 2008.
In 2009, he finished his Master of Science degree in Quantity Surveying from the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.
In 2018, he took a digital leadership course at the Vlerick Business School in Ghent, Belgium.
BUSINESS VENTURES
Presently, Michael holds the position of executive director at Hearn & Hearn Consulting, a family-owned construction consultancy firm located in Makati City.
He is also serving as one of the directors of Hearn Land, a property development and holdings company incorporated and registered in England and in Wales
Furthermore, he is the co-founder and director of One Solution Asia, which provides similar services in Southeast and East Asia.
Michael is also the man behind Clear Ice, an ice manufacturing and distribution company in Parañaque City.
In 2018, he co-founded Run Rabbit Run, an Alice in Wonderland-inspired cocktail bar located at Poblacion, Makati City.
He has also invested in an online wine store called Winery.ph.
In May 2021, Michael co-founded with Dominique the online skin-care shop The Collective based in the Philippines.
As its name suggests, The Collective offers a range of curated skincare, body care, and hair care products.
These are Aivee Skin, Alder New York, Anessa, Avène, Dermtropics, Evenprime, Faace, Goto Beauty, Innisfree, Kansoskin, Laneige, Mount Lai, Pestlo, and Skin Need.
In his interview with Metro Weddings for its January 2022 edition, Michael described The Collective as "game-changing" for the male market.
He said, "As a male, I often found it awkward to read up on skin care, or to go to a store or ask for expert advice. The Collective aims to change this for me, for you, for everyone, which I am particularly excited about.”
MICHAEL AND DOMINIQUE'S LOVE STORY
Michael and Dominique became acquainted with each other as students at the British School Manila.
In the same interview with Metro Weddings, Dominique and Michael shared the story of how their relationship began.
They recounted that it happened sometime in 2018 at his pub.
Michael recalled, "It was only on another night when [Dominique] was at Run Rabbit Run that she came to say goodbye and we ended up meeting each other’s gaze.
"In that moment, everything cleared and changed, and I saw her.”
Since then, Dominique and Michael had maintained a low-profile relationship for five years that culminated into their celebrated wedding.
In October 2021, five months after they launched The Collective, Dominique and Michael announced their engagement to the surprise of those close to them.
She shared a photo of her engagement ring on her Instagram account with the caption "For Life."
Asked about their parents' reaction, Dominique and Michael told Metro Weddings that both had the full support of their families.
Dominique said, "My parents are in love with Michael and are so happy about our relationship.
"He doesn't just take great care of me, but of them as well. I don't know which one of them was more elated, but they both reacted very positively towards the engagement."
Michael said, "Dominique fits right into the Hearn family dynamic—we are very close and enjoy spending time together.
"When I initially asked my parents for their blessing, there was no, 'Are you sure?,' more so a 'What took you so long?' They both love Dominique."
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