Engaged on Christmas Day in 2014, Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello are one of Hollywood’s hottest couples, with fans around the world looking forward to their upcoming big day. Now, with their wedding just days away, we figure it’s the perfect time to check up on everything we know about the stars of Modern Family and True Blood.
Let’s start back at the beginning, their very first dates and work our way up to the invites to their November 22 wedding.
Becoming an Item
As is par for the course for Hollywood couples, details about Joe and Sofia’s relationship first began trickling out through anonymous sources. The pair was supposedly introduced to each other at the White House Correspondents Dinner in May of 2014. Sofia was there with her previous fiancé, businessman Nick Loeb, but the two split that same month, and it wasn’t long until Sofia had moved on to Joe Manganiello.
“They’re having fun and getting to know each other,” a source told US Weekly of Joe and Sofia just a couple months later in July.
The two were spotted in public together that month in New Orleans, where Sofia was working on the film Don’t Mess With Texas.
“They were very friendly and took pictures with other diners,” an eyewitness said before adding that the couple shared a table with some regular patrons since the restaurant was so crowded. During the meal, “they held each other and kissed several times.”
“Sofia is Joe’s dream girl!” added an insider source. “He’s been smitten with her for years. He’s always had a huge crush on her. Things are going well for them so far.”
Getting Engaged
It was during a December 2014 vacation to Hawaii with Sofia and her son Manolo that Joe popped the big question. “You are my everything,” he said in her native Spanish before asking for her hand. He wasn’t nervous she’d say no, just that he’d mess up the speech he had prepared for her in Spanish.
“The last thing you want to do is mess up a proposal in Spanish to a Colombian,” he said on Live With Kelly and Michael this past June.
The Ring
Just a week later, Pop Sugar spotted Sofia wearing the ring, which is as impressive as you’d imagine it would be. The vacation coincided with Joe’s 38th birthday, but the proposal was the real cause for celebration.
Joe, who’d hurt his arm while on the set of Magic Mike XXL, was sporting a giant arm brace that made him look like an injured football player, though it was of course the sparkling on Sofia’s left hand that drew the most attention from onlookers.
The oval engagement ring is believed to be four or five carats with a diamond band and is worth around $500,000. That’s a little bit out of most people’s price ranges. Of course, you can get a ring that looks every bit as gorgeous as an exorbitantly expensive Hollywood diamond engagement ring for just a fraction of the price. Cubic zirconia engagement rings with “Russian formula” stones capture the light as beautifully as real diamonds. In fact, they’re so akin to the real thing that even seasoned gemologists can have trouble telling the difference.
The Dress
When she walks down the aisle this weekend, Sofia Vergara will be wearing a gown from Zuhair Murad, a Beirut-born fashion designer who has provided dresses for the star to wear to a number of Golden Globe and Oscar ceremonies. For her wedding, Sofia chose a custom fairy-tale frock.
And while all eyes will understandably be on Sofia during the ceremony, it’s of course important that Joe look good too. He’ll reportedly be wearing a John Varvatos tux for the nuptials.
The Invitations
Hello Magazine managed to get a hold of the invitations for the couple’s big day, and they look as classy as you’d expect them to. According to the invite, the wedding will take place this Sunday, November 22 at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida. The whole thing will kick off on Saturday, though, with Sofia hosting a cocktail and dessert event at the oceanfront luxury hotel.
“Love is Sweet… let the celebrations begin,” reads the invites.
Instead of gifts, Joe and Sofia have requested that guests, of which there could be as many as 400, make charitable donations. In particular, they’ve asked for donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, which helps children battling cancer and other serious diseases.
Image Source: ET Online