In place of traditional courtship, it seems the social media era has brought a whole new rulebook for romance. We are instructed not to show our hand too early, to keep our cards close to the vest. But not so for Rachel Wan and Edwin Goh, our Digital Cover stars, whose love is led by instinct. When they step into the studio for our shoot, the actors radiate a calm energy, quietly chatting and crocheting as they ready themselves for a long day on set.

“We were actually just up until midnight, working on our save-the-date together,” Edwin shares when asked about their upcoming wedding, planned for sometime later this year. The actors became Instagram official in 2023, after starring together in the Channel 8 drama Strike Gold. That same year, they moved to Australia together to experience what life had to offer beyond Singapore. After two years abroad, they decided it was time to come home, but not before getting engaged with the Sydney Opera House as a backdrop. Now, they are back, not just with a wedding to plan, but with a fast-growing social media audience and a shared crochet business to manage. Their acting careers—which took a hiatus while they were abroad—awaited their return, too.

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Born to a Filipino mother and a Chinese Singaporean father, Rachel starred primarily in English-language dramas on Channel 5. Most would recognise the actor from her role as Ah Yoke in KIN, which ran from 2018 to 2022, though she personally considers 2016’s Fine Tune her breakout project. “It was nice to experience getting that recognition for the work I put into the character,” she says of KIN, sharing that many viewers had told her how their kids had grown up with the series. “It’s a very special feeling,” she adds.

She credits her storytelling abilities, which power both her acting and content creation, to her time at LASALLE College of the Arts, where she also met Edwin for the first time ten years ago. “My first impression of him was that he was an absolute playboy. I was like, ‘nope, never going to touch that’,” she says, shaking her head. Her fiancé is quick to deny his alleged playboy status, though he admits he understands how that misconception arose. He counters with his own assumptions about Rachel, revealing that he thought she was a little rowdy, and in a “very emo era”. Suffice it to say, it was not exactly love at first sight.

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While just a year above Rachel in school, Edwin was already a few years into his acting career, which began with his debut in Channel 8’s Fighting Spiders (2009) when he was just 15 years old. “Honestly, I didn’t expect the show to be anything,” he says candidly. But its success opened the door to role after role, and it was not long before he found himself growing up in the public eye. For a time, the attention made him self-conscious. But this, the actor says, was so tiring that he eventually went in the opposite direction, ignoring what anybody had to say or think about him.

By the time they were cast in Strike Gold together, Rachel and Edwin had been running in the same circles for years, orbiting the same mutual friends but never colliding. Having someone she knew on set—albeit in passing—was of comfort to Rachel, especially since it was her first major project in Mandarin. “I think the situation helped [my chances with Rachel] a lot,” Edwin chimes in. The actor managed to score some “brownie points” (his own words) by translating for her on set. “We started talking between scenes, and that was when we realised how much we had in common. Over the duration of the shoot, I realised I would get excited seeing his name on the call sheet, though I didn’t want to admit it,” she says. This, Edwin confirms, was mutual. 

This dynamic emerges during their cover shoot as well. When Rachel steps out of the fitting room, she is confident but careful, her posture poised as she poses for the camera. Edwin, on the other hand, is relaxed from the get-go, joking around with the crew and flashing Rachel reassuring smiles between shots. It’s not long before she warms up too, whispering inside jokes to her fiancé and grooving to the music in the studio. Soon enough, the couple are giggling like schoolchildren, cheekily poking one another in the ribs and striking poses for each other with each outfit change, flaunting their Swarovski looks to their smartphone cameras.

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When asked who fell in love first, the couple points to Edwin simultaneously without missing a beat. “I was very cautious,” Rachel explains, confessing that despite their chemistry and growing connection, she still thought he was a playboy. “But he was very, very persistent. He was so persistent that, for a time, I was convinced he was lovebombing me,” she says laughingly. Eventually, it was that same persistence and consistency that won her over. The pair have never looked back since. 

At the time they took the plunge to move to Sydney, Rachel and Edwin had not even been together for a full year. All at once, they tackled two rites of passage that often make or break a couple: Travelling together and moving in together. “I think we really like to just test ourselves, test our patience,” Edwin jests, earning himself a playful eyeroll from Rachel. “People asked me what would happen if we quarrelled, but even if we did, I already felt like I could talk to her endlessly, that we were best friends.” Rachel adds: “I wasn’t very scared. We were already at a point where Edwin felt like my person. Going overseas, living together… It didn’t feel like a jump. It felt natural.”

This easy confidence in their love was also what made it easy to go into business together. The couple are the proud owners of The Club Made, a venture that sells crochet patterns, kits, and yarn. Their love for the craft is well documented on Instagram—Rachel began crocheting as a child, while Edwin picked it up to impress her. After posting clips of a shirt she made for him, Rachel was inundated with requests for the pattern, which soon inspired her to start the business. They’ve already got a few exciting projects in the works for 2026. These include a new yarn line, and the couple are working with electricity company Geneco on an exciting upcoming project. February will also see them venture into the beauty and wellness space, though Edwin quickly quips: “No spoilers!”

Throughout our conversation, the couple repeatedly referred to each other as “my person”. When asked about when they knew they had found their person, they explained that it is not so much one singular moment, but many mini moments. “Sometimes I say something, and the way he responds makes me think, oh my god, only my person would respond this way,” Rachel explains. “I think we connect romantically, but there's also this other level that I've never thought I could have in a relationship,” he affirms, adding their bedtime chats often end in uncontrollable laughter. “We have a lot of moments like that that I appreciate.”

Looking ahead to their upcoming chapter as a married couple, Rachel and Edwin say they don’t expect it to be much different from their current life together. “We’re still going to be us. Things will probably change along the way, but it’s not like we were waiting for marriage to start building our future together,” says Rachel. Edwin continues, “I think we are just going to keep striving for our future, and remind ourselves to enjoy the journey along the way. We already do the things we want to do together.” To them, marriage—just like everything else in their story—is simply the next natural step. And perhaps that is exactly what makes their love journey one that feels so easy—and with lots of heart-emoji eyes thrown in.

Producer NAVIN PILLAY
Make-up Artist RINA SIM using Dior Beauty
Hairstylist JIMMY YAP/Kimistry Hair Boutique using Goldwell
Photographer's Assistant EDDIE TEO