Wedding date: Saturday, 23 July 2011
Dinner venue: Villa Halia, Botanic Gardens, Singapore

Kailing did something that no other bride had done before. She gave me a personal gift after her wedding. “Hey, no need,” I protested, “I’m just doing my job.”

“I want to thank everyone who had a part in our wedding,” she said. With that kind of attention to detail and gratefulness, you could see she was head-over-heels-and-happy-crazy finally getting hitched to her handsome beau, James.

Congratulations James and Kailing. And thank you for the thoughtful gift.

Related posts:

1. James & Kimberly
2. J.A. & S.L.
3. Louis & S.Y.

KURT and Sandelyn’s wedding was celebrated in genteel style at the renovated Burkill Hall, Botanic Gardens. It was a nice reunion for me after her sister’s wedding, Fiona, back in November 2010. And it was a pleasure seeing everyone’s faces again, but in different roles of course!

Wedding date: Sunday, 17 April 2011
Venue: Burkill Hall, Botanic Gardens, Singapore
Caterer: Tung Lok Group
Solemniser: Prof Kwoh Chee Keong, PBM

Congratulations Kurt & Sandelyn!

Related posts:

1. C.W. & Vivienne
2. Richard & Miles
3. Louis & S.Y.

LONDON. New York. Mumbai. Singapore. Harpdeep and Pearl’s family and friends flew in from all corners of the globe for their grand 4-day wedding extravaganza, cumulating in a final wedding dinner on New Year’s Eve 2010. His relatives alone occupied no less than 26 rooms in the hotel!

Pearl and I must have worked on her wedding plans for almost a year before finally meeting in Singapore. We would squeeze snippets of telephone calls and SMSes in between her training sessions and client meetings at the London law firm where she recently started her first job.

All in, it was a fascinating and eye-opening finish to 2010. I observed Hardeep and Pearl getting married thrice in a Western, Hindu and Sikh manner. This was a delicious reminder why I enjoy weddings in multicultural Singapore. Take a close look at their different outfits over the 4 days.

Wedding dates: 28-31 December 2010
Hair & makeup: A Cinematic Story
Solemniser: Dr Eileen Aw, JP, PPA(E)
ROM: Botanic Gardens, Singapore
Sangeet Night: Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore
Hindu wedding ceremony: Yantra, Tanglin Mall, Singapore
Sikh wedding ceremony: Central Sikh Temple, Singapore
Wedding dinner: The Ballroom, Fullerton Hotel, Singapore

And a little thank you note from Pearl when I delivered their wedding photos a few months ago:

Just a quick email to let you know that we absolutely love the photos! We spent an evening with Hardy’s parents and a good bottle of red wine looking over them and were completely blown away. You have done such an incredible job, the hard part’s definitely going to be selecting the ones to go into our album…

Congratulations Hardeep & Pearl!

And this monumental wedding marks the last and 47th couple to be posted from 2010. Thank you all.

No related posts.

SHAWN and Nita gave me complete creative licence and freedom with their pre-wedding shoot. So I took the chance to pick up a few goodies in Melbourne for them including the Battenburg lace parasol you see above.

I know similar ones can be found in Singapore’s Chinatown but the quality and sizes are completely different. Plus the sight of an eager Chinese guy snapping up fine lacy things in Australian bridal shops must have raised a few eyebrows!

They booked me for their pre-wedding and actual day with two main conditions:

1. They wanted something different.
2. No cheesy or corny poses, please.

I gladly accepted their challenge.

P.S. Dig that retro LP album cover below. It really does play!

Related posts:

1. Alvin & Jessica’s Pre-wedding
2. Dennis & Sara’s Pre-wedding

THE air crackled with wit and humour when I met Louis and S.Y. for the first time in Holland Village. We hit off immediately and this was an excellent sign. A working relationship of mutual trust and admiration bodes well for your wedding photographs.

They are possibly Singapore’s brainiest couple — well, for 2010 at least. They coincidently have the same degree, masters and PhD. If you know anything about the inhibitors of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling then you will know what I mean.

Wedding date: Saturday, 25 September 2010
Dress: Margaret Brides
Hair & makeup: Kenneth Lee
Dinner: Villa Halia, Botanic Gardens, Singapore

S.Y. has an incredible talent for handicrafts and she took the concept of a do-it-yourself-wedding to another level.
She made her own bouquet, corsages and hong bao box you see here. Yes, that’s a box and not a cake.

Sensual. Suave.

The wait staff deserve credit here. Someone actually approached a lone photographer sitting in a dark corner having a hurried dinner and sincerely asked (a) how was the food, and (b) whether I would like a drink. Now that’s great service.
Kudos to the management and staff at Villa Halia for being a standard bearer of excellence.

“Go girl!”

Congratulations Louis and S.Y.

No related posts.

Date: 2 August 2009
Venue: Botanic Gardens and Sheraton Towers
Solemniser: Dr Kwoh Chee Keong, PBM

We started the Sunday morning with an early photoshoot at the Botanic Gardens. As you know finding a patch of greenery without distracting strangers in the background is like attempting to park in VivoCity on a Saturday night.

Sheraton Towers has a lovely waterfall feature that’s ideal for ROMs. You need to symbolically cross a wooden bridge to reach the concrete island that seats your closest friends and family.

Dr Kwoh is a down-to-earth and friendly chap. He introduced himself to me while I was busy pottering around the solemnisation table before the event. He shared warm anecdotes about his own courtship and marriage. His final parting advice: plan (nice) surprises for your other half and put in the effort to make your marriage interesting.

Dr Kwoh really wanted to hear from the couple, in their own words, what one will promise the other. C.W. and Vivienne came well-prepared with their own vows.

Vivienne’s best friends were moved by her simple and sincere vow penned for C.W.

Ring envy.

C.W.’s best friend generously provided not one but two Champagne bottles.

I caught Vivienne’s little brother quietly downing a glass of Champagne. I think his face says it all!

C.W. and his band of brothers.

Vivienne’s mother, whom I easily mistook for her eldest sister, was finally overwhelmed with everything.

Congratulations C.W. and Vivienne!

No related posts.

Venue: Old Bandstand, Botanic Gardens
Solemniser: Mrs Belen Tan Nee V Hernandez
Music: Grace Notes

Matching His and Hers rings from Cartier.

Miles and Richard are fitness fanatics. Miles can benchpress incredible weights in their professional gym at home.

My favorite amongst the day’s photos. Miles was cheekily spraying her JPG perfume everywhere, including me.

This wasn’t scripted.

This was scripted. Miles, being a natural performer, strikes a pose around the Visitors Centre.

Miles rehearses her song for Richard with string backup from Grace Notes. Miles had no microphone but her voice rang true and clear, causing tourists to turn and whip out their cameras.

Richard is the chap on the left together with Matthew the best man. Richard runs marathons in his spare time and spars with his punching bag at home.

He waits anxiously for the arrival of Miles.

Rain didn’t dampen Miles’ spirits.

Miles sings her song especially for Richard.

Even the solemniser was so moved that she gave Miles a big hug as well.

Nothing beats the real thing from France.

The ever dapper Matthew reminded me of an English aristocrat.

Miles jokingly calls Richard her “007″. Richard certainly has a steely gaze to match Daniel Craig’s anytime.

My second favorite photo: a couple enjoying their first dance, oblivious to everything around them.

The last toast…with a bottle.

Matthew caught the bouquet in the end.

We finished the day with a little stroll around the Botanic Gardens.

Update

Miles finished as a Top 5 Finalist in Pinoy Idol, Singapore, on 29 March 2009. Way to go Miles! Watch her in action.

Related posts:

1. Alex & Anne