From The Straits Times    |

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Ha Jing, 32, and Kevin Yap, 33, based their unconventional wedding on the movie Amelie. She tells us:

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Jing and Kevin found each other through an online dating website in China, and met in Beijing for their first date.

HK-260v1.jpgInstead of having a ring bearer, the couple had guests participate in a ring relay.

“The 2001 whimsical French romantic comedy, starring Audrey Tautou, is our favourite flick. It’s about a girl who decides to help those around her and discovers love along the way. We found references online and edited ideas for the celebration, such as gnomes, so that the theme would appeal to guests.

Garden gnomes and the like were inspirations from the movie.

After serving each other the first bite of their wedding cake, Jing and Kevin handed slices out to guests themselves to thank them for coming.

We kept the guest list to 120 close friends and relatives. We were going to hand-write the invites, but typed them instead as Kevin’s handwriting wasn’t very neat.

We didn’t have a Justice of the Peace (JP) here as we registered our marriage in China, which is where I am from. Instead, we repeated our own vows and then had guests pass the wedding bands to us from the back of the hall in a sort of relay. It was one of the most memorable moments for all.

After serving each other the first bite of their wedding cake, Jing and Kevin handed slices out to guests themselves to thank them for coming.

As favours, we filled small tin cottages with stuff we loved as kids, like toffees, peppermint candy canes and White Rabbit Creamy Candy. We hoped that it would bring back sweet childhood memories for everyone else too.

“We were so happy our loved ones could share their joy. The celebration was a magical experience.”

Don’t fuss over the little details. And don’t be too tight with your money as it is not worth the stress.”

CHECKLIST
Venue
The White Rabbit (6473-9965)

Hair and makeup Vivi Wong (9859-3965)

Photography 50nfifty Productions (Cino Chee, 8235-9750); Photo booth: Big Bad Booth (www.bigbadbooth.net)

Decor Le FairyMeadow (Zyn Ng, lefairymeadow@gmail.com)

Cake and desserts Butter Queen Cakes (Yuanwen Lim, info@butterqueenbakes.com)

Muslim catering Stylze Catering (Antony Isaac, 9007-1560)

Wedding planner Eternal Emotion Weddings (Sharol Pek, 6338-6773/8338-8191)

Special thanks to Sharol for being such an awesome planner and finding all the right vendors. Kevin’s best man, Phingo Ong, who let us use his van and for being our driver. Kevin’s friend Francesca Liam for being our emcee. And my four bridesmaids who flew in from Beijing and Taipei.

Ha Jing and Kevin’s wedding was first published in Her World Brides September – November 2014.