From The Straits Times    |

Chelsa Cher, 30, and Terence Tang, 33, both civil servants, had a splendorous pink and purple theme for their celebrations, which included a flower bar and a wishing tree.

We met at a friend’s party, but only grew closer after bumping into each other on our campus’ shuttle. We progressed from Facebook friends to MSN chat (those were the days!), followed by dinner dates.

All along in the relationship, we knew we were working towards marriage. We talked and prayed about it during the courtship phase so we were both sure.

Terence proposed to me during our anniversary getaway at Phuket. He was acting odd throughout the trip and I realised why on our second night there, when I walked into our villa after dinner and saw the words “Will you marry me?” floating in the flower-filled pool. 

Our wedding theme took shape around our wedding stationery – which Chelsa designed, and we decided on a running colour scheme of pink and purple throughout.

For our daytime celebrations, we incorporated woody elements and greenery, while for the banquet, we went with touches of navy and gold. 

See also: 8 CREATIVE PERSONALISED WEDDING INVITE IDEAS FROM OUR REAL COUPLES

“I will always remember the look on Terence’s face when he saw me for the first time in the morning, that soft expression of love and excitement all at once,” shares Chelsa.

“I had my favourite gowns saved in one Pinterest board. After awhile, it was easy to see what I was inclined towards,” shares the bride, who opted for a long veil train with lace trim to go with her gown. 

Her bridesmaids sported variations of the bridal bouquet. “I wanted something more rustic and organic to match the overall theme of the day,” says Chelsa

“The feeling was surreal when I saw Chelsa walking down the aisle in her wedding dress; knowing that we would be spending the rest of our lives with each other,” says Terence.

We were so excited over the idea of a flower bar while planning our decor. Thankfully, our guests loved it as well!

The vases of flowers were first used to decorate our reception table at the church.

Once the church ceremony commenced, the table was converted into a flower bar at the lunch reception, and guests were invited to pick out the flowers of their choice, which were then wrapped up by our florist and presented as a mini bouquet for them to take home. 

The reception table for their church ceremony before it became a flower bar for their guests. 

See also: SKITS TO FLOWER BARS: 6 FUN, UNCONVENTIONAL WAYS THESE REAL COUPLES MADE THEIR WEDDING DIFFERENT!

As opposed to decorating your entire venue, narrow the scope; pick a couple of decor elements you really like and highlight a few select areas – this would definitely help with your wedding budget.

For us, we chose to focus on the banquet aisles, VIP table and foyer; the foyer centrepiece was a big wishing tree where guests could leave their well wishes. It also made for a nice backdrop for our tea ceremony and for guests to take pictures.

They chose an earl grey cake with lemon buttercream frosting as their wedding cake.

A wishing tree prettily adorned with tea lights as well as purple, pink and ivory flowers!

Vases of flower balls with suspended tea lights dressed the aisle of their banquet in InterContinental Singapore’s ballroom. 

Our first dance happened on the spur of the moment. 

Chelsa was supposed to leave for a gown change, but the moment we stood up, the band played one of our favourite songs and invited us to dance.

We were completely caught off guard, but it was a lovely moment. While we couldn’t move much because of Chelsa’s long train, being in each other’s embrace while swaying on the spot felt like magic.

For us, it was definitely one of the highlights of our wedding! 

For their evening wear, the bride chose a striking duchess satin gown while the groom went with a contrasting dark blue suit.

As much as it was our wedding, we wanted it to be a warm and fun affair where everyone could enjoy themselves.

Hiring a wedding planner was the best decision we made. It gave us more time to focus on creating personalised details such as designing and painting our own menus, the welcome signage and more.

See also: 6 THINGS YOU MIGHT REGRET NOT DOING FOR YOUR WEDDING!


Checklist

Venue

Wedding mass: Church of St Francis Xavier (6280-6076); dinner: InterContinental Singapore (6338-7600)

Wardrobe

Wedding gowns: Jessicacindy (www.jessicacindy.com); groom’s suits: Common Suits (www.commonsuits.com)

Hair & makeup

Jyue Huey from The Make Up Room (www.the-makeuproom.com)

Photography

Alwin Lim from Trouve Photography (www.trouve.us)

Flowers & decor

Bridal bouquet: Windflower Florist (www.windflowerflorist.com); church and banquet decor, and flower bar: CCLee Design (6294-7975)

Cake

B.utter Cakes By Ann (hellobcakes@gmail.com

Wedding planner

Chere Weddings & Events (www.chere.com.sg)

Wedding caterer

Church: Kigi Catering (www.kigicatering.com)

Wedding stationery

Chelsa Cher (chelsacher@gmail.com)


For more fab real weddings:

A GLAM JEWEL-HUED CHURCH WEDDING & ELEGANT DINNER AT THE CAPELLA SINGAPORE

CLASSY ELEGANCE: A PALE GREEN, GREY AND BLUE WEDDING AT THE SHANGRI-LA HOTEL SINGAPORE 

RUSTIC GLAMOUR! A GREEN, GOLD AND WHITE WEDDING AT THE GRAND HYATT SINGAPORE

We are always looking for great wedding stories to share! E-mail us at cassk@sph.com.sg if you’d like to see your wedding in our magazines and website.