From The Straits Times    |

The couple Felicia Soh, 31, and Sebastien Guillard, 39, work together in his consultancy firm. From a distance Felicia worked in Shanghai while Sebastien was in Singapore. But distance wasn’t an issue for this couple’s first three courtship years. They chose to jet to and fro on weekends until Felicia finally came back to Singapore for good.

Felicia and Sebastien's wedding: The happy couple
The happy Singapore couple at their Bali wedding

THE WEDDING PROPOSAL
She was grouchy, he was restless – not quite the right mood for a proposal. Yet he managed it, and it turned out sweetly – complete with champagne, roses, and chocolates in a suite in Fullerton Hotel. “I was taken off guard because I wasn’t expecting it,” says Felicia.

Felicia explains: “Sebastien could not envision himself in a traditional Chinese banquet in a hotel, and I couldn’t relate to a French wedding at a rented castle, and so when Sebastien’s dad, Alain, suggested Bali, we were thrilled.” So over a long weekend in August, which also coincided with the French’s vacation month, the couple and their guests had a blast in Bali.

The ceremony and reception were held at Khayangan Estate (which translates as “Seventh Heaven”) – a spot the couple chose for its well-kept hundred-year-old villas (previously homes of noblemen) and a breathtaking view of the Indian Ocean. The final guest list: 110.

WEDDING WORKS
Planning for a destination wedding often requires third party help. For a stress-free wedding, Felicia and Sebastien hired a wedding planner based in Bali, Michaela from Balistarz, who helped to source and coordinate services such as photography, hair and makeup.

COLOUR ME BEAUTIFUL
The couple chose a colour pairing of fuchsia and turquoise – making the wedding look vibrant and modern. Such bold hues also meant that a hint of colour here and there was enough for a strong impact. The wedding invitations were in the same colour scheme, featuring the Mandarin character for double happiness and Oriental motifs, as with little details on guest tables.

Cards with marital idioms in Mandarin (and their English translations) served to identify the tables instead of numbers. Meanwhile, guests found their tables via escort cards that were hung from lightfilled birdcages – creative.

KIDS’ WORLD: FUN ACTIVITIES FOR ALL
The couple, who love kids, wanted the children present at their wedding to have fun as well. So they set up a low dinner table with turquoise and fuchsia cushions, and a fruit punch table. There were origami, painting, drawing, and sand-painting sets, even a balloon caricaturist to keep kids entertained. The couple also assigned two nannies for the 22 child guests and made sure lifeguards were on standby at every pool to ensure safety.

THE CELEBRATION
The day started off with a Catholic ceremony, and since Felicia’s dad is a Buddhist, a reading of Buddhist verses was included. Held on the clifftop of the estate, the outdoor ceremony was decked out in white chairs dotted with fuchsia and turquoise fans, which were also the wedding favours.

Felicia walked down the aisle in a Carmela Sutera lace dress, looking so beautiful, the groom immediately lifted up her veil the moment the bride’s dad handed her to him. To which, Felicia quickly reminded him, “Not yet, not yet!”, much to everyone’s amusement. After the ceremony, and under a setting sun, guests mingled and enjoyed cocktails before sitting down to a seafood feast.

As dinner began, another treat had guests cheering loudly: a hip-hop performance by the couple – popping and gliding to The Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling. The couple had taken the time to go for dance lessons and their efforts paid off beautifully. Towards the end of dinner, the couple did a slow waltz to Leonard Cohen’s Take This Waltz, Sebastien’s personal favourite, and soon guests heated up the dance floor, too.

THE RETURNS
While relishing French pastries and profiteroles at the dessert bar, friends surprised the couple by going up on stage and performing a mass dance to the couple’s hip-hop number. It was a gift to the couple, who were very touched by the thoughtful act.

A friend had sent out a video clip of the famed dance routine (The Black Eyed Peas had choreographed it for Oprah Winfrey’s birthday) and requested that everyone from France to Singapore learn the steps beforehand. They even managed to pull together a rehearsal before the wedding.

Other friends and relatives also dedicated performances and speeches to the couple. Sebastien’s sister Valerie surprised them by leading the children in a charming song while guests who could not make it to the wedding sent videos of good wishes and funny skits.

The celebrations ended at 4am. But the bunch was back again a few hours later for a poolside brunch that included champagne and a sumptuous spread of Indonesian food. From there, it was R&R – guests indulged in spa treatments or lazed by the pool – and everyone left with memories of more than just the wedding.

COP THE LOOK
Reception:
The Khayangan Estate Jalan Goa Lempeh Pecatu, Uluwatu, Bali (+62 361 895 4733; www.khayanganestate.com) 

Wedding planner: Michaela from Balistarz, Jalan Plawa, Gang Ratna 23, Seminyak, Bali, tel: +62 361 732 806, www.balistarz.com.

Gowns: White Bridal Couture, 5th floor, 22-28 Wyndham Street, Hong Kong, tel: +852 2521 3288; www.whitebridal.com.hk.

Suit: Prada (suit) #01-01 Ion Orchard, tel: 6509-3113.

Flower girls & page boys’ outfits: Neiman Marcus, www.neimanmarcus.com.

This article was originally published in Her World Brides June-August 2011.