From The Straits Times    |

THE COUPLE: GERALDINE AND JAMES
Business management associate Geraldine Yip, 33, was working in the UK while James McKellar, 41, is a teacher in Singapore. A mutual friend introduced them via e-mail, and the couple started chatting with each other over Skype, before she flew back to Singapore to meet him.

“Our wedding started off in the morning with local customs, and took on a more Western feel in the evening,” says Geraldine. “We wanted our guests to experience a good mix of customs and cultures.”

Geraldine & James: A “Scottish Orient” wedding
The couple and their guests drink to their marital bliss

GATECRASH IN STYLE
When James and his nine stylish kilt-clad groomsmen showed up to pick up the bride at her home, they had to go through a series of obstacles. First, the groom’s entourage had to form the words “I Love You” using their hands and legs. Next up was a collection of the couple’s holiday pictures for James to put in chronological order. Finally, the groom had to speak Mandarin to the bride’s mum. “My groomsmen, which included my brother, all enjoyed the gatecrashing thoroughly!” says James.

ALL IN A DAY
The couple held their photo shoot after the “games” as they wanted the groomsmen and bridesmaids to be part of it. For the shoot, they went to Seletar Air Base first, then a bungalow in Alexandra Park. The groom and his friends hammed it up for the camera by jumping on the trampoline for some action shots. Then it was off to The Regent Singapore for the tea ceremony and dinner reception.

AISLE DO
In keeping with Western tradition, James first saw Geraldine in her wedding gown at the ceremony. She wore a white taffeta number embellished with royal blue embroidery and lace applique. James and his groomsmen marched in to an English hymn, Jerusalem. “I didn’t want to be kept waiting at the altar too long; that’s why I chose to ‘walk down the aisle’,” jokes James. Geraldine and her bridesmaids followed suit to the tune of Locus Iste (Sanctus). The couple then exchanged vows that they wrote.

BALL OF A TIME
The tea ceremony was next. The groom was togged out in a traditional Chinese costume, much to the delight of family and friends. The reception was a cosy, midsized affair for about 250 guests. For the couple’s “Scottish Highlands in the Orient” theme in the ballroom, Brenda from Fiore Dorato used floral arrangements to create the illusion of different heights for the tables – her interpretation of Scotland’s hilly terrain.

After their grand entrance, which was accompanied by two bagpipers, the couple used the dance floor in the centre of the ballroom as their “stage”. “We wanted our guests to feel more involved in the programme, hence we cut our cake, said ‘yum seng’ and even had my mum’s surprise birthday celebration on the dance floor!” says James. The evening ended with guests jiving away till close to midnight.

THIS TAKES THE CAKE
The wedding cake also made news, being an elaborate six-tier creation. It bore different emblems from the couple’s respective cultures, such as Oriental fans and Celtic knots, all made from sugar paste and meticulously hand-piped by pastry chef Steven Ong and his team from Centre Ps. Slices of the beautiful cake was served to guests who ate it with relish.

COP THE LOOK
Band:
Band on the Run; contact Simon at 9839 0881.
Cake:
Centre Ps, #01-43, 78 Guan Chuan Street, Tel: 6220 1285; website: www.centre-ps.com.
Reception:
The Regent Singapore, 1 Cuscaden Road, Tel: 6725 3333; website: www.regenthotels.com. 

Gown: Amanda Lee Couture, #02-09, Delfi Orchard, 402 Orchard Road, Tel: 6333 6678; website: www.amandaleecouture.com.
Suit:
Kingsmen Shop, #02-77 Far East Plaza, Tel: 6734 8906. 
Bridesmaids’ dresses:
Love Potion, #04-35, Far East Plaza, Tel: 6735 3870; www.lovepotion.com.sg. 

Flowers: Fiore Dorato, 48 Club Street, Tel: 6538 7227; website: www.fioredorato.com.sg.
Menu & table cards:
Nineteen Design Studio, Tel: 9845 1600; website: www.nineteendesign.com. 

Photography: Tinydot Photography, 12A Sago Street, Tel: 6402 2407; website: www.tinydotphotography.com.
Videography:
Ichiro Films, 4A Pahang Street, Tel: 9842 7458; www.ichirofilms.com. 

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