From The Straits Times    |

jadeseah.jpgPHOTOGRAPHY WINSTON CHUANG STYLING STEVE THIO, ASSISTED BY EVON CHNG HAIR & MAKEUP SHA SHAMSI, USING SEBASTIAN PROFESSIONAL & BURBERRY BEAUTY THANKS TO LIZA, ORNELLA & THE WONDERFUL STAFF AT THE RESIDENCE MAUTIRIUS FOR THEIR WARM HOSPITALITY. HER WORLD BRIDES FLEW TO MARITIUS COURTESY OF AIR MAURITIUS (WWW.AIRMAURITIUS.COM). THANKS TO MAURITOURS LTD. FOR THE GUIDED TOUR OF THE ISLAND.

Jade and Terence Lim, a professional in the finance industry, believe their love story was meant to be. Now both 31, they attended the same religious class in church as teenagers, lost contact and then met again 13 years later and quite serendipitously. We find out more from the lovebirds who got engaged several months ago after three years together.

Congratulations! You must be so excited about planning your wedding. Tell us more about the man in your life.
Jade: We met in catechism class at the Catholic church we both attended on Sundays. I was 15 and had just started coming to this church because I’d been skipping classes for months and Mum wanted me in a “stricter environment”.

I complained to some of the girls that there weren’t any cute guys and one of them pointed to Terence and said, “That one not bad, what.” I think I told her: “Okay only, lah.” 

After finishing Sunday school, I didn’t see Terence again until we bumped into each other more than a decade later. We became friends and I found I could connect with him on a pretty deep level. Our first date was a supper of prawn noodles. He was so quiet I thought he hated me! I was about to give up when he asked me out again. The rest, as they say, is history.

His quiet demeanour makes him seem easy-going, but he is actually a difficult man. He is very intelligent but not very open. In fact, I’m probably the only one he shares his opinions with. He is also hard-working, determined and single-minded. And he can be really stubborn!

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“The most important thing is being loving and supportive every day – and in everything we do for each other.” – Jade.

Were there sparks in the beginning?
Definitely. The sparks came from how we connected mentally rather than from physical appearances. That said, I still find his dimples cute!

What was your relationship like before he popped the question?
We were already at that stage where there is a lot of mutual love, trust, understanding and support. We are extremely comfortable with each other but understand the need for personal space and time.

When we started seeing each other, we both knew this relationship was meant to be and that we would one day make things official in the presence of God, but we both agreed that there was no need to rush into marriage as it wouldn’t change anything between us.

In fact, when I mentioned to Terence that tying the knot at 40 was ideal as it would mean less pressure from friends and family, he seemed to agree. So I was caught totally off-guard when he suddenly popped the question. All I will say about the proposal is that it happened at home and it was a very intimate occasion.

What do you love most about him? And what do you find irritating?
The things I love most are also the things that drive me nuts at times! He is a problem solver and treats my problems as if they were his own, so I can always count on him to help me with solutions and suggestions.

He is not afraid to tell me hard truths when I need to hear them and although he never sugar-coats advice, I do sometimes think a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down in a more delightful way!

I appreciate that Terence is very practical and analytical – not my strong suits at all – so he is truly like my other half, filling in the gaps in my personality. However, although his single-mindedness helps me to stay focused when I need help, he can nag a person to death!

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How do you resolve relationship issues?
We talk through every single one – and it can take hours as we are both stubborn and opinionated. In our early days, we could go over a single issue for seven hours!

What is the most loving thing you’ve done for each other?
I’m not one for huge gestures and neither is he. It’s the small things he does for me that make me smile – like picking me up after I’ve been out clubbing with friends, buying me cookies to satisfy a craving and fixing electronic gadgets that die on me!

Does he have issues about your fame, business ventures and hobbies?
(Laughs) He’s not very impressed by the whole celebrity thing, and would rather me not post pictures of him on social media. Otherwise, he’s very chill, extremely self-assured and trusts me completely.

When it comes to my work, he is very supportive of everything I do. He is my sounding board for ideas, brainstorms with me and is always there when I need help – like the time I had to set up a pop-up store the morning after an overnight hosting gig.

I got back at 7am, so he went to supervise the set-up before 8am and let me sleep in till noon. He always has my back.

He is also very supportive of my hobbies and lifestyle. He comes to watch my netball games, bought a bicycle so he can cycle alongside me when I skate, goes with me to ballets when no one else wants to – and even though he doesn’t really enjoy them. He waits to have dinner with me too, and that’s usually around 11pm.

What’s in your future? Kids?
We are very happy and settled. Other than making our union official in front of God and loved ones, I don’t think much will change with marriage. Kids are not really at the top of our list of priorities. We don’t need children to complete us – we are a family already!

So what’s going on with the wedding? Details please.
I want a big church wedding with a casual lunch, where I can invite whoever I want and not have to fuss with the guest list and seating. He wants a more elegant and intimate dinner for family, so we’ll be doing that as well. That’s about all I know at this point!

What about your gown and do you have a theme?
Terence is planning most of it. He’s my groomzilla. I am secretly grateful that at least someone enjoys planning weddings. I certainly don’t. And I haven’t really decided what I want yet. But I do know what I don’t want – no poufy, prom-like or princess gowns, no uncomfortable, overly sexy ones, and no super modern, non-white gowns.

You and Terence travelled with Her World Brides to Mauritius for this shoot. What was your most memorable moment?
This was the first time we’ve taken a picture as a couple and it was both fun and funny! Terence is not a good poser. In most of the pictures, he said he was simply trying to be “a good prop” for me. Oh, and he couldn’t understand why I kept moving about after each click.

Memories? The beautiful sunrises and sunsets during our runs along the beach. These were even more momentous as he doesn’t enjoy running as much as I do. It was also the first work trip that I’ve had my partner with me.

Thank you, Her World Brides and The Residence Mauritius for having us!

This article was originally published in Her World Brides Sept – Nov 2014. Look out for our interview with Terence, Jade’s other half, coming to you soon!