From The Straits Times    |

Shirleen Ng, 31, and Arthur Tricoire, 32, celebrated their union with two weddings – a marquee wedding on the grounds of a chateau in France and a dinner reception in Singapore.

Arthur and I met at work, and had to travel together frequently – which definitely played a part in developing the relationship, though the attraction was not instant!

I realised life is boring without him, and being with him makes me a better person. Arthur adds: “It dawned on me that we work well as a team, and life is better with her.”

The proposal was really sweet. We were vacationing in Cinque Terre, Italy, and Arthur had rented a boat to take us on a ride along the coast.

Midway through, surrounded by crystal-clear blue water and a beautiful landscape, he whipped out a ring and asked for my hand in marriage; it was a magical and intimate moment.

We were fortunate enough to have two weddings – one in France, and another in Singapore.

They were both cosy and relaxed affairs spent with people we love. We wouldn’t change a thing about our celebrations – though we would advise against planning two weddings and a mini-moon alongside moving into a new home!

For our wedding in France, we had a beautiful church ceremony, followed by dinner and dancing, of course.

It was important to Shirleen that our French wedding had touches of her Singaporean roots, so we went with a tropical theme, which we played up with pineapples and lots of lush greenery. 

“Seeing Arthur in front of the altar was surreal. It’s a scene you see in movies all the time, and when it finally happens to you, you kind of want that moment to last forever.” – Shirleen

Making their exit as man and wife under a shower of petals and blessings from their guests.

The bride wore a made-to-measure cheongsam-inspired gown with French lace by Dang Bridal to symbolise their French and Singaporean union.

In line with their tropical-themed wedding in France, the venue featured pineapples, vibrantly hued flowers and other botanical touches. 

They had a traditional French wedding cake, a Piece Montee, a conical confection made up of many choux pastries. 

To signify the end of the dinner and the start of the dance party, we did the La Hora Loca (“the crazy hour” in Spanish), a Latin wedding tradition.

Our guests got dressed in props and attires inspired by the tropics and danced the night away. Everyone had so much fun and the photos were out of this world.

 For our wedding in Singapore, we had a gatecrash in the morning, a solemnisation in the afternoon, and ended the day with a dinner reception and an after-party.

Arthur attempted to dedicate a speech to my grandmother in Hokkien during the reception.

It was hilariously terrible – no one had any idea what he was saying – but it was also incredibly touching. My grandmother was moved to tears by his effort and gesture.

Shirleen carried a jewel-tone bridal bouquet of peonies and calla lilies made by her talented friend Serene Yeow. 

The bride wore another bespoke gown by Dang Bridal for the couple’s wedding dinner in Singapore. 

Post-wedding, I feel relieved – there was plenty of coordination needed for both weddings, as we had guests from overseas attending.

Arthur adds: “There were plenty of joyful memories and now, we’re making new ones as we take our first steps into married life.” 

See also: A PINK AND PURPLE FLOWER-FILLED BALLROOM WEDDING AT THE INTERCONTINENTAL SINGAPORE


Checklist

Venues

France: Chateau de Lauvergnac (www.chateau-de-lauvergnac.fr); Singapore: Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore (6213-4996)

Wardrobe

Gowns: Dang Bridal (www.dangbridal.com.sg); groom’s suits: Suitsupply (https://apac.suitsupply.com/en/home)

Hair & makeup

France: Les Ateliers d’Audrey (www.aya-ateliers-beaute.com); Singapore: Kelly Lau (9023-6222)

Photography

France and Singapore: Pedro Loustau Photographie (www.photographelabaule.com); Singapore: The Peparazzia Production (www.peparazzia.com)

Flowers

France: Ambiana L’Agence (www.ambiana-lagence.com); Singapore: Serene Yeow

Cake

France: Christophe Roussel (www.christophe-roussel.fr/en)

Wedding planner

France: Ambiana l’Agence (www.ambiana-lagence.com)

Special Thanks To

All our dear friends who took time to join us on our adventure; no words can express our gratitude. In particular, a shout-out to Serene, who did a great job with my flowers, and Pedro, for capturing accurately and beautifully the essence of our weddings.


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.