From The Straits Times    |

We met online while Derek, who’s American, was teaching English in Japan in 2013. After three months of chatting online, Derek made a trip to Singapore just to meet me.

I was so nervous to see him in person for the first time, but everything worked out and our relationship became official after that visit.

In 2014, he moved to Singapore to be with me and proposed in 2016. 

Derek surprised me with a proposal inspired by The Amazing Race, which we both love. Based on clues he prepared, I landed in different locations here that held special memories for us.

At the end, he was waiting for me under the arch at Fort Canning Green, where he proposed in front of my family and friends. I was the happiest I had ever been. 

For our wedding, we wanted an informal setting with a carefree aesthetic that allowed us to express our personalities, and made it easy for guests to socialise.

A delectable Spanish lunch buffet was served and we also played wedding games, which our guests enjoyed immensely.

Seeing their smiles and hearing the laughter was truly what we wanted. 

To contrast with the surrounding greenery, they chose purple as their wedding colour. They had mostly wild flowers in purple, green and white.

“We did not want to simply recite the traditional vows. Reading our own promises to each other in marriage was especially memorable for us,” says the couple.

See also: 9 TIPS TO WRITING BEAUTIFUL, TIMELESS WEDDING VOWS

Wanting to keep it as a surprise, the couple didn’t see each other until the solemnisation. 

“When I saw Derek waiting at the end of the aisle, all I wanted to do was run up to him and tell him how much I loved him,” shares the bride.

“Instead of wedding favours, we had a photo booth so guests could take home their own unique mementos,” says the bride.

See also: 9 FUN PHOTO BOOTH VENDORS FOR YOUR WEDDING!​

The bridesmaids were given a few shades of purple to choose from, and picked out their own outfits.

Wedding tip: Determine what is important to you. There’s no right or wrong way to do things. We put ourselves into the shoes of our guests and decided what we wanted to include from there. 

See also: A MARQUEE WEDDING IN FRANCE AND A TROPICAL RECEPTION AT THE SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, SINGAPORE


Checklist

Venue, Decor & Wedding Planner

UNA @ One Rochester (6773-0070)

Wardrobe

Gown: Digio Bridal 
(www.digiobridal.com); suit: G2000 (www.g2000.com.sg)

Hair & Makeup

Lynda Low (9790-1979)

Photography & Photo booth

Jonah Sun & Amber Lim of All Aflutter (www.allaflutter.sg)

Cake

Spatula Bakery (www.spatulabakery.net)

Special thanks to

Our families: Patty and Jeff as well as Kevin and Julie Baird, Mema and Pap Pap, Lee Yim Ping and Keith John, Yin Mei and Su mei Lenden-Hitchcock. Our friends: Angie, Jasjit and Amandeep, Jasmine, Shu Hui, Fieza, Charis and Jacob, as well as Leo and Brett. All of you made this wedding perfect and the both of us incredibly happy!


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.