I have been meaning to write about my wedding for the last five months, but never got the chance. Martin and I got married on 25 July 2009, and we really enjoyed ourselves!
Writing about my personal experience of the wedding isn’t easy. It is at once simple to describe – I was happy, at peace, and enjoyed the company of friends and family with my husband at my side – but it was also a symbolic day, a day of deep meaning, and therefore difficult to describe. To do justice requires meditation, thoughtful prose or elegant poetry!
So, I will do a simpler task – I will write some tips for brides to be, showcasing the work of great service providers who delivered excellent services at our wedding.
The Best Wedding Photographer: Andy Lim
My sister told me that choosing the right photographer was important because he/she would create a permanent record of the day. She was right. When I think of my wedding now, the images in my mind are the ones taken by my photographers. Their pictures have become the anchors of my memories.
We really liked the work of Jim Liaw, who photographed my sister’s wedding 1.5 years before ours. His work is absolutely stunning. But my mother suggested that we go with a different photographer to give a different feel to the photos. She didn’t want my wedding to blend in with my sister’s in one slow motion.
In searching for ‘The One’, we looked through the portfolios of many photographers to see their style; to get a sense of their ‘eye’. We wanted someone who used a journalistic approach, someone who took photos as things happened, rather than requiring us to pose. We were particularly impressed by Andy Lim’s work, because he captured fleeting emotions extraordinarily well.
He was one of the best decisions we made.
At the wedding he and his wife (they work as a team) were punctual, quiet, and unobtrusive. They dressed well, so they didn’t look at odds with the rest of the guests. They remained in the background, but were very attentive to any signals by us for special photographs. They were professional, timely, courteous and polite. Their photos were amazing.
They captured both intimate and public moments. They got all the important shots, and had a great eye for detail. They documented what we didn’t have time to pay attention to – the flowers on the car, the arrangement on my hair, the look of the banquet hall before dinner commenced.
What I like about Andy is that he takes his work seriously, and really enjoys good photography. He gave us our photos within two weeks, beautifully presented in a set of DVDs. He proudly showed us what he thought were the best photos of the 1,383 that he gave to us. All of them were breathtaking! His work speaks for itself. The full set of photos are here.
The Best Wedding Card Makers: Precious Hearts
We didn’t like the standard wedding cards we saw. We wanted something elegant, unique and understated. We wanted something that represented the story of how we met. We stumbled across Precious Hearts on one of the Malaysian bridal websites, and liked their work.
It was difficult to find the location of the office, but we were given a warm welcome by May Yi. We started with very loose ideas; we didn’t have a clear sense of what we wanted. She was very patient with us, and talked us through some design implications. She talked about cut, colour, dimension, texture, print, fold, and assembly of different pieces. She was really good at helping us narrow down our key message. We realized that it was better to choose simple symbols and colours rather than have ‘too much’ going on.
We were very pleased with the first proofs we got. We scrutinized them and ask for several changes, which were done very promptly. She was attentive to our needs. We were trying to save money, and May Yi did a great job of advising us on how we could reduce the price while keeping the aesthetic value of the cards. We were so happy with her that we also ordered Thank You cards after the wedding based on the same theme.
The Best Make Up Artist: Lee Kuen
Lee Kuen has a talent for accentuating your features. All her brides look like polished versions of themselves – they don’t look like copies of an imaginary doll-like template. She uses very natural colours for the day and checks how comfortable you are with more dramatic looks for the evening.
Aside from her talent in bringing out beauty in others, the most remarkable thing about Lee Kuen is her calm manner, even when under pressure. The last thing any bride wants on the morning of her wedding is an anxious person. Lee Kuen kept track of the time, and sped up when the time of my husband’s arrival drew near. We had time for photos before he came up the stairs to get me.
Lee Kuen is also really great with hair. I wanted green orchids that matched my bouquet, and she clipped them firmly in my hair along with some flowers of her own. In the evening, she put my hair up, using classic accessories. We are now facebook friends.
The Best Dress Maker: Elaine Kong of Pretty in White
I was similarly clueless about the ‘look’ I wanted for the evening gown. I only knew I wanted a cheong sam, but had no idea about colour, cut, or design. Elaine was very patient in talking me through different options. She always emphasizes that we should not change the shape of our bodies, or force our figures into tight corsets. She believes in designing clothes that bring out the best features of her clients.
Elaine came with me to choose the right cloth for my cheong sam. We experimented with different types of lace and satin. Its funny how I was drawn to the same combination again and again, even when I tried different alternatives to see if any other cloths fit well together. That is how I knew we had made the right choice.
Elaine created a simple and classic design, adding sequins and beads to bring glamour to the evening. I wanted to have the best dress in the banquet hall, but not look garish. She pulled it off! She ended up making several dresses for my mom as well. I was very happy that she was a guest at my wedding.
The Best Suit Maker: Sophie of Lord’s Tailor, Bangsar
Sophie showed us different alternatives for suits, helping us to choose the cut that would complement Martin’s body. We wanted something simple and classic. Sophie showed us different types of cloth and styles for suits. We decided on a simple charcoal suit with a cravat and a waistcoat.
We wanted the cravat to match my dress, and this was much harder than we thought! We brought snippets of the cloth for my dress to her. Sophie told me that they had to go out shopping twice to get the cloth that matched the blue-green light turquoise of my cheong sam exactly. It was a rare colour, difficult to find. She had an eye for detail and went the extra mile to create the cravat that would match my dress perfectly.
For her extra efforts in putting the finishing touches to the suit, we are extremely happy with Lord’s Tailor and highly recommend their work. You can see the perfectly matching colours of the cheong sam and cravat here.
Others… The Best Rings, Flowers, Hotel and Wedding Singer…
This article is getting a little long already, but we must make special mention of Goldheart in Lot 10. We went to so many different ring shops before finding what we wanted – two simple, unadorned white gold bands. I can’t remember the name of the sales person (David?), but he really was the best one we met – and we went to many stores! He was not pushy; he was attentive and gentle. He cleaned and resized my engagement ring for free, and got the jewelers to create a perfect match for it in terms of size and shape. I wear and admire both my rings every day.
We also had great service from Spring Cottage. We wanted to have tropical flowers, and they advised us on what we could do with different types of orchids. Their flowers were fresh and luscious and their designs elegant.
We must definitely mention Natalie Cheah of The Prince Hotel, who was great at helping us choose the right package for our dinner banquet. She made clear recommendations, which helped us out of the mire of indecision. She was prompt, professional, and gave us excellent advice. The Prince Hotel gave us a very good deal, and we did indeed feel like the King and the Queen of the day in their care.
Our wedding banquet would not have been the same without our charming wedding singer, Greg Ling, a lawyer by day and performer extraordinaire by night. He performed with the Thin Izzy Band, led by the talented Izral. You can see them perform here. We grew up together, and Greg is like a brother to me, which made it all the more special to have him sing for us.
If we did our wedding again, we would do everything exactly the same. ☺