Singaporebrides | Photography
October 2011
Love By The Open Waters
There aren’t many couples as easy-going and decisive as Kelly Yan, 31, Senior Accountant and Gabriel Koh, 33, Self-Employed, are when it comes to planning their wedding. But a wedding planned in a span of 4 months didn’t make it any less glamourous or memorable for the both of them. In fact, they had the time of their life, surrounded by the people who loved them and whom they love, creating memories for both them and their guests on 18 June 2011.
Walk us through the planning for your wedding.
Kelly: We didn’t take much time to plan for our wedding, really. We made a decision this February for a June wedding, as both of our birthdays fall on the second half of the year. This way, there’ll be something to celebrate in the first and second half of the year – more reasons for gift-giving and receiving!
Gabriel: So we were engaged for a short three months before we decided on our wedding date, and four months to prepare for it – I’m guessing we’re among the least prepared wedding couple out there.
We didn’t exactly have a theme in mind for the wedding – we just wanted something fun and memorable. There also wasn’t a dress code for the night reception and some of our guests came in bermudas, which were totally fine with us as we wanted everyone to be as comfortable and casual for the outdoor event.
Kelly:We both didn’t want the usual hotel reception, so when our cousin suggested we check out One Degree 15 Marina Club, we just fell in love with it at first sight and the venue was decided. Deciding on everything else took just as little time too – we decided on Rico-a-Mona as our choice of bridal studio upon our first visit. Thankfully, our parents weren’t too particular and wanted to keep things simple too, so we had a simple Guo Da Li.
What was it like on the actual day of the wedding?
Kelly: We had an afternoon solemnisation ceremony and wedding lunch for our relatives and a night reception for friends, so the actual day was jam-packed with activities.
Gabriel: The gatecrashing started around 7.30 in the morning, followed by the tea ceremony for my family, after which we headed towards One Degree 15 Marina Club. It was nearly 12pm by the time we arrived at the club, and once there, we went straight into preparations for our solemnisation ceremony and wedding lunch.
Kelly: There wasn’t much time for us to catch a breather in between, as it was nearly 4pm in the afternoon by the time we were done with lunch and the tea ceremony for my family. Gabriel was whisked away for a final rehearsal with the band at Boater’s Bar, while I went off for my second round of make-up before the night reception commenced at 7pm. Although it was nearly 11pm by the time everything ended, we both enjoyed the day, especially the excellent service by One Degree 15 Marina Club.
What did your family and friends have to say about your wedding?
Kelly: They loved it! It was the first time for many of them to attend a casual wedding by the sea, so it was something out of the ordinary and special for them.
Gabriel: Our friends had good feedback about the day too. They loved the venue and setting, the rock band, the delectable selection of food, drinks and not to mention, all the alcohol! Plus, they had more time to chat and mingle around with us too.
Were there any particular moments that were especially special to you?
Kelly: Plenty! We felt so loved and fortunate with our relatives’ and friends’ blessings, we were so honored to have our cousin play for us in the band and were entertained by some of our friends and cousins who actually went on to sing as well!
Gabriel: I even got to fulfill my dream of singing with a rock band too! And let’s not forget all the “sabotaging” we received from our friends, but every bit of it was memorable to the last second for the two of us.
Kelly So the actual day was just filled to the brim with memories for us, but not so during the planning stage – probably because we didn’t spend too much time dwelling on it.
The Venue: One Degree 15 Marina Club
The Photographer: Sze Ping from 10eyesGallery
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