Singaporebrides | Photography
February 2012
Of Love And Cars
It’s all about Fate. And oh, fairy-godmothers do exist. How do we know? Our couple, Joan Tan, 34, Freelance Designer and Brian Chan, 39, Classic and Vintage Car Restoration Specialist. Fate was busy at work crossing the paths of two individuals who ran in different circles with the help of a special sort of fairy-godmother: a classic red Mini Cooper. For all the cynics and resigned bachelorettes, here’s one story to renew your faith in love, fate and all that jazz – even though it might not be in the fashion Walt Disney and Hollywood has been selling them, they do exist. Their wedding took place on 12 December 2010.
How did the two of you meet?
Joan: It was nothing short of fate. We ran in entirely different circles and would never have crossed paths if not for the car. I was looking for a red classic Mini Cooper and Brian was looking for a new owner for just a car like that. A friend introduced us, and voila! – I found my car and a husband to keep!
Brian: At first, we met up during the weekends so she could practice driving the Mini. Gradually, these meetings panned out into movie and dinner dates.
What was the proposal like?
Joan: He popped the question on my 32nd birthday during dinner at Raffles Hotel. On hindsight, he must have already decided on having the wedding at Raffles Hotel, and took me there for my birthday as a prelude!
Walk us through the planning for your wedding.
Joan: The planning itself wasn’t tedious, since we mostly took packages, had minimal DIY items (Mini-themed RSVP e-card and inserts for the hotel’s wedding card) and maximum help from close friends. One piece of advice given to us was to delegate as much as possible and enjoy the day – that’s exactly what we did. We narrowed down the few key must-haves and were flexible with the rest of the details.
Brian: If not for the Mini, we would not have known each other, so when it came down to deciding a theme for the wedding, it was a unanimous decision for it to be “Minis”. I envisioned a convoy of Minis parked at the driveway of Raffles Hotel, so I got several of my friends who owned Minis to form a convoy. Many of our friends, especially my best man, Steven and his wife, were instrumental in making this event happen. If not for them planning the day’s schedule and handling the distribution of tasks, everything would not have run like clockwork.
Joan: Since our Mini was red, we wanted that to be the main colour of our wedding. Besides red, I also wanted the colours black and gold to be incorporated as well.
Minis, Morris Minor, a Buick Limousine and a bug-eye Sprite – that’s a lot of classic cars in a wedding!
Joan: Indeed! Brian arrived in his white Morris Minor along with his Mini convoy, while my maid of honour and I were chauffeured in a majestic black 1930s Buick Limousine. We were led by the bug-eye Sprite, which was the first car Brian’s father owned. Along the way during the convoy drive around the block, more classic and vintage cars joined in. We ended up with 12 cars in total!
The line of cars also caused a commotion before we drove off. Brian and his convoy parked in a formation at the rooftop parking lots of the multi-storey carpark at my block for a photo taking session. The whole affair attracted the attention of curious onlookers from the neighbouring blocks! Since my room overlooked the carpark, I had a bird’s eye view of everything that went on downstairs.
Brian: We stopped at Portsdown, the perfect location to capture the Mini convoy and their respective owners, for group photos before we proceeded to Raffles Hotel to continue our photography session with Lawrence while our convoy took a break.
What did your family and friends have to say about your wedding?
Joan: They had fun and enjoyed the heart-warming atmosphere. They even commented that it was like a big family dinner where everyone felt at ease with each other.
Were there any particular moments that were especially special to you?
Joan: There were several. For starters, the red packet war between the groomsmen and my bridesmaids. It was quite hilarious watching my bridesmaids engage in a tug-of-war with the groomsmen through the gap under the door. Needless to say, the red packet did not emerge in one piece.
Then, there were the candid and humourous speeches from our families and the best man. We were also floored when none of our guests were in a hurry to leave although it was a workday the following day.
Last but not least, when Mel, a family friend and our guest singer, roused the entire floor for a sing-along to John Denver’s Country Road, nobody held back. It felt like a big family reunion dinner even though there were some people I’ve never met before!
Wedding Planning: SingaporeBrides.com
Her Gown: The Aisle Bridal Boutique
The Photographer: Lawrence Teo at The Peepshow Machine
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