Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
December 2012
The First Notes
It was truly a meeting set up by Fate itself for Chua Chor Boon, 31, Real Estate Consultant and Ong Jack Shen, 30, Real Estate Consultant. Our couple were both at a singing competition – she as a contestant and he as a supporter for his friend – when Chor Boon caught his eye. Immediately taken by her, Jack Shen began his pursuit and the rest, as they say, is history.
Their journey from strangers to lovers is one inspiring story not to be missed. Let our couple take you down memory lane as you learn about their journey from strangers to lovers and pick up tips on how to rock a Retro-themed wedding. Their wedding took place on 10 December 2011.
How did the two of you meet?
Jack Shen: I was The Heeren supporting a friend of mine who took part in a singing competition organised by Party World KTV when I saw Chor Boon on stage. I was instantly mesmerised by her.
Chor Boon: I can only say it was fate. I was initially not supposed to be part of the Finals, but due to another contestant dropping out, I was given a second chance to compete. A month after the competition, I received a fan message on my Friendster account praising my performance and looks. It was, of course, Jack Shen. I finally got to meet him slightly less than a month later and that was when he asked me out. Ever since that first meeting, we started hanging out together.
Jack Shen: Asking her out was not difficult; getting her to be my girlfriend was! Because she had the impression that I was a playboy, each time I tried to make our relationship official, she turned me down. It took me three separate tries before she agreed to be my girlfriend.
What was the proposal like?
Chor Boon: Our proposal took place in Bali. We were having a candlelit dinner by the poolside when Jack Shen excused himself after a waiter approached him. After dinner, we returned to our room and that was when I saw that the place was decorated with red rose petals, candles, champagne and a bouquet of roses!
Jack Shen: I lied about having a stomachache so I could prep the room for our return. I had the words “Will you marry me?” arranged on our bed using rose petals. Upon our return to the room, I got down on one knee, whipped out the diamond ring and asked for her hand in marriage.
I heard there were trishaws involved on your big day. Walk us through how that came about and how it fit into your theme.
Chor Boon: Our wedding planning took us about a year to complete. It commenced with the booking of Hotel Re! as our venue. Then, we decided to make our wedding retro-themed because we wanted to bring our guests back to the 1980s and 1990s where some of our most wonderful memories were formed.
Jack Shen: We arranged for only vintage cars to be used on our wedding day and had them on display at Hotel Re!’s carpark, which was just in front of the ballroom, so our guests could take photographs with them. We had a corner with all the games such as hopscotch, paper airplanes and tik-kam tik-kam that we used to play during our childhood. Our reception drinks were also served in old-fashioned bottles. We even arranged for a trishaw to pick our guests up from the nearest MRT station and used one for our second march-in as well!
Chor Boon: In addition to having retro-themed set-ups, we also asked our guests to come dressed in their best retro outfits. The three best-dressed guests were then handed an award for their efforts.
What did your family and friends have to say about your wedding?
Chor Boon: They enjoyed the celebration just as much as we did and found our wedding really unique and fun!
Were there any particular moments that were especially special to you?
Jack Shen: The year spent planning for our wedding was the one most memorable and valuable moment that I took away from my wedding day. From the initial stages of brainstorming for theme ideas to the concept of the day right down to the actual planning for it, the experience was something I’ll always cherish and remember.
Chor Boon: For our third change of outfit, we only had 8 minutes to change and appear on stage by the time our video montage ended. Thankfully, we managed to appear on time – and without any prior rehearsal! That frenzy would also stay with me.
The Venue: Hotel Re!
The Photographer: Kwang from Lightbox Productions
Wedding Planning: SingaporeBrides
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