Singaporebrides | Fashion
August 2014
Carole Lin’s Colourful Spring-themed Wedding
Carole, Creative Consultant for Wellness For Life Chiropractic and David, Director of Wellness For Life Chiropractic were first introduced four years ago at a social gathering for specialists in chiropractic care. They started chatting and didn’t stop until two hours later, at the end of the session, but the night didn’t end there. Who knew that chance meeting would mark the start of the rest of their lives together? They had their beautiful wedding on 22 June 2014. Here’s Carole and David’s story, an exclusive to SingaporeBrides.
What happened that night on the first day you met David?
Carole: After the gathering, the whole group of us friends decided to go for drinks at a bar. David was sitting beside me, so I encouraged him to leave me with my drink so he could check out the other girls at the bar. “Why do I need to check out other pretty girls when I have one right beside me?” he said. “Quite a sweet talker!” I thought. We did exchange numbers before we parted that night, but that was it. So actually, nothing happened that night… until much, much later.
He didn’t send you home?
Carole: No, not at all. We went our separate ways, and I didn’t get any texts from him, so I thought nothing of it. Then, two months later, I received a text from him: “Food in NZ is quite good.” That came from out of nowhere, and that conversation also went nowhere! He was travelling then, and very busy, so it was only later, many months later, that he contacted me and asked me out when he was back in Singapore.
Did you know then, or even from the first day, that you would marry him?
Carole: We had a lot of things in common; our interest and passion in chiropractic care, and our views of life. I had hurt my back at work many years ago, and the issue never got resolved. I suffered from hip and joint pains but I could not find a cure for them. One day, David suggested I go to his clinic to get my back checked, and finally, my back was slowly getting better.
David saw my interest in his field of work and invited me to help with marketing for his company. We are compatible privately because we could talk about anything, but according to our colleagues in the office, we get along really well even work-wise. Those who know David well know that he is very particular about his work and would never mix business with his private life. Yet he was comfortable enough with me and trusted me to help with some aspects of his business.
And vice versa, I felt we gelled really well. David was completely different from what I thought I needed in my life, yet he felt right. We felt right.
You dated for many years.
Carole: Yes, we dated for about four years. It did reach a point where I was asking myself if there would be a marriage in the works. David’s parents were concerned if he was even planning to marry at all. David is very protective of his emotions, and I think he was a little resistant to the idea of marriage. Why change something good?
I felt we were ready but I wasn’t pestering him. Then, I went away for a few months, filming The Voyage.
Ooh… are we getting to the proposal?
Carole: I called him when I came back from filming and there was a very anxious David on the line. “Don’t come home yet! The house is untidy, let me pack before you get back!” “Okay…” I thought, so I went back to my mum’s place. She got all suspicious and asked, “Do you think he has another woman?” Haha!
When I went back the next day, he blindfolded me at the door. We stopped in front of a painting he had done while I was away, and he played a video montage of our beach holidays photos, with Bruno Mars’ “Marry You” in the background. The painting had the words “I love you. Will you marry me?” on it. It was a really pleasant surprise, and I couldn’t figure out the words because it was done up in an artistic way, but I eventually did and said YES!
Wow, I didn’t expect such creativity from David!
Carole: While David is very serious at work, he actually enjoys painting and photography. In fact, he took our pre-wedding photographs himself! It was just the two of us in Maldives, and I think the photos turned out quite well!
How did he, and even you, manage that? Wasn’t the trip stressful for both of you?
Carole: It was very stressful, especially for him! On our first morning there, he woke up at 4 am to check on the sunrise. He took some photos of the rising sun, as a rehearsal for the next few days. The next day, we woke up again at 4 am but it began to rain. I was too sleepy and went back to bed, but we did take some very nice photos at sunset. The next morning – it would be the third time I did my own hair and make up – we finally took some photographs at sunrise. The skies weren’t as perfect as the first day, and David was slightly disappointed, but on hindsight we had a lot of fun taking those photos ourselves. Here’s a tip for couples who want to get their outdoor photos done anywhere: check for monsoon seasons!
But, there was no ring at the proposal?
Carole: I know! I said, “What? No ring?” and David said my proposal gift was the painting he had done! Actually, he had wanted me to choose my own ring as he didn’t want to get me something I wouldn’t like. I didn’t need to have a diamond solitaire, so we went shopping one day, and I picked one with a coloured stone. David saw the price and insisted that I should have two!
We didn’t even want to get expensive wedding bands. I didn’t want to worry about wearing them every day, and if I didn’t wear them every day, the bands would lose their meaning. So while we were in the States, we went to Tiffany & Co with his brother and were browsing their silver wedding bands. His brother got all agitated and said, “No, you’re not just getting silver bands! You need a good ring to remember your wedding by!” then dragged us to the platinum corner. That was how we ended up with the ones we are wearing now.
How about the actual wedding then? It looks like a very private event.
Carole: Well, we had actually wanted a very small wedding ceremony, but we didn’t want to disappoint David’s parents, who had never attended a Chinese wedding banquet. His entire family wanted to fly in from the States to celebrate the wedding with us, so we decided to give them a beautiful experience. It would still be a small wedding, only a few tables of family and very close friends. But I wanted it to be meaningful, so I did all the planning by myself.
It must have been a very eventful day.
Carole: Oh, when we checked into W Singapore the day before the wedding and couldn’t squeeze all our stuff into the room, the hotel actually let us check into the bridal suite earlier, and I’m so grateful for that. David’s parents loved the room and were very impressed with the hotel.
The next morning, on the wedding day, after we had make up and hair done, we stayed in the suite to have our group photographs taken before heading down to the lawn for the solemnisation ceremony, where we walked in to OneRepublic’s “Secret” performed by ThePianoGuys.
What? There was no gate-crashing, sabotaging… nothing?
Carole: No, not at all. That had no meaning for us, but we still had fun. I designed and handpicked myself, from the cake and flowers right down to the wedding favours. Because we only had 60 guests, I prefered to personalise everything. My wedding theme was “Spring”, so everybody was in bright, happy colours, while everything else were in white. This means that the wedding would be dull and incomplete without the presence of all our close family and friends, as “There’s no Spring without colours”! Even my shoes were baby pink, and David’s socks were baby blue with floral patterns.
At the solemnisation, I made sure there were bubble guns and fans for the guests, as they represent “Love is in the air” and “I will shade you and keep you cool” respectively. At the dinner, the wedding favours were playing cards with love quotes, called “52 ways to love each other”, and luggage tags, which meant “Explore the world together”.
We had a lot of kids at the wedding, so I prepared a kids’ corner during the wedding banquet so the kids can have some fun while we adults enjoyed ourselves. I actually prepared personalised gifts for all 13 of the children and it was meant to be a secret until I announced it, but one of the kids saw his name on a wrapped gift and hollered for the other children to join him. So it became an opening ceremony instead!
Wow, you did really think of everything. Your guests must have truly enjoyed themselves.
Carole: They did say it was one of the most fun and intimate wedding they’ve ever attended. Our guests even took turns becoming The Game Master at the kids’ corner, sculpting balloons and playing games with the kids! One married colleague also said if he could do it all over again, he would do it casual and intimate like this, and with the same woman, of course! David’s family loved the wedding and the Chinese food we had selected to serve for the wedding. It was so good, even Michelle Huimin said it was one of the best she’s had.
All three of your gowns were designed by Michelle Huimin?
Carole: I had an idea of what I wanted for my three dresses, so I showed Michelle some cut outs from magazines as examples. Michelle and I have known each other for years, so it was only natural that I went to her, as she would know what I’d like. I really left most of it up to her, and the gowns turned out so… me. My dress for the pre-wedding shoot had a ballerina tutu skirt for the beach photos. My day gown had a low back and a big bow with origami folds in the front, while my dinner gown was a bit more different. It was a unique fusion of east and west, an avant-garde ball gown with a cheongsam collar.
I really appreciated Michelle’s attention to detail and the quality of her fabric and workmanship is unparalleled. The dresses she designed for me was everything I wanted and more. You know, she also made one of my flower girl’s dress, and when she saw it for the first time, she gasped and was silent for a while, before finally saying, wide-eyed, “This is my dream dress.”
Were there any moments during the wedding that meant a lot to you?
Carole: Actually, there were several. Firstly, I am thankful for David’s family. David’s brother and his family had a harrowing experience travelling to Singapore because of many flight complications. We were so worried that they couldn’t get here in time, and also for their safety as they had to quickly find accomomodations in foreign places before they could catch the next flight out. We were so relieved when they finally got here safe and sound. There were tense moments when we waited for their arrival but it only brought us closer as a family.
Secondly, David is a very private person, and as I have mentioned, very protective of his emotions. In the four years that we dated, he had never said “I love you” to me. But during his speech at the dinner, he finally did. The moment was so precious and that made me cry my eyes out. David was also the kind who saved a lot. But he didn’t hold back when it came to the wedding. For someone who was at first hesitant about a wedding, he turned into someone who wanted to be involved in every aspect of the wedding, and almost even turned into a Groomzilla!
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Carole!
Carole: No, thank you! I’d also like to thank my dearest friends for their help on my wedding day. Jerre Lim and Yin, who are David’s buddy and my sister respectively, for being our witnesses for the solemnisation, Elaine, for her help on the guest list, our neighbours Koh and Jen for the music, Nic Wong for taking some private photographs for us, Lisa Ng for hosting the night, Mona my assistant for everything, and finally, my flower girls and page boy – all 7 of them!
The Gowns: Michelle Huimin Bridal Veil
The Suit: Navy suit by The Men’s Club
Hair and Make up: Khai Lee, 9675 9639
The Venue: W Singapore – Sentosa Cove
Pre-wedding Photographer: David Lim
Actual Day Photographer: Avenue 8
Want to see your love story featured on SingaporeBrides too? Submit your wedding here!
All content from this article, including images, cannot be reproduced without credits or written permission from SingaporeBrides.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram for the latest article and promotion updates!