Singaporebrides | Photography

November 2014

From Best Friends to Lovers

Before Stephanie and Edwin, I’ve never met a couple whose destinies were so intertwined that there was no other way for them to be, except, together. During their university days, the chummy pair was told that they were compatible but the timing was never right for anything to happen, not even when they interned at the same place and worked in the same industry. Then, one special afternoon, during a coffee meet-up, Edwin had an epiphany and took a leap, and here they are, happily married. Scroll on to see the beautiful images from their cosy and intimate wedding at Skyve Wine Bistro.

Stephanie Wong, 32, Personal Assistant & Edwin Poh, 34, Pilot
22 March 2014

Her Gown: La Mariee Wedding House
His Suit: Oxford Tailor
The Venue: Skyve Wine Bistro
Wedding Decorators: Lily & Abigail from Wedding Diary
Wedding Band: Simon & Kalliope from Band on the Run
Makeup Artist: Cherry Au from Autelier Makeup
The Photographer: Sam from Lightedpixels Pixies

I have to say, your love story reminds me of Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat’s song, Lucky! Tell us more details of that fateful afternoon!

Stephanie: It was one of those rare meetings where you didn’t want it to end. He had a family dinner to attend and a date with another girl to go to, but suddenly he said he didn’t feel like going anymore.

Edwin: Yeah, it dawned on me that I was there with this amazing girl whom I’ve known for years and I remember wondering, “Why haven’t we actually tried dating before?”. And so I asked, and was promptly told that I was crazy. 3 rejections later, I was just about to give up when Stephanie decided to risk our friendship to try for something better. See, Steph? I told you so.

So, tell us, how did the pilot propose?

Stephanie: In the air, of course! Haha! He went through an arduous process and overcame many difficulties to propose during an elaborate getaway to Perth together with his best friends. I was completely clueless about his plan and thought it was a usual holiday with friends. On our second day in Perth, Edwin took me to the skies and it was there he proposed with a custom made engagement ring from JannPaul and a Grey’s Anatomy (a television series I am a huge fan of!) inspired speech. Truthfully, I was so enraptured by the proximity of the clouds that I didn’t realise what was going on until he showed me the ring!

Edwin: Prior to our trip, I secretly flew to Perth to obtain my Special Pilot License and after battling with various issues governing the issuing of the licence, I finally received it a day before our departure! Talk about a close call! I wanted to give her something special to remember the day by, hence the secrecy. We even joked that if she had said “No”, I would put the plane into a dive until she reconsidered!

Walk us through your planning process. Was it stressful to plan your own wedding?

Stephanie: We planned everything ourselves and were extremely lucky to have found really amazing vendors by randomly surfing the Internet. We had no wedding theme in mind and didn’t know who to go to for which aspects of our wedding in the beginning. But we knew for sure that we wanted a cosy and intimate celebration that showcased us – fun, quirky and different, with good food and surrounded by our family and dearest friends. Fortunately, both our parents gave us the freedom to hold a not-so-typical-hotel-ballroom wedding, which we were grateful for.

We chose Skyve Wine Bistro as our venue because we were so impressed by the manager, Maggie’s, patience, helpfulness and service during our dinner at the restaurant. Once we secured our date and venue, everything else was rather simple. We took things one step at a time, and allowed ourselves sufficient time to learn about our vendors and give them a chance to get to know us a little better. Along the way, there were differing opinions and upsetting moments, but I pushed through by keeping my focus on the big picture (marriage) rather than the process (wedding). So girls, choose your battles well.

Edwin: Planning our own wedding also taught me several things. I learnt that both parties have to be on board for and excited about the planning process for the experience to be fun and special. The disagreements that were part and parcel of the planning also gave me insight into my wife-to-be and taught me how to deal with conflicts in the future.

Did your actual day turn out the way you envision it to?

It was cosy and intimate, full of laughter, great food, alcohol and dancing – exactly what we wanted! Everyone said it accurately reflected both our personalities, and we especially loved it when our family and friends spontaneously went on stage to sing with the band and danced! That day was filled with so, so, so much love and we wished we had more time to spend with each of our guests. Our talented friends also chipped in by baking awesome desserts and providing some musical entertainment for the guests! We also created a hashtag for our wedding, so we could trace and view all the photographs our friends posted. As you could probably tell from our photographs, we smiled and laughed so much that you could hardly see our eyes.

Looking back, were there any moments during your wedding that were especially memorable or special to you?

Stephanie: I guess it was when the solemniser called me a man? Hahah! Aside from that, I would say the moment we exchanged our vows and our first dance as man and wife were especially special. Joanna Dong sang for us that day, and it felt like no one else was in the world but us.