Singaporebrides | Photography

April 2015

Lovestruck

When Kellyn and Jonathan shared their love story with me, I could not help but think that this pair of lovebirds were meant to be. They met as classmates but were never close. Even after they reconnected via Friendster years later, they remained as acquaintances. Until Kellyn learnt of Jonathan’s intention to further his studies overseas. That was the beginning of everything. Distance became their friend and strengthened their love for one another over the course of their long-distance relationship. Read about how Jonathan popped the question, where this pair of lovebirds went to to commemorate their love, and the touching surprise Kellyn prepared for their wedding day that got Jonathan emotional!

Kellyn Ting, 25 & Jonathan Chau, 25
7 & 8 December 2014

The Gowns: Shirley Li from Flamingo Bridal
The Suit: Dick Beaumonde
Hair & Makeup: Shirley Li from Flamingo Bridal
The Venue: Alkaff Mansion (Solemnisation) and Goodwood Park Hotel (Dinner Banquet)
The Florist: Shirley Li from Flamingo Bridal (for car decoration and wedding bouquet)
The Photographer: Kai from Trouvé (Pre-wedding); Valerie from Click! Photography (Solemnisation and Actual Wedding)
Slow-mo Booth: Click! Photography
The Videographer: Viscad Studio

What was your proposal like?

Jon planned a surprise trip for us to Bali, a place I’ve always wanted to visit with him and booked a beautiful villa with a gorgeous ocean view for our stay. Knowing that I loved taking photographs, Jon suggested we explore the villa and snap some photos. We encountered two photographers who claimed they were from the villa while we were snapping away, and rejected their request to take a few shots of us. But I eventually obliged because they were really insistent and Jon suggested that we let them grab a shot and they’ll move on. The moment they started photographing us, Jon went down on one knee with a ring in his hands, and popped the question! That moment will forever be precious to me, because the most confident man I’ve ever met, was all nervous and shaky when he asked for my hand in marriage against one of the most beautiful and calming view we’ve ever witnessed.

Your pre-wedding photographs in Melbourne by Trouvé are breathtaking. Was there any significance in the country and places you went to for the shoot?

Melbourne holds a special place in both of our lives, as the majority of our long distance relationship was spent between Melbourne and Singapore, since that was where Jon studied at. Besides the Melbourne University campus, we travelled to the outskirts of Melbourne like Carlton Gardens and Mornington Peninsula for the shoot as we loved going on road trips. Kai from Trouvé made the whole process really smooth and fun for us. She made us feel really comfortable so it wasn’t difficult or awkward to get good shots for the shoot. I didn’t even have to worry about hiring a hair and makeup artist as it came with our package, and she saved me the hassle of procuring a floral crown by getting one for me from a local florist!

Take us back to your wedding day. What was it like?

We had a simple garden solemnisation at Alkaff Mansion, surrounded by a small group of closer friends a day before the dinner banquet. We were really thankful for that bright and beautiful sunny day because not only had it been raining a few days before, there was a huge downpour after our ceremony! Instead of a flower girl or boy, we had Jon’s handsome German Shepherd as our ring bearer – that made our solemnisation just that much more special to us.

Because we had our solemnisation done a day earlier than our gate-crashing and tea ceremony, and dinner banquet, we didn’t mind the early hours too much the next day, as we were able to sneak in a 2-hour nap before getting ready for dinner. That really helped us recharge for the night ahead and we actually enjoyed the dinner a lot more than we had expected to! Our guests had fun and the atmosphere was just what we had wanted for our big day, and we couldn’t have done this without our families and friends, especially our bridesmaids and groomsmen!

We heard you surprised Jon with a performance that brought tears to his eyes. What was your surprise?

Together with a few of my closer friends from my band days in school, we performed “Endless Love” in a surprise flute quartet for Jon that left him in tears! It was a really unexpected and precious moment to me because I’ve never quite seen Jon cry!