Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
October 2015
Bernie and Samuel’s Pastel Travel Themed Wedding at The Fullerton Hotel
Bernie and Samuel’s gorgeous travel-themed wedding at The Fullerton Hotel was filled with beautiful pastel watercolours, and fun elements like hot-air balloons and vintage suitcases. We’re still swooning over their watercolour world map photobooth!
Samuel Oliver Ng, 27, Bank Analyst, surprised Bernie Wong, 27, Teacher, with a proposal at the airport, after five years of a long-distance relationship. Their gorgeous travel themed wedding on 1 May 2015 at The Fullerton Hotel celebrates how they travelled all over the world to spend time together!
How did the two of you meet?
We met in National Junior College in Math remedial after doing not too well on one of the common tests. Sitting next to one another gave us ample opportunities to get to know each other better and it wasn’t long before we were talking about anything and everything, except Math.
Bernie: My first impression of Sam was that of a very cheerful, happy-go-lucky guy. He got along easily with everyone and always got others laughing with his jokes and antics.
Sam: My first impression of Bernie was a really good one – she was a really smiley girl, always full of joy each time I met her.
When did you realise that this was the person you wanted to marry?
Bernie: When I left to complete my tertiary education in Germany, Sam and I had to survive a five-year long distance relationship. Many didn’t expect us to survive the distance, changes, and time apart, and it definitely wasn’t easy. So many a times, we both felt like giving up. Being alone overseas, however, allowed me to see how much he mattered to me, and how meaningless life would be for me without him. I looked forward to talking to him everyday, and knowing that he waited that five years for me to come back despite how bleak the situation looked at times made me realise this was the person I wanted to marry.
Sam: From the first day we decided to enter a serious relationship, the thought of marriage was always on the cards. We were both looking for a relationship that would last us a lifetime. But we were still only 18, and there was much more for us to experience and learn as a couple. I would say the pivotal phase was when she returned to Singapore for good; when we re-adjusted to being right by each other after spending so much time apart. I knew this was the person who knew me better than anyone else, and that was the heart I wanted to keep for the rest of my life.
What was the proposal like?
Bernie: On my 26th birthday, Sam brought me to the airport post-dinner for a stroll. The airport was the place where we had our first date and holds many special memories for us. However, I had no idea that he had gathered my closest friends and family to hide in the viewing gallery of Terminal 1 and decorated the venue to surprise me. As we approached the viewing gallery, I even told him that I wanted to walk closer to the balloons to see what the commotion was all about. I’d thought someone was about to be surprised, but had no idea that someone was me. When we arrived at the gallery, I was taken aback to see photos of myself hanging from the balloons. Behind each photo was a different message written to me by friends and family but Sam had instructed them to simply wish me happy birthday, and so I thought this was still all part of my birthday celebration. At the end of the 26 balloons, there was a laptop and when it started playing, tears just started to flow as I saw my parents in there and Sam asking them for permission for my hand. Only then did I register what was happening and once the video stopped playing, Sam took out his guitar, sang a song and popped the question. Of course, I said yes, and the rest is history!
What was the theme of your wedding?
We quickly decided on a travel theme for our wedding dinner at The Fullerton Hotel as we traveled a lot in the course of our five-year long distance relationship to make things work. We tried to incorporate these elements into the décor, such as a photo-wall with the world map printed on it, a seating plan with tables labelled after the countries we visited, and display items involving paper planes, letter boxes and more. For the church solemnisation, we wanted a lighthearted and cheery atmosphere, so we went ahead with a colour palette that was softer and had more pastel hues. We also had the help of a very talented friend who assisted in hand-making certain items such as the angbao box in line with the travel wedding theme!
What was your wedding day like?
It felt surreal on our wedding day so many a time, that the day we had spent so much time thinking about and planning for was finally coming to pass. We had a blast, and it was amazing to see the people that mean so much to us gathering to celebrate our union. Words cannot describe the amount of gratitude or love we felt on that day, and we still struggle to put into words the emotions we felt on that day. But the recommendation to plan hard before the wedding and let it go once the day arrives is really sound advice and while there were things that didn’t go according to plan on our actual day, we played it by ear and didn’t let it affect our mood. It’s true that your guests generally wouldn’t even realise the mistakes that you nitpick about and find fault with, so don’t be too hard on yourself.
Can you tell us the cost of your wedding?
We won’t go into details but would like to share that we had a budget that we worked out at the very start of our wedding planning, and tried to budget for every item as best as we could. As we went along and learnt more about the prices of wedding vendors and other services, we made adjustments to our budget but tried not to deviate too far away from how much we had in terms of savings. We didn’t want to run into debt as a result of the wedding or have to use our parents’ savings. We’re glad that at the end of the day, we were able to spend within our means and enjoyed the day without having to worry about whether we would come out of it broke.
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?
Exchanging our vows was the most memorable part of our wedding day as the words summed up our feelings and emotions, and reaffirmed why we were standing there celebrating the occasion. A wedding really isn’t about the good food or the fancy décor; it’s about two persons making a decision to embark on the journey of life together, for better and for worse.
The Gown: Ted Wu
The Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka
The Suit: Nior Creation
The Groom’s Shoes: Kurt Geiger
The Engagement Ring: Love & Co.
The Wedding Bands: Love & Co.
The Bridesmaids’ Dresses: H&M
The Groomsmen’s Suits: River Island
The Flower Girls’ Dresses: Etsy
The Page Boys’ Suits: Etsy
The Venue: The Fullerton Hotel and Thomson Road Baptist Church
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Kacey Teh
The Caterer: Orange Clove Catering
The Desserts: Batterworks
The Drinks: KOI Café
The Florists: Heaven in a Wildflower
The Event Stylist: Rosette Designs & Co.
The Wedding Planner: Rosette Designs & Co.
The Photographers: Antelope Studios
The Videographer: Sense Gallery
The Invitations and Paper Goods: Pearlyn and Paper
The Solemniser: Pastor Joseph Tang
Credits: Images by Antelope Studios.
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!