Singaporebrides | Photography

May 2016

Joy and Ben’s Steampunk Wedding on Nikoi Island

By

Joy and Benjamin tied the knot in steampunk style in a beautiful beach wedding on Nikoi Island on 29 October 2014.

Both lovers of the sand and sea, Joy Yeo, 27, Pre-school Teacher, and Benjamin Yiptong, 29, Merchandising Executive, wed in a fun and casual beach wedding that had the coolest steampunk theme!

Nikoi_SGB_001 Nikoi_SGB_002 Nikoi_SGB_004 Nikoi_SGB_007 Nikoi_SGB_008 Nikoi_SGB_009 Nikoi_SGB_012 Nikoi_SGB_013 Nikoi_SGB_014 Nikoi_SGB_016 Nikoi_SGB_017 Nikoi_SGB_019 Nikoi_SGB_020 Nikoi_SGB_022 Nikoi_SGB_023 Nikoi_SGB_025 Nikoi_SGB_028 Nikoi_SGB_030 Nikoi_SGB_033

How did the two of you meet?

Joy: We met through a friend who brought me along for a lunch date with his classmates.

When did you realise that this was the person you wanted to marry?

Ben: During our second year together, I felt that she was my soul mate and lifelong partner, thus I took the plunge. To spend the rest of our lives together!

Nikoi_SGB_036 Nikoi_SGB_038 Nikoi_SGB_039 Nikoi_SGB_040 Nikoi_SGB_041 Nikoi_SGB_042 Nikoi_SGB_043 Nikoi_SGB_044 Nikoi_SGB_045 Nikoi_SGB_046 Nikoi_SGB_047 Nikoi_SGB_048 Nikoi_SGB_049 Nikoi_SGB_050 Nikoi_SGB_051 Nikoi_SGB_053 Nikoi_SGB_054

How did Ben propose?

Joy: At a romantic beach resort in Tioman. It was very simple really. Not much fanfare. Just the two of us in a resort that we always like to visit now and then for a break away from the city life.

What inspired you to hold a destination wedding?

Ben: When I was younger, I always thought a beach wedding would be romantic. Feeling sea breeze in our hair and sand between our toes, and most importantly, having a casual and fun wedding, are the inspiration. It really helps that the two of us enjoy beach vacations too.

Nikoi_SGB_057 Nikoi_SGB_058 Nikoi_SGB_059 Nikoi_SGB_060 Nikoi_SGB_062 Nikoi_SGB_063 Nikoi_SGB_064 Nikoi_SGB_066 Nikoi_SGB_067 Nikoi_SGB_068 Nikoi_SGB_069 Nikoi_SGB_071 Nikoi_SGB_075 Nikoi_SGB_076 Nikoi_SGB_077 Nikoi_SGB_078 Nikoi_SGB_079 Nikoi_SGB_081 Nikoi_SGB_083 Nikoi_SGB_084 Nikoi_SGB_086 Nikoi_SGB_088 Nikoi_SGB_095 Nikoi_SGB_097 Nikoi_SGB_102 Nikoi_SGB_103 Nikoi_SGB_105 Nikoi_SGB_106 Nikoi_SGB_111 Nikoi_SGB_112 Nikoi_SGB_113 Nikoi_SGB_116 Nikoi_SGB_117 Nikoi_SGB_121 Nikoi_SGB_123 Nikoi_SGB_124

Tell us about your wedding. How did you decide on a steampunk theme?

Joy: We toyed around with lots of ideas. We wanted the theme to represent who we are, so we mulled over what we both liked. We both love the beach, so we briefly considered a nautical theme. Ben and I both love the colour black, so we thought of having the colours black and red for the wedding. However, that wouldn’t really go with a nautical theme. Also, I’ve always liked the fashion of the ladies in the Victorian era. So I wanted our theme to encompass all that, and Victorian fashion to fit in somehow. After looking through many sources, we settled on the steampunk theme. Ben absolutely loved the idea because he used to grow up listening to punk rock bands like Panic! at the Disco, The Used, and Chiodos. It pretty much was also a reflection of his personality—loud and quirky.

It wasn’t easy looking for a wedding dress that looked steampunk, and the decent bridal boutiques easily quoted upwards of 4k for a tailored dress. In the end, I did some research and settled on a home-based tailor who specialises in providing affordable tailored dresses to brides. So, we showed her some really cool ideas from Etsy and tried looking for materials in Singapore that could fit my steampunk wedding dress. It turned out pretty well and we were both satisfied with what she produced. As for Ben’s look, I bought his top hat whilst on holiday in Hong Kong, and we ordered his steampunk goggles from Etsy to fit on the top hat. I personally sewed his armbands to fit around his white shirt. It wasn’t hard to look for a simple classic black vest. To top it all off, we bought some cool-looking vintage buttons from Chinatown to sew unto his vest as well.

Nikoi_SGB_126 Nikoi_SGB_127 Nikoi_SGB_128 Nikoi_SGB_129 Nikoi_SGB_130 Nikoi_SGB_132 Nikoi_SGB_133 Nikoi_SGB_134 Nikoi_SGB_135 Nikoi_SGB_136 Nikoi_SGB_137 Nikoi_SGB_138 Nikoi_SGB_139 Nikoi_SGB_141 Nikoi_SGB_142 Nikoi_SGB_143 Nikoi_SGB_144 Nikoi_SGB_145 Nikoi_SGB_146

Did you have a lot of fun on your wedding day?

Joy: For us, we had always hated the idea of a traditional Chinese wedding where many of the guests whom we were obliged to invite aren’t really people close to our hearts. We wanted a wedding where we could be truly happy and in a celebratory mood, and be able to spend time chatting and having fun with our friends and family. We didn’t want to be troubled over whom we hadn’t invited, who should sit at which table, what to do for the gate crash, or whom the emcee should be and what they had to say. Plus, we would not be able to sit for a proper dinner, having to flit from table to table just to take photos, and we’d be really exhausted at the end of it all. We just wanted to share a really intimate occasion and celebrate a major milestone of our lives with friends and family whom we really love, and whom we know are really happy to be present for the wedding.

We both love the beach and wanted to share this love and experience of just relaxing away from the buzz of the city life with our friends and family. We felt it was selfish and inappropriate to invite them to a destination wedding and make them pay for the expenses just because we wanted a beach wedding. As such, we paid for their food and accommodation throughout the three days and told them that we wanted them to come and just enjoy themselves, and treat it like a holiday on us. It really was a stretch on our budget. Ben had saved up for such a long time, and it was tough seeing our bank account emptying really quickly because of the wedding costs. However, throughout the three days, seeing our parents enjoy themselves tremendously, our friends relaxing and having a whale of a time, everyone we treasure smiling because they were happy and truly relaxed at the wedding, was such an experience that it was all worth it. There was absolutely no regret over emptying our savings for this event. It truly was a memorable moment.

Nikoi_SGB_147 Nikoi_SGB_148 Nikoi_SGB_149 Nikoi_SGB_150 Nikoi_SGB_151 Nikoi_SGB_152 Nikoi_SGB_153 Nikoi_SGB_154 Nikoi_SGB_156 Nikoi_SGB_157 Nikoi_SGB_158 Nikoi_SGB_159 Nikoi_SGB_160 Nikoi_SGB_161 Nikoi_SGB_162 Nikoi_SGB_163 Nikoi_SGB_165 Nikoi_SGB_166 Nikoi_SGB_167 Nikoi_SGB_168 Nikoi_SGB_169 Nikoi_SGB_170

What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?

Ben: Not doing anything. Serious. We had a great team in Rosette Design and Co, who worked tirelessly to make sure everything went smoothly, and an organised photographer, Daniel, who made the wedding shoot on the island a breeze. Walking down the “isle” on the beach during sunset was the icing on the cake.

Can you tell us the cost of your wedding, and the number of guests?

Joy: 26 guests, and we spent close to 35k.

Nikoi_SGB_171 Nikoi_SGB_172 Nikoi_SGB_174 Nikoi_SGB_175 Nikoi_SGB_177 Nikoi_SGB_178 Nikoi_SGB_179 Nikoi_SGB_181 Nikoi_SGB_182 Nikoi_SGB_183 Nikoi_SGB_184 Nikoi_SGB_187 Nikoi_SGB_189 Nikoi_SGB_190 Nikoi_SGB_191 Nikoi_SGB_193 Nikoi_SGB_194 Nikoi_SGB_195 Nikoi_SGB_196 Nikoi_SGB_197 Nikoi_SGB_198

The Gown: Vivian Gown
The Suit: White shirt from H&M // black berms from Zara // top hat from Hong Kong // steampunk goggles from Etsy // embellishments and black armbands from *scape flea market
The Engagement Ring: SK Jewelry
The Wedding Bands: Tiffany and Co.
The Venue: Nikoi Island
The Hairstylist: Haircut by Zona Felice
The Makeup Artist: Bride herself
The Caterer: Nikoi Island
The Florists: Rosette Designs and Co’s own supplier
The Event Stylist: Rosette Designs and Co.
The Wedding Planner: Rosette Designs and Co.
The Photographer: Daniel Beh Photography
The Invitations and Paper Goods: Rosette Designs and Co.
The Wedding Favours: Rosette Designs and Co.
The Solemniser: Derek Dunn

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!