Singaporebrides | Photography
May 2016
Joy and Ben’s Steampunk Wedding on Nikoi Island
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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