Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
July 2016
Charlene and Steven’s Garden Themed Wedding at PARKROYAL on Beach Road
Match-made by mutual friends, Charlene and Steven tied the knot in a beautiful garden themed wedding at PARKROYAL on Beach Road.
The plan to match-make Charlene Tham, 33, Accountant, and Steven Yeo, 38, Senior Sales Executive four years ago didn’t quite go as planned but that didn’t stop the fated pair from meeting. The pair of lovebirds hit off well during their first meeting on a double date with their mutual friends and found their chemistry increasing with each date they had. Fast forward to three years after they were officially introduced to each other, Charlene and Steven took the final step in their relationship and celebrated their nuptials on 15 November 2015 in a touching church ceremony at the captivating Church of Saint Francis Xavier and a garden themed wedding at PARKROYAL on Beach Road.
What was the proposal like?
Steven: 579 days, 13,879 hours and 832,740 minutes later (yes, I remembered our beginning right down to the minute Charlene agreed to being my girlfriend!), I decided to pop the question. But first, I had to find out her ring size. My mother was my accomplice – she tried her rings on Charlene’s fingers so I could take the ring in her size to the jeweller’s.
I decided to pop the question on 7 December because that is the month of Christmas and it was also our 1-year-7-month anniversary. When the numbers “1” and “7” are pronounced together in Mandarin, it sounds like the word “together”. Surely, a date such as that would be an auspicious day to propose. So, on 7 December, I lured Charlene to Gardens by The Bay with the ruse of counting down to our anniversary. Shortly before midnight, we settled down at a nice, quiet spot and took out the gift I had been holding on to. It was a His and Hers red lip moustache novelty tea cup set for two that we had seen months ago but hesitated to buy. At the stroke of midnight, I poured the ring that was hidden within the tea set out and went down on one knee.
I can’t describe how nervous and tongue-tied I felt the moments leading up to the proposal and while waiting for her reply! She said “Yes”, of course, and the ring was a perfect fit!
Tell us about your wedding planning. How was it like? Did you meet with any challenges along the way?
Although there were endless details to take care of during our wedding planning, it was a truly remarkable experience that we enjoyed. First up was to search for a solemnisation venue and a hotel for our banquet dinner and we found the beautiful stained glass windows of the main worship space at Church of Saint Francis Xavier perfect for our needs. As for our banquet dinner, we decided on a garden wedding at PARKROYAL on Beach Road.
We also had to prepare our church wedding booklet by picking out the readings and hymns for the ceremony and planning the sequence of the church service for the church coordinator and priest to approve. But the biggest headache of all was planning our guests’ seating arrangement! All in all, it was an exciting year for us.
How was the actual day like? Did things run smoothly? How were you feeling?
It was a terrific day! Everything was executed to perfection and went according to plan with no major hiccups. The day started out with the gatecrash at Charlene’s place and my groomsmen and I had to go through several tasks including dancing along to a Chinese song in full view of the residents at her block and dunking my feet into a bucket of ice.
The highlight of our wedding day was without doubt the church ceremony. After months of preparation and a rehearsal, this was that big moment we had been waiting for. Standing at the altar with everyone looking at me made me very emotional and nervous but I kept it together by keeping my eyes on my bride. Everything went without a hitch and it was a beautiful ceremony from start to finish.
We barely had time to settle down before our banquet as it was straight to hair and makeup for Charlene while I checked on our wedding décor and entertainment, and ran through the night’s program with our emcee upon our arrival at the hotel. After that, there was nothing left for us to do save to enjoy the night and share the joy of our nuptials with our family and friends.
What did your family and friends have to say about your wedding?
They loved it! They complimented us on how beautiful the church and our ceremony was and how delicious the food at PARKROYAL on Beach Road was. They also thoroughly enjoyed our concept video by Moving Pics – we peeped into the ballroom and saw them laughing away hysterically!
Were there any particular moments during your wedding that were especially memorable or special to you?
It was the moment we recited our vows to each other. We often hear wedding vows at weddings, but it never quite sinks in just how serious a commitment is or how exciting it is to say and make that promise to the person you care for so much.
Size of Wedding: 220 guests (Church); 300 guests (Banquet dinner)
Cost of Wedding: Approximately $60,000
The Venue: Church of Saint Francis Xavier; PARKROYAL on Beach Road
The Wedding Gown: Digio Bridal
The Wedding Shoes: Desiree
The Groom’s Suit: Digio Bridal
The Groom’s Shoes: Groom’s own
The Wedding Bands: Love & Co.
The Hair and Makeup: Digio Bridal
The Wedding Stylist: Digio Bridal
The Photographer: Touch Studios
Videographer: Moving Pics
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