Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
April 2017
Qiuyun and Will’s Whimsical and Timeless Wedding at CHIJMES Hall Singapore
Qiuyun and Will chose to tie the knot at one of Singapore’s most recognised heritage buildings, CHIJMES Hall Singapore.
Love blossoms in the strangest place as Qiuyun and Will will tell you. The pair of lovebirds met while taking paragliding lessons in Hong Kong and their attraction to each other was inevitable as they journeyed back to the top of the hill in Sai Kung National Park after their flight. After a romantic proposal in Central Park, New York, the duo took their first steps towards matrimony at the heritage building, CHIJMES Hall Singapore, where they celebrated their love and marriage with their family and friends.
Tell us more about your proposal in New York.
Qiuyun: Will proposed in New York, a place where we both lived before we met and have a shared love for. It was wintertime and he had just arrived in the city a few hours after I did. At dusk, we walked to a place overlooking the Wollman ice skating rink in Central Park, where there weren’t a lot of people. I took out my camera to start taking photos, and actually captured a photo of him looking very pale right before he proposed, which I still find very funny. I wasn’t expecting a proposal at all even though we were in New York, because we had both been extremely busy at work and I was sure he didn’t have the time yet to shop for a ring. I loved that he surprised me in New York. I’ve always thought of New York as the most romantic city in the world.
What was your wedding planning like?
We didn’t want a long engagement, but it would have been challenging to plan a wedding in six months given both of our hectic work and travel schedules. One of the first things we did was to hire a wedding planner. Wenxin from The Wedding Stylist made us feel very comfortable about getting the planning done, and we really enjoyed working with her to bring our vision of the wedding to life.
Before I decided on a made-to-measure gown with Amanda Lee Weddings, I must have visited 10 different bridal boutiques and tried on over 50 wedding gowns. Eventually, I chose to go with Amanda Lee Weddings because I was confident that she was the only one who would be able to design a dress that would be uniquely suited to me. After trying on so many gowns, I had very specific ideas of what suited me and what didn’t, and the challenge was designing a gown that brought all those elements together. At the same time, I wanted something different yet classy and traditional, stunning yet easy to walk in. Amanda, talented, thoughtful, intricate and daring, managed to do just that, and I was pretty impressed.
What was your wedding day like?
It went by way too fast! We were extremely thankful to the Wedding Stylist team for running around inconspicuously and feverishly behind the scenes to make sure everything went according to plan. Even then, we were still a little stressed because everything is so hectic and there are so many people you want to talk to on the actual day itself. We simply can’t imagine how people manage without a planner! We both made a conscious effort to enjoy ourselves and to be in the moment, and to leave the worrying of keeping everything on track to the Wedding Stylist team.
Did your family and friends enjoy your wedding?
One of the best pieces of advice given to us about the wedding was that if the bride and groom were having a good time, the guests would end up having a merry and fun time too. So that’s what we did, and whilst initially we worried about not spending enough time with our friends and family, especially those who flew in for the wedding, it seemed that everyone had a very good time, and some even made new friends!
Share with us one memorable memory from your wedding day.
Near the end of the night, Will and several of his mates from New Zealand, together with our brothers, performed a haka, which is a traditional native New Zealand war dance. Our emcee, who is a Kiwi, explained the haka to the bemused and largely confused Singaporean crowd. Right after that, we then went on stage to pop the champagne and pour it down the glass fountain, followed by the traditional Yam Seng. Our other emcee, who is Singaporean, then explained to the bemused and largely confused Kiwi crowd what Yam Seng was. We remember that fondly because it really highlighted the cross-cultural union we were celebrating.
The Venue: CHIJMES Hall Singapore
The Size of Wedding: 130 Guests
The Photographer: Wilson from AndroidsinBoots
The Videographer: Yiqin from AndroidsinBoots
The Wedding Gown: Amanda Lee Weddings
The Cheongsam: Emanuel B. Couture
The Wedding Shoes: Jimmy Choo
The Groom’s Suit: Coloc The Tailor
The Groom’s Shoes: Aquila
The Wedding Bands: R&R Jewelers, New York
Hair and Makeup: Jyue Huey from The Make Up Room
The Wedding Florist: Someday Flowers (Bridal + Car Bouquet) / Hello Flowers (Aisle Flowers) / CC Lee (Table Centerpieces)
The Wedding Stylist: Wenxin from The Wedding Stylist
The Tiffany Chairs: Beautique Bridal & Co.
The Dessert Table: Susucre
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