Singaporebrides | Fine Dining

April 2017

Deborah and Donavan’s Beautiful Navy and Gold Pan Pacific Singapore Wedding

Deborah and Donavan’s wedding day was the most joyful one of their lives. They celebrated love in a beautiful DIY-styled church wedding and a Pan Pacific Singapore wedding dinner where the party wouldn’t end.

Deborah, 27, Bank Analyst and Donavan, 28, Bank Analyst’s wedding was a poignant, joyful celebration. The beautiful couple said, “Yes!” to forever in a surprise proposal in the Maldives, and sealed their commitment on 23 April 2016 in a holy matrimony at Holy Grace Presbyterian Church that they styled themselves. At their dinner banquet, their Pan Pacific Singapore wedding had so much fun that the party couldn’t stop!

How did the two of you meet?

Deborah: We met on an overseas summer internship in New York City during our university days. He was interning along Wall Street, while I was in Midtown Manhattan. A group of us interns lived at NYU so we had lots of opportunities to speak to each other and hang out!

What drew you to each other?

Donavan: When I first met her, I felt that she was really friendly and nice. Getting to know her better made me also realise that she was really mysterious and interesting. I love that she is affectionate and really loving.

Deborah: I didn’t actually notice him at all during the orientation, but some time later on in the programme. As I got to know him better as a friend, I liked that he was really easygoing, down-to-earth, and frank. He was also really passionate about all sports, which I thought was really cool. I love that his presence comforts me and he never fails to make me laugh.

What was the proposal like?

Deborah: Donavan proposed to me on a trip to Maldives with a group of friends. He managed to make me believe that it was a birthday surprise for one of them. Upon touchdown, all of us adjourned to the bar area and for some workouts. I was wondering later on closer to sunset why everyone seemed to be in a rush to head back to the villa.

He tried to stall me by getting me to complete the breakfast orders for the following morning, without knowing that I had already completed them earlier. That was when I stumbled upon the set up. He had made a really simple and sweet video about how he felt about me, but of course being a funny guy, he had to inject some jokes midway. I was still in shock and that was the point when he got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. I remember laughing, crying, and smiling at the same time. It was such an odd yet blissful feeling.

Did you have a wedding theme?

Deborah: We toyed around with many themes, such as The Great Gatsby, Red Blue White, and NYC, but we felt that while they would tell our story, none of them was exactly what represented us. We stuck to some of our favourite colors—navy blue, white, and gold, and they somehow became our theme colours. We wanted something that represented two distinct people coming together.

Donavan: Deborah surfed Pinterest a lot, so she had lots of whacky ideas but ultimately decided on mostly the safest and traditional things—for example, she originally intended to have an aisle runner that was completely calligraphed, but realised that she still preferred a red aisle runner for the church ceremony. We are really quite in favour of conventional things with a touch of our own personalities!

We assembled all of the set ups for the church wedding. We had a feature wall with crates, flowers, ferns, and our pictures on Level 1 along with the registration table. Most of the items were individually sourced by Deborah with the help of her friends too!

How did you plan for it?

Deborah: We kept within the budget we had allotted to the wedding with no regrets. Of course, the cost went up a little here and there with certain choices we made later on, but we made some adjustments along the way. I have to thank my husband for being the very meticulous one. He has a spreadsheet for every project we undertake as a couple!

What was your wedding day like?

Donavan: The wedding day was amazing from the start to the end. There were no hiccups, and it was so well managed by the bridesmaids and groomsmen. We didn’t have to lift a finger at all! I really did enjoy myself.

Deborah: It was hectic but it was really the most joyful day I’ve had. I remember laughing so much the entire day and enjoying the company of family and friends. I really have to appreciate the bridal party for making it all so seamless. The guests really did enjoy themselves and we still had so many friends in the banquet hall past 10.30pm such that we eventually had to adjourn for an after party! I was so exhausted but it was great fun!

What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?

Donavan: The most memorable part of the wedding was our first dance. It was a very intimate moment between the two of us. We got the live band to give their jazz rendition of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love”—because that’s how we felt about each other!

Deborah: I loved the church ceremony, particularly the vows taking. I had told Donavan that the actual matrimony means the most to me so I would naturally place the most emphasis on the events in the morning. I will always remember walking down the aisle with my father into his arms. The smile on his face as he saw me walk in and the moments where I recited my vows with conviction and of course, tears.

The Size of the Wedding: 300 guests for church ceremony // 400 guests for wedding dinner
The Gown: Digio Bridal // Truly Zac Posen
The Bride’s Shoes: Valentino
The Suit: Newman Exclusive
The Engagement Ring: Blue Nile
The Wedding Bands: Jann Paul
The Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bridesmaids’ own
The Groomsmen’s Suits: Newman Exclusive
The Venue: Holy Grace Presbyterian Church // Pan Pacific Singapore // Bang Bang
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Mily Looi from Digio Bridal
The Caterer: Lavish Dine
The Florist: Green Point Flowers
The Pre-Wedding Photographer: Digio Bridal
The Wedding Photographer: The Analog Co.
The Videographer: The Analog Co.
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: The Cat Carousel
The Band: Shili and Adi from Merry Bees Live Music


Credits: Images by The Analog Co.

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Deborah and Donavan’s Beautiful Navy and Gold Pan Pacific Singapore Wedding