Singaporebrides | Fashion

May 2017

Shaotong and Abel’s Intimate Faber Peak Wedding

Primary school classmates Shaotong and Abel tied the knot in an intimate Faber Peak wedding, which they styled themselves!

Shaotong and Abel, both in Investment Banking operations, have known each other since primary school. Social media reconnected them three years ago, and the couple celebrated their third anniversary by DIY-ing their intimate Faber Peak wedding on 11 December 2016. Dressed in Dang Bridal, Shaotong and Abel celebrated with a garden ceremony and a small and cosy dinner at Spuds and Aprons with less than 50 guests, so that they could spend quality time appreciating their closest family and friends.

How did the two of you meet?

Abel: We were primary school classmates. I moved up two classes into her class during Primary 6 after doing well for my Primary 5 examinations. I would like to think we met before that because we were in the same school for six years, but I don’t remember ever speaking to her prior to being classmates.

Shaotong: I don’t remember noticing him before we were classmates as well but we became close friends pretty quickly and hung out more during our secondary school days – partly because he stayed a couple blocks away from my best friend in primary school. We drifted apart after because of other commitments but we would always remember to wish each other happy birthday without fail every year. The LINE app reconnected us about three years ago when he took the initiative to chat me up with all the funky stickers in the app.

What drew you to each other?

Abel: Our personalities clicked every time we met. There was never a sense of awkwardness between us; even after not speaking to each other in years, we were immediately comfortable when we met up after reconnecting on LINE. I love her laughter and how she finds the random things I say or do funny.

Shaotong: We have the same sense of humour and think alike on most matters. We often end up saying the same things at the same time, which still cracks me up till date. Abel is an incredibly patient partner and he is always optimistic about all situations, which really helps calm me down because I get stressed out when things don’t go accordingly to plan.

What was the proposal like?

Abel: She saw it coming. We bought a resale flat early 2016 and had to be wedded before year end, so there wasn’t much leeway for a surprise proposal, especially with the wedding planning keeping us busy. I kept the proposal simple–we went back to the breakwater where we first got together and I proposed there.

Shaotong: It was pretty obvious because he tried to convince me to go on a “date” after we arrived back in Singapore from a very long day trip to Johor Bahru, which was totally unlike him (I am usually the one who suggests going on date nights). Although it was nothing fancy, the proposal was sincere and genuine, involving just the two of us–just how I’d have liked it.

What was your wedding preparation like?

Abel: We were going for a garden/rustic theme. We decided against hiring a wedding planner due to the hefty price tag and did most of the set ups ourselves, with the help of our families. This includes purchasing the carpet grass and flower petals, setting up the dessert table, crafting our own signage, laying out table runners, etc.

Shaotong: We sourced for inspiration on Pinterest and shopped online a lot for the props that we required. We were very hands-on for the entire wedding preparation process, and we even took our pre-wedding photos ourselves (which turned out pretty good I must say)! Having a DIY wedding involved a lot of time and effort but it was a very memorable experience for us. It helped us communicate better, as we had to put aside a lot of time for the planning and stay organised to ensure nothing was forgotten. Plus, it helped that our families were very supportive, even when they had to fluff up the pompoms layer by layer through the night.

Shaotong: My gown selection process at Dang Bridal was actually quite a breeze because Dang had such an amazing selection of gowns. While the place is cosier than many other wedding boutiques, the gowns at Dang were all uniquely designed, and of superb material and fit, which were key to me. Most importantly, she understood exactly the type of dresses I was after and made great recommendations. I was able to make my decision pretty quickly because of her assistance and ended up opting for a mermaid cut with lace applique all over, paired with a long veil with lace applique at the edges that would trail behind me as I walked down the aisle.

Abel: I had my suit tailored made at Dang’s. It was a fuss-free process and I really appreciated that Dang was flexible with altering the suit per my request, even after the supposed final fitting was done.

What was your wedding day like?

Abel: Our Faber Peak wedding was small and cosy, with only 46 guests as we wanted to only invite guests we could be ourselves around. I think that most weddings have far too many people and the wedding couple doesn’t get to spend proper time with each of the guests. Because we had a smaller scale wedding, we had time to enjoy each other’s company, accede to all the photo requests by our friends, and most importantly, enjoy the wedding food! We celebrated at Spuds and Aprons, where we opted out of the standard offering and requested for specific dishes.

Shaotong: Our wedding day was very comfortable for us and our guests as most of the people knew one another. No doubt it was stressful at the beginning given that we were our own wedding planners, but everything fell into place once the ceremony started. I think that is the best part of having an intimate wedding – you can really be yourself and do away with the formalities like making small talk, etc. All our guests have played important roles in our lives and we were glad we could spend a good amount of time with them to show our appreciation for them celebrating this milestone with us.

What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?

Abel: When she said her vows—clichéd but true.

Shaotong: Likewise for me. I was pretty confident that I wouldn’t tear up because I kind of expected what his speech was going to be like, but still, I did. All in all, the entire process, from the wedding preparation to the actual day, makes beautiful memories that we will always hold dearly.

The Size of the Wedding: 48 guests
The Cost of the Wedding: Approximately $15,000
The Venue: Faber Peak
The Gown: Dang Bridal
The Bride’s Shoes: Pretty Fit
The Suit: Dang Bridal
The Groom’s Shoes: Hush Puppies
The Engagement Ring: Michael Trio
The Wedding Bands: Michael Trio for Shaotong // Etsy for Abel who wanted a titanium ring
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Kelly Lau, part of wedding package with Dang Bridal
The Wedding Cake: Cupplets
The Wedding Photographer: Terry Ng from One Eye Click Photography
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: Pine on Paper
The Solemniser: Mr Tham Chee Wah


Credits: Images by One Eye Click Photography.

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Shaotong and Abel’s Intimate Faber Peak Wedding