Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
June 2018
Lowee and Shawn’s Cosy and Dreamy Botanical Themed Solemnisation at Grub at Bishan Park
We first met Lowee during a styled shoot last year and when we heard of her cosy and beautiful solemnisation at Grub, we couldn’t help but want to feature it!
Lowee, owner of and florist at Keira Floral, and her husband Shawn have known each other since they were in secondary school. Despite being best friends who sat next to each other in class, Lowee and Shawn never got together until their paths crossed again six years later. The young pair decided to celebrate their union in a cosy and relaxed affair at popular café Grub at Bishan Park with an intimate guestlist of immediate family and friends last June. Sneak a peek at their intimate solemnisation here.
How did the two of you meet?
We met in secondary school and were in the same class during Secondary Three and Four. When we were in Secondary Four, our form teacher assigned us to sit next to each other because Shawn’s seating partner was too chatty with him. Prior to this, we had never interacted much with each other in class so it was pretty awkward. For Shawn, it was his first time sitting with a girl. We became best friends that year and for the following five years before we got together with each other. We had our own relationships, took different life paths, only to loop back in life to be with each other.
What drew you to each other?
Lowee: When we were 16, Shawn was my eye candy! I remember stealing glances at him in class, so much so that I could even remember the day he came into class with his new braces, how he didn’t dare to laugh much wearing those. He was an athletic and quiet guy whom I didn’t know why I find charming (I was just a nerdy hardworking girl last time).
Shawn: She was the kind of girl whom parents would like as she was warm-hearted, filial and loving. It just suddenly dawned on me one day when we went out, like: “Hey, she’s the one I’ve been looking for.” It was a make or break thing, considering we were best of friends and we could lose it all if we didn’t work out. That leap of faith was the best thing that has happened to me.
What do you love most about your partner?
Lowee: Shawn is a genuine guy who is very sincere in loving. He is down-to-earth, knows me inside out, and despite my shortcomings, puts in effort and takes good care of me!
Shawn: She is an optimistic person who never fails to put a smile on my face even when times get rough. She always encourages and supports me in ways she can.
What was the proposal like?
Lowee: We were in Jeju Island, Korea, for a holiday and it was my birthday. We woke up around 4am, wanting to get to Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak to catch the sunrise. We drove 1.5 hours in total darkness before dawn, hiked up Seongsan Ilchulbong’s peak in our half-awake state and sat down watching the ocean, waiting for the sunrise. When the first rays of sunlight hit the horizon, Shawn wished me happy birthday to me and asked me to close my eyes so that he could give me a birthday kiss. When the birthday kiss took too long to come, I opened my eyes and saw him holding a ring. He whispered “Marry me?”.
What was planning for your solemnisation like? Did you face any challenges during your planning?
We split our solemnisation and banquet into two occasions so we wanted the solemnisation to be a really small and intimate event. We thought a café would be good enough and started searching for one that we could feel was right for us. We invited our immediate family members and best friends and gave them a treat to thank them for their support and love.
We didn’t have many challenges during our planning as we were quite chill about things. We started planning about six or seven months in advance and that was more than enough time for us since it was going to be just a small affair.
Was there a reason for picking Grub at Bishan Park as your venue?
Since we were going to have our banquet in a year’s time, we didn’t want to spend too much on our solemnisation. Grub’s menu and cost per guest were very reasonable, considering that their quality of food was really decent. We tried their main dishes beforehand and loved the warm ambience there. We wanted a venue that would allow us to use their entire indoor space and one that would be able to serve our guests their individual mains. So, we skipped cafes that could only do buffets.
Did you have a theme/look for your solemnisation?
We wanted a more botanical theme with just greens with whites. Therefore, our e-invite and macaron door gifts were put together along the leafy theme. We were worried about not having enough time to decorate the café so we used dried eucalyptus and cotton ball plants to spruce up the dining tables. These could be prepared beforehand and didn’t require water. Our bridal bouquet had rusty orange roses in it which wasn’t very botanical in theme but when we saw them at the flower market, we just had to get those. We also wrote each of our guests a personalised thank-you mini card, which was calligraphed by Lowee’s best friend.
As a florist who has put together many bouquets for brides, what was it like putting together your own bridal bouquet? What flowers did you use and why?
It was a lot less stressful having to do my own bouquet as I could have it as wild-looking as I wanted and I was okay with random scrapes of foliage (found in my shop) being in my bouquet!
Share with us the day of your solemnisation. What was it like and how were you feeling?
Lowee: I had forgotten to bring half of the decoration materials to the venue and I remember being hot and hungry! But deep inside I was very thankful to marry my best friend. I couldn’t believe that the sleepy guy sitting next to me in class a decade ago, whom I never imagined I would marry, is now my husband.
Shawn: It was a really intimate affair with just our family and closest friends. I remember being really nervous when I spoke my vows but my focus was all on her when she read her vows to me.
What did your parents/family/friends have to say about your solemnisation?
They felt that it was quaint and cosy as we kept the event small and simple.
What was the most memorable moment of that day?
Lowee: The moment Shawn squeezed my hand when he was reciting his vows to me. We wrote our own vows and didn’t know what each other was going to say beforehand. I remember feeling quite nervous saying my vows to him in front of our loved ones. Additionally, when we were giving our thank-you speech, we thanked my younger sister and mom for all the hard work they put in baking our macaron door gifts. I remember seeing them tearing.
Shawn: It was when we were exchanging our vows. It was how every word and sentence we vowed strayed away from the cliché of eternal love and focused more on our daily interactions with each other. I always believed that there shouldn’t be a difference on how you treat your partner before and after marriage.
What is one lesson you’ve learned from your solemnisation planning that you’d like to share with other couples?
If you are holding your solemnisation at a café or venue that does not usually host personal events, do double check if they are able to provide you with audio systems. We forgot to check with our venue and on the day of our solemnisation, when we were exchanging our promises, we were too soft to be heard for the guests that were seated behind.
As an experienced florist, do you have any advice to offer brides when it comes to choosing a wedding florist, selecting the kind of flowers or what’s trending for wedding bouquets?
Try to enquire early if you have a wedding florist you really like to avoid disappointment if your florist has already been booked and may not be able to accommodate your request. Try to understand if your florist may not be able to guarantee you what flowers he or she is going to use because flowers are so seasonal and what comes in every day at the flower markets differ depending on external factors that they cannot control e.g. suppliers’ liaison with flower farms, shipment delays etc. If you’ve seen their works before and like what they have done thus far, have faith that they would do their best for you.
The Size of Solemnisation: 40 guests
Cost of Solemnisation: Approximately $5,500
The Venue: Grub at Bishan Park
The Photographer: Fiona from Smittenpixels Photography
The Wedding Gown: BHLDN
The Wedding Shoes: Clarks
The Groom’s Suit: Dorcas Stitch
The Groom’s Shoes: Pedro
The Wedding Bands: Goldheart Jewellery
The Hair and Makeup Artist: Christine Chia Make Up, Crystal Er Makeup (for family)
The Florist: Keira Floral
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: DIY via Creative Market
The Wedding Favours: Macarons baked and packed by Lowee’s sister
The Solemniser: Dr. Kee
Wedding Resource: SingaporeBrides
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