Singaporebrides | Photography
January 2019
Aliya and Yuji’s Merry Vintage Glam Wedding at The Clifford Pier, The Fullerton Bay Hotel
Aliya and Yuji’s elegant and beautiful wedding at The Clifford Pier is bound to set your hearts aflutter.
Aliya and Yuji first met at a festival in Australia five years ago, but it would be another two years before the pair met again, this time in Singapore, and it took a third meeting before they got close. Fate obviously was determined to keep them together because today, the young lovebirds are happily married. Here’s a sneak peek at their beautiful vintage glam themed wedding at The Clifford Pier at The Fullerton Bay Hotel!
How did the two of you meet?
Yuji: We were both in Sydney, Australia in 2013 – at a festival called Singapore Day. The organizers flew Aliya out to Sydney to perform while she was living in Perth, and I was from Singapore performing as well. We met backstage while Aliya was warming up before her performance. We chatted very briefly in the glorious summer sunshine (ridiculously scorching Aussie heat). I guess I was, at that point, smitten.
We then went on to live our own separate lives for the next two years without a mere thought of each other, and then we bumped into each other at a New Year’s Eve party when she was back in Singapore for a holiday. Although the rest of the night seemed like a hazy mystery, I do recall remembering her name. I saw her for a third time when we hung out before she returned home to Perth. She admitted that she couldn’t stand me when we first met, but I guess our third meeting changed her mind, and I wrote to her every day. It took a month for me to get her number!
Aliya: Yuji would find every and any reason to make contact with me. I was back home, in the preliminary stages of my Masters degree in of Performing Arts but barely two months in, I made the crazy decision to leave school and move to Singapore to be with him, giving my parents, my educators and my closest friends in Perth all sorts of excuses. The rest, as they say, is history.
What drew you to each other?
Aliya: Yuji barely spoke a word to me at the New Year’s Eve party, a marked change from the boy I had met who rattled on years before; I found his shyness rather charming. I don’t think he realised but I knew that he was hovering over me the entire night. He was just different from the seemingly over-confident guys I’m used to being around, having gone to drama school. He got me a cab and waited until it arrived, topping off the night (morning) with a message checking if I’d made it home safely. I would be lying if I said I did not find his concern adorable.
Yuji: She was just completely different from everyone else present that night, or in my life till that point. I knew I had to have her. When we met sometime the same week, we were hanging out in a music studio and getting to know each other while bouncing songs off each other at the piano and when she sang the theme from the musical “Once”, I fell in love. The Beatles told me once, that I “Got to get you into my life”, and so I did.
What do you love about your partner?
Aliya: I don’t tell him this enough but I think he’s a beautiful soul. He is the most gentle and caring man I’ve ever met and what’s not to love about a man who takes pride in his appearance. His craziness is on par with mine so we just get each other, I guess.
Yuji: She is just so absolutely fun, incredibly real and her wit is a force to be reckoned with. Couple that with her beauty and she had me sold.
What was the proposal like?
Yuji: It was a very personal affair for just the two of us. We had a perfect evening at the Halia in Botanic Gardens, we took a walk, and I got down on one knee with the ring to pop the question. I think it was a success…
Aliya: We got married, so yes it was!
Share with us what your wedding planning was like.
Yuji: We’d signed the papers and had a homely ceremony in January, in Perth Hills where Aliya lives. The plan all along was to follow that up with a civil ceremony and reception in Singapore two months later. It did not take long to put the entire thing together – we secured the venue just a few months before and everything pieced together nicely.
Aliya: Here’s a fun fact: My parents were having tea at The Clifford Pier when they were on holiday here, and my dad apparently exclaimed, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a wedding here?” And then as fate would have it, two years later, we got married here. It’s a good thing we all have similar tastes!
Yuji: Luck played a big part in our wedding planning too! It also helped that we knew exactly what we wanted so the idea of hiring a wedding planner never crossed our minds. We would like to give Paul, the director of events at the Fullerton Bay Hotel a special mention – he was very accommodating so we were practically worry-free from the start. We did, however, find it a little financially challenging to include add-ons without exceeding the tight budget we set ourselves. It was a good lesson in give and take and we very proudly managed to keep to it!
What was your wedding theme?
We like to keep things simple and classy so that’s exactly what we went for. There was no theme; just a British-colonial feel with a hint of vintage glamour for the evening. We chose rose gold, blush and champagne as our colour scheme which we thought looked sophisticated against the 1930’s brown and white backdrop. Invitation telegrams and postcards were sent out just like they were back in the day! We requested for a repertoire of Swing Era and Jazz Age standards to accompany dinner to add to the ambience. Aliya came up with the idea of packaging vintage cassettes as favours – it was a charming little way of us spreading music.
Take us back to your wedding day. What was the day like and how were you feeling?
As meticulously as we had planned the day out to be, there were a few delays beyond our control. Nonetheless, the night managed to run just like a dream. The music of the Summertimes Big Band was the driving force of the night. It set just the ambience that we wanted. Our bridal party did a fantastic job and we had so many friends come onboard to help us out. In the time we’ve been together, we have discovered who our real friends around us are – so naturally, we decided to keep it warm, intimate and celebrate with our families and the truly supportive people in our life. We were just so incredibly happy to share the night with these amazing people. What made the occasion so special was knowing the number of people who flew in – from Japan, from Perth and Sydney Australia, from Hong Kong, from the UK and from Malaysia and Indonesia.
What did your family/friends have to say about your wedding day?
The word “elegant” was overheard a lot at the end of the night. A guest told us it was “a great party!” She knows a thing or two about parties – so that was nice to know! People were impressed with the food. “It was glorious”, they said. From the photos that we received from Caline, it showed that everyone had a good time so let’s hope they did.
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?
The absolute highlight of the evening was performing an original composition of ours with the bridal party and some musician friends, backed by the big band. Our friends, Daniel, Rizal, Colin and Joel are well-respected musicians whom we’ve had the honour of recording with and it was so lovely of them to join us, and the big band. This was the first time performing the piece live, and with a full accompanying horn section – It was such a fantastic feeling, to be doing what we love with the people we love.
What is one lesson you’ve learnt from your wedding planning that you’d like to share with other couples?
It really is possible to put something decent together without breaking the bank. Planning and implementing does not take that long either. We put the whole affair together in a few short months, under budget, and we are rather proud of that.
The Venue: The Clifford Pier, The Fullerton Bay Hotel
The Wedding Photographer: Caline Ng Photography
The Wedding Videographer: Axel Serik
The Wedding Shoes: Zalora
The Groom’s Suit: Custom made
The Groom’s Shoes: ASOS
The Hair and Makeup Artist: Jolene Kong
The Engagement Ring and Wedding Bands: Goldheart (Engagement ring) and Glamira (Wedding Bands)
The Bridesmaid’s Dress: Zalora
The Groomsmen’s Suits: Groomsmen’s own & ties from The Tie Bar
The Caterer: The Fullerton Bay Hotel
The Wedding Florist: Sing See Soon
The Wedding Planner and Stylist: Bride and Groom
The Wedding Cake: Susucre
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: Conceptualised and designed by Aliya
The Wedding Favours: Vintage cassette tapes (spreading music the old fashioned way) and The Fullerton Bay Hotel mints
The Wedding Band: Summertimes Big Band and our musician friends
The Solemniser: Trevor Nerva
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