Singaporebrides | Photography
March 2019
Monica and Tom’s Intimate Elopement in Naumi Hotel, Singapore
Monica and Tom haven’t stopped loving each other since the day they met when they were 14. These childhood lovebirds are so enamoured with each other, you can’t help smiling as you read about their very, and I mean, VERY, intimate wedding in Naumi Hotel Singapore!
Monica and Tom fell in love almost at first sight… when they were 14! Even though they were from two different continents, they spent every day together via love letters, social media, and trips overseas. They both realised they couldn’t wait to spend the rest of their lives together, so they decided on an elopement in Singapore, where they’ve made their new home. Imagine how surprised their friends were when they made the announcement! In a very quiet and private celebration all over Singapore, they checked in their suite at Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa, had a rooftop solemnisation at Naumi Hotel Singapore, and then had dinner at W Singapore Sentosa Cove.
Tell us the exciting details about how you two met!
Monica: I am from Texas and Tom is from the U.K. When we were both 14 years old, we met at a resort in Mexico when we were both on our respective family holidays. Tom clocked me in the hotel lobby while checking in, and I spotted him on a raft in the pool later that day thinking he was the most handsome person I’d ever seen. I decided to “accidentally” bump into him, discovered he had a British accent and the rest is history.
We had our first kiss, then hundredth kiss, on the beach later that night watching a thunderstorm roll in. I never let him forget it took him three, maybe four, hours to gather courage to make the first move. We had the 14-year-old equivalent of a whirlwind holiday romance, drinking what we believed to be genuine piña coladas (they were virgin), regularly sneaking off past curfew, and when the trip came to an end, promising to each other we would see each other again.
We kept in touch over the years, from writing love letters stating we’d marry each other one day, down to having a constant eye following each other’s respective lives on Facebook. When we were both 21, I was backpacking around Europe and we met up for one day in London, which ended with yet another teary goodbye. Thanks to the magic of social media, we got back in touch and decided to meet up for a week – inevitably resulting in many flight changes and ending in spending a month together catching up on the last decade of our lives. A few weeks after being together, the pathway was obvious. Within about three months, we’re thinking of eloping.
What was it that made you fall in love with each other?
Monica: Everything about him. It’s like God built me my perfect man. Tom was immediately my best friend from day one; meeting him felt like we should have been together all along. The way he pursues and loves me makes me want to be the best I can be every day. He makes every day a joy and worth jumping out of bed for.
Tom: Besides the constant realisation I have punched far above my weight, Monica has become my confidante and unconditional best friend. Falling in love was instantaneous. However what has developed over this first year of marriage is something we’ll continue to cherish for the rest of our lives.
What was the proposal like?/ What inspired you to hold a destination elopement in Singapore?
Monica: A few weeks into my first visit to Asia, we decided to catch our breaths and have a relaxing night after a few intense weeks of beautiful dates and exciting adventures. We were at a hole-in-the-wall ramen joint talking about what we wanted out of life, finding how similar we were, even having grown up on different sides of the world. Tom came out with the sentence “I just want to be married to you already” and I instinctively replied that I would have married him yesterday, which is when we got the idea to elope.
The funny thing is, he didn’t actually propose or ask me (I’m still waiting for him to ask!!). Neither of us cared about a ring, a big production or any stressful planning, and all we wanted was each other in an intimate setting without any distractions (with nice champagne of course). And what better place to start our life together but in our new home? We only told our immediate family and very close friends, so the elopement was a surprise for most people we knew. We loved how spontaneous and genuine the moment was and how the whole day was just about us―we wouldn’t change it for the world.
Did you have a theme of your wedding, and what was wedding planning like, from overseas?
Monica: We wanted a classy yet simple, fun tropical theme that went naturally with the venue. We chose to go with mainly white flowers (lots of orchids—my favourite!), lush greenery with “flamingo” or coral-coloured accents. We both wore ivory and our guests wore coral.
Planning was a breeze and completely stress-free, which is exactly what we wanted. Alvin from IrisWave did a beautiful job and made us feel comfortable. He was the perfect amount of engaging and invisible during our day. Manju from the Naumi Hotel was wonderful and took care of everything regarding the venue, so we had absolutely nothing to worry about. They both made us feel so special and comfortable, allowing us to just enjoy the moment.
Can you describe your wedding day?
Monica: The wedding day was magical and intimate, everything we both wanted in a wedding. We had said we wanted to spend every second of our day together, so we decided to forgo the traditional practices of not seeing each other until the wedding. We woke up together, met our moms at our favourite café together for breakfast, checked into our suite at the Sofitel Sentosa together, got dressed together, drove to the wedding together and walked down the aisle together to our song from when we were 14 (Honey and the Moon by Joseph Arthur from The OC soundtrack).
Since many people close to us were not present on the wedding day, a really cool element of the day was that we live-streamed the wedding on an app so our friends and family could watch live from all over the world and they were able chat in and be a part of the day, in a way.
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?
Monica: That surreal moment where we were officially presented as husband and wife. We both finally got what we had been wanting our entire lives. It was crazy to think that two lovestruck pre-teens were now Mr. and Mrs. Millington!
VENDOR CREDITS:
The Size of the Wedding: Five guests: Our mums and my auntie, and our two witnesses
The Venue: Naumi Hotel rooftop
The Wedding Day Photographer: Alvin Ang of IrisWave
The Gown: Vintage
The Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo, a wedding gift from the groom
The Suit: Custom-made
The Groom’s Shoes: Kurt Geiger
The Engagement Ring: Custom-made
The Wedding Bands: Custom-made out of the same metal to match
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Hair by Felix @ Blonde Boudoir
The Videographer: Alvin Ang of IrisWave
The Solemniser: Mdm Hsu Phillips
The Florists: Bride and our moms, we had a brunch the day before the wedding and did all the arrangements together
Credit: Images by IrisWave.
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