Singaporebrides | Real Weddings

May 2019

Nisa and Shaun’s Fairytale Solemnisation at Lakehouse@Orto and Wedding at Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy

By Tansey Tang

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Nisa and Shaun tied the knot in a fairytale solemnisation at Lakehouse@Orto and a fairylit, Tangled-inspired wedding at Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy!

Nisa Lorenzo Phang, 26, Teacher, and Shaun Haris Lorenzo Phang, 27, Military, have been on again and off again for 13 years, but she always knew that he was The One. The interracial, interfaith couple finally decided not to let race and religion get between them, and braved obstacles and a long-distance relationship to tie the knot in two beautiful celebrations, a solemnisation at The Lakehouse@ORTO on 18 November 2018, and a fairylit, Tangled-themed wedding lunch at Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy on 25 November 2018.

How did you meet?

Nisa: We met way back in 2005. I was in secondary 1, and I joined the school band. Being a year older than me, Shaun was my senior in the flute section. As a clarinetist, I sat quite close to him during rehearsals; however we did not really talk much to each other until 2006.

Since then, I’m not sure how to explain it but I’ve always known that Shaun was the one for me. In these 13 years we have had a lot of “breaks”–we were together, and then we were not, and then we were dating again. Us being an interracial and interfaith couple did not make it any easier. But in all honesty, during our “breaks” when I tried seeing other people, I was always, always comparing them to Shaun. And believe it or not, I did not even hold hands with any other guy (even those I dated) because I was “keeping myself for Shaun”! Haha. Shaun really stole my heart and never gave it back to me.

It was in February 2014 that we decided, “Let’s not let external factors like race and religion get in between us.” So we got together again; and while this news was not well received by many, we stuck together through the obstacles that life threw us. As a matter of fact, we had to keep our relationship a secret for quite a bit in order to stay together.

In 2014 itself, we also had to go through two years of long-distance as Shaun was deployed to USA by his workforce. At that point of time it really felt like the whole universe was against us; as if going through the obstacles of being an interracial couple wasn’t enough, we had to be in an long-distance relationship! And gosh long-distance relationships are tough! But it was through those difficult times that our love for each other was affirmed more than ever.

What was the proposal like?

Nisa: It was 11 February 2018, the weekend before Valentine’s Day. As always on Valentine’s Day Shaun brought me out on a date, so I did not really suspect much. He brought me on a private cable car dining experience. Everything about the date was perfect. Right before he got down on one knee, he turned on the song “All I Ask Of You” from Phantom of the Opera (this song was quite significant to us as we used to perform it together in the school band). Next thing I knew, he was asking me to spend the rest of my life with him. I said yes of course!

How did you create your wedding?

Nisa: When we decided to get married I already had a vision in mind of the kind of wedding I wanted. Given that we would need both a Malay and Chinese reception to appease both sides, I knew I would have to source for vendors that can give what I want without burning a huge hole in my pocket. I designed my own wedding invites in line with my wedding theme, had it printed by Vistaprint, and sealed my invites with a wax seal for a personal touch. We decided to engage Signature x Love Story Wedding Boutique for the convenience of having both Malay and Chinese wedding outfits to choose from.

Nisa: I always pictured myself getting solemnised in an outdoor setting. But since it was the monsoon period during my solemnisation, it was not exactly feasible. So I looked at indoor venues that can still give me an outdoor “feel”–hence our decision on The Lakehouse @ ORTO. I decided I wanted a fairytale garden theme, with pastel flowers all over. I loved the end result–the setting at the Lakehouse was everything I imagined and more! It was the setting I had dreamed of for my fairytale wedding. We were unable to book a community club on our solemnisation date and had to resort to having our Malay reception with 900 guests at our void deck. However our vendor–Sweetz Creation–did a marvellous job in decorating the venue. It was garden-themed with a touch of oriental vases to represent Shaun’s culture.

Tell us about your wedding lunch celebrations.

We decided on Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy for our wedding lunch on 25 November 2018 because the rates were reasonable, and more importantly the service we received during the showcase we went for was great. Shan, our wedding coordinator was incredibly helpful from the time we signed our contract till the end of our wedding lunch.

Going along with my fairytale theme, this time I wanted fairy lights and LED balloons around the ballroom to evoke one of my favourite Disney movies, Tangled. I decided to engage one of the hotel’s decor vendors partners–Sentimentals. Juliana, the main contact for Sentimentals, was flexible and willing to work with me on the decor I had in mind! I topped up for the overhead fairylights across the ballroom.

To save cost, I also purchased LED balloons online and had my groomsmen and bridesmaids to help me inflate and set them up across the ballroom to achieve the Tangled atmosphere. Needless to say, I was really happy with the decor and set up when I saw it the morning of my wedding lunch. It was exactly how I pictured it! The string quartet I engaged–Fetemusician’s–also helped to enhance the fairytale atmosphere of my wedding.

Shan and the floor manager, Muhaimin, did a great job liaising with my bridesmaids and groomsmen in running the programme. Not forgetting my emcee, Mr Annuar Baharom, who ensured that the whole wedding was entertaining and helped us carry out our games during the wedding.

Also, I have to say that the food was fantastic. All our guests loved it! They said it was one of the best they have tasted. Overall I am just really glad I picked Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy for my wedding lunch venue. Thank you Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy for working with us in making our wedding so memorable and special!

I would also like to give a special mention to two of the best vendors I have worked with for my wedding. Colossal Weddings took incredible shots for us. We are quite shy but they made it comfortable for us throughout the event! And AIDU weddings–the best cinematographers I could ask for. Thank you so much AIDU Weddings for going above and beyond to capture important moments in our weddings! The video is amazing–it is exactly what we wanted and more.

What were your wedding days like?

Nisa: It was like a dream come true for me! I had waited for this day since I was 14 haha. Both Shaun and I are just so overwhelmed by the love and support from so many people on both our weddings days. It was an emotional wedding lunch towards the end as many who came for the 25th knew our long and tough journey as a couple. Many of our friends cried during our speech apparently. We are really grateful for all the support and love; to us our wedding was perfect. We are still reminiscing our weddings!

What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?

Nisa: I would say the most memorable moments would be all the walk-ins, as well as the speech component during our wedding lunch.

The Size of the Wedding: 80 guests at The Lakehouse @ ORTO // 900 guests for Malay reception // 180 guests at Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy
The Venue: The Lakehouse @ ORTO // Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy
The Wedding Day Photographer: Colossal Weddings for 18 November 2018 // Cang Ai Bridal for 25 November 2018
The Gown: Signature Bridal x Love Story Wedding
The Bride’s Shoes: Grace Gifts Belle Heels and Aurora Heart Shaped Heels
The Suit: Benjamin Barker
The Groom’s Shoes: Walking Tall Shoes
The Engagement Ring: Lee Hwa Jewellery
The Wedding Bands: Ling Jewellery (for groom) // Meyson and Lee Hwa Jewellery (for bride)
The Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Zalora
The Groomsmen’s Suits: Zalora
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Remy Mohamed and Remy Mohamed Styling Team from Signature Bridal
The Henna Artist: Inai by Rini
The Wedding Cake: Homesweetoven
The Florist: bloomsbypriss
The Pre-Wedding Photographer: Signature Bridal
The Videographer: AIDU Weddings
The Photobooth: OneTwoThreeSnap Studios
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: Vistaprint
The Band: Fetemusician
The Solemniser: Ustaz Zahid Zin
The Wedding Car Rental: Max from Maxheadroom on Carousell
The Wedding Resource: SingaporeBrides

Credits: Solemnisation and reception images by Colossal Weddings. Feature image by Colossal Weddings. Wedding lunch images by OneTwoThreeSnap Studios.

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