Singaporebrides | Fine Dining
June 2019
Samantha and Dwayne’s Magical JW Marriott Wedding
Samantha and Dwayne tied the knot in a stunning JW Marriott wedding under the glittering Forest of Lights chandeliers, beautifully styled by the bride herself!
Samantha, 27, Regional Corporate Affairs in Banking, was the first and only person that Dwayne, 30, Banker, had ever added on Facebook, and they started talking there while he was overseas. The couple got together when Dwayne returned to Singapore, and discovered shared life goals and values. After a cancelled Airbnb dashed his original proposal plans, Dwayne popped the question on a rainy evening, and the couple tied the knot in a stunning JW Marriott Singapore South Beach wedding under the glittering Forest of Lights on 29 September 2018.
How did the two of you meet?
Samantha: We met in church when we were placed in the same life group. Since I was young, I have wanted to find my future husband in church, but never thought it would actually come true. God works in miraculous ways.
Dwayne added me on Facebook after we officially interacted with each other; he told me that I was the only person he has ever added on Facebook, and he would not be adding anyone else. We started talking more on Facebook because we had to plan for a church event. As I had just came back from a Europe holiday and he was in France on exchange at that time, I recommended him some places to visit. We realised that we had other common topics of interest and started communicating more. We only started going out when he came back to Singapore. He said he changed his flight to an earlier date just to spend Christmas with me.
Dwayne: I actually first noticed her during a church university camp before we met (we were not in the same life group back then), and what caught my eye was that she was wearing a big flower pin on her head during a camp, and also that she was a social butterfly; she went around talking to everyone but somehow she didn’t notice my presence!
What made you fall in love with each other?
Dwayne: I love that I can be myself when I’m with her. For us, the end goal in dating has always been marriage. Not a matter of who but when, and it took us over four years before settling down, which is good because we had time to get to know each other’s habits, good and bad traits, points of irritation, and the way we argue and resolve conflicts, while still making the decision to stick with each other.
Samantha: Simple! He met the three most important criteria I need in a partner – loves God, loves me, and loves children. We serve in the children’s ministry in church. We also share the same values and life goals.
What was the proposal like?
Samantha: A LOT OF WHITE LIES, haha!!!
He was in cahoots with a photographer and my friends! He arranged a photoshoot for us behind my back; the photographer told us he needed models. Meanwhile, he told me that he would be at his company dinner (which was real, just that he didn’t attend). So with the help of some friends, he decorated a wooden deck in a theme that he knew I liked. We celebrated with a sparkler send off. It was a cozy affair and after I said yes, my friends appeared!
Dwayne: It was not exactly what I initially envisioned it to be but we pulled through and she said YES! I had an ideal date and venue in mind. Even booked the vendors. However, the Airbnb that I booked cancelled on me two weeks before the actual proposal date! I had to re-strategise, which included changing the date, so that I could find a new venue. With the date change, I had to find gather new vendors (as some couldn’t make it on the new date). Finally, came the proposal date – it was raining that evening (remember the January 2018 period where Singapore experienced constant cold and rainy weather?). It was gloomy and clearly we couldn’t proceed with the full set of decorations, however I decided to carry out my proposal plan calmly, because I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Samantha regardless of circumstances.
How did you create your wedding theme?
Samantha: We didn’t have a wedding theme, just a colour palette – white, gold, pink, and red. We felt that themes were not necessary unlike there’s something in particular that you really love, like Disney or retro, etc. In our case, nothing stood out to us while we were selecting.
I believe that the right venue is crucial to the whole mood and theme of the wedding; it is half the battle won! The dress, make up, décor, and everything else pretty much depends on location.
Dwayne: After looking at JW Marriott Singapore South Beach, we only made appointments to look at three other hotels for consideration. In the end, JW Marriott still stood out because it doesn’t look like your typical ballroom–the huge screen, the amazing Forest of Lights, and the fact that there are two levels.
Samantha: I help out as a part-time wedding planner and the truth is, I have never been a fan of boring ballroom hotel weddings. I had always wanted an intimate wedding in a restaurant or open space where I could DIY the decorations and vendors. In fact, I had another location in mind. However, after considering costs, benefits, and ambience, it made more sense to go with a hotel. After deciding that we would go for a hotel, I knew it had to be JW Marriott Singapore South Beach because it immediately stood out to me once I stepped in. It was very magical. Our JW Marriott wedding coordinator was very flexible when I told her what we had in mind and she acceded to our requests. It was as if the stars aligned, hence it was a go-ahead for us!
In terms of décor, we pretty much DIY-ed everything; no wedding stylist was hired. Also, it’s important to go with your gut feel, don’t be swayed by the many opinions of other people.
Dwayne: Having been to many weddings, all I wanted was for ours to be different and entertaining. No dull or awkward moments! It also helped that Samantha sourced for the various vendors and shortlisted three vendors per category before she sought my advice and we make the final decision.
What was your wedding day like?
Samantha: It turned out how I imagined it. I reminded myself to just have fun and enjoy our big day, though it was more rushed than what I would have liked it to be. We are very thankful for our bridal entourage and friends who helped us. In my wedding speech, I said, “I hope we will still be friends even after the wedding!”
Dwayne: It turned out better than how I imagined it to be. I know our marriage will be too. As we didn’t have a big wedding (considering it’s a banquet), we were just so happy to share this special occasion with people who love us. At least we knew every single guest who were in attendance.
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?
Samantha: There were many! Some highlights include the quiet time we had to ourselves and having our bridal entourage pray for us before the whole wedding started. Also, the worship segment as we combined our full church service with our lunch banquet, which made it smooth and less troublesome on the guests, as they didn’t have to go two locations in a day
.Dwayne: Our meaningful vow exchange; we customized our own vows. Also, our second march-in dance, which we decided on less than two weeks before the wedding. Our good friend choreographed the dance for us and we managed to get some other “game-enough” friends to be accompanying dancers.
The Size of the Wedding: 250 guests
The Cost of the Wedding: $65,000
The Venue: JW Marriott Singapore South Beach
The Wedding Day Photographer: Pixioo
The Gown: Bqueens // Truly Enamoured
The Bride’s Shoes: Custom-made
The Suit: Tailored in Bangkok
The Wedding Bands: Fairy’s Inc.
The Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Love, Bonito // MDS // VainGloriousYou
The Groomsmen’s Suits: Taobao
The Flower Girls’ Dresses: Their own
The Page Boys’ Suits: Their own
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Makeup by Wendy Soh
The Nail Artist: Johor Bahru
The Wedding Cake and Dessert Table: Temptations Cakes (Samantha’s family business)
The Florist: O’hara Weddings // CC Lee Designs (part of the hotel package)
The Wedding Stylist: Everitt Weddings
The Wedding Planner: Everitt Weddings
The Pre-Wedding Photographer: Pixioo // Bespoke Foundry
The Videographer: Sense Gallery
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: WIX
The Wedding Favours: Dreamweavers
The Band: Performed by friends (Worship: friends from church // Performances: Juni Goh, Mint Leong, Stella Seah Hui Xian from StellaVee
The Emcees: Mint Leong and Juni Goh
The Solemniser: Pastor Daniel Tan, Hope Church Singapore
The Wedding Resource: SingaporeBrides
Credits: Images by Pixioo Photography
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