Singaporebrides | Fashion
October 2019
Cheryl and Victor’s Pretty Hotel Fort Canning Wedding with Puppy Ring-Bearers
Cheryl and Victor tied the knot with their dogs as their ring bearers at their garden solemnisation, and a dance party at their wedding dinner and afterparty.
Cheryl Seow, 27, Digital Marketing Director, and Victor Gidlevich, 32, Self-Employed, are a dating app success story! On their very first date, Victor declared that Cheryl would be his future wife, and he fulfilled his prophecy four years later on 23 September 2018. The couple’s spectacular wedding began with a garden solemnisation at Hotel Fort Canning where their dogs were their ring-bearers, and that ended only at 3am in a wild afterparty at 1-Altitude.
How did you meet?
Cheryl: We met through a dating app; yes, they work out sometimes! We were chatting online for about a week before I spontaneously suggested to meet one fine evening because I was bored. We met at a bar in Holland Village and clicked almost instantly. Victor told the waiter at the bar that I was his future wife; little did I know that he actually meant it and fulfilled his prophecy four years later. That night, I got really drunk, and he carried my heels while I ran barefoot on the streets. The night ended with him holding my hair back while I threw up. It was an amazing first date.
What made you fall in love with your partner?
Victor: A few minutes after I first met Cheryl, I knew it was not going to be the usual boring date. I knew she was the one. She wasn’t trying to impress me; she was real, straightforward, and sweet but wild. I fell for her right then and there.
Cheryl: Victor has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. He is kind, witty, loving, and independent. He takes great care of everyone around him, and always has the answers to my questions. Chivalry is not dead with him, and nothing is sexier than that!
What was the proposal like?
Cheryl: The proposal came as a total surprise. Like many other long-term relationships, we had been having brief talks about tying the knot for a while, but it was never seriously discussed. A few days before the proposal, I had my nails done for my birthday and jokingly explained to Victor that I chose that particular nail design because it would go well with an engagement ring. Victor responded by saying that the manicure was not going to last long enough for the engagement ring to arrive, so we just laughed it off and I took it as he wouldn’t be proposing anytime soon.
A few days later, my 26th birthday came and after a celebratory lunch with my family, he had the rest of the day planned for me. I just went with the flow and we went to the beach with our three dogs and cat. I then realised that he had invited a couple of his friends (whom I am pretty close with as well) and some of my closest friends (who ended up as my bridesmaids) to join us at Mambo Beach Club (no longer in operation). Unsuspectingly, I just assumed that they were a part of my birthday celebration. However, when the clock struck 5pm, the DJ played the song “Marry You” by Bruno Mars and Victor dropped down on one knee with a ring in his hand. I was in utter disbelief and overwhelmed. I couldn’t respond for a whole two minutes and poor Victor stayed on one knee the whole time, waiting for me, with all the attention of the beach-goers on us, before I finally said yes and let him put the ring on. It was definitely the most unforgettable birthday for me.
How did you create your wedding?
Cheryl: The solemnisation had a pastel garden theme. We chose to hold the solemnisation in a garden setting at a different venue from the dinner so that our pets could be a part of it. The dinner reception was a more formal setting with white, baby pink, and rose gold as the main colours.
My mum had been designing her gowns for various events with Euzart of Jawn Happy.Ever.After and I, too, had a couple of gowns (one of which was worn for my pre-wedding photoshoot) done by Euzart before I even got engaged. Euzart and Susan of Jawn Happy.Ever.After are more like friends to us than just our designers and I had always known I was going to get my wedding gowns done by them. It was a wonderful journey designing my wedding gowns with them from conceptualising to realising my dream wedding gowns. Since we’re friends and they know my personality pretty well, communicating my ideas was a piece of cake, and they undoubtedly created masterpieces that presented my individuality flawlessly. On top of that, Euzart and Susan were with us throughout our wedding day and went out of their way to make sure we were well taken care of in every aspect.
What was your wedding day like?
Our wedding day was divided into four parts: the Chinese customaries in the morning, the solemnisation in the late afternoon, the dinner reception at night, and the afterparty.
We were awake since 4:30am in the morning to get ready for the gate crush that started at 7am. We kept the gate crash simple yet fun and it was an especially interesting experience for Victor’s groomsmen who are all Israeli Jewish. Victor wore an Oriental-style shirt while I donned a bespoke qipao and a red Chinese traditional veil. We proceeded to our apartment with our bridal entourage to have the Chinese tea ceremony with Victor’s mother and did all the other customaries such as eating the sweet dumplings before heading back to my parents’ house to continue with the Chinese tea ceremony with my family and relatives. I am really grateful to have such an understanding and accommodating groom who was willing to go through all the traditional Chinese customaries, including Guo Da Li, even though he is not Chinese and these are all foreign and different from his own traditions.
We arrived at Hotel Fort Canning for our solemnisation at 3:30pm in our all-white entourage, which was one of my wedding dreams. My father was more than happy to help fulfil my dream and lent us his white Rolls Royce Dawn that led our bridal entourage of another three white cars that belonged to our groomsmen and us. Our pets arrived at the venue shortly after via a pet taxi. It was a very sunny day and it was much hotter at the outdoor venue than we had expected or experienced during previous visits, so setting up the venue and getting our pets ready under the scorching sun was less pleasant than we had expected. Fortunately, with the help of our bridal party, everything was in place before the first guests arrived. The solemnisation began at 5pm. We had our three dogs and a cat walk down the aisle, one with each of my four bridesmaids, and two of our dogs were actually the ring bearers with the wedding bands attached to their collars. We wrote our own vows and did not reveal them to each other before the fateful moment. It was the most emotional moment of our wedding day and left us in happy tears.
We then traveled back to Sheraton Towers Singapore to prepare for the dinner reception. One of my favourite moments during the dinner reception was our first dance. We didn’t want the wedding reception to simply be a typical sit-down dinner, so we incorporated a lot of dancing/partying in between the courses too. We hired DJ Tirso and Dre of Matteblacc to make sure the right mood was set at different stages. Since it was a rather small wedding, we also decided to get a real four-tier wedding cake that could feed every guest. I personally designed the cake and provided the bakery with a drawing of my design, which they replicated delicately with all the details on point to create my dream wedding. After desserts were served, the dinner turned into a party and it was a true celebration. We had a lot of guests who came from all over the world, including Israel, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and even the Bahamas. We can’t thank them enough for travelling miles just to be at our wedding.
We had the ballroom until 11pm, after which, we had a bus to take about 40 of us to 1-Altitude for our afterparty where we continued the celebration until 3am. It was almost 24 hours since were awake for the day but the adrenaline of getting hitched kept us energised throughout the night and it was truly the best day ever.
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?
The most memorable moment was when everyone came together to celebrate and dance nearing the end of the dinner reception despite age, background, and ethnic differences. It beautifully portrayed our union as an interracial couple and that love triumphs all differences.
The Size of the Wedding: 220 guests
The Cost of the Wedding: Approx. $140,000
The Venue: Solemnisation – Hotel Fort Canning (Garden Terrace) // Dinner reception – Sheraton Towers (Grand Ballroom) // Afterparty – 1-Altitude
The Wedding Day Photographer: Kelvin J. Lim – Avenue 8 Studio
The Gown: Euzart – Jawn Happy.Ever.After
The Bride’s Shoes: Sophia Webster // Americaya
The Afterparty Dress: Sherri Hill
The Bespoke Bridal Jewelry Set: Derocks
The Suit: Bern Sovereign Couture
The Engagement Ring: Derocks
The Wedding Bands: Michael Trio // Chow Tai Fook
The Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Etsy
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Lolent Lee
The Nail Artist: Ain – Ainrtistry
The Wedding Cake: Creme Maison Bakery
The Florist: Floral Display
The Pre-Wedding Photographer: Kelvin J. Lim – Avenue 8 Studio
The Videographer: Kevin Ng – Vicinity Studio
The Photobooth: Fabfoto Booth
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: Personally designed and assembled
The Wedding Favours: Ido-Ido Wedding Favours
The Band: DJ – Tirso and Dre, Matteblacc
The Solemniser: Mr Francis Ng
The Alcohol and Bar: Remy Cointreau International
The Pet Taxi: The Fourkids Family Pet Taxi
Images by Avenue 8 Studios
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