Singaporebrides | Fine Dining
February 2020
Lyn and Ming Xian’s Exquisite Wedding at The Ritz-Carlton and Capella Singapore
With event-planning experience on hand, Lyn and Ming Xian tailor-made their wedding of their dreams with a “Old Shanghai” themed solemnisation at The Ritz-Carlton and a “Roaring Twenties” themed dinner banquet at Capella Sentosa, and it was nothing short of exquisite and majestic.
For Ming Xian and Lyn, it all began in school where they found themselves in the same clique of friends. With the same passion in music, the couple enrolled in the Arts Business Management course and joined the same music company that performed at, toured with, and planned music events both locally and internationally. It was through this entire process that the two began their love together. Fast forward to a couple of years later and the love birds celebrate their big day in grandeur with the wedding of their dreams – all customised and tailor-made to just the way they like!
Share your love story with us. How did the both of you meet?
Lyn: Ming Xian and I met in school while doing our studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. It was not love at first sight but we grew closer as we were in the same clique. We enrolled in Arts Business Management as we were both passionate about music.
When we first met in 2010, Ming Xian was already a musician and he practices traditional music. It was rather surprising to me as Ming Xian had a “bad boy” vibe and I would least expect him to be involved with an art form that is exceptionally serene and delicate.
As a violinist myself, I never understood the nature of his artform. We were from polar opposites of the music world, the East and the West. Seeing that he travelled the world to perform, I thought that being involved with his company could get me tickets to see the world too! I joined his company in the same year and not long after, I was performing with him around the world.
Being with Ming Xian most of the time at school and the company for rehearsals allowed me to steal quick peeks into his life. Realising and comparing how he behaves differently while studying, performing, and enjoying time with his friends to his peers, he displayed a high level of maturity which I would never expect at 17 years old. He was different. It was then that I realised how I loved this disparity within him.
What was the proposal like?
Lyn: Ming Xian invited our close friends to surprise me at Bali. When I saw our friends, I immediately guessed that he was going to propose. Ming Xian rented a huge villa and arranged for a private chef to cook for us. In the middle of the meal, he got down on one knee and popped the question.
I had never seen him cry before and for the first time, he finally did when I said yes. It was at that exact moment I knew why I loved him so.
What was the wedding planning journey like? Were there any challenging or favourite moments during that planning process?
Lyn: Our occupations do not only require us to perform, but to also plan and execute productions internationally and locally. With the experiences in planning events on hand, we became extremely particular on minor details and did not let one slip away. It was tough because we wanted everything to be perfect. What was special to us during the planning process was how we tailored it to what we had envisioned. We worked for what we wanted, and we were so happy that we specially planned our wedding based on our own style.
Your outfits were designed and made by your granduncle, local designer Goh Lai Chan, who specialises in couture gowns and cheongsams. How was that process like? How did you design the outfits?
Lyn: Lai Chan designed and dressed both Ming Xian and me. He even ensured that our families’ outfits matched ours! With two wedding events, our solemnisation ceremony at The Ritz-Carlton (Summer Pavilion) and our dinner banquet at Capella Sentosa (Grand Ballroom), we planned out the theme and colour schemes for our families to follow for both events.
We approached Lai Chan with our idea of an “Old Shanghai” theme for our solemnisation ceremony and “Roaring Twenties” theme for our dinner banquet. With his experience, he quickly drew out what he knew would look best on us.
With our favourite colors, gold and blue, he designed a gold sequin Qipao with a cape and a Navy blue suit for our “Old Shanghai” themed solemnisation ceremony. For my wedding dress, he included white feathers which were individually hand-stitched at the base of the dress and tassels for my evening gown. I decided to customise my own shoes and made a pair of dance shoes for comfort throughout the night! Ming Xian had also customised his vest with brocade textures on all sides and included a cravat with his evening suit.
What was your wedding day like? How did you decide on the themes for both your solmenisation ceremony and your banquet?
Lyn: Ming Xian and I held our dinner banquet at Capella Sentosa’s Grand ballroom. Without looking at other hotels, I knew what I wanted. We had a staycation at Capella once and we thoroughly enjoyed the space and their service. It was impeccable as it left fond memories of our stay. Extremely happy with their service, I decided to choose their grand ballroom as our wedding venue.
The wedding theme for the night was “The Roaring Twenties”. We were both obsessed and inspired by an English drama, “Peaky Blinders”. The theme for our soleminsation was ‘Old Shanghai’ as the Summer Pavilion at The Ritz-Carlton possessed that vibe of a Chinese restaurant in the 1920s. Both themes were set in the time period of 1920s which reflected the East and West influences in us when we met.
Being musicians, we were very fortunate as we had contacts to different vendors such as wedding music bands, and sound and light designers. We met up frequently with them to explain the theme and discuss the designs.
The most memorable moment would be when Ming Xian and I performed “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley during our wedding. He learned the saxophone with a friend in three months and I sang.
What is one piece of advice you’d like to share with other couples who are also in the midst of planning their wedding?
Lyn: Listen to your significant other to hear what he or she would like or not like in the wedding. After all, it is the celebration of two people. There is only going to be one wedding and there is no time for regrets.
SingaporeBrides has also been helpful as they write amazing articles to keep us in check when planning our wedding. We keep up with the trends from there, to understand what is cost-efficient and be relatable.
The Size of the Wedding: No. of guests – 300
The Cost of the Wedding: SGD$140k – 150k
The Venue: The Ritz-Carlton’s Summer Pavilion (Solemisation), Capella Sentosa’s Grand Ballroom (Dinner Banquet)
The Wedding Day Photographer: Darren and Jade Photography
The Gown: Lai Chan
The Bride’s Shoes: Bd Dance
The Suit: Lai Chan & Suitsupply
The Groom’s Shoes: Magnanni & Suitsupply
The Engagement Ring: Love & Co
The Wedding Bands: Love & Co
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Beautygodmama
The Caterer: Capella
The Wedding Cake: Capella
The Florist: Capella
The Wedding Planner: Capella
The Pre-Wedding Photographer: KnittedLoveStories & Crystal Sim
The Videographer: Android in Boots
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: Capella
The Wedding Favours: Capella
The Band: The Wedding Buddies
The Solemniser: Mdm Joanna Wong
The Wedding Car Rental: Kombi Rocks
The Reception Display: WULALA!
The Lighting Designer: Gabriel Chan
The Sound Designer: Aw Wei Zheng
The AV/Light Equipment: Atelier Vista Pte Ltd
Credits: Images by Darren and Jade Photography
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