Singaporebrides | Fashion

July 2020

Britney and Eugene’s Resplendent Spring Wedding at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore

Imagine a glorious and beautiful Spring garden party indoors in a huge sun-lit ballroom. That was how Britney and Eugene had wanted their wedding to be like as they celebrated their union at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore amongst their family and friends.

For the two love birds who had met through a close mutual friend, they quickly fell in love when they realised how perfect they are for each other. A same sense of humour, a shared high level of trust and independence, and a telepathic chemistry… they had it all. They also shared the same desire to plan their wedding entirely from scratch by themselves, and the result was a gorgeous and resplendent Spring wedding at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore.

Share with us your story. How did you meet?

Britney: We met through one of my besties, Joyce, so I have to give her credit for our marriage! She was quite persistent in getting my approval to hand my number over to this guy whom she thought would be a good match for me. I was initially very skeptical of Eugene as he was quite far removed from my social circle, but I eventually relented after 7 months and we started texting.

Eugene: Joyce mentioned that she had a “trump card” friend who was single, tall, beautiful, smart, and capable. I was sold from the start.

What drew you to each other and made you fall in love?

Britney: We have a similar sense of humour and I realised as I matured that it was important to me to have a partner who could make me laugh on a daily basis. We also enjoy an inherently high level of trust which works perfectly for us as we’re both quite independent!

Eugene: We have a high degree of almost telepathic chemistry. We are on the same wavelength especially when it comes to our sense of humour and we’re not afraid to openly share our thoughts (though it might be borderline dark and mostly sarcastic).

What is it about your partner that you love the most?

Britney: He has a sweet disposition, takes great care of me, and is always so patient. He also puts my needs above his own, and I was very appreciative when he readily agreed to move overseas with me for my work. He also makes breakfast for me every day without fail!

Eugene: I consider myself a family-oriented person and I really admire how tightly knit Britney is with her family. A big draw factor for me was how we both prioritise spending time with our respective families in our schedules.

Was there a moment when you knew that he/she was the one?

Britney: I’m a pragmatist first, then a romantic – so I’d say it was an accumulation of little acts that solidified our relationship. We are almost polar opposites, but ultimately grounded by a fierce love for our families and each other.

Eugene: After several years of dating, I saw myself develop into a better person with Brit pushing me beyond my boundaries. She subconsciously makes me strive to be a better version of myself. We had a stint in Hong Kong where we lived together for several months. It was during that period when I knew I had met my future life partner – it was really enjoyable living together in our own apartment, planning what to cook for every meal, and where to explore during the weekend.

What was the wedding planning journey like? Were there any challenging or favourite moments during that planning period?

Britney: We planned the wedding without external help and really enjoyed the entire process though it was stressful at times because I had high expectations and took ownership of every single detail, even down to the menu design. Vendor selection was time consuming due to the amount of research I did, but it gave me peace of mind that we made the right choices. Throughout this journey, I only met one nasty floral vendor, everyone else I dealt with were at least pleasant and I was very pleased with my eventual vendors.

Perhaps the most memorable part of planning was the selection of my bridal gown boutique – Amanda Lee Weddings, and seeing the gowns come to life. My mum and I visited almost ten bridal boutiques but ultimately chose Amanda Lee Weddings because we really hit it off with my designer, Pearlyn.

She has a great sense of style and possesses a warm, genuine personality which made every trip to the boutique a lovely one. What really tipped the scale for me was her talent and creative eye as a designer. She was the only one I could see myself entrusting to execute my vision, and she really delivered on my gowns. They were exceptional!

My favourite moments include all instances when we had the bridal party together – they are all such great fun and it was so heartwarming to see our friends having a whale of a time throughout this whole journey. Both our hens and bachelor parties were spectacular thanks to our amazing brothers and sisters.

I was also very grateful and touched by the effort they had put in to help us in our wedding preparations, and their willingness to go the extra mile for us. We enlisted two of Eugene’s groomsmen to accompany us during our Singapore pre-wedding shoot – neither of whom have gone through this experience before but they were such great help and made the shoot extra fun and memorable!

Moreover, we were at ease on the actual day and I could enjoy myself fully because I knew my extremely competent bridal party had my back.

What was your wedding day like?

Britney: Not many locations could cater to our number of guests so that whittled down the list for us. We eventually chose Ritz Carlton because we liked the layout and features of the Grand Ballroom – it had high ceilings, a boxy layout that gave all guests an unrestricted view of the stage and screens, and most importantly, it had floor-to-ceiling windows that allowed natural light to stream in during the day.

I wanted the ambience to be akin to a glamorous Spring garden party, which meant keeping the ballroom curtains up and letting in a lot of natural light. My chosen colour scheme was quite unusual: soft purple and pink, with pops of coral, yellow, and royal purple. Although I had three floral vendors, nobody could tell as I briefed them thoroughly on the colour scheme and I was thrilled with the result!

As the cocktail reception area outside the ballroom was quite spacious, we filled it with giant LED marquee letter lights, a ladder display table featuring our pre-wedding photos, and a floral arch with a printed banner featuring a poem I had written for Eugene. The floral arch served as both our Solemnisation and Tea Ceremony backdrop, as well as a photo backdrop for guests.

How did you feel throughout the day?

Britney: I felt quite relaxed throughout the entire day too as I had a very detailed program schedule planned and I trusted my very capable bridal party to execute it. I was running on three hours of sleep as we had an early start to the day but there was so much adrenaline coursing through my veins that I felt so refreshed and energised throughout the wedding.

I also never felt more beautiful and resplendent, pretty much like royalty! Although we were trying to keep to a tight schedule, we made an effort to engage as many guests as we physically could.

What did your friends/family have to say about your wedding?

Britney: They were all shocked that it was not organised by an event planner! Thanks to our amazing bridal party, our wedding ran extremely smoothly and we were impressed that we even managed to keep to the schedule! They also enjoyed my surprise performance as it was unexpected and heartfelt.

Share with us the most memorable moment of your wedding?

Britney: I had been secretly planning and practising a surprise performance for Eugene, our families, relatives, and friends. With the help of my talented friend, who also sang my first march-in song, we pieced together a medley of eight songs, each of which holds a special meaning to me and the various parties I was dedicating it to.

On my wedding day, I could see that Eugene and our family members were visibly shocked that I managed to pull it off without raising any suspicion. It was all the more enjoyable for me as our guests were very responsive too, so it almost felt like I was singing my Thank You speech!

Another really fun part of our wedding day was the gatecrash dance item that Eug and his groomsmen had prepared. It started as a joke during one of our bridal party dinner briefings. Eug and I are not K-pop fans but we chanced upon a particular “cutesy” song one day (this was way before our wedding) and got some of his groomsmen hooked on it too. During our bridal party get-together, Eug’s groomsmen brought the song up and even started learning the choreography just for the sake of laughs.

My bridesmaids then tasked them to perform it during the gatecrash, but unbeknownst to my girls, the groomsmen were so dead serious about their performance that they met up for secret rehearsals beforehand to perfect it. It was hilarious to eventually watch them perform it so earnestly on the street outside my house and our bridesmaids were suitably impressed.

What is one piece of advice you’d like to share with other couples who are also in the midst of planning their wedding?

Britney: Chemistry with your vendors is extremely important, so be sure to do your research, reference their past work, speak to friends who have engaged them before to find out about their experience, and at least have one interaction with them either virtually or in-person, to get a sense of their compatibility with you.

On the actual day, there will definitely be things that don’t go according to plan no matter how thoroughly you’ve prepared. Always remember to keep things in perspective – ultimately, it’s a day to celebrate your love, in the presence of your nearest and dearest, and that’s what matters the most. In any case, your guests would likely not notice anything amiss so don’t sweat the small stuff, keep a positive mindset, smile, and be the queen you were always meant to be.

The Size of the Wedding: No. of guests – 600 pax
The Cost of the Wedding: ~$185,000
The Venue: The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore
The Wedding Day Photographer: Trouve
The Gown: Amanda Lee Weddings
The Bride’s Shoes: Call It Spring
The Suit: Tailored
The Groom’s Shoes: Bally
The Engagement Ring: JannPaul
The Wedding Bands: JannPaul
The Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Zalora
The Groomsmen’s Suits: Tailored
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Priscilla Boh (BeautyGodMama)
The Caterer: The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore
The Wedding Cake: The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore
The Florist: g. Floral Studio, 85flowers, CCLee Design
The Reception Décor: The Wedding Props
The Pre-Wedding Photographer: Singapore shoot – Trouve, Los Angeles shoot – Pinnel Photography
The Videographer: XD Studios
The Photobooth: Telltale Photo Booth (Roving Photography and Printing Station)
The Wedding Canvas Prints: Medialink Printing Services
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: American Wedding Treasures
The Wedding Favours: American Wedding Treasures
The Snacks: The Golden Duck Co.
The Band: NyaLi Music
The Solemniser: JP Eric Low (also Groom’s dad)
The Wedding Resource: SingaporeBrides


Credits: Images by Trouve

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Britney and Eugene’s Resplendent Spring Wedding at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore