Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
December 2020
Lianne and Anthony’s Intimate Oriental Chic Wedding at VUE at OUE Bayfront
Despite the challenges that COVID-19 posed to their wedding planning, Lianne and Anthony tied the knot in the company of family and friends at the elegant and modern VUE.
Lianne Ngoi and Anthony Teh met via a dating app and immediately bonded over shared experiences in their careers. While her sense of adventure drew Anthony in, Lianne was attracted to his sensible and grounded nature. Despite the challenges that COVID-19 posed to wedding celebrations, the pair of sweethearts planned their big day around the restrictions and safety distancing measures, and celebrated this important milestones with family and friends in an intimate wedding celebration at VUE at OUE Bayfront.
What drew you to each other?
We had both recently left jobs in finance and joined start ups, so we immediately clicked having shared similar experiences.
What is it about your partner that you love the most?
Anthony: I love her independence and sense of adventure. Together, we’ve travelled to places I would have never thought of going such as Lijiang and Chengdu in China, and Komodo and Nusa Lembogan in Indonesia.
Lianne: I love his stability and sensibility. He keeps me grounded.
How did Anthony propose?
Lianne: Anthony proposed while on a family holiday in New Zealand. We were staying at The Lindis, a remote hotel which has an amazing view of the Ahuriri Valley, about 3 hours drive from Queenstown on the South Island. It was around 5pm just before dinner as the sky was starting to glow orange, and Anthony was flying a drone taking some footage of the scenery. He asked me to pose looking out into the valley, and while the drone was recording, he asked me to turn around where I then saw him kneeling holding out a ring.
Where was your wedding venue and why did you choose it as the place to wed?
Both: With the 50 pax limit in mind, we decided to look for a restaurant venue which would feel more intimate, as opposed to the more traditional hotel ballrooms which would have been too spacious. Over a few weeks, we ate at various restaurants to evaluate the location, service and food, and were blown away by VUE when we dined there. It has an amazing view over Marina Bay plus the service is excellent and the food is amazing.
What was your wedding planning journey like? Did COVID-19 post any challenges to your planning?
Both: Given the 50 pax limit, managing the guest list was the most challenging and we weren’t able to invite everyone we wanted. At the same time, the restrictions made some aspects easier; no decisions required on photobooths, live bands or DJs as these were not allowed.
When trying out various restaurants as we searched for a location, after one particular dinner, 2 out of 4 guests fell sick afterwards, but we weren’t sure whether it was the food or wine. We really liked the restaurant setting, so decided to go back with another friend, only disclosing after the meal had finished that some of us had fallen sick from the first meal. As we parted ways from dinner, we asked if they could let us know if they fell sick over the next 24 hours. Fortunately it seems our first visit with 4 guests was just unlucky as we walked away from the second meal unscathed, but in the end, decided on an alternative location (VUE).
As we organised everything ourselves, we did order some items (bags and tags for the door gifts) from overseas. What we hadn’t realised was that we had ordered just before the Golden Week in China, meaning the items would arrive only a few days the wedding. In the end, after some chasing, the items arrived two days before the wedding.
Did you have a wedding theme?
Anthony: Not initially, but Humid House came up with the inspiration of replicating the bamboo forests of Arashiyama. VUE has very high ceilings, so the bamboo was able to shoot up around 3m vertically creating a very transportive setting. The VUE staff also feedback that the place was very much transformed.
Lianne was more keen on an oriental theme, so the bamboo forests in our dining room and lotus pond installation at our solemnisation was very apt. She wore a qipao and I wore a tuxedo, which ended up working very well with our setting. Setting aside, our wedding was very food and wine focused and we spent a lot of effort planning our wine lists and sourcing the wine.
What was the day like and how were you feeling?
Lianne: Our day started around 7am, a comfortable time as we decided we didn’t want to do a gatecrash, with hair and makeup, tea ceremony followed by a lunch reception. A bit of rest after lunch before a second round of hair and make up, solemnisation and dinner reception. We didn’t want to feel like things were hectic or rushed and wanted enough space for things to go wrong and for us to enjoy ourselves.
Heading into the day, having organised everything ourselves and working with everyone for the first time (e.g. the restaurant, florist, make up artists), and having friends help out with emceeing and AV portions, so there was a slight uneasiness as to whether things would go smoothly. The solemnisation was a bit of a blur, but it was over and done very quickly. The highlights were the actual lunch and dinner events. There was a good dose of adrenaline and we felt showered with love by all our guests who were grateful to attend. Anthony was a bit nervous for his speech in the afternoon, but by the night session he had perfected and nailed it as we repeated the itinerary and flow for both events.
As it was a small wedding, we managed to spend a bit of quality time with almost everyone, and eat and drink our fill. It just felt like the most beautiful and intimate dinner party that we were hosting and we were a bit sad we had to end at 10:30pm.
Did your family and friends enjoy the wedding?
Both: The feedback was very positive. With everyone spending more time at home the last few months, our friends were happy to dress up to come out. They also loved the food, wine and speeches.
Our solemnisation was quite simple and straight forward, lasting about 20 minutes. In hindsight, it was appreciated by the guests as it was held outside on the balcony and it was rather humid during this time.
Share with us the most memorable moment of your wedding?
Anthony: It was retiring at the end of the night in the hotel room. Reflecting over the day, everything had gone relatively smoothly, our guests had clearly enjoyed themselves and did not feel like something was missing. It was a very satisfying end after months of planning in uncertainty given the dynamic nature of the pandemic.
Lianne: For me, it was stepping into the room and seeing how beautifully Humid House had transformed the place. I was blown away – it was exactly what I wanted.
What is one lesson you’ve learned from your wedding planning that you’d like to share with other couples?
If you can afford it, hire two photographers; one to focus on the wedding couple and one to focus on guests.
The Venue: VUE at OUE Bayfront
Size of Wedding: 50 guests in 2 sessions
The Gown: Yolan Cris
The Bride’s Shoes: Aquazzura
The Suit: Kingsman (Far East Plaza)
The Groom’s Shoes: Septième Largeur
The Wedding Bands: Custom made (bride), Boucheron (groom)
The Wedding Photographer: Timothy from Tinydot Photography
The Wedding Videographer: Ming En from Wanderlust Dream
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Airin Lee
The Wedding Florist: Humid House
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: DIY by couple
The Wedding Favours: Glassware from Zalto
The Solemniser: Reverend Chiu Ming Li
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