Singaporebrides | Fine Dining

March 2021

Joleen and Clement’s Dreamy and Intimate Wedding at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel

Joleen and Clement tied the knot in a beautiful and intimate wedding at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel.

Joleen and Clement first saw each other during a Christmas carolling event but it wasn’t until four years after she joined his church that they really met and spoke to each other. After a six-month separation as Joleen left for an exchange programme, the sweethearts became certain that they were meant to be together, and officially became an item. On 12 December 2020, they tied the knot in the presence of of their family and close friends despite the ever-changing COVID-19 regulations.


How did the two of you meet?

Joleen: We first saw each other during a Christmas carolling event organised by Clement’s church back in 2009. Although Clement found me attractive and was interested, he did not do anything about it, leaving it up to fate’s hands. A year later, I joined his church but there wasn’t any interaction between us still.

It was only in 2014 when we started talking and texting each other. When I mentioned that I was interested in learning and playing tennis, Clement secretly picked up tennis by watching YouTube videos and practicing with walls on his own just so he could take me out for tennis. He even bought a special pink coloured light-weight tennis racket for me. We had fun and went on many tennis dates where we would hang out and have meals together.

Clement: For a year, we went on many dates but did not officially get together as Joleen had to leave for her university exchange for six months. She wanted both of us to have a ‘silent retreat’ from each other to confirm that we are in this to spend a lifetime together before we officially became an item. So, Joleen left for her exchange programme while I attended university.

As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and both of us missed each other dearly and decided that it was a clear sign that we were really into one another. After Joleen returned from her exchange programme, we officially became an item.

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What do you love most about each other?

Joleen: There are so many things I love about him – the way he smiles, the way he laughs and acts all silly. His charima and discipline are amazing too. I guess, I love it when he makes me smile unknowingly when I see him after a long day, every day.

Clement: I love the way she completes me in ways I cannot imagine. Her presence just makes me happier and makes every situation beautiful and enjoyable, and I love how her lively attitude makes the boring me loosen up so I can chill and enjoy life more. I also love how when we leave, I would very soon look forward to the next time we can meet again. At the end of the day, I just love her for who she is and how we are together.

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What was the proposal like?

Clement: I thought really hard about it and in the end, I decided to propose at my place. With the help of friends from church, we decorated my place beautifully with our photos, flower petals, candles and fairy lights. I also did up a video of our photos together as a recollection of the years we’ve spent together to reminisce how far we’ve come since then. I also prepared a photo of us with the words ‘Let’s walk this journey together’, which I made into a puzzle for Joleen to fix when she arrives.

The theme for the proposal was tennis, so I created a mock-up of a tennis court out of a huge sheet of cardboard. The plan was for us to stand on the ‘tennis court’ where I will go down on one knee to propose. I had a few tennis balls scattered around, with a special one hiding the engagement ring placed at a specific corner.

That day, we went for a date which ended with a swim. I suggested we have dinner at my place and Joleen said yes, not knowing what was awaiting her. As we were washing up, I hinted for her to dry her hair thoroughly, which she found weird but did not question.

As planned, we arrived at my place and she was surprised with the whole set-up. Her parents, who were hiding in the room, came out to surprise her with a bouquet and a missing puzzle piece that I had entrusted them to hand over to her. I went down on one knee, and she said yes!

Joleen: The proposal was a surprise! It’s never easy to surprise me because I’ll usually ruin my own surprises by asking many questions. I love that it was homely and a joint effort between all my friends and loved ones, and I couldn’t ask for more. I actually couldn’t believe that I was engaged until a couple of days later when we started the wedding planning and reality suddenly hit me!

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Tell us about your wedding. What was it like planning your wedding amidst a pandemic, and how did you cope with the ever-changing regulations?

After attending a few wedding fairs, we decided on Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel as our wedding venue as we were satisfied with the hotel’s venue, service, food and perks. We had initially booked a wedding for 30 tables but had to scale down according to the new COVID-19 regulations. We sat through the ever-changing regulations until 100 persons were allowed at weddings.

We decided to go ahead with a 100-person wedding instead of our initial 300 because we didn’t know if the situation would get better if we waited, since the whole climate of COVID-19 was very dynamic and uncertain. Besides, having entrusted our wedding date to God, we did not want to change it. We also wanted to avoid all the hassle involved with changing dates. So, we decided to have faith and trust in God, and go ahead with our wedding.

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How did COVID-19 affect your original wedding plans and how did you deal with it?

For the most part, our wedding photography, gown and wedding videography packages were not too affected. We now had to include a livestream of our wedding, and Iriswave was kind enough to offer discounts to help us offset the cost of adding the service on. The hotel was also kind enough to allow for a refund of the excess of what was to be paid.

The most affect portion of our initial plans was the lunch we catered for our church holy matrimony. We had catered for a lunch buffet for 300 persons with live stations and coffee carts, but due to COVID-19, we had to do away with the live stations and coffee carts, and downsize the buffet lunch to bento lunch sets for 100 persons instead. Thankfully, our vendors were kind enough to offer a full refund/cancellation, or conversion of our initial packages, in view of the COVID-19 restrictions.

Food for our wedding banquet at the hotel also had to be converted to individual plated meals, and we were concerned that the food quantity would be significantly lesser. However, our wedding coordinator, Amin, was really accommodating, patient and attentive. He made sure our wedding day remained great and memorable despite the restrictions.

Overall, it was tough and stressful, but it was nothing we couldn’t handle together! As we look back at our wedding, we are glad to have something memorable to remember our big day by, something not many couples have experienced before.

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Take us back to your wedding day. What was the day like and how were you feeling?

Joleen: It was the best day of my life! It went by so quickly. I felt like a princess for a good 24 hours. Initially, I was feeling a lot of nerves but then, I knew I had to live and cherish every moment of that day.

Clement: It was surreal, like ‘the day is finally here!’. I wanted to take in as much as possible as I can of that day and to enjoy and make every moment count. I thought the day seemed really packed and busy, but it actually went by very quickly. Before I knew it, the day was done.

Even though I didn’t sleep much the night before the wedding, I had no chance to feel tired and was all smiles the entire day. It was also the day I felt God to be ever more real to me as His love for me was glorified all the more through our love for one another in the wedding, and the love received from our family and friends.

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

Clement: Most of them commented that the food was good, and the photographer and videographer were great! They also said that the day was really well-planned and executed flawlessly. They had also never been to a wedding where there was so much fun and smiles, and felt that the wedding was cosy and personal.

Joleen: Many also said that the surprise 12/12 giveaway and cahoot quiz were a good twist to an otherwise traditional wedding dinner!

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Share with us the most memorable moment of your wedding?

Joleen: I guess the most memorable moment for me would be walking down the aisle in church to Clement. It was the most nerve-wrecking 50 steps (I guess?) of my life! There was no way I could have taken a step backwards!

Clement: The entire wedding day was super memorable and it is a day I would want to relive again if I had the chance to. But if I had to choose the most memorable moment, it would be the recitation of vows by the pastor before he pronounced us husband and wife. All the anticipation led up to it, and from that moment on, I have the responsibility of a husband, to be a husband to someone, and to be a father in the future to a young one. That whole moment was just really beautiful, with us looking into each other’s eyes, with over 100 pairs of eyes witnessing us as we made our vows to one another.

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What is one lesson you’ve learned from your wedding planning that you’d like to share with other couples?

Clement: In all honesty, we can always plan and envision the best wedding ever, but a wedding without the people is not a wedding at all. So, invest in the relationships built and hold close to you the people who put in so much love and effort for you, for they are the friends who will stay. You should especially learn to see how your family shows their love to you as well, in their own unique ways, because sometimes, we do not express our love to one another as readily and openly as we do with our close friends.

Joleen: Enjoy and cherish every single step of the process because you’ll never get to relive or re-do the entire wedding planning journey, including the wedding day, again!

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The Venue: Hakka Methodist Church (Holy Matrimony), Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel (Wedding Banquet)
Size of Wedding: 100 guests
Cost of Wedding: Approximately $35,000
The Gown: Rico A Mona
The Bride’s Shoes: D&C
The Suit: Rico A Mona and Watergate Amari (tailor in Bangkok)
The Groom’s Shoes: Florsheim Shoe Company
The Wedding Bands: Cartier LOVE Ring
The Wedding Photographer: Leslie Ang Photography (Pre-Wed) and The Perfect Statement (Actual Day)
The Wedding Videographer: Iriswave
The Bridesmaids’ Dresses: The Thread Theory
The Groomsmen’s Suits: Uniqlo top with bottoms from Taobao (gatecrash) // self-sponsored long sleeve white top with dark blue pants and shoes, tie from Taobao (church) // self-sponsored suit (Dinner)
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Cassandra from Wildroses Bridal Makeup and Hair (Pre-wed) // Elson Foong (Actual Day)
The Caterer: Manna Pot Catering (Lunch)
The Florist: Flora Artisan (liaised with Manna Pot) for church
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: Handmade
The Wedding Favours: Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel
The Wedding Decor: Overhead fairy lights from The Story Wedding
The Solemniser: Reverend Irman Halim from Hakka Methodist Church
Wedding Resource: SingaporeBrides

Feature Image by Leslie Ang Photography


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Joleen and Clement’s Dreamy and Intimate Wedding at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel