Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
December 2021
Kamelia and Jeremiah’s Cosy Cafe Solemnisation at Belo
Kamelia and Jeremiah exchanged their vows in a beautiful cafe solemnisation at Belo, the groom’s own cafe where they first met.
Kamelia Sim, 24, interior designer,and Jeremiah Tan, 32, interior designer and director of Belo,were set up on a Pokemon Go expedition by their friends, which led to many more dates. After their wedding plans were delayed by COVID-19 time and again, the couple decided to exchange their vows on 5 June 2021 in a sweet solemnisation held in Jeremiah’s own cafe Belo, decked out in pretty pampas and florals.
How did you first meet each other?
Kamelia: Jeremiah and I met at his cafe. My brother used to work there part-time and they became good friends, so whenever my mum and I patronised his cafe, Jeremiah would often tease my brother by saying, “Eh, your sister not bad, uh?”
Back when Pokemon Go first came out, we planned to go out together with some mutual friends, but at the last minute, they all couldn’t make it. We suspect it was a plot to bring us closer together, which worked. After hanging out together, we realised that we were able to converse well and things were not awkward or anything, so that led to a few more dates. I guess in the end he became “the very best!” when he caught my heart! But honestly, I think that I am actually the lucky one, because I know his “queue” is long and yet he chose to go after me.
What do you love most about your partner?
Kamelia: He’s one of the most genuine and kindest men I’ve met. I’ve seen the way he treats his staff and I think it says a lot about his character and how he’s a good leader and not just a boss. I love that he is able to differentiate between work and play, like he can be quite nonsensical in a good way, but serious when it comes to work. He is a very driven and self-motivatedguy and despite how busy he is, he never fails to make me feel any less important in his life.
Jeremiah: To me, it’s 100% important to be able to be yourself in the presence of your partner, and around her I can always show my silly side knowing that she accepts me for who I am. What made me first fall in love with her was her looks, how she looks quite mild and gentle, but it turns out that it was a scam, hahaha! She’s sweet and loving but what I love most about her is how mature and understanding she is, given my work and lifestyle. There were many instances where I have had to go to my cafe at the last minute, and I work almost every weekend, and yet she doesn’t complain or add on to my problems. She’s the love of my life and also my best friend.
What was the proposal like?
Kamelia: We planned for a cruise trip during my birthday week, and my family was there too. What I didn’t know was that he had asked his friends to help out with the proposal too so they boarded at a different time. One of his friends had gone on the cruise just a few weeks before so he helped to find ideal locations to propose. I kind of ruined Jeremiah’s plan as he had wanted a sunset proposal, but I wanted to do something else and he couldn’t say no without spoiling the surprise. We ended up with a night proposal but everything worked out as I wasn’t expecting anything at all and just wanted my family around when it happened.
Did COVID-19 affect your wedding plans?
Kamelia: It definitely did as our initial plan was to get married mid 2020. The Circuit Breaker happened so we postponed it to end 2020. By then, we wanted to wait another year as we were hoping things would get better but seeing how things were, we decided to go ahead mid 2021. Initially, we wanted to have a luncheon and dinner, but due to the restrictions, we could only have one session. Even though we had to scale down our wedding, I felt that it was also a blessing in disguise to have a smaller wedding as it felt more intimate and meaningful, as it was done the way we wanted instead of just fulfilling the traditional customary needs.
You held your wedding in your own cafe. Tell us about what that was like!
Jeremiah: It felt comfortable and warm, as it’s a place I built from scratch! It always felt like a second home to me as there have been many memories created there. To me, it was a perfect venue that money couldn’t buy. Since it was my own cafe, scheduling set-up for the venue was easy and we were able to move out all the current furniture to make space. I would say that it was definitely more flexible and convenient as compared to if we were to host somewhere else.
What was your wedding theme and how did you create it?
Kamelia:I browsed SingaporeBrides and saved photos of what I liked, like flowers and how I would like the venue to look like, but I did already have a rough idea of which vendors I wanted to work with.I didn’t really have a theme that I specifically wanted so when we met up with Lalu from Wulalaa, I showed her some screenshots of what I like and from there, she came up with a colour scheme and did the styling for us. I just wanted the place to look pretty, which sounds pretty vague, but Lalu really did deliver!
What was your wedding day like?
Kamelia: I felt everything went well and it was very memorable. I am just glad we were able to revisit places that meant something to us. Having only a solemnisation gave us a lot of time to have a longer photoshoot. After Jeremiah came to pick me up from my place, we went to MacRitchie Reservoir, where he asked me to be his girlfriend, for a shoot before going to his place. After his place, we headed down to Belo, where we first met, for our ROM, then we headed to Marina Barrage for another shoot with our furkids! Since we spent quite a bit of time taking photos, I am glad that our photographer, Kenneth, was able to make us feel comfortable. It rained after our ROM, and he knew exactly where we could go to avoid the rain and still managed to produce really good images.
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?
Kamelia: There wasn’t a particular moment for me but I felt very grateful for the friends and family that we have. How they were willing to wake up early to make sure things arrived on time. How they carried and moved the furniture the night before. How they brought little care packs to make sure we were well-prepared for the day. How family members were willing to travel down just for an ROM that lasted less than 30 minutes. There isn’t a moment I can pinpoint; I am just very grateful and feel very blessed for the things that I have and the people that I’ve met.
Jeremiah: For me the most memorable part was having my family and friends there to witness our solemnisation. Despite the pandemic, they chose to attend our wedding and I am grateful for that as family is important to me. Another moment was when we were getting solemnised. Standing in front of Kamelia made me feel that all the time and effort put into the preparation for the wedding was worth it.
The Size of the Wedding: 50pax
The Venue: Belo
The Wedding Day Photographer: Kenneth and Amabelle from Bobby Kiran Photography
The Gown: Alerisa
The Bride’s Shoes: Charles & Keith, Wedding Collection
The Suit: Assemble
The Groom’s Shoes: Pedro
The Engagement Ring: Goldheart Jewellery
The Wedding Bands: Cartier
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Eesha Ke from EK Makeup Studio
The Caterer: Manna Pot Catering
The Wedding Cake: Cupplets
The Florist: Lavender Love Florist
The Wedding Stylist: Wulala!
The Wedding Favours: Etty Bakes
The Solemniser: Jeremiah’s uncle, Pastor Alvin Tan
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