Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
February 2022
Anna and Angad’s Intimate Solemnisation at the Bandstand at the Singapore Botanic Gardens
Anna and Angad chose to wed at the iconic Bandstand in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, and the result was a beautiful happily-ever-after.
Anna, a scientist, and Angad, a technical consultant, met online three and a half years ago and found a soulmate in each other. They hit it off so well that they chatted as if they had known each other for years on their first date, where Angad realised that he wanted to keep spending time with and talking to Anna. After a sweet surprise proposal and overcoming the challenges that the COVID-19 restrictions posed to their wedding planning, Anna and Angad tied the knot in a very intimate solemnisation ceremony at the iconic Bandstand in the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
What drew you to each other?
Anna: We had postponed our first date because Angad had an exam coming up, so there was some build up to our first meeting. When we finally met after the exam, I thought I could chat with him all day. It seemed like we have known each other for years.
Angad: I felt an instant connection with Anna the first time we met. On our first date, we were just chatting for three hours. Time flew by—we just had a great conversation. I realised then, that I wanted to keep spending time with her and talking to her for as long as possible.
What is it about your partner that you love the most?
Anna: Angad is the kindest, most genuine and generous person I know. He loves helping people and always prioritises others over himself. He lets me be myself and tolerates all my quirks, even when he doesn’t understand them.
Angad: I love that Anna is “my kind of person”. She’s authentic, intelligent and very caring. She has such a big heart and gets my sense of humour. In fact, she gets all of me… (haha!). We’re different in many ways, yet similar in our ways of thinking, so it’s a perfect match.
Angad, how did you propose?
Angad: It was on our second anniversary and we were due to celebrate with a dinner at Dusk, a restaurant on Mount Faber hill, where I was in cahoots with the restaurant manager for the proposal. Earlier in the day, I secretly asked Anna’s parents for permission to propose to her (luckily that was granted haha!).
I had a little panic attack when Anna told me she would call her mother for a chat just before we were due to leave for the restaurant. I was worried Anna’s mother would let the secret out, but she kept a straight face. At sunset, we asked the manager to take our picture against the beautiful view of Sentosa, and unbeknownst to Anna, he started shooting a video to capture the proposal.
Bring us back to your intimate solemnisation ceremony. Where was your venue and why did you choose it as the place to wed?
Our solemnisation was at the Bandstand in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. We chose the Singapore Botanic Gardens because we were going for a garden-themed wedding and it fit perfectly with the scenery that we were looking for. We couldn’t have chosen a more perfect spot to get married, the lush green backdrop and the lighting were perfect.
What was your wedding planning journey like? Did you meet with any challenges along the way?
We wanted to get married on 22 July, which was the anniversary of our relationship, and it was exactly one year after we got engaged. Unfortunately, we were in the middle of the COVID-19 restrictions at that time and it was very difficult to plan anything, knowing that any day the situation can change. We searched through a lot of online forums to look for the right vendors and the potential wedding locations.
Anna went to a few different wedding dress shops to find the right dress and was very happy to trust Vivian to make a custom wedding dress for her, which turned out perfect. We found our photographer Grismond online, and really liked his style of photography and his artistic eye. We also found Susucre, a cake shop, online and they had the perfect wedding cake we were looking for, it looked more like a piece of art than a cake! Angad’s aunt found an amazing florist Sing See Soon Floral & Landscape and Gayatri, the makeup artist, and they were spectacular on the day of the wedding.
Originally, we contemplated a solemnisation with a small reception at a different venue. However, due to the ever changing circumstances we finally decided to only have the legal witnesses, who happened to be Angad’s family. Our families from abroad joined the ceremony on Zoom. As it happened, a few days before our wedding, we found out that even stricter restrictions would be introduced starting on our wedding day, so we knew we made the right call to not have any guests in person at our solemnisation. As a result of the new restrictions (max two visitors a day), we couldn’t get prepared (hair/makeup) at Angad family’s place as planned, and we had to come up with a new plan a few days before the wedding, which was a little stressful.
Take us back to the day of your solemnisation. What was the day like and how were you feeling?
Angad: A lot of nervous excitement in the beginning, but it got better as things started moving along. By the time we got to the day of our wedding, we had planned the events of the day so extensively that we were fully prepared. We got ready at separate locations and I got to the Singapore Botanic Gardens just a few minutes before Anna did. I hadn’t seen Anna’s dress before the wedding, so our first look just in front of the Bandstand was incredibly special. We exchanged private vows to each other in the form of a poem. The solemnisation ceremony itself turned out great with our solemniser Dr Jasbir making it a very entertaining ceremony for the audience on Zoom. We then capped off the celebration with dinner with the family.
Anna: I must say I wasn’t at all nervous, only excited that the day finally came. We were observing the weather carefully all day and were really hoping it wouldn’t rain. Luckily, the weather couldn’t have turned up more perfect. There was a little sadness that our parents, siblings and the wider family and friends, who all live abroad, couldn’t be there with us, but we were still appreciative that they could join us online (from multiple time zones!).
What did your family/friends have to say about your solemnisation ceremony?
Our family and friends loved the ceremony. They were watching intently on Zoom. Our solemniser Dr Jasbir put a lot of effort into making our Zoom audience feel included in the event. The backdrop of the Bandstand at the Singapore Botanic Gardens is extremely picturesque and looked beautiful on a video call. The backdrop got a raving review from our friend who is a professional Landscape Architect and joined on Zoom, and we trust her professional opinion! Overall, our family and friends loved the ceremony and short of doing it in-person with them, it couldn’t have been more perfect.
Share with us the most memorable moment of your solemnisation ceremony?
Anna: For me the most memorable moment was our vow exchange ceremony. We decided to do vows in the form of a short poem as we both love rhymes! I felt really touched hearing what wonderful words Angad had towards me. Luckily, I had waterproof makeup!
Angad: I have to agree with Anna, my favourite part was also the exchange of the poetic vows. I also really enjoyed the ring exchange part of the ceremony, it was really special to have all our close family and friends witness that moment.
What is one lesson you’ve learned from your wedding planning that you’d like to share with other couples?
I would encourage all couples to start planning early, even if it is a tiny wedding! We started planning three months before the date and it was just enough time to get the dress done or for the shoes bought online to arrive. But the biggest lesson is that no matter how extensive the planning, there will always be hiccups along the way and you just have to roll with the punches on the day of the wedding.
The Venue: The Bandstand at the Singapore Botanic Gardens
Size of Wedding: 6 persons
The Bride’s Gown: Vivian Gown
The Bride’s Shoes: RoniKantorShoes on Etsy
The Groom’s Suit: Marks & Spencer
The Groom’s Shoes: ASOS
The Wedding Photographer: Grismond Tien from GrizzyPix Photography
The Wedding Bands: Anna’s from Lee Hwa Jewellery and Angad’s from Michael Trio
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Ms Gayathri Menon
The Florist: Sing See Soon Floral & Landscape Pte Ltd.
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: Online invitations for Zoom attendees
The Solemniser: Dr. Jasbir Singh
The Wedding Resource: SingaporeBrides
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