Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
March 2022
Ame and Shaun’s Tropical Boho Wedding at W Singapore–Sentosa Cove
Ame and Shaun braved three wedding postponements to celebrate their love in a beautiful tropical boho wedding at W Singapore–Sentosa Cove.
Ame Razak, 31, Lead Writer/Producer, and Shaun David Martin, 31, Inspector/Singapore Police Force, were poly mates who reconnected on a dating app years later. She said yes to his surprise proposal in Bali, and after postponing their wedding three times in two years, the couple tied the knot in a garden wedding lined with pampas grass at W Singapore—Sentosa Cove on 19 September 2021.
How did you first meet each other?
We met while studying at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. It wasn’t love at first sight at all. We were just casual acquaintances who wished each other “happy birthday” every year. But then we reconnected through a dating app seven years later in 2016. What’s great was the familiarity of an old friend but getting to know that person from a completely new perspective–one that didn’t involve group projects or tight deadlines. So we started dating and everything just clicked.
What do you love most about your partner?
Ame: It’s hard to quantify something like this, isn’t it? I guess it’s mostly how he makes me feel, which is calm and safe. I get anxious a lot and he has a way of calming me down, whether it’s doing a goofy dance or rubbing my back. And it’s strange because calm and safe can mean boring but with Shaun, I’m not bored at all. It’s always an adventure. Ultimately, I think we’re good together. We push each other when it comes to our individual careers or getting our joint finances in order. And we know when to cut the other person some slack. It’s hard work but it’s the best kind of work.
Shaun: I love her character and personality to bits. But also her eyes and smile and heart. On most days, she has amazing hair too.
Ame: Key word here being MOST. HAHA.
What was the proposal like?
Ame: We were actually doing our pre wedding shoot in Bali when it happened. At that point, we already had a BTO flat to our names and were loosely planning our wedding. So you would think that the proposal would just be a formality that needed to be done. But it honestly wasn’t. I didn’t expect it at all.
Our photographers brought us to this beautiful lake in the middle of nowhere. We had a little break in between shots and I distinctly remember him being nervous about something. He then started this very heartfelt (and obviously rehearsed) speech and it was just surreal. I think this was the moment it hit me that we were actually getting married. And of course, at this moment, most people would burst into tears. But I went straight to denial. I remember constantly interrupting Shaun and asking him inane questions which annoyed him. So that broke the spell a bit. But it was really sweet and a little silly. Plus, it makes for a good story now.
Shaun: It was quite honestly, petrifying. We were on a boat in the middle of a lake. My dear wife decided to interrupt every line from my carefully planned proposal speech; not to coo or cry, but to clarify, “Not now right?”, and I quote her verbatim! So after much effort in pressing on over her words, I decided to throw the rest of the script away and just popped the question. She did say yes. So that’s all that matters in the end.
Did COVID-19 affect your wedding plans?
Ame: Of course. We initially planned for a wedding at the end of 2019. So the whole process took two years to come to fruition. I think we went through all the five stages of grief. Eventually, we adopted the attitude that whatever happens, happens. We had good vendors that we trusted. And all our family and friends were very understanding. That shift in mindset really took the stress out of the uncertainty of the situation.
Shaun: Plenty of times. We postponed the wedding three times, had to scramble to ensure every vendor was available each time, had to settle for dates we were not keen on, and had to repeatedly ask family and friends if they were willing to take pre-wedding PCR tests, etc. But we had an amazing wedding coordinator and vendors, who made it easy for us. Of course, Ame also fronted a lot of this on her own so I’m very grateful.
Tell us about your wedding planning journey.
Ame: We used SingaporeBrides to plan, and what I found that was particularly helpful was the list of venues with attached menus and virtual tours. That was great because it was a consolidated platform of all the important information we needed. We used it to shortlist our venue and it just made the whole venue hunting process much easier.
Working with W Singapore—Sentosa Cove was incredible. They honestly went above and beyond. Our guest list had many dietary restrictions that didn’t align with W’s original wedding menu. So our coordinator, Riduan, reconfigured the whole menu and curated something that fit what we needed. We didn’t even ask for it and he very kindly offered it to us. They were also very accommodating throughout the wedding planning process and the multiple postponements.
On the wedding day, W Singapore—Sentosa Cove provided us with a butler who followed us everywhere, adjusted my train, fed us water, and safe-kept our phones. She even magically provided me with hotel slippers towards the end of the event. She knew my heels were killing me. Quite honestly, if I could marry her, I would.
It was raining the whole morning before our solemnisation. The staff at the hotel worked very hard to ensure we could have the garden solemnisation we always wanted. Riduan even jumped in to help us arrange the guests’ chairs for the ceremony. They also offered to clean our wedding party’s shoes which were soiled due to the rain.
We chose W Singapore—Sentosa Cove because we were enamoured by the beautiful ballroom but they eventually won us over with their exceptional service.
What was your wedding theme and how did you create it?
Ame: I think we came up with many names to describe the theme we wanted. There was “Tropical Boho” and “Coachella without the Cultural Appropriation”. Essentially, what we had in mind was something organic which is just a better term for messy but pretty. Our stylist, Blanc Studios, did a really good job with the brief.
For the ceremony, we had pampas lining the aisle and tropical flowers arranged organically (again, this term) at the front. For the reception, we focused on changing the zoning barriers to flowers and pampas which Blanc Studios cleverly repurposed from the solemnisation. We also engaged Multi Image for their gobo lighting services and they projected our initials onto the wall behind the stage.
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?
Ame: This is quite a random moment but let me provide some context. Shaun and I agreed to not see each other the morning of the wedding. We stayed over at W Singapore—Sentosa Cove the night before but got ready in separate rooms. The whole morning was pretty much a blur. I was worried about the impending rain and the schedule. There were bridesmaids and mums getting their makeup done in my room. Brothers were walking in and out helping out with the decor.I think I was so focused on getting things done that I forgot what was actually about to happen.
I remember that people started leaving my suite for the ceremony and I was the last one down. When I came down, I was hidden in a lobby at the back but I had a clear view of the solemnisation space. I saw all the guests seated and I just started tearing up. It’s the thought that everything we planned for is about to happen. And everyone we love showed up to be there for us. Just then, Shaun walked down the aisle and the crowd just started cheering and clapping really loudly. I was so emotional just looking at that scene. It was perfect.
Shaun: For sure, when Ame walked down the aisle! There was something about the combination of her expression, walk, dress, and the music we chose. I suddenly forgot about all the guests seated watching us and I forgot about being nervous about my vows. It was quite surreal. It was like it was only her walking towards me and nothing else mattered. I teared up.
The Size of the Wedding: 120 guests
The Venue: W Singapore—Sentosa Cove
The Wedding Day Photographer: Love Me Tender Films
The Gown: Truly Enamoured
The Bride’s Shoes: Steve Madden
The Suit: SuitYourself
The Groom’s Shoes: Pedro
The Engagement Ring: Tiffany & Co
The Wedding Bands: Bvlgari, Lee Hwa Jewellery
The Bridesmaids’ Dresses: My Little Bow
The Groomsmen’s Suits: Groomsmen’s own
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Lindalino Makeup
The Bridesmaids’ Makeup Artist: Tiffining Beauty
The Mothers’ Gowns: 18 Atelier
The Wedding Cake: W Singapore—Sentosa Cove
The Florist: Blanc Studios, Sing See Soon
The Wedding Stylist: Blanc Studios
The Wedding Planner: Holy Moly
The Pre-Wedding Photographer: Love Me Tender Films
The Videographer: Love Me Tender Films
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: PapyPress
The Wedding Favours: Bride’s Aunts and Uncles
The Solemniser: Dr Jasbir Singh
The Gobo Lighting: Multi Image
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