Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
August 2022
Jayne and Glen’s Beautiful Surprise Proposal at Art at National Gallery Singapore
Undeterred by the undesirable weather that day, Glen threw a beautiful surprise proposal for the love of his life, Jayne, at the rooftop of the National Gallery Singapore.
Although Jayne and Glen were friends for a long time, it wasn’t until recently that the pair of sweethearts decided to take their friendship to the next level when COVID-19 grounded both of them in Singapore. After spending more time with each other, they gradually found love in one another. When it was time to take the next step in their relationship, Glen discovered that throwing a surprise proposal for Jayne was a near impossible task. Instead, he planned a semi-surprise proposal full of meaning and sentiment that swept Jayne off her feet and towards happily-ever-after atop the National Gallery Singapore.
Share with us your story. How did the two of you meet?
Glen: There is a two-part story to this. We start by telling people that we met in a library in Thailand, and their reaction would usually be, “Oh, that’s so sweet, romantic and wholesome. How did you chat her up?”. I would then tell them that I absolutely ‘swiped her right’ off her feet in the ‘library of online profiles’. Usually, they would look confused, until we explained that it was Tinder that brought us together
What drew you to each other?
Glen: The minute I met her for the first time in person, there was something about her energy and they way she carried herself, and the stories she shared with me that drew me in. From day one, I already knew that she was someone special whom I was interested to get to know more of. On hindsight, it was probably love at first sight.
Jayne: He slowly warmed my heart with his consistent efforts and sincerity. We were friends for a long time before we finally decided to date each other. And it was only made possible because of COVID19, which grounded us both in Singapore. The time we spent with each other made me fall in love with him eventually.
What do you love most about your partner?
Glen: I love her quirkiness and goofiness while being highly intelligent. She has this uncanny ability to consistently surprise and humour me all the time with her many weird antics. Some things are just pure silly monkey actions while some are just ridiculously out of the world (like how in the world did she ever think of it!). On the other hand, she also empowers me with her insights and sense of matters. I often talk to her about life, work and the world where she always challenges me mentally and has the incredible ability to comprehend and structure concepts even if she may not get the full context of the work.
Jayne: In the most honest way, I love that Glen feeds me well, entertains my neediness and gives in to my tantrums most of the time. He is a very responsible man who takes care of our two pets (cat and dog) and puts in time to make our monthly dates special. Now that we have to travel for work every month, it brings us closer when we get to have little adventures out of Singapore.
Glen, tell us about how you planned the surprise proposal for Jayne. How did you pull it off without her suspecting that something was going on?
It was certainly not easy. I am with her physically most of the time and she is incredibly intuitive. So, putting together a surprise isn’t a walk in the park and she even told me before that if I ever proposed, she has to be well dressed in a very specific dress, pair of shoes, with a specific set of jewellery and good makeup on. That just adds ten times more difficulty to throw a surprise proposal.
In order to plan a surprise proposal, I decided that the entire event would not be a complete secret. Since she requested to be dolled up in a specific manner, she would naturally know that the proposal is coming, but what she doesn’t know would be where, when and how she would be proposed to.
On the day of proposal, I engaged her best friend, Ryan, to take her out so that I could bring the outfit and accessories to the hotel where I had prepared a little surprise. Ryan was instructed to take her to the hotel room, which I had decorated to look exactly like it was when I asked her to be my girlfriend, bringing her down memory lane. It was there that she would discover the outfit she had requested to be in for her proposal, which would have given her an idea of what was going to happen next.
While she watched a video message from me and got dolled up by a make-up artist in preparation for the proposal, I was waiting at Art, where I engaged a mini production crew to set up the venue with a custom-made full backdrop, an arch, flower bouquets and a Roman looking pillar for the rings. When we were ready, I had another friend chauffeur her over to the restaurant. There, I knelt and popped the big question.
Why did you choose Art as the venue for the proposal? Were you feeling nervous on the day of the proposal?
Glen: National Gallery Singapore was the place we had our first ever proper date as a couple, so it was particularly meaningful for us (another walk in the memory lane). I also wanted a space where I could see the Singapore skyline as a natural backdrop and Art fit the bill, and was also surprisingly reasonably priced.
Jayne, did you know that Glen was going to propose to you that day?
I knew he was going to propose soon because the gems he gave me had to be taken out to be set, but I didn’t know which day the proposal was going to be. When Ryan took me to Capella for brunch and started filming me, that was when I found out that the proposal was happening that day. I was nervous, but I trusted Glen’s planning so I just went with the flow and enjoyed the moments as they came along.
Tell us about the beautiful jewellery pieces that were part of the proposal. Is there any meaning behind the pieces?
Glen: Jayne is in the fine jewellery trade so it’s not easy proposing to a jewellery professional. For someone who has seen it all, how was I going to impress her? I also wanted to make it meaningful. Over the two years that we’ve been dating, I also learned enough of the trade to understand what type of gemstones are worthy of investing in. It was enjoyable studying and researching about them that I became somewhat of a gemstone investor and collector alongside her.
It took me and her business partner a lot of work to keep the jewellery a surprise, from sourcing the gemstones right down to designing the final pieces. The heart shaped morganite and aquamarine were given to her on the day I asked her to be my girlfriend and on our first anniversary, respectively. They represented my joy and the positive side of our love whenever we had an argument or felt negative towards each other. For the proposal, I had them set into jewellery.
On top of these two gemstones, I also picked out a sapphire, diamond and a ruby, representing how she is the queen of my heart, my lover, best friend and forever love, and how much passion and love I have for her. The ruby was the key engagement gem for the proposal and it was also her favourite.
Jayne: We decided to use the drawings as part of the proposal backdrop to highlight the meanings behind each and every gem Glen chose. We had also wanted to use it to decorate our future home, but the rain destroyed it and it unfortunately had to be discarded after the proposal.
What was your favourite part of the proposal?
Glen: Seeing her beautiful self appear and walking over to me before I popped the question.
Glen, do you have any advice for grooms-to-be who are planning a surprise proposal?
My advice would be to have a proper wet weather plan if you are planning an outdoor proposal!
The Venue: Art at National Gallery Singapore
The Photographer: MUSE Media Asia Production
The Proposal Rings: Moltenore.co
The Hair and Makeup Artist: Zoel Makeup
The Event Stylist: Everitt Weddings
Hotel Room Decor: Pineapple Express
Fabricated Backdrop: Kelvin Kwek
Props: Victoria Wedding Collection
The Wedding Resource: SingaporeBrides
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