Singaporebrides | Fine Dining
October 2022
Estee and Ernest’s Ethereal Capella Singapore Wedding Filled with Floral Clouds
Estee and Ernest toasted to their love in an ethereal celebration filled with floral clouds, in Capella Singapore.
Ernest Ong, 29, Investment Analyst, surprised Estee Cham, 29, Medical Doctor, with an “under-the-sea” proposal where she said “Yes!” with two manta rays swimming overhead! The couple tied the knot in a gorgeous and ethereal wedding in Capella Singapore on 26 February 2022, with clouds of baby’s breath creating a magical scene straight out of a fairy tale.
How did you first meet each other?
Estee: Ernest and I met when neither of us were expecting to find a life partner. He was working a busy job as a investment analyst at his firm, and I had just relocated back to Singapore to start my medical career here. We first met at one of my favourite sushi restaurants here in Singapore, Aoki restaurant at Shaw. The conversation just flowed, so we set up a next meeting soon after, and everything from then on just felt natural and fell into place perfectly. I guess that’s how things are supposed to feel when you find your soulmate!
What do you love most about your partner?
Estee: There are so many things I love about my husband—he is loving, respectful, kind, dependable, intelligent, and loyal. On a more practical note, our personalities also complement each other, he gets along great with my family and friends, and we share many common life values and goals.
My relatives used to joke that I am very picky with guys because my dad has set the bar too high for me. It’s true—my dad really is such a great husband to my mom and an amazing dad to me too. But when I started dating Ernest, people started saying that he reminds them a lot of my dad. Haha. So all in all, when Ernest proposed to me, it was a very very simple “Yes!”
What was the proposal like?
Estee: The proposal was a complete surprise! My mom took me to a salon for a wash and blow the morning of, and I wasn’t suspicious as we sometimes do that as a mother-daughter activity. Ernest then came to take me to Sentosa. We love driving in to Sentosa for meals and strolls, so everything seemed normal as well, until… Ernest took out a blindfold and asked me to wear it. He ended up taking me to Ocean Suites where he proposed to me under two manta rays swimming right above our heads, and we had a celebratory meal right after in the SEA Aquarium that was completely booked out just for the two of us! I had never seen the SEA Aquarium completely closed just for us, so I must say Ernest really impressed me!
How did you plan your wedding?
Estee: I am actually a sucker for love stories so I used to read SingaporeBrides articles on other couple’s love stories even before planning for my own. Seeing happy couples in love makes me happy too!
Of course, when we started planning for our own wedding, I started to read more articles from SingaporeBrides for tips on wedding planning, recommendations for vendors, etc. Their Instagram was also very good inspiration when we were conceptualising the theme of our wedding.
What was your wedding theme and how did you create it?
Estee: We worked with our wedding planners The Wedding Stylist for about a year to plan our wedding. For the solemnisation, we went with a classic garden theme with white florals and green foliage. For the dinner, we wanted something fairytale-like. The idea was to use baby’s breath en masse to create a cloud-like dreamy feel, and intersperse them with other florals like roses, phalenopsis, and hydrangeas. Since my favourite colour is pink, we also did the florals in shades of pastel pink. An added bonus of using baby’s breath—they are long-lasting! I took a bunch home after the banquet and they are still sitting in our living room looking pretty up till today—a sweet reminder of our wedding night!
We worked with Sherman and Bryan from Antelope Studios, as well as Yang from Substance Films, and they were amazing! They made time to connect with us before our wedding to understand our preferences, and on the day itself, were very professional yet also incredibly friendly and easy to chat with—it felt like shooting with a friend! Most importantly, they captured all the special moments of the day perfectly. The actual wedding day can be very busy with many things going on at once; often we may not notice the little details that go into making the whole day what it is.
When I look back on the pictures and videos, I saw all the tender moments they captured that I would have otherwise missed, such as my mom tearfully listening to our wedding speeches, or my bridesmaids’ genuine smiles as my husband and I walked down the aisle. It always gets me emotional and I’m so thankful to have all that captured on film. My husband and I both agree that hiring them was one of the best decisions of our wedding. In fact, we are intending to use them for our firstborn’s 100-day celebrations too!
As for our wedding venue Capella Singapore, honestly we left most of the corresponding to our wedding planners. Things went smoothly and the staff were also very attentive to our needs on the day itself.
What was your wedding day like?
Estee: It felt very busy haha, but it was a very, very happy day!! There were many things to do, places to be at, timings to follow. But thankfully we had our wedding planner to coordinate everything for us, as well as amazing bridesmaids, groomsmen, and vendors to help us with the little things. We really just needed to show up and enjoy the moment!
I always joke with my husband that I want to get married again and again (to the same man only of course), because it really is so much fun celebrating our love! Maybe for our tenth-year wedding anniversary?
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?
Estee: There are so many, it’s hard to narrow down to just one! If I had to pick, it would be the veiling by my parents, as well as when Ernest fetched and unveiled me from my home for his first look at me.
Veiling to me signifies my parents entrusting me to my husband. It was a bittersweet moment because moving out from my parent’s home is such a big step, yet at the same time, I was also very excited to start a new life with my husband. Having my parent’s blessing for my marriage meant the world to me, and I had to hold back my tears in that moment.
The other moment I will always remember is when Ernest unveiled me. Ernest always makes it a point to tell me I am the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, and in that moment he truly made me feel like it. There were probably 4-5 photographers/ videographers around us when he unveiled me, yet somehow they managed to make the moment still feel extremely private. It felt like just us two in the whole room, and I definitely felt like the luckiest girl in the world then!
Substance Films
The Size of the Wedding: 150 guests
The Cost of the Wedding: $200,000
The Venue: Capella Singapore
The Wedding Day Photographer: Antelope Studios
The Gown: Nicole Felicia, Netta Benshabu, Grace Kelly
The Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo
The Suit: In Personam Custom Clothiers
The Wedding Bands: Cartier
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Dear Muse Makeup
The Wedding Cake: Capella, Yume Patisserie
The Florist: Magiche, Mirage Florals
The Backdrop: Furniche
The Wedding Planner: The Wedding Stylist
The Videographer: Substance Films
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: Papypress
The Wedding Favours: Capella Singapore
The Solemniser: Church pastor
Credits: Images by Antelope Studios
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