Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
May 2023
Vanessa and Bryan’s Classic Wedding with White Florals and Green Foliage at Capella Singapore
Vanessa and Bryan kept things simple and classic for their beautiful wedding at Capella Singapore.
Vanessa Wijaya, 29, Piano teacher, and Bryan Long, 31, Financial Services Director & Vice-President of Singapore Badminton, were acquaintances who met through mutual friends and family many years ago. There were no romantic sparks in the beginning, but after they spent more time planning a wedding for a mutual family member and friend, they discovered a soul mate in one another, and love blossomed. After a romantic proposal atop the Supertree @ Gardens by the Bay, the lovebirds decided to tie the knot in a timeless and classic wedding at Capella Singapore with their nearest and dearest in attendance.
Share with us your story. How did the two of you meet?
Vanessa: Bryan and I met when neither of us was expecting to find a life partner. Bryan was busy with building his career, while I was still settling down in Singapore (as I am from Indonesia) after my graduation. We knew each other through mutual friends and family many years ago, and started off as acquaintances.
However, we got to know each other much better through a wedding. It all started in 2019, when Bryan’s friend, Donald, invited him to be a groomsman at his wedding. Coincidentally, I was invited to be a bridesmaid as well, as the bride was my sister, Carissa. As the wedding had both local and overseas ceremonies (over three months), we spent a lot of time traveling and planning the wedding together. Shortly after the wedding, we started going out together.
What drew you to each other?
Vanessa: Over the course of many months, we got to know each better through my sister’s wedding. We even got to know each other’s family as we regularly hung out as a group. Through the interactions, we realised that we have a lot in common, in terms of family values and outlook of life. We are both homely people, love kids and animals, and share a similar faith.
What is it about your partner that you love the most?
Vanessa: There are so many things that we love about each other. We are both kind, dependable, intellectual and loyal. We both share the joy of having a good book date, as we both love reading. And we both love animals. Getting our fur kid, Mocha, was one the best decisions we made together. On a more practical note, I am more indecisive and emotional, whereas Bryan is more of the decision-maker and grounded in life. However, I am much tidier and more meticulous in the small things while Bryan is pretty messy and busy, so I always having to clean up after him. At the end of the day, we complement each other well.
What was the proposal like?
Vanessa: Bryan surprised me with a romantic proposal on top of Supertree @ Gardens by the Bay with a beautiful drone show in March 2022. He spent three months planning for that day, as it took a lot of effort in organising and getting the various teams to make the day a success. From securing the venue, to running trial runs of the drone formations to getting the permits required for flying. Earlier that day, he even called my mum in Indonesia to ask for permission to marry me. The proposal was a close and small group affair, attended by his family and my close family in Singapore.
Tell us about your wedding. Where was your wedding venue and why did you choose it as the place to wed?
Vanessa: Capella Singapore has always been a special venue for us, so we decided to get married there. We first chanced upon it when we were celebrating Bryan’s 30th birthday. We had such a great experience there, from the drive in to the compound, to the front desk, the service provided was impressive. It was definitely special. Most importantly, we wanted our fur kid to be part of our wedding and Capella Singapore provided the necessary accommodation for us.
Last but not least, the environment and serenity surrounding the hotel is extremely exclusive and classy, and we really wanted to share that with our guests.
What was your wedding theme?
Vanessa: We wanted something simple yet classy and timeless, nothing too overly dramatic and overly themed. So, we went with a classic garden theme with white florals and green foliage. It helped that the Grand ballroom of Capella Singapore was already extremely classy, with its round ballroom and large curved screen. Choosing the right layout and flower arrangements with a consistent color and photo theme on screen was key for us.
It was a tedious process ensuring the small details were in place, from the type and colour of flowers and leaves, to the table cloth, place cards, menu cards, choice of music and more, to have something simple, but also memorable. We spent months personally designing our logo, menu and place cards – even using our own tools to cut and sort them out on our own. We really wanted to give our guests a personalised experience.
Take us back to your wedding day. What was the day like and how were you feeling?
Vanessa: In terms of schedule, it was an extremely hectic day for us. From rushing to and fro our pick-up places, to running the church wedding in the morning, followed by a wedding shoot with our bridal team and family, to the wedding dinner itself. But we were very glad that we had a great bridal team who managed most of the logistics for us on our wedding day. They handled most of the decision making on the day itself. Hence, making it easy for us on our wedding day.
What did your family/friends have to say about your wedding day?
Vanessa: They remarked that it was the most joyful and heartwarming wedding, while being classy and timeless. They were extremely delighted, and of course, weddings are always a happy occasion for people to reconnect.
Share with us the most memorable moment of your wedding?
Vanessa: There were many memorable moments, from walking down aisle with my family, to saying our vows and having our friends and family witness our union. It was not easy to gather our families together, as most of them reside overseas, some of whom I have not met for over 10 years.
But the most memorable moment would have to be our emcee throwing a surprise element during the dinner. While I knew of the surpise just prior to the event starting, it was great fun for Bryan as he had no idea what was going to happen. He was asked to blindfold himself and had to guess whose kiss among the four he would receive from myself and three other multi-racial guests was mine. Thank god he got it right!
What is one lesson you’ve learned from your wedding planning that you’d like to share with other couples?
Our advice is to choose the right bridal team as they will be the one helping you the most with the preparation and on the wedding day itself. Another advice is to book your wedding venue early. And it’s important to discuss and agree between the yourselves on what is the most important aspect you wish to see on your wedding.
The Venue: Capella Singapore and Clementi Bible Church
Cost of Wedding: $120,000
Size of Wedding: 350 guests (dinner), 150guests (church)
The Bride’s Gown: Yunita Lim Couture (IDN)
The Bride’s Shoes: Bella Belle (IDN)
The Groom’s Suit: Assemble
The Groom’s Shoes: Mario Minardi
The Wedding Bands: Felice Jewelry
The Wedding Photographer and Videographer: Iluminen.Singapore
The Hair and Makeup Artist: hairstylist – Laila Rahmadani (IDN), MUA – She She (IDN)
The Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Julie bridesmaids (IDN)
The Flower Girls’ Dresses: Next
The Page Boys’ Suits: Shein
The Wedding Cake: Capella Singapore
The Florist: Capella Singapore
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: Papypress
The Caterer: Capella Singapore and Neo Garden Catering (church lunch)
The Wedding Favours: Capella Singapore
The Wedding Band: Musical Touch
The Wedding Car: Bentley
The Solemniser: Pastor Boon Leong
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