Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
November 2023
Sandy and Weilun’s Stunning Pre-Wedding Adventure in Sumba
Sandy and Weilun captured their love for adventure in their stunning pre-wedding in Sumba, Indonesia.
Sandy Ong, 29, Self-Employed, and Peh Wei Lun, 32, Engineer,had braved two years in a long-distance relationship when Wei Lun surprised Sandy with a Christmas proposal atop a mountain in Germany. The adventure-loving couple celebrated their love for travel with a pre-wedding shoot with Darren and Jade Photography in the vast natural beauty of Sumba, Indonesia.
How did you meet each other?
Wei Lun: Truth be told, we have been apart longer than we have been together (physically). Just one year into the relationship, I was offered a two-year overseas assignment to Australia, and since then we have been in a long-distance relationship for the past (almost) two years. We’ve had our fair share of challenges, like having to re-adjust expectations because we had both agreed that if one of us were to be posted overseas, we would go for it together but due to work commitments, Sandy had to stay in Singapore.
Sandy: Being apart so “fresh” into the relationship was definitely not easy, but we pulled through by watching shows together online, and even went through major milestones during this period – buying a house, getting engaged (hehe), confirming our wedding venue, planning and going ahead with our pre-wedding shoot (best decision ever, by the way), and now, we’re in the midst of planning our home renovations. Good news is, it’s all coming to an end! And it was a blessing in disguise because with our love for traveling and adventures, we visited and had many great experiences in different parts of Australia. As for how the both of us met, it shall remain a mystery until our wedding day.
What do you love most about your partner?
Wei Lun: I love her optimism when facing difficult times and her thoughtfulness in putting others before her. She is also very adventurous, willing to explore and try new things, which makes our dates fun and exciting. Her interesting sense of humour (that not many can understand) is definitely something that keeps me entertained all the time.
Sandy: His eye for detail in many aspects, like making sure I’m always super well taken care of. I fell in love with his sense of humour (like being weird) and his love for family, knowing that he will always make time for family. And the fact that I can always be myself (or be weird together) when I’m with him. Of course, our common interests like always seeking adventures and trying new food/experiences brought us together in the first place.
What was the proposal like?
Wei Lun: We went for our first holiday trip (outside Australia) in December 2022 to Munich, Germany, as we wanted to experience winter and Christmas (markets!! mulled wine!!) there. I came up with a plan to surprise Sandy with 12 different Christmas gifts, one each day at different locations on the 12 days leading up to Christmas Day and videoed her reactions. On 22 December 2022, I told Sandy that we were going for another DIY photoshoot (something we enjoy doing) at Eibsee Lake, to an off-the beaten-path location not many people hike to (Sandy’s favourite).
Sandy: It was quite dramatic and romantic at the same time because it rained throughout the hike, and just when I was waiting for Wei Lun to set up the tripod for the photoshoot, and was admiring the Zugspitze snow-capped mountains in the backdrop, he went down on one knee and caught me off guard when I turned back. That was the moment the rain decided to stop momentarily for the proposal, and right after I said “of course!”, it started to drizzle again. Wei Lun chose this location because of my love for the mountains and oceans, and the ring design was very apt because it is a snowflake design.
Where did you go for your pre-wedding shoot?
We did our pre-wedding photoshoot and videoshoot at Sumba, Indonesia. We knew that Sumba, though a small island, had so much to offer, with insane sunrises and sunsets. There were beaches, hills, farms, waterfalls, rice fields, traditional villages and so much more. The nature-lover and adventure-seeker inside us screamed yes, and the fact that it is an unusual place for a pre-wedding shoot made us want to be one of the few unique couples in Singapore to do it (first).
How did your Sumba pre-wedding go?
Darren and Jade Photography were very patient and helpful throughout our pre-wedding photoshoot journey. From their friendliness at the first Zoom meeting, we knew we could get along very well with them, and at subsequent meetings, they put in a lot of effort to plan the itinerary, coordinate with our Sumba tour guide, and advised us on the logistics to bring. They were also very accommodating with the places we wanted to visit and the ideas we had. We wanted to capture the vastness of nature with us being as candid as possible when portraying our love story. Darren and Jade made all of that possible.
When will the wedding be, and what are your plans for it?
Our wedding will be on 26 May 2024 and we will be holding an outdoor wedding at The Alkaff Mansion.We are in the SingaporeBrides Telegram group chat for the wedding resources!
The Photographer: Kael from Darren and Jade Photography
The Bride’s Outfits: Rentadella
The Bride’s Shoes: ASOS
The Groom’s Outfits: Yd, Australia
The Engagement Ring: JannpaulDiamonds
The Shoot Locations: East & West Sumba
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Veve Veronica
The Hair Accessories: Taobao
The Florist: Kintan Florist & Decor
The Videographer: Benny and Xinyi from Darren and Jade Photography
The Prop Rentals: Taobao, Sumba
This pre-wedding shoot was shot in August 2023, and smoke bombs were used to create the coloured smoke. This was before restrictions on flares were imposed in September 2023.
Credits: Images by Darren and Jade Photography
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