Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
January 2024
Carolyn and Nicholas’s Fun Wedding at Mandarin Oriental Singapore
Carolyn and Nicholas dispensed soju bombs at their fun and lighthearted wedding at Mandarin Oriental, Singapore!
Carolyn Oh, 30, Regional Learning & Development Manager, and Nicholas Tong, 34, Sales at Investment Management Firm met serendipitously on a dating app, and after a “dream” proposal in Paris, the couple aligned their vision for their marriage. They threw a fun and lighthearted wedding at Mandarin Oriental, Singapore filled with trivia and drinking games, and served their guests from a soju bomb tower dispenser!
How did the two of you first meet?
Carolyn:We asked this in the Kahoot! game we played during the wedding! We found love in a hopeless place– Nick and I met on a dating app. Without it, I doubt our paths would ever cross. Fun fact, I wasn’t the one who swiped right on Nick, I have a bunch of very helpful friends who swiped right on everyone for me! Till today we haven’t figured out who was the one who did the swipe. Nick is minorly delusional–he went around telling everyone I superliked him on the app!
Nick: She always leaves out the part where she cancelled on me twice before finally meeting up to cycle at East Coast. We also exchanged a joke a day so that was something I always looked forward too. We’ve run out of them though.
What do you love most about your partner?
Carolyn: I love how Nick is always present for me, being my constant and pillar of support without judgements or conditions. He is also my biggest cheerleader in life, always super supportive in everything I do–be it my career or crazy hobbies and interests I’ve picked up over the years. And most importantly, he is always happy, and that created a very positive environment for us and our home.
Nick: I love how she makes me want to be a better person. She gives in a lot more than she’ll ever admit, so I really should try to give in to her more. She’s also picked up golf so we get to spend more time together. It makes me happy to know that she’s agreed to spend the rest of our lives together.
What was the proposal like?
Carolyn: Cliché as it may sound, it was…unexpected? Nick knew marriage was never on my cards since the moment we met. But he popped the question in the most romantic city in the world (Paris), so I couldn’t say no! He proposed in Luxembourg Gardens, and of all the four days we were in Paris, it had to pour during the proposal. But still, romantic! We had to spend a few months working on our vision for this union and align our expectations before we started planning for our wedding.
Nick: In my defence, she said her dream proposal was in Paris at the top of the Eiffel tower. Turned out she was just joking when we were watching Emily in Paris. I only realised she was 100% joking once we were in Paris. The photographer was already paid for so I went ahead with it. I’d change venues and propose in Switzerland, her favourite place, if we had a redo.
What was your wedding theme and how did you create it?
Carolyn: We didn’t have a theme per se. We just wanted to respect traditions and ensure all our guests were well fed and had fun, while keeping logistics simple for ourselves as we were both starting our new roles a month before the wedding.
SingaporeBrides was the best resource for us. To list a few–we found our solemniser here, found out about wedding fairs to attend and get an idea of what we want, used the checklist as a step-by-step guide, and also when it comes to narrowing down of hotel for our banquet, the wedding banquet price list was very helpful, and even for us when attending friends’ weddings. Thank you so much for the work you guys do!
Working with Antelope Studios was the best decision ever. We went with Sherman, and during our first meeting even before confirming the booking, he was very warm and proactive in giving us tips on the process and some traditions.
He has made wedding planning a breeze for us. He is one of the most responsive vendors we’ve engaged, and was super helpful in giving suggestions and advice. Out of the many instances–he helped pick the colour scheme and design of my bridal bouquet.
He is also super experienced. On the day of, he arrived early and got to work immediately. We didn’t have to give directions, and he has a sharp eye for detail. What we really appreciated also was how well he worked with our videographer. They had great chemistry and creativity together, relieving us of one worry and allowing us to have fun.
What was your wedding day like?
Carolyn: The wedding day itself was crazy-packed with activities. We had the usual gate crash, but the penalty was not angbaos, it was a new set of healthy lifestyle habits for Nick to adopt (go opportunist me!). After the tea ceremony at Nick’s family home, we checked into the hotel and did our second round of make up and photoshoot before the solemnisation and dinner. We also threw a small after party in our room which lasted till 3am. We were awake for a full 26 hours!
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?
Nick: Definitely our second march in. I chose the TikTok song (that goes “wan le wan le bbq le,” as that half-describes my freedom) with a soju bomb tower dispenser strapped to my back. It encapsulates our lives in a moment–we have fun without being too serious about ourselves.
Carolyn: That was part of my strategy to keep him sober till the end of the wedding dinner–for him to distribute alcohol but make it fun for him. For me it has got to be the solemnisation. It was sincere, filled with our hopes for the future, but at the same time not too serious; we were poking fun at each other quite a bit in there, and that sums up how our relationship is.
The Size of the Wedding: 140 guests
The Cost of the Wedding: 70,000
The Venue: Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
The Wedding Day Photographer: Sherman, Antelope Studios
The Gown: Grace Atelier
The Bride’s Shoes: Valentino
The Suit: Common Suits
The Groom’s Shoes: Bally
The Engagement Ring: St. Havini (Nick’s mum is a jeweler, but the business is closed after she passed)
The Wedding Bands: Lee Hwa Jewellery
The Bridesmaids’ Dresses: The Thread Theory
The Groomsmen’s Suits: Taobao, Eubi
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Victoria Han
The Videographer: Okra Films
The Solemniser: John Lam
The Bridal Accessories: Van Cleef & Arpels
The Ring Resizing: Chuan Jewelry
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