Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
March 2024
Joy and Nic’s Beautiful St. George’s Church Wedding and Elegant Reception at Tanah Merah Country Club
Joy and Nic committed to forever in a beautiful St. George’s Church wedding followed by a wedding reception in Tanah Merah Country Club.
Joy, Business Development, and Nicholas, Legal, met through a dating app only to realise they had their real first meeting when they were kindergarteners! After a surprise picnic proposal, the match made in heaven sealed their commitment with a beautiful solemnisation at St. George’s Church and elegant rat-and-panda themed wedding dinner at Tanah Merah Country Club on 29 April 2023.
How did you meet each other?
Joy: We met five years ago through a dating app. For our first meeting, I was 15 minutes late. Nic hates late people, but he waited anyway and we spent three hours talking about everything and anything at that first date. I’m sure he found that the wait was worth it because we have not stopped meeting ever since. Coincidentally, we also found out later on that we were in the same year at the same kindergarten. So you could say we actually “met” years before?
Nic: It depends on which story we choose to start the timeline with – our first date at Stamping Ground Coffee, or our kindergarten. In the former, we met on a dating app, and it was Joy’s friend that swiped right on my profile. We started chatting and eventually arranged to meet at Stamping Ground. As Joy mentioned, she was late, but it was worth the wait! We chatted for hours, and fast forward five years later, we are married! In the latter, we found out that we went to the same kindergarten and even have a photo where we were in the same play together!
What do you love most about your partner?
Joy: I really appreciate Nic’s calm and steady nature, and the way that he quietly supports me. He isn’t one to get highly animated or emotional, but he shows his love though the things he does.
Nic: I love that Joy and I are very similar yet different at the same time. We complement each other in that her strengths cover my weaknesses and vice versa. This allows me to try new things outside of my comfort zone as well.
What was the proposal like?
Joy: I wasn’t totally expecting it. We had planned to go to East Coast Park on the Labour Day long weekend to picnic and I noticed that he had packed rather unusually fancy food. But when we got to the car park, it was absolutely packed and there were no spots, and he didn’t insist on staying at East Coast Park and began searching for another nearby park instead. So I figured, he couldn’t possibly have planned it so badly. But when we finally set up at Telok Kurau Park (outside the public toilets no less!) I wanted to get a drink and opened the cooler. Turns out he had hidden the ring set-up in the cooler box!
Nic: The intention was for it to be as innocuous as possible. I wanted it to be a surprise, so I chose to do an activity that we usually do as a couple – having picnics at ECP. Unfortunately, the day I planned the proposal was a long weekend and ECP was packed! We searched for an alternative venue nearby to have our picnic and found that the Telok Kurau Park was the nearest. We set our chairs, had our food and the moment of the proposal came – I asked Joy to get a drink from the cooler box where the proposal set up would be unveiled to her! It was a setup that was uniquely us, with a cooler box (and alleged beers), a rat holding the ring (Joy loves rats), and a big red buzzer button for her to press and say yes (an inside joke we share).
Did you have a wedding theme?
Joy: We had our church solemnisation at St George’s Church and dinner was at Tanah Merah Country Club. Our wedding theme was pretty classic, with white, black, grey, and pink as the theme colours. We had a friend design the logo for our wedding with our favourite animals – a panda representing Nic and a rat representing me, and we took it from there.
Nic: We had our solemnisation at St George’s Church, which is near Joy’s previous workplace. One of our running jokes is that you can never take work out of Joy. We kept our wedding simple and classic and chose colours that represented us, grey and pink for the rat, and black and white for the panda. Our wedding banquet was at Tanah Merah Country Club, and it was the ideal venue for us in terms of capacity and cost.
Bring us back to your wedding day. What was the day like?
Joy: The day went off very smoothly and church and dinner all started and ended on time! Huge thanks to our bridal crew for being super on-the-ball and our vendors who were really helpful and professional. Their help really allowed me to chill (as much as possible) and feel all the feels. I really enjoyed the day.
Nic: Our wedding ran smoothly, and there were pockets of the day where we were ahead of schedule! This was only possible because of our awesome bridal crew, which had two married couples! Prior experience definitely helped us in our planning, and also in dealing with any hiccups along the way!
What did your family and friends have to say about your wedding day?
Joy: They had fun and told us that the wedding was well run. I think they really enjoyed themselves as it was one of the first few large weddings they had attended post-covid.
Nic: Our friends and family complimented us on how well-run the wedding was! A thing that we did not expect was the feedback we got for the reception after the solemnisation. Due to a tight schedule, we opted for food that could be grab-and-go – bottled coffee and breakfast sandwiches. This also helped to control the flow of guests as they did not have to sit at tables and were free to mingle with other guests, or do a takeaway.
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?
Joy: The classic solemnisation at church. It was the “big” moment where we were married before God and our family and friends.
Nic: When I saw Joy walk down the aisle. It was when I knew we were getting married, and transiting from boyfriend and girlfriend to husband and wife.
What is one lesson you’ve learned from your wedding planning that you’d like to share with other couples?
Joy: Research as much as you can. SingaporeBrides was a really helpful resource where I did loads of research, especially the Real Weddings features. Watch your budget! While some things are nice to have, they might not have the most impact at the wedding. Lastly, having a bridal crew with experience in running large events/weddings is a huuuge plus!
Nic: Start the planning as early as you can. A good starting place would be SingaporeBrides which provides a comprehensive overview on what to expect, potential vendors, etc. Another helpful thing would be to assemble a capable bridal party. Lastly, do not feel shy in delegating tasks to the bridal party. The less things the couple have to deal with during the wedding, the more time there is to enjoy the moment, and forge memories that would last a lifetime.
The Size of the Wedding: 350 guests
The Cost of the Wedding: About $60k
The Venue: St. Georges’ Church and Tanah Merah Country Club
The Wedding Day Photographer: Kent Wong Photography
The Wedding Day Videographer: Green Imagination
The Gown: Alerisa / Accent
The Bride’s Shoes: Mango
The Suit: Assemble / Three Buttons
The Groom’s Shoes: Earnest and Collective
The Engagement Ring: JannPaul
The Wedding Bands: JannPaul
The Bridesmaids’ Dresses: WeddingConfetti
The Groomsmen’s Suits: Their own
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Queenie Cong Makeover
The Caterer: Breakfast Grill / King’s Cart Coffee
The Florist: Bucket Full of Roses
The Pre-Wedding Photographer: Jonathan Ong / Bruna Luise
The Wedding Invitations and Stationery: Designed by a friend
The Wedding Favours: Lemuel Chocolate
The Wedding Photobooth: Cheese Effects
The Wedding Band: Daniel Chia
Credits: Images by Kent Wong Photography
Want to see your love story featured on SingaporeBrides too? Submit your wedding here!
All content from this article, including images, cannot be reproduced without credits or written permission from SingaporeBrides.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram for the latest article and promotion updates!