Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
July 2026
Sheryl and Desmond’s Lush, Enchanted Forest Wedding at Capella Singapore
It’s a must for any wedding held at Capella Singapore to exude upper-class sophistication, and the celebration of Sheryl and Desmond was no different.
If you’ve ever wondered what a Crazy Rich Asians-type wedding looks like in real life, look no further. Sheryl and Desmond brought in greenery from beyond our shores, picturesque installations and sculptures, as well as multiple bespoke outfits and accessories to complete their grandiose wedding at Capella Singapore. The theme? A lush, enchanted forest, nothing short of magical. Below, all the magnificent details that made their vision come to life.
How did the two of you meet?
Desmond: You know those love stories where sparks fly instantly and messages are exchanged non-stop from day one? I met my Sheryl online, or more accurately, I tried to. For the first month (maybe more), I was essentially talking to myself. She was either ignoring me… or, as she lovingly insists, just “didn’t see the messages.” (Let’s go with that.)
In her defence, she’s a very popular lady—inbox flooded, social calendar stacked, and definitely not lurking online waiting for some guy from the nursery to say “hi”. But me? I was determined. Some might call it persistence. Others might call it… slightly tragic optimism. Then one fine day, a miracle happened. She replied. I’d fire off a reply in 30 seconds; she’d respond 2–3 days later. But I wasn’t deterred. I mean, who wouldn’t wait for someone like her?
Our conversation slowly bloomed, and then came the turning point: she wanted to buy a pot of orchids for her brother’s new home. I practically leaped out of my seat. This was it, my moment. I rolled out the green carpet and invited her to my nursery.
We met one night under the nursery lights, surrounded by orchids and the faint scent of fertiliser. She bought a pot. But I was the one that was sold. Sold on her, I mean.
Just a few days later, it was Valentine’s Day. She agreed to come by my floral studio while I worked on bouquet orders, a move that in itself deserved a ring. We talked, we laughed, and from there, something just grew. Slowly at first, but deeply. Late-night hangouts. Long conversations. The kind where time disappears and feelings sneak in before you realise what’s happening.
Fast forward four years later—I proposed to her in Osaka, exactly how she dreamed of it: the perfect setting, the perfect moment… and the perfect woman saying “yes.” And here we are.
The moral of the story? Never underestimate the power of a well-timed orchid and an unread DM.
What is it about your partner that you love the most?
Sheryl: He is willing to listen, understand, and to work on himself for me—I think that is the most important factor in making women feel secure and certain about stepping into the future with a man. He chose to live better for us. Without me having to force him, he quit unhealthy habits, followed me to TCM retreats, and somehow even enjoyed them more than I did.
Desmond: Everyone always says I’m very smart to choose her, but I am also the luckiest person to be chosen by her, because she showed me what real love is. She is kind in the quiet moments, clear when things feel uncertain and incredibly loving in ways most people never notice. She showed up not just when it’s easy, but especially when it matters. I admire her clarity: honest with words and gentle with people she cares about, including me. Being loved by her has been the most grounding experiences of my life, she makes my life feel lighter, more intentional and more meaningful.
What was the moment that made you realise that he/she was the one for you?
Sheryl: For me it was not any specific moment but a culmination of moments, proven through steady actions over time. During our second year anniversary, I asked him where we were headed to and he said he saw a future together that he would be planning a proposal in the following year—and he followed through.
Desmond: During the lows in our relationship, I could see Sheryl working really hard to make things better clearly. She did not give up loving, but instead doubled down on it and that was when I knew I could never let go of someone like her, I knew I had to treasure her.
Tell us about your proposal.
Sheryl: I always wanted an overseas proposal, but also wanted it to be a surprise. When we planned our trip to Japan, I knew the proposal would be during that trip. However, the exact day of the proposal was unknown to me and Desmond truly managed to surprise me—not an easy feat because I am very sharp and tend to see through things very fast!
We hiked to Minoh Falls in Osaka, and at the waterfall he asked a young couple to take photographs of us. Little did I know that they were actually a New Zealand-based videographer and Taiwan-based photographer whom he specially flew in just to capture our proposal. He gave a speech (which I remember nothing of because I was in total shock), knelt down on one knee, and put the ring into a Golden Snitch (because I’m a huge Harry Potter fan!). Needless to say, I said yes—it was the perfect proposal in every way. Thankfully we have the videos and photos to look back on, so I could relive the speech and moment anytime!
Where was your wedding venue and why did you choose it?
It was at Capella Singapore, in Sentosa. We knew we wanted our dog, Penguin, to march down the aisle with us—so that ruled out many venues. We fell in love with the glass dome skylight and the glass sculpture in the Grand Ballroom—it was the perfect venue and no other venue came close to stealing our hearts. We also had many staycations at Capella Singapore previously and it remains one of our favourite hotels.
Did you have a wedding theme? If yes, what was it and how did you achieve it?
Our wedding theme was a romantic, enchanted forest in classic white and green colours. Desmond, being the owner of a landscape company, coordinated the mood board and brought in trees from overseas, while his workers helped set up the landscape installations both outside and inside the ballroom. Sheryl really wanted a fountain, so she also brought in an actual, stone fountain with cupid sculptures, waterproof lights, smoke machine and flower decorations. Sheryl also really wanted live candles, so we had them brought in in candelabras to complete the whole dreamy, romantic forest vibe.
Sheryl, being a jewellery owner, also paid particular attention to wearing bespoke, customised pieces for the wedding. A special white jadeite bangle with carved red flowers accompanied her morning look with the traditional Chinese gown, which was also especially customised from China. For the solemnisation, she wore a Galia Lahav Special Order gown with a full diamond customised necklace. For the first march-in, it was a customised ballroom gown dress with floral applique and detailing, so naturally the jewellery had to be floral-inspired as well. This was a customised ruby and diamond necklace with a matching ruby bracelet, both in the shape of flowers. For the second march-in, she wore the Galia Lahav gown again, but this time with a customised sapphire diamond necklace inspired by Princess Diana’s sapphire engagement ring.
What was your wedding day like?
It was super hectic and fun! Sheryl has been playing the violin since childhood, and fell in love with harp-violin duos, so she really wanted one at the wedding. But the budget had been so far exceeded, that she decided not to. Unbeknownst to her, Desmond actually contacted the company and surprised her with a live harp-violin performance from the solemnisation to the banquet. We also engaged a kisscam vendor to encourage the spirit of love—the video went viral and was shared by Goodyfeed SG and MY! Before the wedding, we also decided to do a photodash instead of the traditional table by table photo-taking. This was really helpful because Sheryl’s ballgown was huge (>1.8m wide, >3m long), making it hard to sit or move around much. The photodash was really well-received even amongst the older generations, and the entire banquet photo-taking was done within 20 minutes. We played upbeat songs like the F1 theme song, BLACKPINK’s “Jump”, “#Selfie”, and a “Voices In My Head x Freak” mashup—appealing to the younger generation who said they never thought they would hear such songs in such a wedding.
We also had many videos to play that kept the guests entertained—from a pre-march in video that was more heartfelt, a Q&A for people to get to know our story, to the proposal video in Japan, to a 3 Kingdoms-inspired love story video filmed in Lijiang featuring full armour, on horseback with wolves and horses, to a 5 Lifetimes 五生五世 video in Shangri-La that spanned many different outfits from different eras, and finally, the same-day edit that was so beautifully done. After the 五生五世 video, the lights darkened, and we sneaked into the middle of the ballroom to surprise our guests with a romantic couple dance to Elliot James Reay’s “I Think They Call This Love” and Franki Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”. At the very end, Desmond also serenaded Sheryl with a live hokkien song, “浪子回头” by EggPlantEgg.
What was the day like and how were you feeling?
It was a beautiful day with Desmond tearing up during so many moments, even making the guests cry. Unfortunately, Sheryl fell sick after the morning activities and the wedding solemnisation, so lunch had to be delayed. Capella Singapore was very accommodating and let the lunch wedding stretch on to almost 6 in the evening! Penguin was our ringbearer during solemnisation and ran down the aisle beautifully. Desmond’s landscaping team and our florist did such an amazing job with the florals and trees that everyone were in awe. It was just such a beautiful, memorable day and apart from feeling ill, everything turned out perfectly.
What did your family and friends have to say about your wedding day?
They absolutely loved it—everyone from cousins, friends, parents’ friends, extended family—everyone said it was one of the most beautiful and enchanting weddings they had ever attended. They said it was evident that we put in a lot of effort to make the wedding a memorable one, and they didn’t even mind staying until evening time. Our cousins especially, shared that the wedding was emotional and so wholesome, especially with our speeches and our Best Man’s and Maid-of-Honour’s speeches about us.
Share with us the most memorable moment of your wedding?
Sheryl: It had to be the solemnisation. The romantic waist-level floral hedges and sunlight filtering in during the outdoor ceremony…and all our loved ones with us. The harp and violinist duo playing Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love” during our march-in. It was truly a Crazy Rich Asians moment. Desmond couldn’t stop tearing when he saw me, and we exchanged our heartfelt vows for each other, with “Everything I Own” by Bread playing softly in the background… everything was just perfect in that moment.
Desmond: Our “first dance”—we practised so much before it and did many spinning movements, which felt really magical as we shared that moment together. It was one of the first couple classes we took together—and seeing the hard work come to life was really fulfilling.
What is one piece of advice you’d like to share with other couples currently planning their wedding?
Sheryl: Fix a wedding budget beforehand—we didn’t have one and the expenses just snowballed! But on the brighter side, (and an even better advice)—put your wedding angpaos into stocks investments! We tripled the amount within less than 6 months!
Desmond: It’s always good to have everything ready way ahead of time to calm your nerves.
Did you use SingaporeBrides as a wedding resource?
Yes!
The Venue: Capella Singapore Grand Ballroom
Cost of Wedding: $200K
Size of Wedding: 220 pax
The Gown: Customised Chinese Gown, Customised Ballroom Gown, Customised Dance Gown, Galia Lahav’s Splendid (from The Ivory Bridal)
The Bride’s Shoes: Bella Belle
The Suit: Customised Dior Tuxedo
The Groom’s Shoes: Ferragamo
The Wedding Bands: Harry Winston
The Wedding Photographer: Pixioo
The Wedding Videographer: Sloth Creative
The Bridesmaids’ Dresses: JJ’s House
The Groomsmen’s Suits: Tailor-made
The Flower Girls’ Dresses: Own
The Page Boys’ Suits: Own
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Shaun Lee and Den Ng
The Caterer: Capella Singapore
The Wedding Cake: Capella Singapore
The Landscaping: Lee Heng Garden
The Florist: Liz Florals
The Wedding Planner: The Wedding Bliss
The Wedding Favours: Capella Singapore
The Band: Vocalise
The Solemniser: Mr Francis Ng
The Wedding Car: BMW Z4 (Bride’s)
The Kisscam: Kactus
The Other Decor: The Road of Marriage (Mirrored Aisle Runner, Full-Sized Photos, Staircase Florals)
The Content Creator: The Social Bride
The Pet-Sitter: Gentle Paws
The Emcee: John Lye
The Jewellery: Jadebao Jewellery Pte Ltd
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