Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
July 2025
Hui Xin and Eric’s Hanbok Photo Session at National Gallery Singapore
Hui Xin and Eric celebrated both their Singaporean and Korean heritage by doing a photo session in custom hanbok at National Gallery, showing how modern couples are rewriting tradition on their own terms.
Meet Hui Xin, 30, and Eric, popularly known as the Korean Oppa from Singapore, 36, a couple whose love story began with a delightful misunderstanding at a media event—she thought he was already married, whilst he was busy cracking dad jokes to win her attention. Their journey from that initial mix-up to Eric’s wonderfully chaotic rooftop proposal (complete with photography club gate-crashers) perfectly captures the beautifully imperfect nature of real love. Now, having celebrated their multicultural romance through stunning pre-wedding shoots in both Korea and Singapore—including an elegant hanbok photo session at the National Gallery—this couple proves that the best relationships are built on genuine connection, cultural appreciation, and the ability to laugh when things don’t go according to plan.
Read on to find out more about the special shoot they did before their wedding on 17 May 2025!
Tell us again about how the two of you met!
Hui Xin and Eric: We actually have a full video on Instagram about how we met, but in short: it all started with a misunderstanding.
Hui Xin was invited as a plus-one to a media event by a mutual friend, who was also Eric’s friend, and Eric came with a Korean friend as his plus-one. When our mutual friend introduced us, Hui Xin thought our friend said, “These are my ‘Korean Couple’ friends,” when he actually said “They’re a couple of my Korean friends.” So Hui Xin thought Eric was already married!
But Eric was immediately interested in Hui Xin and tried to be extra chatty, even cracking lame “dad jokes” just to get her attention. He’s terrible with names though and he misremembered Hui Xin’s name as “Hailey” and couldn’t find her on Instagram afterward. Thankfully, our mutual friend tagged her in a story… and that’s when Eric slid into her DMs.
What do you love most about each other?
Eric: I love that Hui Xin is expressive and creative. She also shows such dedication and care, especially to her family and friends. She takes away the mundanity of my life, and adds spice and warmth. Honestly, I can’t imagine life without her.
Hui Xin: What I love most about Eric is how good he is with acts of service. He cuts fruit for me all the time. It might sound silly, but I still remember that first time, on a random evening after dinner, when he started preparing fruit without saying anything. I instantly felt loved. That’s how my mum shows love too.
What was your proposal like?
Eric: Chaotic. If we turned it into a slapstick comedy, it might just be the most-watched video in Singapore, just kidding but no joke in it being chaotic.
I planned to propose on the rooftop of the Esplanade, facing Marina Bay Sands. I’d done a recon a week before at the same time of day and it was peaceful, barely anyone around. Perfect, since Hui Xin once told me she’d freeze if there was a crowd watching when she was being proposed to.
I roped in my friends, Daren and Nat, to help and disguised it as a media tasting event. There was even an actual rooftop bar that was set to open, so it all felt legit. But on the day itself, the rooftop was packed with a photography club full of uncles and aunties who had gathered to take shots of MBS. I instantly knew Hui Xin wouldn’t be okay with this many eyes on her. To make matters worse, I had asked a couple nearby to secretly hand me a bouquet after the proposal, but they were now standing right in front of us.
When Hui Xin arrived, I pretended we were filming an intro video. But she noticed my friend was wearing shorts even though I’d said the event was formal, so she got suspicious. Then she saw all the uncles and aunties around us. As soon as I started saying the lines I prepared for the proposal, an uncle walked right up to us and started snapping photos. We politely told him to stop, but he kept shoving his camera in our faces. Hui Xin completely froze and was on the verge of tears.
We had to abort. I quickly scouted the area and found a quieter spot near a bar under renovation, with the Singapore Flyer in the background. No one was around. That’s where I finally proposed, and she said “yes”.But the surprises weren’t over, which she never suspected. I’d also booked a private dining room to surprise her with close friends afterward.
It was messy, rushed, completely imperfect but full of love and warmth from the people who matter most to her.
You did your pre-wedding shoot in Korea!
Eric: Our pre-wedding shoot was done in Korea with a modern, classy theme. We worked with a local agency called Seoulrirang and flew over to Seoul for the full Korean-style pre-wedding experience.
It was a dream. especially for Hui Xin, who felt like a princess the whole time. Leading up to the shoot, we had multiple fittings.
On shoot day, we woke up at 5 AM and headed to the studio for hair and makeup which took a little more than two hours. The entire day, we had a personal dress handler and a makeup artist following us around. We didn’t have to lift a finger, just pose. It was such a unique and luxurious experience. We shot all the way into the night and were completely exhausted, but the results were more than worth it. The photos came out beautifully. One of the biggest highlights was taking a sunset photo by the Han River in Seoul. The golden light, the city skyline, and the view of the city, it all came together in a way that will forever be etched in our memories.
You also did a shoot in Singapore in traditional hanbok. Your outfits were gorgeous!
Eric: Thank you! We had the chance to do a special shoot with Yukee from Adante. Since we didn’t get to wear hanbok during our shoot in Korea, we wanted to do something that reflected both our cultures.
We chose the National Gallery as our location as it’s not only a beautiful space, but also holds rich art history from Singapore and Southeast Asia. Wearing hanbok there felt incredibly meaningful, a blend of tradition and modernity, of Korean heritage and Singaporean identity. We loved how it turned out, very elegant, timeless, and somewhat personal.
We found this hanbok designer through word-of-mouth. We had been checking out different places for hanbok, but nothing really resonated with us. So we asked around, and that’s how we got connected to Bidanhyang. The wonjangnim (the owner and master behind the brand) personally came to fit us. Her attention to detail was amazing, and she had such a good eye for recommending colours that suited us as a couple. It wasn’t cheap for sure, but I knew this wasn’t just something I’d wear once for the wedding. I could see myself wearing it again for other occasions—like our future kid’s doljanchi (100th day celebration) and other events like sulnal (Lunar New Year in Korea), and also even for my content. She even added some extra touches because she wanted me to represent Korea proudly here in Singapore.
Funny thing is, we didn’t realise how well-known this place was until after we got our hanbok. When we contacted our wedding venue in Korea to rent hanbok for our relatives for our wedding there, they asked where we got ours from. When we mentioned Bidanhyang, they were genuinely surprised and nodded, as a way of affirming that this indeed was a good brand!
Was there a mood or a concept behind the shoot with Adante?
Eric: Yes! We didn’t have the logistics to include hanbok in our pre-wedding shoot in Korea, which we were honestly a bit bummed about. We always thought maybe one day we could do a shoot in Singapore with our hanbok. Then, kind of randomly, we started thinking about how to best blend both our cultures for this shoot. That’s when the idea of the National Gallery came up—it just felt like the perfect place to represent both sides.
What we really wanted was something classy and timeless—something that showcased the best of both our cultures. We were going for a darker, more cinematic mood… something a little decorative. We even thought about wanting a moment that felt like that scene from Beauty and the Beast—you know, when Belle comes down the stairs and the Beast is all dressed up, waiting for her.
Do you have a favourite moment or photo from the shoot?
Eric: There were a lot of shots we loved, but I think the one that stood out the most was the balcony shot. It just looked so majestic—almost like we were royal envoys from the Joseon period. The massive doors behind us really added to that feeling, making it seem like we were stepping out as royalty.
Venue: National Gallery Singapore
Hanbok: Bidanhyang
Hair and make up: JULIEKIM Makeup
Photography: Adante
BTS Videography: Freshfromkenneth
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