Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
August 2025
Erica and Joshua’s Rustic Sunflower Church Wedding at the Cathedral of The Good Shepherd
Erica and Joshua exchanged vows in an intimate church ceremony, surrounded by loved ones who witnessed their heartfelt promise to one another.
Erica Tan, who works in the community care sector, met the love of her life, Joshua Ho, Property Agent, in secondary school. They started out as classmates in Secondary three but quickly became best friends within a year. However, it wasn’t until Erica was in her second year of junior college that the lovebirds became an item. Fast forward thirteen years later, Erica and Joshua sealed the deal in a heartwarming celebration where they said their “I do”s in the presence of God and their loved ones.
What drew you to each other?
Erica: I would say Joshua’s leadership, creativity and positive persona drew me closer to him as friends. What made me decide to spend the rest of my life with him was his ability to make me see the brighter side of every storm, and how he is always there to catch me whenever I fall.
Joshua: Erica’s caring nature and spirit. I feel very well taken care of, and I feel like I can spend my time with her and depend on her. She cares about the same things as I do, and she feels like a true friend to be with. Erica also kept me accountable for my studies, which was my worry back then, and that put me at ease because I wasn’t very good at studying.
What is it about your partner that you love the most?
Erica: His outgoing and confident personality! These qualities are what I want for myself but am pretty much lacking in those departments. I love that he is someone who can help me work towards a better version of myself.
Joshua: I think the very reason that made me scared of starting the relationship was also the reason why I love her. I had doubts whether this could work because she is very different from me by nature. Over the years, it is obvious that these differences were what kept us together. I may dismiss simple things like household chores, such as delay the washing of dishes, or downplay the need for medicine when sick, and Erica fills the void by insisting that all these things get done properly.
What was the moment that made you realise that he/she was the one for you?
Erica: It was the moment where he said that my mum was definitely staying with us. For context, my parents divorced a few years ago, and during our planning of our future home, Joshua did not hesitate to include my mum in our future. That showed me his sincerity and gave me even more confidence (even though I was already locked in!) to move ahead with him.
Joshua: If I touch my heart, I don’t think it’s as simple as “Oh, she is the one for me”. For me specifically, it feels more like “I want to be the one for Erica”. When I realise that Erica put in a lot of effort to care for me and I had often taken it for granted, I told myself that if I don’t know how to appreciate a person like her, then I will never learn how to appreciate people. So, I really wanted to reciprocate this love and concern that is so deep.
Joshua, tell us about the proposal. Did you meet any challenges/obstacles during the process?
As with all things, I procrastinated the proposal – it was supposed to happen one year before. Then, we decided to go to Bali and I thought, maybe I could do it in Bali. Nearing the date of the trip, I went ring shopping with my friend. I had to google a lot of things because I had no idea how to begin planning a proposal – the different diamond types, photographer, location, and lunch spot. Eventually, Google led me to a photographer who was easy to communicate with. He recommended the location (Balangan beach) for the proposal and I went ahead with it. My client also recommended a fine dining restaurant in a cave, and I thought it was perfect because it gave us a good reason to dress up.
I felt so nervous about bringing the ring around that even packing the ring into the luggage was quite nerve-wrecking! I didn’t have a day bag with me, so I had to keep it in our check-in luggage and the thought that our luggage might go missing was quite stressful! I knew Erica would love to have her nails painted for the proposal, but again, I procrastinated and I had such a hard time finding a nail salon a day before the proposal because everywhere was fully booked.
Erica was also sick on the day of the proposal, so it took me quite a while to convince her to go to the beach with me. Just imagine – going out under the blazing hot sun for a long car ride with a fever and bodyaches. I knew she was feeling very unwell, but I planned the proposal on 29 February – it was a day that comes by once every four years, and I knew she would love to be proposed on such a special day, so I went ahead with my plans.
On the way to the proposal location, dark clouds started to gather and it made me feel even more nervous. To top it off, our car ride dropped us at the wrong entrance and this was when I really panicked. Luckily, I was able to get two locals with motorbikes to send us to the right place, and we met up with our photographer, who pretended to be an amateur photographer offering his services to us in order to build his portfolio. And that’s where I popped the question.
Erica, did you know a proposal was coming before it happened, or were you taken completely by surprise?
It was a complete surprise to me because I fell sick on the day of proposal, so I wasn’t in the mood to think much about it. Since we got together on 29 February in 2016, we decided to go to Bali for our 8th anniversary. Josh made reservations for us at The Cave by Chef Ryan Clift at The Edge to celebrate, but I suddenly felt sick during lunch and asked to go back to the hotel straight after the meal. This kind of screwed Josh’s plan up because he wanted to bring me to the beach where he would propose. He tried to convince me and eventually I agreed to go, but only if we spent less than half an hour there. Unknowingly, I had added on to his nerves. But from my point of view, I think he held himself together quite well. Needless to say, I was very shocked to see him kneeling on one knee, with the perfect ring in hand.
Tell us about your church wedding. Was there a wedding theme?
We had our church wedding at the Cathedral of The Good Shepherd because we love the church’s interiors. We went with a wispy sunflower rustic theme and tried to achieve it with flower arrangements. We also made sure our slides were in theme.
Take us back to that day. What was the day like and how were you feeling?
Erica: Honestly, both days went by super quickly and I felt like I was constantly in a high alert/functioning state, and I just kept thinking about the programme flow and timelines – except for the part where I was having my makeup done. Looking back, I wished I had more time to prep, but I guess it will never be enough. There were still loose ends to be tied right until the last moment, but my team of bridesmaids and groomsmen were super helpful and on the ball. They helped manage everything on the day itself.
Josh: I was super stressed out! Thinking about what was going to happen next was very stressful, but being in the moment felt right and enjoyable.
What did your family/friends have to say about your wedding day?
Both: Many had complimented us on the wedding decorations, and mentioned that the celebration felt very heartwarming and comfortable.
Share with us the most memorable moment of your wedding?
Both: Our most memorable part was being able to see everybody in one place because we have many different groups of friends and it’s so rare to have all of them come together.
What is one lesson you’ve learned from your wedding planning that you’d like to share with other couples?
Both: Take wedding planning very seriously – set aside time and focus on doing serious work for the wedding. Contribute as much as you can, because there is really a lot to do if you don’t have a wedding planner. It is also important to have a discussion on what both sides can contribute.
The Wedding Venue: Cathedral of the Good Shepherd
Size of Wedding: about 250 guests for church, 150 guests for banquet
Cost of Wedding: $60,000
The Bride’s Gown: JB Blissful Gown Atelier
The Bride’s Shoes: JB Metro
The Suit: Vietnam Hanoi, Tuong Tailor
The Groom’s Shoes: Vietnam Hanoi, Tuong Tailor
The Wedding Photographer: Ashley Matthew Photography
The Wedding Videographer: Candid Moments Cinematography
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Carina Lee from Enchanté Makeup
The Wedding Bands: Poh Heng Jewellery
The Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Taobao
The Groomsmen’s Suits: Vietnam Hanoi, Tuong Tailor
The Flower Girls’ Dresses: Taobao
The Florist: LilasBlooms
The Event Stylist and Wedding Planner: Bride and Groom
The Wedding Favours: Cooked from Shuga Attaque by Kharunisa.Gaffar. Coffee and Tea from Puny Platypus Coffee
The Solemniser: Bride and Groom’s priest
The Wedding Car: Bride and Groom’s own car
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