Going Green with a ‘British West Indies’ Travel-themed Wedding

oing green doesn’t have to be boring and this stylishly laid back wedding is a testament to that. Reuben and Joanne are a really hip, outgoing and fun-loving couple who enjoys travelling, food and fashion. With Reuben working as a pilot and Joanne, a fashion designer and principal owner of Evita Peroni in Malaysia who travels extensively for business and pleasure, it was only natural they built a wedding theme that reflected who they are and what they care about without compromising on style.

Looking poised and refined in her own label ‘Joanne Chan’, Joanne’s bridal style preceeds fashion, with intricate crochet masterpiece amongst the gowns she wore that evening, paired with distinctive yet understated hair accessories from Evita Peroni. As one of the bridesmaids, I was utterly thrilled and excited when Joanne announced her engagement.  Her love story can be summed as perfectly serendipitous.

Joanne: When I was at an audio workshop, Reuben’s buddies were also at the Workshop and they decided ‘on his behalf’ that I was the kind of girl he’ll like. The lady boss of that workshop then introduced us via SMS. Soon, the first date was arranged. Initially the date was supposed to be a group dinner but it turned out that only me and him were the attendees. After that, the rest, as they say is history! There was no exact date or moment to define the feeling we have for one another as things just happened naturally. Everything just fell into place! Guess you can say that the moon and the stars aligned and fate brought us together as a loving couple.

The wedding proposal was equally momentous!

Joanne: Initially, Reuben’s close friends and I planned a surprised birthday party for him. It was pretty hilarious because the surprise leaked out due to my poor acting skills! Nonetheless, the party went on smoothly, with a team of waiters approaching us with a lovely birthday cake just as how I had planned it, or so I thought!! Reuben had in fact, a plan of his own and went down on his knees after emerging from behind the team of waiters. Everyone thought he slipped and fell so they went to give him a hand but they backed off when he said “Joanne, this is your deal……” In that very moment, I knew Reuben was proposing to me at the very same event!

So with two individuals living in separate parts of the world, how would you know that he or she is the one for you?

Joanne: There is no rocket science to this. You just know when the time comes and that you have found that special someone whom you will spend the rest of your life with!

Reuben: I guess it’s because she fits the best ideal girl picture in my mind. We share similar hobbies and interests with much aligned thinking and opinions. But of course we do sometimes agree to disagree on things we do not look at the same way. I spend most of my time away in Singapore as I work there and Joanne is able to accept it. She is someone who is open minded and understands the airline culture and lifestyle which is not something all spouses can understand.

To set the anticipation, wedding invitations in the form of flight tickets were sent out about two months prior to the wedding. These were later reused as seating indicators. Held at the One World Hotel in Petaling Jaya, guests were required to take the ‘airport’ escalator down to the Long Bar to ‘check-in’ and chill out at a ‘first class lounge’. 2-pc strollers set the tone for the evening with waiters serving seafood canapés, sushi and ocean blue signature mocktails. The solemnisation ceremony was held just outside the Long Bar and the tea ceremony was conducted in a private area at the same venue. Guests had to navigate themselves with washed out, vintage-style ‘navigational map’ and place cards with subtle mark of arrival stamp and used wine corks were carved out to be reused as place card holders.  The five-course Chinese fusion dinner reception ended on a high note with an after dinner party held inside the ballroom.

Wedding Location: Malaysia
Size of Function: 300 guests

Wedding Ceremony, Reception and After Party: One World Hotel, Petaling Jaya
Wedding Photography: Kelvin Yeoh & Michelle Chai, Design Capture
Groom’s Attire: Hugo Boss
Wedding Gowns: Joanne Chan (Joanne Chan is currently residing in Paris and won’t be available for custom-designed gowns until further notice)
Wedding Shoes: Giuseppe Zanotti
Bridesmaids Attire: Joanne Chan
Wedding Hair & Make Up: Remy Ngan, Mimi Make Up Studio
Wedding Rings: custom-made
Floral Design: Mapel Story
Wedding Cake: Delectable by Su
Live Entertainment: David Gomez & Junji Delfino

To have a stylish wedding with a conscience on Mother Nature, consider these simple practices.  

1. When choosing your wedding ring, ask your jeweler if their diamonds are certified as ‘conflict-free’. According to Mallika Kapoor of  Lifestyle Asia, it was not until year 2000 that 4% of the world’s diamonds were “blood diamonds” used to fund conflicts, especially in parts of South Africa and India. NGOs collaborating with the United Nations introduced the Kimberly Process, which ensures rough diamonds enter the legitimate diamond supply chain following a set of rules.
2. While it may not be possible to minimise energy consumption for large scale events in a tropical country due to the nature of our humid weather, you can minimise the amount of driving your guests will need to do by having all your wedding events at the same venue.
3. Minimise the generation of food wastage by being creative with the menu. For example, it is not necessary to serve an eight-course Chinese menu if six courses are more than sufficient to feed your guests.
4. Minimise waste by donating leftover food and wedding cake to a local shelter.
5. Say ‘No’ to Shark’s fin soup!
6. Choose a unique venue or location with strong interior characteristics so that you can cut down on decoration.
7. For the wedding set up and decor, go with potted plants which can be replanted or given away to your guests at the end of the wedding. If it’s too ‘raw’ for the wedding you’ve envisioned, consider a mixture of floral arrangements and live plants or use recycled materials for your wedding details.
8. Choose organic candles such as those made from palm oil or beeswax over those made from petroleum-by-product.
9. Use environmental friendly papers for your wedding stationery (check with your local stationer or printer) or go paperless by using online invitations such as a custom-designed wedding website or blogsite.
10. Consider the practicality of wedding splurges. Buy clothes and accessories that you can wear again or go for rentals.
11. Consider practical accessories for your bridal party. For example, instead of giving fresh flower corsages to your bridesmaids, consider handcrafted pin corsages which can be re-use as an accessory for their hair. Instead of tossing fresh flowers of flower petals, flower girls can use ribbon wands. Vicky and Wei Ee’s flower girls held teddy bears and bouquets made out of edible lollipops. Henry and Joveyn’s ring bearer held a Bible as he marched down the aisle.
12. Honeymoon at ‘green hotels’ or ‘eco destinations’. Check out Responsible Travel, National Geographic and Travel Green Guide.

You don’t have to be a tree hugger {read: extreme measures} to call it a green wedding. We can all contribute toward Sustainable Celebrations through practical steps irregardless of how small they may be. A little help from everyone goes a long way towards conserving the environment.

A is for Apple of My Eye

n alphabet a day brings the inspiration to bay. That’s what we hope to achieve within these next few months as we try our level best to give you an ah-may-zing A-Z eye-candy rundown of essential, inspiration-rich wedding goodness.

We start off with Paula and Andy, both from Kuala Lumpur, who envisioned a fuss-free cocktail wedding that is simple and elegant with a hearty dose of old-fashioned love. With an apple tree logo designed by their close friend, green and white naturally became the perfect palette for their wedding, brought to life by green hydrangeas and garlands of white dendrobiums as the theme flowers. Only a handful of closest friends and family were invited to witness the signing ceremony of this lovely couple.

To show their appreciation, the names of all guests were painstakingly hand drawn onto a three-tiered carrot walnut cake by TrulyScrumptious!. Guests were required to locate their names on the wedding cake, then snap a polaroid picture of themselves as they pose with their names on the cake and finish off with a wedding wish for the couple. For their first dance, the couple fox-trotted to Michael Bublé’s version of ‘Come Fly with Me’. Towards the end of the wedding, they surprised the matron of honour’s husband with a birthday cake and song.

We love the freshness of the apple green against an old-fashioned ambience that looks effortlessly down-to-earth and cozy. But what really knocked us off our socks is the fact that the groom, Andy proposed to Paula on a helicopter ride!

Wedding Location: Malaysia
Size of Function: 180 guests

Wedding Reception: Bankers Club, Kuala Lumpur
Wedding Coordinator: Natasha Khoo, The Peak Xperience
Wedding Photography: Sam Leong, Keep Gallery 
Wedding Gown: Pronovias, Designer Bridal Room
Wedding Rings: Tiffany & Co
Floral Design: Wishing Tree
Wedding Cake: TrulyScrumptious!
Live Entertainment: Mosaic Music Entertainment