Love is in the Air (Part 2)

Any couples planning their weddings can attest that the real purpose of THE day can sometimes get lost in the whims and fancies of managing family affairs and the stress of trying to please everyone.  A wedding should not be about meeting the expectations of others. Kenny and PC perfectly understood the essence of the big day and stood true to their individuality in honouring their parents, expressing their love for one another and cherishing the guests in attendance in their own special way.

Be prepared to be swaddled in the fuzzy warmth of purple!

To Love and Laughter and Happily Every After… how apt is that! Love this cute candid shot of the groom, his father and the bride’s father at the entrance.

To set the evening on the right mood, the emcee got everyone to sing-along to Beatles’ All You Need is Love for the bridal entrance. After the cocktails and cake-cutting, everyone adjourned for dinner. PC’s good friend Rafizah lent her singing talent for the evening whilst the groomsmen did a rendition of Carpenter’s On Top of the World and the bridesmaids recited a poem. The tables were labeled according to the couple’s favourite love songs, the same songs that were played throughout the evening. The cocktail foyer was converted to an after dinner dance area and guests partied till 2am.

Notice the love quote on the cake topper?

PC’s fashionable sense was evident in her bridal style. From the rule-breaking white cheong sam for the tea ceremony (which is usually a big no-no for chinese weddings) to the dark majestic purple evening gown, PC is indeed the queen of mavericks. Even the symbolism, such as birds and butterflies were abundant in shades of black, white and dark purple.

Truly, the couple is blessed to be surrounded by so much love!

Wedding Location: Malaysia
Size of Function: 280 guests

Wedding Ceremony: Banker’s Club, Kuala Lumpur
Wedding Planner: The Peak Xperience
Wedding Photographers: Grace and Benjamin, Stories by Integricity Visuals
Floral Design: Creativelines
Wedding Gowns: Federick Lee Boutique (Singapore)
Groom’s Attire: CYC Custom Shop (Singapore)
Wedding Hair & Makeup: Remy Ngan, Mimi Make Up Studio
Wedding Cake: Isabella Kek
Wedding Favours: TrulyScrumptious!
Deejay and Music: D Art of Noise

Haute Tradition . Haute Chic

appy Friday everyone! If you’ve just joined us, pull out a chair, make yourself a cup of brewing hot latte and be inspired by these ah-may-zing weddings as we countdown an A to Z brimful of wedding fabulosity.

Some people are gorgeously good-looking and this couple is one of those people. With impeccable taste and style, their wedding was a marvelous mix of gold, silver, black and red. By embracing tradition with a chic twist, it’s the kind of design risqué that can either go very wrong or oh-so-fabulous. And this wedding is just that. Fabulous. With both of them residing in Paris, they enlisted The Peak Xperience to help them with the wedding planning and Saiful Nang of Candid Syndrome as the official wedding photographer.

The wedding ambience had a real air of faded elegance. They combined the delicate ornates of Malay decoratives but in a typical French manner, that is,  sophistication that looked refined and not over-the-top. They draw their inspiration from the Kings’s chambers at the castles at Loire Valley and the patterns of Songket fabrics (hand-woven brocaded fabrics which were once reserved only for the Sultanate). The first part of the reception was kept traditional with a bersanding ceremony (enthronement), complete with prayers,  Gamelan music and Silat performance. Both Alia and Jean looked ravishingly regal in a custom-designed Kebaya and Baju Melayu by couturier Jovian Mandagie. For the wedding favours, they gave gold and silver French dragées in a sleek gold tembaga from Terengganu.

The second part of the dinner was chic and modern. Alia was gleaming in tearful joy as she walked down the aisle to meet her young brother-in-law, who took her hands and later on handed Alia over to her father for the father-daughter dance. Right after the dance, Alia’s dad then handed her over to Jean and they took their first waltz as husband and wife.

Alia: The most memorable moments for us would be the first traditional entrance, where we had the children dancers walk in first, followed by the wedding entourage, then us. We enjoyed every minute of it! Jean was really excited to have a ‘keris’ (a traditional Javanese dagger). The other memorable moment was when I walked down the isle in my Vera gown, accompanied by my brother-in-law. It was emotional and romantic at the same time, as I see my husband waiting for me on the dance floor. My father’s and father-in-law’s speeches were very touching, and also the surprise song by Khadijah Ibrahim. I actually sang with her and I never thought I would have to do that! I loved the part when we were on the pelamin, and when my sister Amy and Jean’s sister Marie sang “Formidable” for us. I’m not too sure about Jean, but I loved mingling with the guests, those who have seen me growing up… from a baby to a married woman, most of them my parents’ friends. To see all our families and friends from all over the world together under the same roof was also very joyful. Sharing my traditions with my family-in-law, the delicious Malay fusion 5-course meal by Le Meridien, cutting our beautiful wedding cake, the toast by my best friend Tania and sister Aina, were all amazing!!!

During our speech to thank the guests, I also talked about my grandfather who passed away the year before. I have cried enough times while practicing and writing out the speech, so I was ok during the moment. Regardless, it was a very moving and emotional moment, since I didn’t have the time to say goodbye to him during his last days. Like a child, I admitted to everyone that I spoke to him every night before I went to sleep to remind him to look down during the wedding.  He was a special person in my life, and will remain so forever.

We learnt how vital a wedding planner was for the whole planning process! Even if we were based in KL, we would’ve still hired a wedding planner, as this person is super important to ensure not just the details during wedding planning, but also the smoothness of the wedding itself.

I forgot to mention my hair and makeup artist – Khir Khalid. I told him to make me look more like a model and not a bride. And so that’s what I got! The makeup was natural, beautiful, and very haute couture. I provided some pictures for him but it wasn’t necessary. I call him The Magician. My look for the kebaya was very natural, with slight smoky eyes and nude lips. I had my hair pouffed up into a traditional twist, and ornated with a traditional gold ‘cucuk sanggul’. For the dress, my eyes were dramatised by making it smokier, and my hair let down, a little messy, with a white feather and crystal hair pin. I felt like the most beautiful girl in the world!

It was THE Dream Wedding that I’ve had since I was 12! Jean, who left the main decisions on me, also thought of the wedding as a great success.

Wedding Location: Malaysia
Size of Function: 250 guests

Wedding Reception: Le Meridien Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
Wedding Planner: Natasha Khoo, The Peak Xperience
Wedding Photographer: Saiful Nang & Fuad Topa, Candid Syndrome
Wedding Videographer:Kid A Productions
Florist:The Poetry of Flowers
Wedding Cake:TrulyScrumptious!
Wedding Shoes:Givenchy
Cultural Attire:Jovian Mandagie
Wedding Gown:Vera Wang
Groom’s Attire:Dolce & Gabbana
Wedding Emcee: Henry Golding
Wedding Hair & Makeup:Khir Khalid

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

Chic Orient

1. KNICK KNACKS
I’m totally ga-ga over these hand-painted candleholders. Get them from Q Concept Co Ltd (91/13-15 Sukhumvit Soi 54 Bangkok, Thailand)

2. DESIGNER COLLECTIBLES
These are some seriously talented people at work! Be inspired by the vibrant colours of these designer pieces or create a focal point at your wedding with collectible furniture by Squint Ltd, available at Lane Crawford Hong Kong and Beijing.

3.PERSONALISED FANS
Aren’t these the prettiest fans you’ve ever seen? Perfect as a gift for a chic oriental wedding or tropical outdoor weddings, by SellHerOnline, Singapore.

4. ILLUSTRATIVE INSPIRATION
Photo illustration from Image Shack.

5. ASIAN KNOT BRACELETS
Instead of hand wrist corsages, consider these cute bracelets from Sun Studio which make good keepsakes for your bridesmaids.

6. A DATE WITH SPRING
A chic oriental cake inspired by blooming peonies and cherry blossoms by TrulyScrumptious!,Kuala Lumpur.

7. ARTISTIC PIECES
Another eco-friendly arrangement by the creative floral designers at Creativelines, Kuala Lumpur. Creating art pieces with Chinese red dates, ground nuts, red beans and other edible kitchen items.