A Wedding Sequel Oozing With Elegance and Sentiment

The challenges and uncertainty of the global pandemic resulted in wedding celebrations stretched across a period of a month, taking place in two different venues: Glasshouse Seputeh and Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur. Shaun and Joyce met in college and started dating during their university years. Theirs is a steadfast relationship spanning over 10 years. The bride had wanted to tie the knot years earlier, but life took an unexpected turn that saw the passing of her beloved mother. After a significant period of mourning, a wedding initially planned for 2020 had to be rescheduled yet again.

Before the day dawned, Joyce’s bride squad brought with them a flurry of early-morning activity as they gathered at the Yong household to get dressed and ready for the gate-crashing event. Having foreknowledge of what was about to go down, the excitement of the bridal party was palpable. Dissimilarly, groomsmen gathered just a few blocks away in the Loo household were jittery in anticipation of the challenges they would have to face.

As the groom and his squad arrived at the bride’s home, they were greeted by half a dozen ominous looking pink soldiers from the popular Netflix TV series – Squid game and the group of very spirited bridesmaids. The men eventually succeeded at crashing the gate and the relieved groom was met with a gratified countenance of his bride.

Thereafter the bride and groom proceeded to honour their elders by including a traditional Chinese tea ceremony as part of their wedding celebrations. “The ceremony was particularly emotional, the absence of my mother was felt by everyone. Having my mother’s siblings present made it feel like part of her was there as well.” “The day of the tea ceremony was also the day I officially left home to move in with my husband, that symbolic parting was especially hard for my father and I.” recalls Joyce, the only daughter in the family.

The following week, saw guests gathering to witness the wedding ceremony of Shaun and Joyce at Glasshouse Seputeh. The bride chose this venue to achieve secret garden vibes. “Oftentimes, when planning a wedding, our guests are at the forefront of our thoughts. This ceremony however felt like it was ours. Before the ceremony, Shaun and I shared a moment to ourselves within the beautifully decorated space whilst Jasmine took shots of us with the string quartet rehearsing in the background. That moment we had to ourselves was precious and will forever be etched in our minds.” Joyce reminisces. “The vow exchange was officiated by Ilyas, our friend. When we stood before everyone and made promises to each other, time stood still and I felt like at that moment it was just Shaun and I in the room.” Dinner and heartfelt speeches followed. The celebrations continued thereafter and ended with everyone on the dance floor preceded by a heartfelt father-daughter dance.

The final reception was held at Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur. The couple and their parents hosted about 180 guests and decided for separate receptions to avoid gathering too many people at the same time. The decor was elegant but it were the bride and groom’s looks that stole the show. The groom looked immaculate in both his black and white tuxedo and completed his look with a luxury timepiece. The bride made her first appearance in a glittering beaded Brian Khoo custom gown. For her second look, she donned a sculpted strapless top, a sleek contrast to the playfulness of feathers embroidered waist down by the same designer. When asked if she had any advice for brides planning their wedding; she replied that working with reputable vendors was essential as one could trust them to deliver a certain standard of service. “I only got to see and try on the dresses by Brian Khoo a few days prior to the wedding so I had to trust that it was going to meet my expectations and he exceeded it – in both workmanship and service.”