This venue is impeccable – a garden, a poolside setting and a beachfront wedding all in one space. We adore the all white décor with a hint of colour here and there, just enough to add some texture while keeping it glamorous. Due to the unpredictable weather in our country, the bride opted for a transparent marquee tent, and was rewarded with blue skies and a beautiful view. Thanks for the photos, Hollywood Bridal, and thank you, Vanessa, for showing us that a wedding doesn’t need to be perfect as long as everybody has a great night.
Vanessa: “It is going to be hard to forget this one. You always need a catwalk moment down the aisle, and I succeeded in that by ‘fashionably’ tripping and picking myself up with whatever grace I had left (if any). Mind you, nerves and heels did not help!
“Though we did not plan a first dance, our bridal party surprised us with a rendition of ‘Thriller’, whereby the groom broke into his infamous MJ moves – always a classic.
“We were not really into themes, and too many ideas came at once, so it started off looking like a mess. We eventually narrowed it down to a midsummer’s day and night dream and the groom’s intense love for grey – the combination of both went perfectly well with our own little Hamptons of Kuching, Cove 55.
“The big highlight was making and covering all our walls with huge paper flowers, having a grey chevron aisle, and building a plank across the pool, in addition to making our custom-made wedding arch, which we adorned with hanging mason jars and blush pink flowers to give that midsummer beach feel.
“We had gold tree centrepieces and white orchids hanging down alongside crystals, and each table was named after a poet or author, along with an excerpt of one of their works. To top it off, a huge, clear tent just had to be part of our ceremony. There is nothing like having the clear, blue sky greeting our guests and us during the day, and the stars twinkling down on us at night, forming the perfect backdrop from above!
“Coincidentally, our wedding invites that we had designed also perfectly matched our bridesmaids’ dresses, for which I had purchased the material in Bangkok and had them made in Kuching. Every moment of our big day was memorable – including seeing scraps of ideas and countless mood boards finally being put together after eight months of frenzy and worry that nothing would look right! It couldn’t have been any more perfect, and the weather was an added bonus and blessing.
“A separate area, for the tea ceremony, was adorned with red accented tiffany chairs and brightly coloured parasols hanging from the beams to suit the mood, and lastly, a specially purchased tea set from Japan completed the intimate affair.”
Tips from the bride: “Eat before the day starts because you will not even have that on your mind till the next day! (I was also very blessed to have a crew of bridesmaids and bridesmen that were at my beck and call, laden with water, food and tissues.) So, be sure to also have a team of bridesmaids!
“A lot of our wedding ideas are from Pinterest and Instagram, but just keep an eye out for ideas as these things can pop out from anywhere. The inspiration behind our custom made altar grew from a luxury retail magazine that we were flipping through at a hotel in Bangkok, and then there was the Chanel Spring 2009 show that inspired our walls!”
VANESSA & BARING {Malaysia}
Photography by Hollywood Bridal / Videography by Jantayu Vision / Venue Cove 55, Kuching, Sarawak / Number of Guests 250 (ceremony) and 500 (reception) / Wedding Planning by Sereni Linggi (groom’s sister) / Bridal Gown by Marchesa, Ong Shunmugam (tea ceremony) and Dion Lee (after party) / Bride’s Shoes by Charlotte Olympia and Jimmy Choo / Hair by Cutting Edge Kuching / Makeup by Yoko, KL / Groom’s Attire by Lanvin & Dior Homme / Wedding Bands by Customised by Trez Jewelry Bangkok / Bridesmaids’ Dresses by Custom made / Groomsmen’s Attire by Custom made / Flowers by Claire’s Florist / Décor by the couple, Sereni Linggi and Nina (paper décor) / Wedding Cake by My Sugar Bakes / Catering by Merdeka Palace / Wedding Favours by Soaps by Utama Spice, Bali / Art and Stationery by Sereni & Shentel / Entertainment by Samantha James from Om Records, DJ Mmeng