My Big Fat Iban Wedding
Vanessa Wong and Baring Linggi celebrated their marriage with a month of sunny wedding festivities in Sarawak
It was a celebratory month for Vanessa Wong and Baring Linggi who sealed their nuptials with friends as well as their entire extended family
vanessa wong and Baring Linggi had known each other for a long period of time before becoming a couple, as Baring was a close friend of Vanessa’s siblings. After dating for a year and a half, Baring planned a romantic proposal with the help of his sister, Sereni Linggi. “I already had an inkling of an impending proposal but was still clueless when Sereni invited us to join her for a dinner at the villa we ran, Cove 55. Walking in and seeing the candles, I still had no idea until he went down on one knee! I was in utter shock that it did not sink in till a week later,” Vanessa tells us.
A month after the couple got engaged, Vanessa’s mother arranged an intimate engagement party in Bangkok and a week before the couple’s nuptials in Kuching, they
registered in the town’s city hall. After the registration, there was a private brunch of delicious homemade Sarawak laksa at Baring’s family home. Following the nuptials and wedding reception at Cove 55, the couple had an Iban ceremony in Baring’s father’s hometown, Kapit. “It was a whole affair on its own, you could call it our very own Big Fat Iban Wedding!” Vanessa exclaims. With the help of Baring’s sisters, the Kapit affair was a well-executed and memorable celebration which will be remembered in years to come.
The reception at Cove 55 on the other hand, was inspired by a midsummer’s day and night dream as well as the groom’s love for grey. Both the concepts tied in perfectly with the venue, which resembled the couple’s
very own little Hamptons of Kuching. The wedding day was split into two parts, the first being the nuptials and tea ceremony in the morning followed by a cocktail and dinner reception later in the evening. Wedding highlights at the evening reception included a special singing performance by Baring’s favourite singer, Samantha James from OM Records, who flew down from Los Angeles to perform at the wedding.
Although the couple didn’t want a first dance, the bridal party succeeded in surprising them with a classic rendition of Thriller where the groom broke out his famous Michael Jackson moves. The celebration continued on till the wee hours of the morning. According to Vanessa, “It was an incredible moment to see everyone having a good time—on and off the dance floor!”