Carnival Love
Elizabeth Lee and Benjamin Yong tied the knot in a series of beautiful ceremonies that reflected their respective beliefs and personalities
Dubbed the nation’s ‘wedding of the year’, the wedding celebration of Benjamin Wong and Elizabeth Lee was nothing short of extraordinary
From the first day they met each other, the chemistry between them has been quite strong as they possessed the same fun-loving persona and sense of humour. Their years of courtship culminated in a carefully planned proposal on the grounds of the Ciragan Palace Kempinski in Istanbul. A true romantic moment, Benjamin Yong got down on one knee and asked Elizabeth Lee to marry him after she found her engagement ring in a gumball machine he had installed on-location just for her. As she said yes, fireworks exploded in the skies.
The same festive atmosphere was carried over to the couple’s wedding celebrations. The party kick-started in Sydney where the bride was born and bred, with a tear-jerking
ceremony when the couple exchanged their vows in the beautiful interiors of the Sydney Opera House. The entire bridal party and guests then flew back to Kuala Lumpur for the second leg of the wedding celebrations.
The traditional Chinese tea ceremony held at the Ritz-Carlton KL hotel did not fall short of being extravagant as well. But before that, Benjamin and his team of groomsmen had to perform a typical Chinese wedding activity. Their manly attempt to take the bride with them was ‘hampered’ by Elizabeth’s bridesmaids, headed by her sister Shen-Tel Lee who was also the maid of honour, with a series of difficult games that included putting the men to a flexibility test and egging the groom in declaring 10 reasons why he loved his bride. His sincerity ultimately prevailed and he was able to claim his blushing bride, who was clad in a Kwa by Michael Ong that’s elaborately stitched with golden phoenixes and dragons.
Once the fun activities were over, the tea ceremony took place. Here Elizabeth received a hand-painted wedding basket filled with essential sewing items she would need as a wife, which was a tradition passed down from
her mother’s side. Next, her mother-in-law Helen Read and her mother Betty Lee placed the custom-piece bridal tiara on her head. Helen also placed red paper flowers in the bride’s hair to symbolise her union with the family. Then, lion dancers escorted the couple to a traditional Chinese banquet dinner where 250 close friends and family enjoyed a lavish meal set amidst an Oriental-themed decor with red silk lanterns hanging around.
After the formalities were wrapped up, the wedding took on a livelier note with a multitude of festivities at the couple’s carnival-themed dinner reception the next day, held at Chin Woo Stadium, KL. Keeping in mind Elizabeth’s love for carnivals and Cirque du Soleil, the vintage stadium was converted into a funhouse in lieu of a conventional sit-down dinner. There were gourmet food stalls, photo booths and various carnival games such as lucky ducks, spin the wheel and slam dunk to entertain the guests. The crown jewel of the entire event was a carousel in the centre of the hall where the couple and their bridal party were introduced as they made their grand entrance. It was truly a grand wedding that had the entire town buzzing with excitement.