Personal Touch
Esther Zhong and Foo Chuan Yi marked their nuptials at an intimate celebration that feted their love for one another
Capturing the magic of Japan in the springtime, the John Jacob ballroom at The St Regis Singapore was transformed into an enchanting wonderland of delicate cherry blossoms for the wedding celebrations of Esther Zhong and Foo Chuan Yi. Like with every other aspect of their wedding, the sakura theme was an embodiment of the couple’s passions and personalities. In fact, as if echoing of their own love story, the wedding was intimate and personal in scale, but detailed and lavish in its execution. The couple met at a common friend’s wedding, and were seated next to one another. An easy flow of conversation led to them exchanging numbers, and two years later, Chuan Yi proposed. “He called me out to the balcony and when I looked down, there were the words ‘Will you marry me?’ written using tea candles,” says the 30-year-old lawyer. The wedding itself was in two parts, the first being the solemnisation at the groom’s place, while the reception was held at The St Regis Singapore the next day.
THE DETAILS
It was the intimate touches throughout the wedding that made the celebrations all the more memorable for Esther and Chuan Yi. To accompany their march-in, a string quartet performed Pachelbel’s Canon in D, their alltime favourite classical tune, which was also played at their solemnisation. Furthermore, heartfelt speeches by their siblings brought tears to their eyes. The bride and the groom also took the opportunity to say a few words, and ended their speech by presenting bouquets of flowers to their parents, “to show our appreciation and thank them for all that they have done for us”. Guests were also involved in the celebrations as three videos were showed. The first, a montage of their childhood photos; the second, a pre-wedding video
shot in Hong Kong; while the last offered a fun glimpse into the riotous gatecrashing ceremony. To set the tone of the reception, the couple arranged for a soft, pink-hued lighting from an external vendor, to enhance the mood and the atmosphere. The cherry blossom theme was reflected in elaborate floral arrangements by Fiore Dorato, who used silk cherry blossoms, hydrangeas, roses, touches of peonies, phalaenopsis orchids and other exotic flowers. “We had tall flower centrepieces decorating and lining the outer tables to create an aisle for the march-in. The final effect was more than we expected and was very beautiful and grand,” Esther shares. Of course, no wedding is complete without the photographers who captured every magical moment. Guests also had a chance to ham it up for the Hello Forever photo shoot. Says Esther, “The photo booth was a good partnership between Hello Forever and Fiore Dorato who provided the backdrop. This resulted in very beautiful pictures for all the guests. We ended up extending the photo booth till the end because of its popularity with the guests. “The greatest satisfaction was probably from knowing that our guests thoroughly enjoyed the wedding, the food and the decoration, and had a fun time.”