SHE was Cinderella and he was her Prince Charming on their engagement day.
Miss Jolene Chong, 26, and Mr Joseph Ong, 28, chose a fairytale theme for their engagement on July 24.
Almost all the 200 guests were dressed up as fairy tale characters such as Alice in Wonderland, Princess Ariel (the protagonist of The Little Mermaid), Snow White, PeterPan and Tinker Bell.
At the start of the party at 7pm, Miss Chong was dressed as amaid as she mingled with guests.
Minutes later, she did a Cinderella by changing into a light blue strapless gown and making her way into Hotel Re! onhorseback, her hair topped with a tiara.
The horse was rented from the Singapore Polo Club for $2,000.
Miss Chong then waltzed her way into the ballroom, which was decorated to resemble a castle setting – which took a month and $30,000 to complete.
She and her fiance, who are the general manager and deputy general manager of Hotel Re! respectively, also jettisoned the usual round tables that are omnipresent
at Chinese wedding dinners.
Instead, Miss Chong and Mr Ong opted for long rectangular tables that are fixtures in European royal banquets. And their three-tier cake was shaped like a castle.
Mr Ong told The New Paper on Sunday: “Since her childhood, Jolene has been very nto princesses and her favourite fairy tale is Cinderella.
“So we thought of making fairy tales the theme of our engagement, rather than a conventional party.”
Ms Chong said: “We wanted a really special party for our engagement and it’s fun since many of our guests are so sporting.”
The couple’s parents were supportive and also dressed as fairytale characters for the event.
Guests think that such weddings are a breath of fresh air, even if they have to take the trouble to dress differently.
 |
 |
 |
| It was a 'royal' wedding for Miss Jolene Chong and Mr Joseph Ong. |
High hopes for Mr Alvin Lim and Miss Rachel Chan. |
Back to school with friends for Mr Terence Lin and Ms Goh Fang Ying. |
Recruitment consultant Jacqueline Ng, 27, who dressed as Princess Ariel for Miss Chong’s shindig, said: “A party like this is one of its kind and quite entertaining
for guests. The Little Mermaid is my favourite fairy tale, so the party gave me a chance to dress upas Ariel.”
Another one-of-its-kind big day belonged to Mr Terence Lin, an automobile executive, and Ms Goh Fang Ying, a market researcher. Both are 28.
On July 17, they tied the knot in a classroom in Temasek Primary School where they first met as pupils there. Their principal allowedthem to use the premises for free. Mr Lin and Ms Goh also asked their 70 guests tobe attired in school uniforms.
After the solemnisation, Mr Lin changed into the uniform of his secondary school, Victoria School, while his wife donned the uniform of her secondary school, Tanjong atong Girls’ School.
Ms Goh told The New Paper on Sunday that decorations were kept to a minimum as she and her husband wanted to preserve the classroom atmosphere.
She said: “We wanted an informal setting and decided on our primary school as the place holds memories for us becausewe got to know each other there. We wanted to keep the classroom as original as possible as we wanted to have a ‘back o school’ feeling.”
Another couple, Mr Alvin Lim, 29, an assistant marketing manager with omy.sg, and Ms Rachel Chan, 27, a journalist with mypaper, exchanged vowson Jetstar’s inaugural flight to Shantou, China.
The solemnisation – the first on a commercial aircraft here – took place to the cheers of the 159 passengers.
Ms Chan said: “We decided to conduct our solemnisation ceremony on board the plane to Shantoudue to its novelty factor.
“I was at first against it as it would mean that only a very select group of family would be able to witness our solemnisation, but Alvin said it would be very memorable.
“Years later, when we describe our solemnisation to others, we’d have bragging rights to say that we were the first to hold it on a commercial aircraft in Singapore.”
Mr Lim, who declined to reveal the total cost of the airfares forked out for their wedding entourage, added: “We were watching the movie Up and I thought it’d be great if, like the character, we could tie ourselves to balloons for our solemnisation.
But since that’s not possible, the next best thing would be in a plane.”
A Jetstar spokesman told The New Paper on Sunday: “Rachel and Alvin were a special couple with not only a great passion for travel but with family connections and relatives from Shantou.
“To have them married on our inaugural flight to Shantouwas therefore a special experience for both the couple and Jetstar passengers. We were honoured to share their special day with them.”
All three pairs of lovebirds are among a growing number of couples who are opting or unusual themes for their nuptials, say wedding planners and solemnisers The New Paper on Sunday spoke to.
Ms Tea Looi, who has been a wedding planner for four years, said she began getting requests for unique weddings in the last two years.
She said: “These couples want something out of the boxand a unique experience for the guests to enjoy.”
Themes she has planned include winter, Parisian andAlice in Wonderland.
Ms Looi said: “For such fanciful themes, expect to pay $5,000 more for decorations. For the wedding with the Alice in Wonderland theme, I created a photo booth for guests to be photographed in their costumes.
I also had to provide extra costumes as the couple wouldn’t admit anyone who didn’t dress according to the theme.”
Informal settings
Ms Pauline Chua, who has been a marriage solemniser for five years, has also seen more couples moving from the usual wedding in hotel ballrooms and Chinese restaurants to more outdoor and informal settings.
She has solemnised marriages on yachts, beaches andeven in the couple’s homes.
Ms Chua said: “More young couples are seeking unique venues for weddings, even at the Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park. Such weddings are memorable not only for the couple but the guests, as everyone can partake in a unique,memorable experience.”
Wildlife Reserves Singapore, which oversees the Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park, has hosted themed weddings since 2004.
Ms Agnes Toh, assistant director of food and beverage at Wildlife Reserves Singapore, said it organises an average of 30 such weddings a year.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
