Nine custom-made outfits are already completed, but there are still four more to go, including a special gown that is set to leave guests in awe.

In total, Li Jiawei will have 13 outfits to choose from - one main gown, four bridal dresses and eight evening gowns - for her two wedding banquets this year, one in Singapore and the other in Beijing.

With hundreds of guests expected to celebrate the marriage of the Beijing-born national paddler and her husband, a China businessman, it is little wonder that a crew of 16 helpers has been roped in to ensure that she will look her stunning best.

Tasked with the role are staff from WhiteLink bridal studio, some of whom will be accompanying Jiawei to Beijing for the big day.

The total cost for just White-Link's help is believed to be a 'six- figure sum', said an insider.

And a significant sum will go into creating what WhiteLink wedding planner Kerano Heng calls the 'secret weapon' - a custom-made gown that will glitter with 10,000 Swarovski crystals hand-sewn onto it.

The outfit will take at least three months to complete.

'For this one gown, we had to hunt far and wide to get the materials,' said Madam Heng.

While the wedding couple have yet to reveal details of the two banquets - the dates, venues, guest list or the menu - there is little doubt that the wedding in Beijing will be a grand affair.

The banquet in Singapore will be a more intimate occasion.

Said Jiawei: 'As long as everything goes well, it will all be worth it, no matter what the costs.

'To me, it's not so much about how grand the wedding will be, but a celebration with friends, family and relatives, and everyone who has supported me through and through.'

The couple met in March last year through a mutual friend.

Jiawei, who had a much-publicised break-up with national badminton player Ronald Susilo in January last year, tied the knot in Beijing last September.

Yet, very little was known about the new man in her life until last week, when the couple made their first public appearance at the Singapore Table Tennis Association's fund-raising dinner.

It was only then that Jiawei, 27, formally introduced Mr Li Chao, who is in his mid-30s, to members of the table tennis fraternity and the media.

The pair also spent time in Singapore having their wedding photos taken before leaving for Beijing yesterday morning to celebrate Chinese New Year with their families.

It will be a short break before she returns to planning her wedding, a task that is only '10 per cent' done.

At least part of the project, however, has been made easier with WhiteLink on board.

Jiawei knows she can count on the firm, which has been responsible for dolling her up for various galas and prize presentation ceremonies.

She said: 'They specially prepare everything for me, so I'm happy to let them make most of the decisions. As for him (Mr Li), he trusts my judgment.'

With wedding preparations entrusted to WhiteLink, Madam Heng and her colleagues know that they have their work cut out for them.

She said: 'Working on the Lis' wedding is equivalent to preparing for the weddings of 30 couples.

'But I pamper Jiawei. For me, it feels like preparing for my own daughter's wedding.'

This article was first published in The Sunday Times on Jan 18, 2009.