When Singapore Idol runner-up Sylvester Sim, 29, tied the knot at the Singapore Recreation Club last Saturday, one beloved family member was not there to witness it.
Sim's paternal grandmother had been bedridden for the past few months. She died on Sunday, just a day after the performer's Registry of Marriages (ROM) ceremony. She was 94 years old.
"It's definitely sad to lose her, but I've got to let her ago. It's freedom for her," said Sim resolutely in a phone interview with my paper.
He described how the two were close as he had lived with her as a child - he had been under his grandmother's care until he was about eight years old. Sim also remembered fondly the times she fed him "snacks I was not supposed to eat".
The singer said that his grandmother reacted with joy when he told her of his marriage plans.
"I think she waited until after (the ceremony) to leave us," he said sadly.
She died at his uncle's house.
Despite his grandmother's death, Sim could not be more thankful for how smoothly the ROM ceremony went for him and his wife, China-born singer-dancer Sisy Wang, 28.
He described the outdoor ceremony as "very meaningful". The special event was attended by about 70 colleagues, friends and family members.
Ms Wang pulled an all-nighter to personally take charge of the flower arrangements for the ceremony, Sim added proudly.
"With the money we spent on flowers, we could have hired someone to do it for us. But my wife loves flowers, and I felt that it was worth the effort when I saw how beautiful everything looked," he said.
In fact, Ms Wang loves flowers so much that he hopes to give her a garden wedding when she walks down the aisle a year from now.
A performer at Dragonfly, St James Power Station's mando-pop lounge, Ms Wang met Sim when she was the choreographer and lead dancer there.
Sim said that he was drawn to her "natural kind of beauty", and sparks flew as they spent more time together at work.
They dated for five years before Sim popped the question at the airport after she had returned from a trip home to China.
On how he knew she was "the one", he said: "When she's the right one, you can feel it." Although he declined to give details about the engagement ring, he said it had a "simple" design.
Sim's wedding ring is from Cartier, while Ms Wang's is from Tiffany & Co. Both are in rose gold, he said.
Both rings have their names and the ROM date engraved on the inside.
The performer said that he wishes to have two children - a boy and a girl.
Though he mentioned in the past that he would eventually step away from showbusiness to set up a performing-arts school with his wife, Sim stressed that he would never leave the music industry.
He said: "Writing music is my passion, and I love singing on stage."
Sim added that he hopes to record his second album in the near future. His first album, Take Flight, was released in 2005.
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