All Posts by stepha888

Destination weddings: Marry in Ringha, CHINA!

March 17th, 2010 by Stephanie Chai | Posted in Cultural Weddings, Wedding | 4 Comments

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My wedding.

Just kidding! A couple of years ago I shot a travel show called ‘Luxury China’ for Channel News Asia. My co-host Pierre Goh & I spent a month living it up (and working hard!), flying the literal length and breadth of the country. We were lucky enough to stay at the Banyan Tree in Ringha, which is situated in the Yunnan province (formerly part of Tibet). When we think of China, images of a billion people and city life come to mind. Ringha, however, is a hidden gem. High up in the mountains and still deeply immersed in Tibetan culture, you’ll feel completely away from it all.

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Being the novel brand it is, Banyan Tree Ringha offers a wedding package where couples can tie the knot Tibetan style! Since Pierre and I had signed our souls away in our TV contracts (hehe, j/k!), we were asked to conduct a mock wedding as part of our Yunnan episode. I’m not sure if our ‘arranged’ marriage was one made in heaven, but it was definitely an affair to remember! :)

How to get married Tibetan style:

Pierre and I both get dressed up in traditional outfits. I am of course, the lady in red and he the knight in blue armor.

Next, I dutifully wait in a Tibetan lodge, while Pierre…

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Finally, Pierre enters the room. But it’s not over yet!

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Pierre must now bargain with my ‘mum’ (not my real mum, this lady above kindly volunteered!). Traditionally, the groom must ‘buy’ his way to sit with the bride at the banquet table.

Pierre sadly used his pocket change to bargain for me. Not a good sign!

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After bargaining, Pierre takes his seat next to me while I remain hidden under my ‘veil’.

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Me: Surprise! Only me.

Pierre: Bargain price!

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Haha, so that’s a simple breakdown of a Tibetan Wedding. If you think this is something you’d like to try (sure beats eloping in Vegas!), then just contact the Banyan Tree Ringha here. The Banyan Tree Tibetan lodges are plush inside with classic Tibetan furniture and are snug with heaters and central warming – which is important if you’re there during winter!

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Besides exploring the local village, there is much to do in Ringha! We went on a 4 hour pony ride (poor pony & my thighs), which was beautiful. The scenery is amazing and as you ride through the mountains you’ll find flocks of sheep or herds of yak (like a local Tibetan cow) passing you by.

I ate a lot of ‘yak’ while I was there. Yak steak, Yak burger, Yak stir-fry! It tastes a little bit like beef and I thought it wasn’t too bad. However, if you’re a bit of a fuss-pot, Banyan Tree does have a menu that consists of the standard hotel cuisine.

So did Pierre and I live happily after?

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Alas, I just wasn’t his type.

Better luck next time ;)

Former Miss Malaysia World Zen is engaged!

March 16th, 2010 by Stephanie Chai | Posted in Fashion & Beauty | 4 Comments

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Being named Miss Malaysia only happens to a select few (well, one person once a year to be exact!), who for the remainder of time have the privledge of saying ‘Hey, I was once Miss Malaysia!’. Once your crown is passed on to the next girl, life takes a different turn. For some, they make it big and become full-fledged celebrities, others enjoy their 15 minutes of fame and fade away. Miss Malaysia World 2003, Wong Sze Zen, decided to opt for the life less ordinary – and despite starring in her first film (”Seed of Darkness” that also starred Amber Chia), said goodbye to the entertainment scene and took up a job offer with World Vision Singapore.

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Nowadays she travels to the likes of India, Cambodia and Africa; changing lives if far more instrumental ways then she once did on covers of magazines. They say god rewards the diligent, so perhaps thats why this princess met her prince charming. Here’s an inspiring lil chat I had with Zen about her recent engagement with her partner, Lawrence Adam.

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Zen: At Siem Reap. This was our first photo together!

How did you guys meet?

We met totally by chance. He was in town from Singapore and tagged along with a friend to singer Camelia’s birthday party. I had already left the party but my car would not start for no apparent reason. So, while waiting for a dear friend to come save the day, I decided to pop back into the party. I saw you (Steph) and you were talking to Lawrence. I was thinking in my head, “Ooh, hello there!”. And as fate would have it, you introduced us. We had a fantastic first conversation. And then guess what? When I went back to my car, it started up just fine.

Lawrence and I believe that it was divine intervention, for sure! Sade’s “kiss of life” tells our story quite perfectly.

Single girls in K.L often lament, “There are no guys in this town!”. When you met Lawrence, you were single – was he a pleasant surprise?

Yes, I heard myself saying that over used phrase, quite often in fact, esp when I’m with my girl friends (and you Steph had to endure it!). However, a few things happened in my life during that singlehood period – having time to reflect honestly to myself, I also realised it wasn’t so much that ‘there were no guys here, there or anywhere’, it was more so that I didn’t really know myself enough yet to be ready to find the so-called right guy.

So, it was a good time for me to “fix” myself for future things to flow.

And how long have you been dating now?

Since mid 2007.

Zen: Lawrence and I in paradise Maldives

Zen: Lawrence and I in paradise Maldives

Was it ‘love at first sight’? Be honest!

Not LOVE, but definitely like-a-lot at first sight. He told me later that he noticed me before we met but didn’t know how to be properly introduced. And till now, I still believe I had seen him a few months earlier at another party… but that he had disappeared before I could make my move. Hahahahaha!

Initially, it was a long distance affair – was this difficult?

Not exactly pros or cons, the way we approached whatever that came with having a long distance relationship was the building blocks of our relationship. We made the effort to see each other often on weekends but it was very sad as before we knew it, we had to part again. Sometimes, I did wonder if we were presenting only the best of each other because of the limited time together. However after a year, professional and personal circumstances brought me to Singapore and we’re both gladly assured that we are who we are and our love continues to grow.

I ‘hear’ that Lawrence is a romantic? What has he done for you lately?

If I may gloat, too many to name- yes, i know I’m blessed! Hahaha… I suppose it’s also because we are very compatible and drawn towards the same romantic things. Even with his crazy work schedule, he still puts time aside to travel together… so it’s really the little things that count. Quite often, he surprises me with little gifts that shows he notices the things I like from our random conversations. It can be a box of hand-picked chocolate, to the upteeth Entourage season box set (Yay for Ari Gold!!), to a simple note with excerpts of Neruda poetry. He appreciates the photo journals that I put together with captions that only we understand.

How did you know you’d met the ‘one’?

When the love between us grows too naturally.

And how did Lawrence propose?

We often play Scrabble and on that special holiday, he made the words “marry me”.

What do you think is the secret to a happy relationship?

Always look to God to guide us. Also, have an open, appreciative and loving heart and communicate honestly.

How to create a vintage wedding

March 15th, 2010 by Stephanie Chai | Posted in Planning & Ideas | 3 Comments

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I remember going to a vintage themed wedding at the KL Hilton last year (organised by WGA wedding planners The Occasions) and it still is one of the most beautiful I’ve been to today. With candles and vintage chairs, it was very much perfect down to every last detail. Having a vintage wedding exudes class and fashion at the same time – not to mention a reason for everyone to dress up! Here are some pics that should inspire brides who are contemplating ‘a walk in the past’.

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Besides a colour theme that is in tandem with your chosen vintage ‘era’ of choice, its the ‘little things’ that complete the look. Think of novel ideas as this couple has done. Old photos in jars or even renting a photo booth that prints out sepia-toned photos will make your wedding look more stylish.

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This bride has a vintage style dress which she complements with flowers and hair accessories. Below we can see that the flower girls and even the cupcakes have followed the wedding theme. When you’re doing vintage, think muted colours that are more ‘classic’ in character.

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Quick tips:

Before you begin, pick an era and then design the wedding accordingly.

Vintage is a concept of old mixed with new – so don’t feel you need to buy an array of new things that ‘look old’.

Have a look at 2nd hand or charity shops for old pieces or accessories that you can use. Be it retro furniture or art deco-inspired wallpaper, you are bound to find some bargains.

Vintage wedding gowns can be anything from the 1920s period or simply dresses with accessories such as a feathers, lace shawls or jeweled headpieces

Pay attention to the details – for example rent a classic car and search for ‘vintage plates’ to pop on it for the day.

Last but not least, don’t forget to get the entertainment in line! A vintage wedding with trance music doesn’t quite work! Opt for music that suits your theme – such as classical music or swing jazz.

Joy & Anderson’s wedding by Fifoto

March 12th, 2010 by Stephanie Chai | Posted in Little White Book Blog, Traditional, Wedding | 1 Comment

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Say hello to Joy & Anderson’s wedding photos shot by WGA vendor Fifoto Photography. This has to be one of the most entertaining weddings we’ve had from Fifoto – just scroll down to see the fun photos of the groom and his men as they ‘pick up the bride’!

Here’s what Fiona from Fifoto had to say about the wedding:

After shooting their pre-wedding shots a year ago, we knew that their wedding was going to be one to remember! And we were right.

The Tai Kam Che was singing tunes from the BeeGees (in Cantonese, of course!) and the “Heng Tais” (groomsmen) cheered her on as backup singers during the tea ceremony. Just hilarious!!

To sum it up, I think “Purple Perfection” would be the words of the day – the 10 bridesmaids were dressed in matching purple dresses and the groomsmen (JasonBoy was the best man!) looked cute in their purple bow ties.  The Heng tais were very sporting (in fact, overly sporting!) and completed all tasks/games assigned to them, even if it meant having to put one’s face in a bowl of flour to look for a door key. Joy, needless to say, looked ravishing in her gown!

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Vroom, Vroom! The Groom arrives in style to ‘pick up the bride’.

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Maybe not so stylish… but the bridesmaids came up with a range of fun ‘challenges’. Looks like bananas are the ‘in’ fruit this season and shaving got a lot more interesting for some..!

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The new MAC lippy for Spring 2010?? Hehe.

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Some nice moments captured by Fifoto photography.

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The wedding reception was held at the JW Marriot hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Joy chose to create a theme of pink and purple hues. To add that special touch, little wedding wishes were written by guests and then hung on the entrance arch which was made of twigs.

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Congratulations to Joy & Anderson from WGA! If you’d like to speak to Fifoto about your wedding, simply contact them here. xx

Win a Laura Mercier giftset!

March 5th, 2010 by Stephanie Chai | Posted in Wedding | No Comments

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If you would like to add this cute Laura Mercier set to your make-up bag then get cracking! We’ve got two more sets to giveaway during March so keep logging on…

Simply answer the following question and email your answer to info@theweddingguide.com.my

How many cupcake flavours does Cupcake Chic carry? (Hint: Search through our past articles!)

Budget honeymoons in S.E Asia

March 4th, 2010 by Stephanie Chai | Posted in Honeymoon Ideas, Wedding | 2 Comments

One of the best things about Asia, is that not only is it a continent of exotic destinations, but traveling around is pretty affordable (compared to say a trip to London!). So if you’re a bride who wants a great honeymoon but on an equally great budget – then we’ve narrowed down a list of top South East Asian spots for you:

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Vietnam

Phu Quoc island is a small teardrop shaped fishing island, where the locals seem a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City. Rugged in beauty, and surrounded by clear flat azure blue waters, and miles of empty beaches, you’d be forgiven for believing that you have stepped into paradise.

Nestled on the north west of the island lies one of Vietnam’s best kept secrets; a hidden boutique lodge called Mango Bay. While away your time with your loved one by snorkelling right in front of your bungalow, sipping a chilled Chablis on the remote beach, or renting a motorbike and exploring the naked coastline.

Mango Bay is eco-friendly, and there are no televisions or air conditioning. Just you and your loved one. Enjoy!

Daily Flights to Saigon on Air Asia.

Daily flights to Phu Quoc departing from Ho Chi Minh City on Vietnam Airlines.

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Thailand

With a population of around 60 million people, Thailand is one country that offers a bit of everything and anything. You’ll find most budget airlines fly into Thailand and getting around is relatively cheap be it taxi, cab or local airline. If you’re heading there for the first time, I suggest stopping in Bangkok for a few days of shopping, massages & (interesting) nightlife. Whether you want to have a bit of a laugh at one of the infamous tiger shows (head to Patpong) or stop by backpackers hub Khao san road, you’ll find that you can have an amazing time having not spent much at all. Don’t miss heading to Wat Pho (renowned temple with the Emerald Buddha) and the Grand Palace to get in touch with the Thai culture. Also make time for perhaps the BEST market in Asia, Chatuchak, which sells everything under the sun such as funky clothes, vintage wear, furniture, art and even pets! For cute boutiques, go to Siam Square and remember to bargain if it’s not an established brand name. Though you may be on a budget, put aside something for a drink at glamourous Sirrocco bar which sits on the top floor of the Lebua Tower. This is a must as it is perhaps the most romantic spot in town with a hard-to-beat view of the city.

Once you’re done with the city, make a trip to one of Thailand’s many beach destinations. My favourites are Hua Hin, Phuket (avoid Patong full of sleazy tourists), Samui (if you want to party it up together then go for the Full Moon party), Krabi and Khao Lak. There are many hotels to choose from so you shouldn’t have a problem finding something that fits your budget. To keep travel costs down, take the overnight bus from BKK down to the South. The buses are quite comfy (about USD 30 one way) and if you’re not a light sleeper you should be able to nod off.

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Cambodia

What better way to spend a honeymoon then to visit one of the 7 wonders of the world – Angkor Wat. Found in Siem Reap, Cambodia, millions from around the world travel many a mile to make it to this mystic place. Though Cambodia has become a popular backpacker destination, Siem Reap has plenty of boutique guesthouses and resorts. This is the place to be if you want to zen out and meditate at perhaps the most iconic temple, Angkor Wat. Tip: Go to Angkor Thom to avoid the masses if you want to catch the sunset. It’s just as beautiful and you’ll have the whole temple to yourself.

Also, remember to treat yourself to the culinary delights of Bar Lane and lookout for some quirky Cambodia delicacies such as deep-fried spiders and snake blood!

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Bali

The Balinese are known for their hospitality and peaceful nature, which is one of the reasons why Bali is so magical. A rather large island given it’s nine times the size of Singapore, don’t be fooled into thinking you can zip around everywhere in ten minutes! Bali has many different arenas that should fit any criteria for the honeymooner.

For cosmopolition chic, head to Seminyak with its funky restaurants and designer boutiques. Checkout Made Warung for good Balinese food at good (aka cheap) prices!

If you want immerse yourself in Balinese arts and spirituality, then trek into the island’s interior and stay in Ubud. This little hillside town has a bit of a hippie scene to it, there are art shops, cafes and one of the best massage houses, …..

Again, there are many beautiful beaches in Bali which you can make day trips to or even stay at. For a rustic adventure head to the Amed in the East Coast. It’s a sleepy fishing beach with volcanic black sand beaches – great to get away from it all (and everyone).

Tip: For bookings, we recommend agoda.com or your trusty tripadvisor.com for hotels. And for travel of course airasia.com, where now everyone can fly! xxx

Singapore wedding by Jack Images (Jackie Chan)

March 3rd, 2010 by Stephanie Chai | Posted in Little White Book Blog, Traditional, Wedding | 2 Comments

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Jackie Chan (no, not that Jackie Chan!) from Jack Images sent us this awesome pics from a wedding he shot in Singapore recently. The couple are Rongda & Lilac who had the traditional morning games with the ‘pick up the bride’ session, followed by their disco-themed evening reception!

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It’s a Chinese wedding custom for the groom and his close friends to arrive at the bride’s house early in the morning to ‘pick up the bride’. It may sound like an easy task but do not be fooled my friends! The bridesmaids concoct an array of challenging (and funny) tests for the boys to do…

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And you thought bananas were just fruit…

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Still huffing and puffing an hour later at 9 am! But climbing the stairs can only mean the bride is in a room nearby…

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Instead of the usual walk-in, this couple arranged a disco do and had the groomsmen, bridesmaid and themselves dancing down the aisle! It reminds me of this famous youtube video that we uploaded recently.

All in all some great photos by Jackie who captured the energy and fun of the wedding, good job! xx

Wedding video by Mayad Studios

March 1st, 2010 by Stephanie Chai | Posted in Planning & Ideas | 3 Comments
http://www.vimeo.com/8643013

If you’ve been reading TWG you would of noticed bride Wan Sim’s awesome articles on her weddings in England and Malaysia. This is her last entry – her wedding video! It’s a combination of shots from her UK Wedding (shot by Minty Slippers) & her M’sian one (shot by Mayad Studios)

Written by: Wan Sim Tan-Sainsbury (TWG reader & recent bride!)

We just love these guys and were no doubt happy we chose Mayad Studios (from the Phillippines). Their work is absolutely fantastic, full of creativity and definitely original.  It is not a case of cheesy videos with cheesy love songs. They are just simply talented. I cannot plainly explain it, but do visit their website and watch a few videos (in fact they recently did a celebrity wedding in Boracay Island after ours). You will get the grip of all this excitement that we felt when we knew that they were available to be our videographers!

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Courtesy of Andy Lim

Mayad Studios: Raphael and Cecilio were the ones who came to Malaysia for our wedding.  They are such modest and humble people, and not to mention one of the warmest and friendliest people that you will ever meet. They gave their full effort and remained much focused throughout their shoot. Every wedding filmed by them is told in a different way.  You just wonder what their boundaries are! They are all young, vibrant and bursting with ideas, which made them such a great team

Their diary is pretty packed, so better book in advance if you don’t want to be disappointed. (Their prices are upon request as they offer tailor-make packages). One word of advice, do inform your photographer if you are getting a crew of videographers. Photographers may not appreciate ninja-hopping videographers when they are doing their poses with the couples, and vice versa. If possible, it is a good idea to arrange a meeting with them prior to the wedding. A shooting pattern can then be agreed to avoid any miscommunication on your day. Glad to say, our Malaysian team, Mayad Studios and Andy Lim worked really well together. It was a blast!

Henry Golding on love, girlfriends & weddings!

February 25th, 2010 by Stephanie Chai | Posted in Fashion & Beauty, Wedding | 8 Comments

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Google Henry Golding and you’ll find an accolade of blogs by (female) fans from all over, declaring their ‘undying love (or I should say lust) for Asia’s latest hearttrob. From his early days hosting 8TV’s prime show The Quickie, this British boy has now moved on to the regional stakes as a host on ESPN. So whilst jetsetting here and there, interviewing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and what not, I got Golding to sit down and answer a few questions about love, proposals… and oysters!

So who is Henry Golding?

Well, my mother is from Sarawak and my father is English… and I was born on the island of Borneo but grew up for the most part in Surrey, England. I always found learning in classroom environments a little tedious so as soon as I finished my GCSE’s at the age of 16. I found a calling as a hairdresser and as luck has it, was accepted to work in an amazing salon in a prestigious part of London, Sloane Square. But after moving up to London and spending about 5 years in the industry, I felt the need to spread my wings a little. I always thought that it would be such a shame if I went through life with just the one story and didn’t venture to other possibilities. After working behind the scenes in television, doing hair, I was extremely excited to try my luck in front of the camera. On top of that, I thought that I would love to live somewhere completely new and different, hence the move to KL! So I booked a one-way ticket, packed a bag I was on my way!

The rest is history as they say…

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You were based in Malaysia but have now shifted to sunny Singapore. How’s life in the lion city?

Quickie was an amazing platform and it taught me so much about presenting and working in television, it was such a huge learning curve. I’ve always been one to learn quickly from mistakes and in live TV you can’t make all too many!

But if I were to advance in my career I would need to work on a regional program, and by being in the right place at the right time, ESPN came calling. I’m doing a lot of work in Singapore at the moment, but also have a big project with 8TV on a travel show shooting mid-March. So a lot of the time I’m at the airport or cooped up on a coach traveling between KL and Singapore. It’s become very common practice so am pretty used to it now, just as long as I have my music or a good film to watch!

You’ve been in the limelight for a couple of years now but we haven’t seen you step out with an official girlfriend. Still waiting for ‘the one’?

Ha! If only love were so simple… I’m always open to falling in love – I just haven’t met someone who has taken me by surprise just yet. But at times I do feel like a bit of a commitment-phobe as I spend a lot of my time traveling and aspiring for bigger and greater things… meaning at this point in time I’m a little bit selfish. I think to have a good relationship you need patience, commitment and attention, some of which I cant give in equal proportions… not right now anyway ;)

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Do you have a ‘perfect woman’?

Wow my perfect woman… I don’t think there is such a thing as a perfect woman and nor would I want one, I find the most beautiful attributes are the small imperfections or vices. If someone was too perfect; where would the fun be?

But the qualities that I do find attractive in a woman are… sex appeal and sexual awareness, two very important things to make woman appear confident and comfortable in their own skin.

Also, intelligence and social skills – there’s nothing worse than not being able to have an intellectual conversation with someone!

But most of all I want my future wife to be my best friend, someone you trust and count on when things are tough, to share the happiest moments with and to be able to look back on it all and laugh with the coming of old age.

And how would you propose?

Hmmm… it would have to be on holiday somewhere beautiful like a Polynesian island and after a day of staring into each other’s eyes, drinking wine and eating oysters (afrodisiac!)… I would then slip a ring into an oyster and once she finds it – get down on my right knee and propose!

How romantic Henry – I hope she doesn’t chug down the ring though! What about your dream wedding?

My dream wedding would be simple yet classy and fun… I would have all of my best friends and influential people from my life there. Perhaps overlooking the sea at sunrise, to mark a new beginning. And of course I would help, its very stressful organizing those things!

A Ritz Carlton wedding shot by Andy Lim

February 23rd, 2010 by Stephanie Chai | Posted in Cultural Weddings, Little White Book Blog, Wedding | 10 Comments
Chris&WS1

Courtesy of Andy Lim

Wan Sim recently got married in the U.K (where she currently resides) and back here in her homeland, Malaysia. Having written her first post about her ‘English’ Wedding, she took the liberty of also sharing her experience of planning her M’sian wedding from halfway across the world in London!

Written by: Wan Sim Tan-Sainsbury

Here is the list of suppliers whom my husband and I genuinely believe to be on our A-list. Four thumbs up for all!

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The Venue

A small wedding, less hassles? Not quite. Since it is not the norm in Malaysia to have such a wedding, most of the hotel banquet rooms require a minimum of 200 guests.

Our winner was the Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur. It is centrally located and has beautifully set up function rooms that suit smaller weddings (from 40 – 120 people). The fact that we always had a very pleasant stay in this hotel did sway our minds a bit. It was also such a blessing to have a very capable and professional in-house wedding/catering coordinator, Ms Lim Kim Shia.

Being abroad, we heavily depended on emails to communicate. Kim Shia was so efficient that every time we emailed her with a long list of queries, she would respond adequately within 24 hours. She did not only undertake her role competently but always went the extra mile to arrange various other matters for us (even call us in the U.K). The service that she provided was just exceptional.

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Courtesy of Andy Lim

We booked an apartment at The Ritz Residences for the Chinese Bridal Pickup session. The residences were also my ‘boudoir’ for the night before my big day while my hubby stayed across the road at the Westin Hotel. The Chinese Tea Ceremony was held after the bridal pickup in the day function room, which was set up in a theatrical style. The white glove services and the personal touches by the Ritz Carlton are highly commended by not only us, but our guests too.

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Banquet Menu

The banquet food was of high quality and very much refined, since it was prepared by the Cantonese chef of the award winning Li Yen Restaurant of the hotel.  We had maximum flexibility in choosing our banquet menu; in fact it was really anything that we fancied!

What impressed us most?

When they took the initiative to personalise all our wedding notices and menu cards with our own logo, without us knowing! It was a pleasant surprise when we saw it after we sat down at our table.

This is simply the trademark of Ritz Carlton, where service has a personal touch.

The Photographer

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Mr. (& Mrs.) Andy Lim from Emotion in Pictures

After months of correspondences via emails, we finally met up with Andy two weeks before our wedding. Andy and Junnie (his lovely Mrs.) were highly recommended by a recently married friend of mine in London (Andy was his wedding photographer). It all happened when I expressed my concern to my friend that I may have a problem getting a reliable professional photographer in Malaysia (that’s also within our budget).  We realised through our search, that there are either the very good ones who strive to be better, or the used-to-be very good ones, who just remain as they was before.

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Courtesy of Andy Lim

In my opinion, a wedding is unique to each couple – hence it should be individually expressed by the photographer through his/her own lenses based on the surrounding moods, people and emotions of that very special day.  Andy was all that. He achieved all the above successfully with his non-intrusive and relaxed manner. Natural laughter, tears and joy of everyone can be expressed without the feeling of uneasiness.  Andy amazingly captured not just our emotions, but also the emotions of the people around us.  I believe this is not simply because of his photography skill, but his actually his natural ability of foreseeing people reactions by cleverly interpreting the mood of that split second.  Just from one of his photos, it will tell you the story of that very moment.

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Courtesy of Andy Lim

Believe it or not, Andy was also with us for a photo shoot just two days before our wedding! We were in Langkawi for part of our wedding video shoot, and thought that it would be a good idea for our Malaysian team to collaborate before the wedding. What can I say, it turned out to be a great success! Andy produced some pretty amazing WOW shots that just blew our minds away and we were so excited to see them on TWG.

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Courtesy of Andy Lim

The Florist – Spring Cottage at The Ritz Residence

Spring Cottage is the in-house florist for the Ritz Carlton. We corresponded via emails a month before to discuss ideas and flowers availability. We actually had our first face-to-face meeting only 2 weeks before the wedding! I brought along some photos of my preferred flowers arrangements and a list of the flowers that I would like. A list is useful as it does give the florist an idea of the colour tone, effects and even the flower scent that you want. For me, I was making sure that my flowers did not have any heavy scented flower/foliage, as I wanted the room to be filled with my favourite scent, Lily of the Valley (yes, I did bring all my candles with me from London).

Spring cottage was very good as they did a few sample arrangements for me right on the spot, which is usually a good sign of a competent florist. This gave me the virtual impression of the flower arrangement mix and we got to fiddle with size and texture. They do have an extensive portfolio, so you won’t be out of ideas if you need some guidance. Since I was staying at the Ritz, it was convenient for me to pop downstairs and check on my flowers the day before my wedding. Lucky me, they were absolutely spot on.  The flowers were just gorgeous! I could not be any happier.