If you were planning a wedding in a pandemic, would you rather have gone through with a simpler celebration or choose to postpone it till further notice?
The fact that we’re featuring the wedding of Ainsley and Siying, you would have guessed they had chosen to host a much simpler nuptial.
Like any other couples who love a good fanfare, they had initially planned for a 300 pax 8-course banquet celebration with lots of dancing, music, intermingling, and overseas friends in attendance. But of course, the pandemic had meant all that didn’t happen. What did come through for them, was an intimate and simple affair but not after going through quite an emotional roller coaster ride. If you’re keen to find out more, buckle up and read on!
Ainsley and Siying held their wedding church ceremony on 10 October 2020 – a date that came to them by chance – and hosted their celebration the day after with just 98 guests. Getting to this plan had involved overcoming lots of obstacles from first deciding on a new date, to re-assembling a team of vendors for the new date, and then downsizing the guest list before ramping it up again due to changes in wedding restrictions announced just one week before the wedding!
After many discussions and agreement from the parents, we decided to proceed with the wedding. The church availability was mostly fully booked, we were pretty lucky to have the date 10 October 2020, however having said that, it was really hard as well, as by the time we decided to change the date, many of the vendors were already booked. So, there were also lot of disappointments. We had to downsize the wedding from 300 pax to 50 pax (which was a nightmare)! And then, 1 week before the wedding, the government announced that “100 pax is now permitted at weddings”, and so we scrambled to work on our guestlist again to cater to more of our family and friends.
Siying
It was a lot to go through so when it comes to the visual aspects of the wedding, Siying, who practically planned everything herself, only wanted a very simple and clean look.
Indeed, it was! And we can’t help feeling the decoration and flowers had complemented the venues so well it was as if they were made to be there. The shades of red peeking through a palette of muted colours add to the day a kind of celebratory, jubilant joy.
If you’re wondering what the groom Ainsley, had done for the wedding…well, as an emcee himself, Ainsley had picked up the mic and hosted the wedding!
Having hosted many weddings, I wanted to take up the challenge to host my own wedding (which I did very successfully albeit many family and friends saying it wasn’t possible). Honestly, I wouldn’t advise anyone to host their own wedding and be the groom at the same time as it was really tiring and stressful! But hey, always get a professional to get the job done. 😉
Ainsley
Definitely! Besides rallying the crowd, a professional emcee could also add that bit of entertainment into the celebration – something all weddings could do with especially now when couples had to go without a dance floor, live band and intermingling.
Therefore, for Ainsley and Siying who had to forgo all that, it sure was memorable when their bridal party presented a surprise video from their best friends who weren’t able to join them for the wedding.
Videos are truly powerful things so never underestimate how much of a difference a well-done video could make. It was only the very last minute that Ainsley and Siying decided to get a videographer to capture the day and they’re extremely thankful they did that because now their surprise expressions and the way Ainsley had cried uncontrollably when Siying was walking down the aisle are now on record.
Getting the videographer was a pretty last minute decision as we initially didn’t want it! No regrets whatsoever – Jude and his team from RekordHaus did a fantastic job!
Ainsley
The couple had spent about $35,000 for their celebration and Siying had relied mainly on wedding websites, married friends and the help of close friends to get the wedding plans together. If you’re doing the same, here are some advice Siying would give and a little from Ainsley who just knew what to say!
We kind of overprepared by having multiple guestlists in case the government lifts or restricts the maximum capacity (e.g. we had a 20 pax, 50 pax, 80 pax and 100 pax guestlist). And really find out what is most important to you, like for me, I had a custom rental gown from The Gown Connoisseur, and instead of renting another one, I got my gown from Taobao to save cost!
Siying
Plan plan plan and spend within your budget! And let your future wife make the decisions. Remember, happy wife happy life!
Ainsley
So, would you rather go through the process of re-planning for a simpler celebration in a pandemic or choose to postpone it till further notice? If you’re still in a dilemma, you’re not alone in that spot but perhaps the couple’s perspective can help you take your next steps –
We were really in a dilemma but at the same time, we really just wanted to get it over and done with haha! We decided to proceed with the wedding despite the pandemic as we would not know when we will have our original wedding plans back given we’re still in an ongoing pandemic. I think we were very disappointed with the changes, however at the end of the day we knew that we just wanted to settle down quickly, so that we can move on and make plans for babies. HAHAHA.
Ainsley & Siying
We admire the determination Ainsley and Siying had given the set of circumstances they were facing. They went against all odds to be where they are today and it sure hints at a marriage that would withstand whatever challenges life will inevitably throw at us. We wish them good days ahead and a blessed marriage!
Professionals engaged for the wedding:
- Wedding Planner: THE WIFE
- Photography: Natalie Wong Photography | @nataliewongphotography
- Videography: RekordHaus | @rekordhaus
- Venue: Stellar & 1-Altitude
- Church Floral: In The Name Of Flowers | @inthenameof.flowers
- Wedding Gown: The Gown Connoisseur | @thegownconnoisseur & Taobao
- Masks: The Gown Connoisseur & Hand Sewn by a friend
- Rings: Ivy Masterpiece | @ivy_masterpiece
- Jewellery: Taobao
- Makeup Artists:
- Patricia | @bypattcia – Church ceremony & ceremony
- Makeup Maestro, Jas Tan | @jastanmua – Dinner look