Where did you get married?

We had our solemnization ceremony, followed by a dinner reception at a lovely restaurant called Suburbia which is on Sentosa island (in Singapore) on the 6th of June, and that was for friends and colleagues. We had a second event on 7th of June at the Four Seasons Hotel with High Tea for family. At each event, there were about 60 persons.

What was your budget?

We did go over budget, following list is the breakdown. In the beginning, we had wanted to do everything under about $15K, but I guess there were just some things I couldn't bring myself to compromise with.

What creative or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?

We made it a point to select venues which were representative of our personalities. (Our wedding is actually quite different from a typical wedding banquet held in Singapore which is usually just a 10-course sit down Chinese dinner in the big ballroom of hotels — up to 30 or 40 tables) Lawrence & I designed and made our own invitations, place cards and favour cards. A lot of effort and hours were put in to make this happen and to communicate the whole ambience/setting of this special event. Lawrence is a TV producer with a current affairs channel here in Singapore so he put his skills to good use by creating a thank you video to screen during both events, it also had short excerpts of why we chose each other. We also hired a live band to play during the dinner reception, and we chose the song list which comprised mainly of songs we loved, and not the usual must-have wedding songs. We wanted it to be fun and memorable for everyone including ourselves. Oh, and I must mention that I even made the confetti myself with my mother. =)

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

I think the biggest thing we did to save money was to embark on a DIY journey for all the stationery and décor, instead of going straight to vendors who would have been able to take care of everything. For example, I ordered flower bouquets, centerpieces and the corsages from a local neighborhood florist and it cost me about $350 for everything. Of course I had to self collect them and transport them to the wedding venue. However, if I had gone the route of a wedding florist who would take care of everything including the delivery & set-up, it would have cost me more than a $1,000 for something that would have been discarded after the day was over.

What was your biggest splurge?

I think the biggest splurge was on our wedding rings from Bulgari. Since we're going to be wearing this every single day for the rest of our lives, we decided to get something that both of us liked and would enjoy wearing as a symbol of love for each other.

What was your favorite detail?

The décor that my friends painstakingly did — means so much to me.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Funny, but the most memorable moment for me was when I was getting made up in the room by the make-up artist, and Lawrence was just sitting there looking at me and smiling to himself.

What's the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you're on the other side?

Do your best, but don't harp too much on perfection. Once you get too caught up with the details, you lose sight of the most important thing — which is to enjoy the day with your other half. Make it a memorable one for the years ahead.

_________________ Thanks for reading Joy + Lawrence from: The Budget Savvy Bride

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