Our First Family Wedding Celebration
A couple of days ago, on a far far away island called Sentosa, we had our first family wedding. And it is a beach wedding! My eldest brother was the first in our family to get married, and of course, it is exciting to some extent. By the grace of our Lord, everything proceeded smoothly. It was cloudy, but God swept the grey clouds with His mighty hands. A good beach wedding depends on the weather.
Pre-wedding Preparations
Before heading to the beach, we get ourselves prepped up for the wedding. Mum and I had our makeup done by a makeup artist in the hotel room at Capella Singapore. I have to say that her hair and makeup skills are not too bad. If you would like to have her contact, do leave me a message below.
It was light and natural make up for me. My hairdo was also kept simple since we were running out of time!
Beach Wedding @ Sand Bar
I’ve been here a couple of times and remembered Coastes? They served tasty western dishes which are great for sharing. Sand Bar and Coastes are part of the C-side group, and this time around, I was impressed by their food offerings during the wedding dinner buffet. Who knows that their barbecue honey chicken wings would taste that fantastic?
Around 6 pm, the guests started to stream in as the holy matrimony was about to begin.
Wedding Favours
The guests were ushered into Sand Bar by the bride’s friends. At the entrance, there were able to pick up their wedding favours by Favor Table. I got to know from that a social enterprise called Dignity Kitchen packed these nuts and dried fruit mix. How meaningful!
The bride’s sisters decorated the place with fairy lights along with photos of the couple’s engagement shoot at the beach.
Any messages for the newlyweds? Stay loving towards each other, always.
Weddings are also a great time to catch up with your relatives. These two are my dearest cousins who were my playmates when we were much younger!
Tables reserved for the nearest and dearest. But our immediate family members ended up sitting at the bar as the tables were all taken up.
Six years apart along and 6 inches apart in our sizes too. We hardly get to chance to take photos with our siblings, and this is probably the first photo taken together with my brothers after ten over the years.
Holy Matrimony
There comes the bride – along with the ‘paparazzi’ team who mainly consisted of tourists. A wedding is a beautiful thing. Even bystanders wouldn’t mind chipping in some fun to celebrate together.
The song worship team from New Creation Church was also there to conduct the holy matrimony and worship.
Father, I commit the couple into your hands. May then grow from strength to strength and bring glory and honour to Your Kingdom in Heaven.
It was a small, cosy and intimate gathering. There were probably around fifty to sixty attendees at the wedding itself. It is so much easier to mingle around and interact with the Bride and Groom in such a cosy setting.
Little kiddos are present too, but they are pretty well-behaved throughout the wedding ceremony. They help to add a touch of liveliness to the atmosphere.
Another familiar face appearing in these photos was our GenRev Pastor Vegard who was there to officiate the wedding.
At the communion table, they broke bread and drank wine in remembrance of Jesus Christ who has died on the cross.
Marriage is often more than a contract. It is not bound by law but by grace and love.
The wedding sand ceremony symbolises the union between two families. Both the bride and groom take turns to fill up the vessel with sand to form this layered effect. That was when two had become one.
Gifts for the parents as a token of appreciation.
Chinese Tea Ceremony
It’s the Chinese Tea ceremony time! It’s a tradition practised by the Chinese. Both newlywed couples will kneel down before the parents and served tea to them which signifies filial piety. Traditions, traditions!
As the sun goes down, the stars were up. We enjoyed the buffet dinner spread which was prepared fresh in the kitchen at Coastes. I enjoyed the salad, salmon and chicken wings. Even my aunt, who has expensive taste, commented that the quality of food is good. My tummy was singing with joy that evening because I was so deprived of food that day and finally getting to enjoy a hearty meal.
Buffet Dinner
The wedding did not end just yet as the couple gave a Thank You speech in front of all our friends and relatives. I felt touched when the bride said she hopes to get to know our family better as we spent little time together.
Thank You Speech
Right after the Thank You speech, my brother went up on stage to perform a special item for the bride. Cantonese song? He could hardly sing comfortably when everyone else was looking at him. I could tell that he was super nervous but good try, bro!
Special Item
It is not easy to get my brother to sing in front of a crowd. I don’t think I have ever watched him perform before!
Falling in love is such a sweet and beautiful thing. It felt especially special being part of a wedding of a close family member. I felt like I was part of the organising team for this wedding. It is enjoyable and at the same time tiring but seeing the smiles plastered on my brother’s face; I guess it was all worth it.
