So I married my best friend
And it was indeed the best day of my life.
As I was getting ready for the ceremony, friends asked me how I was feeling. I couldn’t really describe it then but today it struck me. Other than feeling lucky because my future husband is the kindest man on earth, it really felt like A Levels, level 100. All those months of preparation - and last minute memorisation - would come down to this. The next twelve hours or so would be the result of 11 months of conceptualising, thinking, planning, sourcing, budgetting, executing, bargaining, inviting, calling, messaging, checking, canceling, redoing, explaining and of course praying.
The only difference was that I wasn’t fighting this ‘battle’ alone. There was a legion of people who made the event a super huge success. We’ve given them our thanks during the wedding itself but of course it wasn’t possible to read out each name. Certain medium is better for conveying a certain message than others. This detailed note will last a gazillion years so you and I can read it over and over and over again. Perhaps this should have come earlier, but as long as the paper flowers still appear on friends’ Facebook profile pictures, I think this note is still (relatively) legit.
Here goes..
1. Lunch Chief - Josiah. Choosing you to be the Chief was probably the first and easiest decision I made. I just knew that if I had to leave the most precious day of my life in someone else’s hand, it would be yours. I just knew that day would be more than perfect. And it sure was. Thanks for being ever so helpful, Mojo.
2. Wizards of Ambience - Sharon, Cindy, Leong Heng. I was overwhelmed by the number of times you said “Consider it done” to my requests. Thanks for spending literally HUNDREDS of hours planning, budgeting, counter-proposing and making the place so so beautiful. I may be biased but the dining hall had never looked that good. We are forever grateful.
3. Lunch Emcees - Auntie Sharon and Auntie Cindy. I’ve never attended any wedding which was sooo auntified. Thanks for creating a fun and enjoyable atmosphere with your quirks even though at the end of the day I could only manage to eat 2 spoons of white rice, thanks to your bells.
4. Roll Call Ladies - Siew Geok and Chwee Suan. Handling a guest list of more than 500 people is certainly not an easy task. The ‘Yes’, the ‘No’, the ‘Maybe’, the ‘Yes’ changed to the ‘No’, the ‘No’ changed to the ‘Yes’ even as we’re printing the seating map. Thank you for not losing your cool and making sure everyone has a seat.
5. Entertainment Extraordinaire - Yindy and Aunty Linda. What a programme! Verbatim from our videographer “Must say your friends very happening.” Thank you for putting together such a memorable event for us. Also thanks for planting certain ideas to Benny’s head. Heh.. I knew there just had to be a fairy godmother ;)
6. Gourmet Goddesses - Putu and Inez. I don’t really have taste buds so thanks for being the voice of those who do. It was an emotionally-draining task dealing with a vendor-that-shall-not-be-named so thanks for also lending us your mental support and making sure that everything went well in the end.
7. Ushers - Ji En, Di, Van, Kim, FK, Phuong, Lan, Marvin, Kenno, Daniel, Han Lin. Thank you for being a fantastic host to our guests. I believe it was first class. And of course, thanks for being a good sport dressing up to the color theme. Di, pink is not that evil on you.
8. MMC and the video boys (Danny, Bob). I noticed you boys were staying up until late at night, staring into a laptop with Ms Yindy. Thanks for helping to produce a very touching and entertaining video. And for the PA Team, thanks for being the reliable team as you always have been.
9. Yanshen - I’m not sure if you remember this but when I helped you get ready for Fame, you said you’d dedicate the last - and winning! - song to me (and my ‘special someone’) and I said “Nooo please don’t say my name on stage.” But you did anyway. So when I was getting married, I thought it’s only right to have you sing at the wedding. Thanks for being so enthusiastic when I asked you and thanks for putting much effort into your performance. It was really really wonderful. Remember us when you’re famous and please sing on our 25th wedding anniversary? :p
10. Students’ Council 6 and 7. My babies, thank you for getting together and putting up a heartwarming performance for us. Some of you don’t stay in the Hall (or even in Singapore) anymore. That must have taken a bit of coordination work.You’ve been a huge part of my life - how not to when you spent your Thursday nights with me. Thanks for bearing with my naggy pep talks and brutally honest comments. There were times I felt like packing my bags and go but seeing you working hard and growing together never failed to turn me around. Thanks for teaching me a thing or two about perseverance, friendship, and fun. I [heart] you all, always.
11. Gangnam Gang. This was definitely the highlight of the day. My heart almost dropped when I saw Benny ran to the front and danced. I could only imagine the patience, dedication and hardwork you put into pulling that off. You could include that in your resume because it certainly is an achievement. Thankyouthankyouthankyou.
12. Music Maestros - Wennie and team (Gavin, Adit, Yindy). Beautiful music, guys! If you’ve seen any picture of me crying, you can take credits for making that happened.
13. Worship Leader - Wei Khong. Thanks for sparing some time for us despite your busy schedule. Thank you for leading such a wonderful worship and making sure the ceremony flows smoothly. Thank you very very much.
14. Church Coordinator - Iris. It probably wasn’t easy to manage the flower girls. But as you said, it could be harder to manage this bride. I hope I behaved well enough on the D-day. Believe me, I tried.
15. Choir - Shan Shan and Voices of Oldham Hall. Mr Benny had a specific vision for our church wedding and that vision had you in it. A beautiful song sang beautifully by a beautiful group of people. Thanks for making it into a reality.
16. Photo corner boys - Johannes, Yo, Ardi, Bandru. Knowing our friends, we’re certain that you must have had a busy time. Thanks for helping us to setup and run the corner. Our guests love the pictures.
17. Dinner Team - Tarn, Alex, Kwek, Yan, Kenneth. Thanks for your help in many many ways. Spending a day choosing flowers and candles and of course making the wedding reception went according to plan. Thanks Alex for a lovely evening and a very very special song. Thanks Tarn for being ever steady to resolve an unforeseen circumstance. It could not have been handled any better :) <3
18. Bridal party - all groomsmen and bridesmaids. Thanks for your support in various areas from planning to transporting heavy props. Special thanks from me to Angie for always being there every step of the way no matter how far she was - throwing ideas, taking initiatives, helping to source for quotes and buy this and that, making sure my dress is perfect from all angles, and organising a (double) surprise bachelorette party.
19. ACS Oldham Hall family - AHMs, ex-AHMs, boarders, ex-boarders. Having stayed in this Hall for almost 10 years now, I’ve seen so many faces come and go. But the friendship stays. Thanks for simply being a part of our lives. Those who teased us, matchmade us, gossiped about us, prayed for us.. We are who we are because of you guys.
20. The husband. Thanks for taking a chance in me. I know I am probably not the easiest person to deal with so please know that you have such a huge heart and endless patience. That, or you may have completely lost your mind; you may want to have your sanity checked. Either way, I am very grateful to have you in my life. Nobody cares for me as much as you do. And I think it’s vice versa - only you know it. May we continue to grow in the Lord and may you continue to kiss my cheek when I’m asleep before you go to work.
So that’s it! I hope I didn’t miss anyone out.
With this, our story here has come to an end. Thanks for reading my ramblings all this while. Hope they have made some impact in your life - made you smile, made you laugh, made you cry, or made you realise that you really are not the weirdest person on earth.
See you in another chapter, whatever it may be.
