It’s time for another wedding story, a story of a dream coming true.
Every girl dreams of a special and magical wedding day, but it’s very different for everyone. Gaya had her heart set on a Phuket wedding, and Prem could not help but agree, because when you love someone so much, you do everything to make this person happy 🙂
We asked the bride to share their love story (which didn’t start that romantic, but look how beautifully it has grown!), and her thoughts on a destination wedding.
How and where did you meet?
Prem and I first met at a birthday party for a mutual friend where we played laser tag and were on separate teams. He kept killing me during the game, which left me feeling rather frustrated. A few weeks later, I ran into him again. This time, it was at the maternity ward where I was visiting my newborn niece. Prem told me he was on rounds that night and might have checked on my cousin during labour. I was horrified. Needless to say, Prem left quite an unforgettable impression. Years later, I was out at a club with my girlfriends celebrating my single status when I saw a familiar face. I smiled at him, and he smiled back. Little did I know, he did not recognise me and was hoping to get to know me… or rather was planning on hitting on me! Annoyed that he didn’t recognise me, I cut the conversation short and headed back to my table. A few minutes later, a bottle of champagne arrives at our table compliment or rather an apology from Prem. While my girlfriends were overjoyed about the champagne, I walked to Prem and scolded him instead. I felt he was trying to imply that I could be bought over with gifts when all he meant to say was sorry for not recognising me. We decided to call it a truce over a dance. In true Cinderella fashion, I left the club without the dance and left him looking for me high and low. We found each other on Facebook the next day and a month later, went on our first date. The rest is history.
How did the groom propose?
Prem proposed on the one-year anniversary of our first date. That weekend was also my birthday, and it was filled with multiple surprise parties as such I didn’t suspect a thing. On 27 April 2014, Prem told me we were having birthday brunch with his family and that we were going to this pretty restaurant in Botanic Gardens. I should have known something was up when he looked at me as I stepped into the car and said ‘You look perfect’ with so much affection. As we walked through the gardens hand in hand, I was talking his ear off but Prem was so quiet and sweating buckets. The Botanic Gardens has a beautiful gazebo where people like to gather for picnics as it’s very picturesque. It was when we reached the gazebo area when I realized we were slowing down. With the string quartet playing “I’m Yours” at the beautiful pavilion to the painstakingly arranged rose petals on the ground, I stepped into the biggest surprise of my life. My boyfriend, aka best friend, aka my partner-in-crime, asked me to be his wife. He had even hired a photographer to capture the moment! All the tourists and picnickers gathered there clapped and cheered for us. It was truly magical. Shortly after, Prem dragged me to another beautiful restaurant where our closest family and friends were gathered. He had arranged for a surprise engagement party. We laughed and partied the afternoon away. It was the happiest moment of my life… until I got married to Prem, that is.
Why did you choose Phuket/Thailand as a place for your destination wedding?
I have always loved Phuket and in 2013, I attended a close friend’s wedding in Phuket. I remember thinking to myself that I would love to get married in Phuket: it was my happy place and my escape from crazy Singapore, — seemed perfect. I was dating Prem when I attended that friend’s wedding and couldn’t stop gushing about how lovely it was. When we got engaged, Prem told me he wanted me to have my dream wedding and that he would like to get married in Phuket too. Mind you, the boy has not been to Phuket before and was willing to do it just because I loved Phuket. I knew that getting married in Phuket would be the intimate-glorious wedding I envisioned with the people we love most.
What is the most memorable moment of the wedding day and why?
This is a very tough question. That’s how perfect and magical our wedding was! Every moment was a dream come true for us. I would have to highlight the fireworks, though. I am a fireworks fanatic; I run towards places when fireworks are on. I wanted to be conscious of the budget for the wedding, but Prem wanted me to have my own fireworks display no matter the expenses. As we watched the fireworks that night, there are no words to express the happiness and love that engulfed me. To date, our guests talk about how the fireworks in Singapore pale in comparison to what we had at our wedding.
Any recommendations for the couples also planning a destination wedding?
GET AN AMAZING WEDDING PLANNER! By that we mean hire The Wedding Bliss. Being a very exciting thing, destination wedding also comes with a lot of work. If you want to enjoy the wedding process and remain sane, hire a wedding planner who knows the inner workings and is able to deliver results. Most importantly, get a wedding planner who is in constant touch with you. Wedding Bliss team are bar none when it comes to that. Our special day was made magical because of them, and we couldn’t imagine anyone better at this. Instead of up-selling and increasing the budget, Wedding Bliss stuck to the budget given and delivered above and beyond. Thank you guys. We love you!
