Our Xmas Present...

"And so, thus far, Mr and Mrs Low have been walking up the stairway to Haven for 3 months now... While all have been quiet in this blog, the insider news is that the blissful couple have finalized the venue of their wedding ballroom! Oooh... and the twosome have been house-hunting, but no positive updates on that front though..."

That would have been the news-in-brief from the bulletin boy regarding the status of the 2 of us. Yes, it did take us a little bit of time to get our engines running again after the emotional high we experienced on 20th September, but with precious time ebbing away from us, Qi Qi and I decided to (finally) get down to settling on our wedding venue.

The conditions were simple enough: Affordability (= under $1,000 per table after taxes) and atmosphere (=high ceiling, no pillars, good feel). Anything else apart from these 2 'basics' would be a bonus. The 1st condition whittled down the sizeable list considerably, although setting our dinner date on a weekday (9th June 2010 - mark your calendars, people) did help increase our options. After thoughtful consideration, our shortlist was as follows:
1) Marriott Hotel
2) Orchard Hotel
3) Grand Copthorne Waterfront
4) Conrad Centennial
5) Goodwood Park Hotel
6) The Regent

Qi Qi and I did our detective work on some hotels - that included taking quick peeks at wedding dinners in Grand Copthorne and Conrad Centennial, as well as face-to-face meetings with wedding coordinators. Each venue provided us with different feel, and consequently different kinds of dilemma. In the end, though, Marriott and Orchard were the 2 venues which sufficiently provided us with the most 'headaches' to warrant a direct tussle to earn our money.

'Votes' were cast, pros and cons were weighed, sales pitches to our respective family members were made (as objectively as possible, of course). And in the end...

Marriott Hotel prevailed! Wedding venue - check!

On the other note, close friends have been asking me - so, how's married life, dude? My answer would be consistently simple - sweet, but the real deal of "married life" has yet to be tasted cos Qi Qi and I are still staying apart. In conclusion, we need more new flats, PAP! For all the prayers that we have been muttering in the temples, the balloted queue numbers that we have gotten thus far are woefully large. And with disappointment after disappointment, expectations have come down lower and lower such that we are considering re-sale flats as serious possibilities for our matrimonial homes.

A new balloting round beckons in December - Dawson, another hot property. Will we get a perfect Xmas present?

Stay tuned, folks!

Solemnisation 20Sept09 (234 photos), by celine chow

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
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Mr Low's ROM Afterthoughts

It has been just over a month since the BIG day, and admittedly, both the newly-conferred Mrs Low and I are glad that the hustle and bustle of preparatory work for the ROM is finally behind us. This welcome respite, however, will only be temporary, because the hunt for the wedding banquet venue is well and truly underway!

As the dust settles after this memorable and endearing solemnization, I have come to realize that we have been truly lucky in some ways, and simply blessed in many others.

One thing that was a genuine concern for us was the weather. An outdoor event was always going to face the threat of a wash-out, but to hold the ceremony in September (a traditionally rainy month) was considered brave (bordering on foolish). The huge downpour on the eve of the ceremony did nothing to boost our optimism. Yet in the end, our worry was unfounded – we could not have asked for clearer skies and brighter sunshine on the day.

Perhaps this was a result of what Qi Qi said – 20.09.2009 was a ‘hot’ date for wedding couples, and the combined prayers of hundreds of couples must surely have moved the heavens to hold the rain. Or perhaps it was simply what Napa had said – “There will be beautiful weather, because it is going to be a beautiful day for the two of you”. Whatever the reason, we are ever so thankful indeed.

The event obviously meant a lot to us, but the presence of all our close friends and relatives made it even closer to our hearts. Almost everyone important to us were present (punctually as well, I must add) – those who have watched us grow up since our nappy days, elders who have always doted on us, best friends who made our school days special and utterly enjoyable. These same people were of course responsible for volunteering themselves to ensure everything went smoothly as planned.

On hindsight, their enthusiasm and warmth touched our hearts indeed. The moment Qi Qi and I sent out our invites and sms-es, we were flooded with well-wishes and offers of help for the event. They were not run-in-the-mill congratulatory responses, but hearty personal emails and messages saying how genuinely happy they were to see this “marathon couple” finally tying the knot.

And boy, were they all ready to put their thoughts into action. Under the sweltering heat, they were there in full force – Sijie & Huijun doing up the beautiful decorations, Daoni & Byron as ushers in the punishing heat, Ben & Mel with the multimedia, the eloquent Meiching & Vincent doing a superb job as emcees, and all the hunks who volunteered in all the manual work. Everything just went according to script. Steph, our event photographer, was at her creative best and came up with so many amazing shots that captured the essence of what transpired.

But what was the greatest bliss for me?

That would have to be the opportunity to pledge my faithful and undying love for my college sweetheart in front of everyone, as we embark on this new and exciting adventure in matrimonial bliss.

Unforgettable Moments...Nicely captured

Both Jeff and I were so glad we engaged Steph to be our official photographer for our ROM. She's really such a nice person to work with, and we felt so comfortable with her. We simply love the artwork album done up by Steph. The mood and emotions of the event were captured very well in all her pictures. Looking at the album together, all the sweet memories of that day came flooding back to us...

Some of the layout panels for your preview:

Beautiful cover ya? Steph mentioned in her blog that she got the idea from playing puzzles with Roo, her daughter. :)

She did a montage for us, fabulous too, you can view it at the side bar. :)

For BTBs, if you have not decided on your photographer yet, I urge you to consider Steph. To quote her, "My artistic style is glamorous, playful, and hearty. The variety of my shots ranges from photojournalistic (moments) to carefully composed shots." We AGREE totally! Btw, she does overseas photo shoot too. You can view her work and find out more details in this link: http://stephtan.com/

Part 2 - His ROM attire

The garden wedding on the cards created a little headache for Mr Groom. You see, we had always wanted to 'keep it simple' - our motto since Day 1. Correspondingly, a suit would be out of place in a garden setting, yet it couldn't be too casual such that it wouldn't stand out...

And so the groom (and bride) thronged the internet forums, looking for sparks of inspiration and fresh ideas. It wasn't easy, of course - especially since the attire seen online were wrapped around hunky bodies or lean frames... to say that the male lead for the wedding was a far cry from what was seen would certainly not be too self-deprecating.

We chanced upon some nice-looking vests online, and thanks to some recommendations from my good old bro, I decided to tailor my attire with Dreamlands.

Our 1st trip to Dreamlands was a little tentative - we had no idea what kind of designs would be suitable and what to look out for, but our worries were unfounded because of the fiesty little lady behind the counter. Ever helpful and enterprising, she offered us lots of designs from which we could choose from, which was nothing short of a minor headache for the 2 of us. After sifting through everything, we managed to settle on a suitable design. Wwhat made me feel good about the whole process was the way the both of us went through everything together - and here I have to thank my wife-to-be for exhibiting great patience and thoughtfulness! You are the best, baby!

And there we have it... ROM attire for Mr Groom - check!

The countdown continues...

His and Her Dresscode on that Special Day - Part 1

Realised that there haven't been any updates on our "dress and suit" for the special day.

Part 1 - Her ROM Dress

Went to choose my rom dress at Jazz Bridal in May 09. Shortlisted 2 dresses that both dear and I like - One is a white (with a tint of pink tone) knee length bubble tube dress with a red sash, the Second was a white flowy tube dress of varying lengths (at knee length for front, and longer for back) with a pink sash. It took a while before Dear and I unanimously chose the latter. To our dismay, Yvonne, the person who helped me with my dress selection, did a quick check and told us that both the flowy and bubble dresses had been chosen by another bride who's getting married on the same day! How can this happen? So many Jazz Bridal Brides on the same day meh and all with the same tastes? Argh...so unlucky! Yvonne was very nice, and told us that there would be 2-3 new rom dresses in July. No choice, we had to come back again. We left feeling frustrated...

Our second appointment didn't turn out well. The new dresses were disappointing. I don't know, maybe the designs were not that bad, but really, they looked terrible on me. Perhaps the only good news was that the bubble dress was available as the bride who had initially chosen it picked another one in the end. And so, of course, I stuck to this, the better looking dress of the lot. Still, I couldn't hide my disappointment and feeling of sadness. Dear of course realised it, and was so sweet that he offered to buy me a dress instead, his sense was that there was no point wearing a dress that was not my top choice. All he wanted was me to be happy. I was touched. But I didn't want to, as this would mean spending more money than we intended to. Anyhow, I do quite like the bubble dress...

Last sunday night, one more week to my rom, I received a call from Yvonne. I couldn't believe my ears when she said "Do you still want the flowy dress? The bride who initially wanted it postponed her wedding. I know you really like it, that's why I called you." I couldn't hide my excitement and shouted: "Yes, I want!" That's it, heaven's on my side, I still get my first choice afterall.

Well since I'm not going to wear the bubble tube dress anymore, I guess I can show the pic that I secretly took in the dressing room ya? Shhhh.....

Touched by my colleagues’ thoughtfulness…

I was going to be on leave from Friday (11th September) onwards in preparation for my solemnization. And so, I was rushing my work at my cubicle today, when my colleagues sprang a surprise on me - kind of a celebration for my change of marital status soon. I was truly touched. I guess the pictures taken would tell all:

The crown was personally made by them, looks fabulous ya? "Bride-to-be"? It dwelled on me once again that I am going to be someone's wife very soon.

And the vouchers? They came just in time, I have used them to buy a very beautiful pair of ivory high-heeled shoes underlined with crystals for my rom.

Thank you , Su Fern, Megan, Christine, April, Angie and Karyn! :)

And to my hubby-to-be, Happy 11th Anniversary! This shall mark the last we are celebrating as singles...:p

A symbol of marital commitment - our wedding bands...

Will be collecting our wedding bands tomorrow, or so I hope. :p

We did not manage to collect it in end July when we went to eClarity, for part of our customised rings was made of 18K yellow gold (or some called it champagne gold) and I personally found it too yellow for my liking. Jeff was actually fine with it though. Anyway, Amanda, the owner was very nice and offered to remake the bands for us as we specifically requested it to be of lighter tone.

Though we left eClarity with disappointment, we were glad that the result of the design we came up with - mix of white and champagne gold with roman numerals engraving and diamonds (we were very particular - even coming down to the exact size of the dimension of each of the 2 golds and diamond size) were really nice. We were initially afraid that the combination might not turn out well. Glad that Jeff and I decided to customise our rings at the end despite the cost was almost twice what we budgeted for. :)

Shall provide details on our bands searching process, together with pic of our customised rings in our next entry.

Exactly one more month to go ...

The Pampered Lion

Celebrated my birthday with Qi Qi on the evening of 18th August at the intricately-named "The Nautilus Project" at ION Orchard. It was a dreary day in the office for me, so the gastronomical delight that awaited me was the perfect perk-me-up to lighten an otherwise plain birthday.

Located at the top storey of ION Orchard, the restaurant looked impressive enough with a large LCD monitor displaying the day's menu. The wine cellar was tucked away at the side of the entrance, with a wide array of wines and champagnes that would certainly have been a haven for wine connoisseurs. More impressively, the restaurant offered a quite-breathtaking view of the Orchard area and part of Scotts Road as well.

Alas, we were told the unfortunate news that the restaurant would be officially opening the next day, and the food currently available was limited to a single page of entrees. Which sort of explained why we made up half of the total diners in the restaurant when we entered. That was never going to deter us though, at least not on my special day. While the menu was short, it remained challenging to pick out what we wanted to fill our tummies with - not least because the short description beside every item sounded ever so appealing...

But we settled on the Seafood Platter, which was on 1-for-1, and of course the restaurant's signature dish: the Nautilus soup kettle. The Seafood Platter was a sight to behold and looked interesting once it arrived at our table:

The essential requirement for seafood as a cold appetizer hinges on its freshness, and here the Seafood Platter scored big with us. The generous serving of 3 shrimps were sweet, juicy and firm to the bite; the oyster on a half-shell tasted like it came straight out of the ocean (there was a whiff of sea-water as I lifted the succulent oyster with my fork) and the accompanying crab claw was another winner. We didn't need any dips for anything - everything tasted great au natural. The Platter included a tiny slab of smoked salmon, some chillied clams, Japanese unagi and crusty French bread toasted to a crisp. Qi Qi especially loved the bread, as I would expect her to, which came with 2 tasty cream dips which complemented the warm bread perfectly.

Then there was the soup kettle - another hit with us. At the front of the restaurant, there are 2 big pots which the restaurant uses to brew their cooking stock. Diners ordering this get to choose between 4 types of cooking stock and then choose from 2 seafood combinations. If my memory serves me well, the 4 stocks are Thai spicy coconut (sinful!), sweet & sour Sichuan (sinful!), clam chowder (very sinful!) and fresh Mediterranean (sounds healthy...) And of course, Qi Qi and I sinned to the max! The thick and creamy clam chowder was slurped up in no time! 4 thumbs up from us, definitely!


And, oh, what is a birthday without presents... Qi Qi had kept the present well-concealed from me, as usual... so I had to use all my senses to decipher what it could be...

I tried to listen...

And I sniffed...

I was so desperate, I even tasted it...

But still I couldn't get it right... And so I did the only thing I could - I ripped everything apart and saw it for myself!


A Gucci wallet! Heart pain la... so expensive... that's the way my dearest Qi Qi is, splurging on me, so that she can continue to say that I am a pampered little boy!


Happy birthday to me!!!

Gloomy day sweetened with a home-made cheesecake...

I got a shock when I realised that it was 7.45am when I woke up this morning. Jeff told me last night that he would be coming over to my place to give me a SURPRISE before he fly off to Switzerland for yet another work trip. I called him and phew, he was still on his way. By 8am, Dear came and I saw this semi-transparent rectangular tupperware that he was holding, containing something that had 3 different coloured layers. “It’s Agar-Agar!”, I exclaimed. Dear smiled, I’m wrong. It’s cheesecake, one of my fav desserts! Looks good ya?



The top layer is agar-agar filled with peach fruits (so I’m not wrong totally :p), middle layer of course the cheese and the bottom layer is the crumbled digestive biscuits (very different from usual oreo ones ya).

I guess Jeff’s curiosity and love for cooking explains his superb culinary skills. He would constantly try out new recipes whenever he can. So far, he has tried cooking/making the following:
•Chinese food (i.e. fried rice, stir-fry veget – but that was a number of years ago.)
•Western food (His grilled lambchop is really really fantastic!! I could eat that for all my meals, if only he’s willing to do that..hehe)
•Italian (I love his mushroom carbonara spaghetti too.. but dear felt that Blooie’s Roadhouse serves better ones.)
•Appetizers and Salads (Really love his potato salads..could eat one big tub at a go. No wonder I’m getting fatter..)
•Fusion food (Around 2 mth back, Jeff made pancakes and added in smoked salmon with yogurt and fresh fruits – first time I tried such unique food!)


Ok, I digressed, back to today’s dessert – peach cheesecake. Yummilicious, good blend of the chewy agar agar with sweet peach and salty crispy digestive biscuits. The cheese tasted slightly different from usual, Dear said he added in too much cream. But overall, I would rate it 8/10. Really appreciate Dear’s efforts – He knows I will feel gloomy today with him flying off to Switzerland and this dessert is meant to cheer me up and last me till Sat (that’s when he will be returning). That’s such a sweet gesture ya? I’m touched once again.

Gonna 32 dear. Wish I could have gone with you and give you some comfort when air turbulence comes.

Sourcing for the JP...

Qi Qi and I have been meticulous in our preparations thus far. Whether over the choice of solemnization venue, caterer or JP, we have carefully weighed our options and elected to settle for either the choice with the best credentials or the one which gives us the best feeling.

Being this meticulous, though, is a double-edged sword. On one hand, our selection would naturally be that we deem the best and which we were sure would leave us with no regret. On the flip side, dwelling on the specifics meant that a disproportionate amount of time was spent on planning rather than execution.

Which was the case for the selection of our Justice of Peace. Right from the beginning, we laid out our conditions: Mr JP had to be bilingual, popular, experienced, cut a fatherly figure, serious at the right times yet know how to inject humor at the appropriate moments. With that in mind, we thronged the forums and search engines looking for anecdotes from other couples about their JPs.

Comments such as “He was an hour late for our solemnization!”, “She wasn’t confident speaking in Mandarin” and “He scolded my father for turning up late” shrunk our shortlist somewhat, but we were still left with a sizeable group from which to choose from. Picking out the largely popular ones, though, left us with pretty much the same few names. We duly called & emailed them one by one – fingers crossed of course.

At the back of our minds, though, we knew tens of other couples were doing the same. The hugely popular date that we had selected dimmed our hopes further – expectations were not high, and each sms sent was done more out of optimism rather than genuine belief.

So it was with great delight that I received a call on a Monday morning – confirming our solemnization date and timing. He sounded affable, sincere and intelligent – so that was 3 big ticks already. Plus the fact that he could do the solemnization in 2 languages! Looks like we landed a gem!

Thank you for accepting our invite, Mr Phang Tai Heng! =)

The venue is finalized!

The unpredictability of life never ceases to amaze me.

Just when Qi Qi and I thought we had found the perfect venue for our solemnization after numerous recce trips and a stringent selection process, a major brick wall emerged right smack in our faces. 20-09-2009 had always been our premium ROM date, having chosen it from the list of recommended dates from the almanac – and the string of numbers were of course meaningful as well. Alas, we had not counted on other couples adopting the same thinking as well.

Hort Park has been booked on the 20th of September and would not be available for us…

I do not know what exactly devastated us more – the fact that our choice venue had been eliminated in such an abrupt manner, or that we would have to go through another arduous round of selection to select an alternative venue. Indeed, it took a lot to lift our deflated morale before Qi Qi gamely suggested that we explore other venues which we had yet to visit.

Never underestimate the allure of well-taken pictures. Especially when 2 despondent souls are scouring the internet for that elusive wedding venue. For it was during one of these random searches that a gem of a place was unearthed.

The site where Raffles House stands in Fort Canning Park used to be a colonial house for Sir Stamford Raffles during his final stay in Singapore. Pictures of the interior of the house gave us a majestic feel, but what really impressed us were pictures of the garden set-up for previous solemnization ceremonies – that gave the both of us ample impetus to make a trip down to check out the place.

And we were not to be disappointed. Overlooking the Clarke Quay and CBD area and offering a peek of the Singapore Flyer from certain angles, the view was nothing short of breathtaking. The garden space was extremely close to what the both of us had been visualizing it to be all along and the dining area was in close proximity to where the outdoor ceremony would be held.

Guess I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

The path leading to Raffles House...

And the nice little pathway leading up to the place...

The solemnization area...

Suffice to say, we fell in love with the place on first sight. Raffles House, where have you been hiding all along??

Within 3 days of inspecting the area, the security deposit was paid, and the both of us are already drawing out plans for the Big Day.

After a long-drawn-out process, it is somewhat ironic that Qi Qi and I had come one full circle (literally) and returned to Fort Canning Park for our solemnization – albeit one held in a different setting. Anyhow, it doesn’t really matter, does it? We’ve got our place, and we have just taken another big step closer to our haven.

Recce Trip 3

Remember I mentioned about our rating table on solemnisation venues in one of my previous entries? Yes, I know it is long overdue, so here it is:

Based on the ratings table, we selected 7 more venues that we thought were worthwhile to recce. And so, Jeff and I embarked on our third recce trip on 23rd May 2009, determined to complete all that we shortlisted. Given that some were in the west, some central and some north, this task wasn't easy at all. :P

The reveal of the 7 places:

1) 12:00pm Raffles Country Club @ Tuas

We got to know that the outdoor Raffles Foyer, which has a pretty good view, would be out of bounds from June 09 on wards. And so the only existing venue in the club available for solemnisation would be the restaurant, Shanshui Palace itself. Solemnisation could be held at the balcony overseeing the reservoir.

Raffles Foyer

ShanShui Palace Restaurant

Pros: The place could accommodate all our 70 guests. Given that it is sheltered, there is no issue with wet weather. Ample, free parking space. Cost is also very affordable at about $28 - $45++ per person.

Cons: Too alike to banquet style. Not what we wanted - a garden wedding. Location too west.

2) 1.30pm Beaulieu House @ Sembawang
The place was extremely far. But it gave us a good feel the moment we walked into the park.

The food listing sounded good to us, with a mix of western and chinese food. Prices of the food were fair too, with a choice of either $32 or $40 per pax. An elegant decoration (including reception table, solemnisation area, dining area and surroundings) could be provided at a decent price - $488 for 50 pax, with $3 per additional head.

Pros: The antique colonial setting and outdoor garden by the sea appealed to us. Quiet surroundings. Affordable and cozy for 70 pax. Sound system could be provided at a cost too, so seems like everything could be provided at one-stop. Flexible with our demands too.

Cons: The place would not be exclusive to us, 20th sept has been booked for a solemisation as well. There would also be no air-conditioning (other than the side-hall which was booked). No good wet weather contingency plan - would have to move indoors if it rains.

3) 3.00pm Bottle tree village @ Sembawang

Bottle tree village was near to Beaulieu house, however, it was relatively more inacessible (will not be able to get there without a car). Nothing really special about the place, got fish spa, prawning though. Backdrop was also not impressive, though overlooking the sea. We did not bother to talk to the person in charge to find out more (unlike the first 2) as we ruled out this venue completely.

4) 3.30pm Bottle tree park @ Yishun

A big park with prawning and fishing activities. We spent more than 30 minutes searching for the solemnisation venue, but to no avail. Also could not seek help from the general office which was closed. I personally quite like the greenery feel, but we both agreed that it might be difficult for guests to find the specific solemnisation area given the big park.

5) 4.30pm Hort Park @ Alexandar

Pros: Hort Lawn - Garden feel with pretty background, fits perfectly to what Jeff and I wanted. Rather exclusive place. The location is also convenient; no need to provide shuttle bus.

Cons: Basically we would have to do everything by ourselves - sourcing for marquee, caterer, decorations, etc. The marquee cost is not going to be cheap too. No free parking and inconvenient for old folks who will have to climb down a fleet of stairs to reach hort lawn.

Hort Lawn

6) 6.00pm Peony Jade @ Keppel
Pros: Oriental feel of the restaurant. Solemnisation area faces the sea. Decent price too.

Cons: Solemnisation area is just beside the pool, which could be quite crowded. Given the limited space, it is unlikely that any chairs can be placed there. We weren't impressed and ruled this venue completely once we left the place.

Solemnisation area

7) 8.00pm The Pines @ Stevens Road
After dinner, we headed to our last destination, the Pines. Cost is still acceptable, about $55++ per pax.

Pros: Gave Jeff an atas feel. Rather spacious garden with indoor dining. Centralised lcoation. Ample free parking.

Cons: Alike to banquet style with round tables setting. Limited back setting for photo shots.

After some discussion with Jeff, we shortlisted 3 venues for consideration, in order of priority: Hort Park, Beaulieu House and The Pines. The reason for Hort Park to be our first choice of solemnisation? Simply because exclusivity meant more to us than anything else. Though Hort Park meant that we will have to put in extra effort and time to plan and source, we certainily do not mind doing so. After all, this is once in a lifetime event. We were just glad that we have found our so-called ideal venue. :)