TIME TO CELEBRATE “We really wanted our guests to feel comfortable and get to know each other without it being awkward,” explains the bride. “We designed and printed our own wedding newspaper, which had a small ice-breaker section including ‘talk to someone who’s met a famous person’ and ‘find someone who’s a twin’. There were four sets of twins at our wedding, including Nick! It gave strangers an excuse to talk to each other, and by the end of the wedding, everyone had spoken to someone new.” To keep their guests entertained, the couple hired DJ Jordan Hill. “He kept the dancefloor alive all night with a great mix of songs tailored from a questionnaire that we had filled out previously,” adds Ann-Jee. “We also had a photo booth, which was a hit with our guests! Absolute Booth provided us with plenty of props, unlimited prints for guests and a physical and digital album. It was hilarious going through all the pictures the next day; it was a visual representation of how the night descended into happy chaos.” MEMORABLE MOMENTS “What stood out most was just how powerful the emotions of the day felt,” explains Nick. “It sounds silly, but when you spend so much time planning a wedding, it’s easy to forget that you’re actually getting married. The ceremony itself felt unlike anything I’d ever experienced and it was definitely the highlight of my day. “Later on, once I’d delivered my speech, I felt all of my nervous energy dissipate, and I relaxed into the celebrations,” continues the groom. “Unfortunately, I’d forgotten we still had our first dance to come. As soon as we hit the dancefloor, my brain performed a factory reset, and all of our meticulously planned moves devolved into a freestyle of improvised box steps and twirls. Luckily, it wasn’t as obvious as I’d feared when I watched that part of the wedding video through my fingers!” For Ann-Jee and Nick, it was the perfect day. “I never understood why people would say their wedding day was the best day of their lives until our own wedding,” explains Ann-Jee. “Marrying my best friend in the company of everyone we love was the most magical, surreal and special day. It’s difficult to pick the most memorable moment, although it would probably include walking down the aisle, the speeches and the party afterwards. I felt a mixture of excitement, nerves and overwhelming love. There was also an unplanned visit from a peacock during our reception, which was very entertaining. In Chinese culture, peacocks represent auspiciousness and luck, so we felt very blessed!” HONEYMOON “For our honeymoon, we took a career break to go travelling in the first half of 2023 before the wedding,” recalls the bride. “We’re hoping to go to the Maldives soon!” ANN-JEE AND NICK’S TOP TIPS “Give yourself plenty of time to plan, research and reach out to vendors, as they can get booked up quickly, especially for summer weddings,” says Ann-Jee. “For us, picking the right venue was probably the highest priority. On the day, try to be in the moment and soak it in; don’t stress about the small details. Sometimes things may not go according to plan, but just remember that all of your loved ones are there to celebrate with you and probably won’t even notice! We also both found that having a well-structured morning planned with our wedding party helped us relax and leave behind the nerves of the preceding days.” 43 REAL WEDDINGS
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