The underwater theme also extended to Ms Wee’s bridal shower, as her bridesmaids surprised her by introducing her to a mermaid, who taught her, along with her friends, to use their fins and tail. The young women are seen posing, with Ms Wee donning a bejeweled underwater tiara, of course, prettily by the poolside in the early evening hours.
In the episode, the excited bride can be heard saying, ‘It’s my dream come true.”
Though the show is so far only airing in the UK, the couple posted a video of the highlights of their wedding on YouTube.
The bride’s mother, Gene, added to the drama (and the expense) when she insisted that Ms Wee’s dress and train, already embellished with 6,000 Swarovski crystals, needed to be even more dazzling and that another layer could be added to the couple’s multi-tiered cake.
One of the bride’s mother’s friends explained Gene’s role this way: “For the wedding, it’s not just for the couple, but also the family. And Gene, she’s 100 percent sure that she wants to be involved in everything.”
The mother of the bride was quite happy with her dress, saying, “It’s so beautiful. In my dreams, it’s what I wanted.”
Ms Wee was to have a total of six different outfits for various parts of her wedding. To complement her gowns, her mother flew her to London to buy wedding diamonds shortly before the big event.
The mother of the bride explained, “In Asian culture, it’s important for us to give diamonds to our daughters so they will have a blissful marriage and know they are from their parents.”
She spent S$1.05 million on a diamond necklace and earring set to be worn by Ms Wee on her wedding day.
The couple did not just have one ceremony but two, a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, as well as a church ceremony followed by a reception.
But the tea ceremony was a private affair complete with a suckling pig witnessed by around 100 of the couple’s family and friends. The groom received a S$9,000 watch, while the bride was gifted with diamonds, rubies and sapphire jewellery.
The day after, the couple tied the knot again at St Theresa’s church, then on to the Ritz Carlton, where a dinner table costs at least S$1,328.
The under-the-sea theme was prevalent everywhere, with the giant clam in the center of everything. When the guests took their places, the bride, in a shimmery silver dress that was but one of her costume changes that day, emerged to much applause.
“Her entrance was epic, when she came out of the clam it was a piece of pure theatre,” one of the guests exclaimed.
Even the bride’s father, Mervin, joined in with festivities and gave his speech while dressed as Neptune, the god of the sea. He told the guests, ”When I first met Ken I knew he was the right one. We have something in common, we both have great taste when it comes to choosing a wife.”
While the first episode of My Crazy Rich Asian Wedding, which aired in the UK on May 20, did not reveal how much was spent on various aspects of the nuptials, the wedding planner alone did say that they were paid S$1.4 million.
The bride and groom were delighted with how their wedding turned out.
“I’m so grateful to my mum for all the effort she has gone to. All the money spent was definitely worth it – it’s been the wedding of the year,” the bride said.
Not to be outdone, the beaming groom called it, ”The wedding of the century.”/ TISG
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