I am now officially Mrs. Jamie Lee. It’s an indescribable feeling. Am I happy? I am ecstatic! A few months before the wedding – I made a conscious decision that I did not need a perfect wedding. And I left all the stress behind. I had no expectations; so I could not be disappointed. I just wanted to enjoy the process. Jamie has given me the perfect wedding.

I looked at all the photos taken, and we just looked so happy. I think I have never looked more beautiful. There are just so many smiles, big smiles, genuine laughter. I never knew I could have so many different expressions on my face. And for that, I only have my superb photographer to thank – Tuck Hong.

I remember sitting in the bedroom with the maid-of-honour a.k.a. my best friend Tsiao Yi preparing my speech. And I remember worrying that the Justice of Peace would not turn up as he was supposed to be there @ 3pm but he has not arrived yet!

I remember setting out from the house to the venue with my maid-of-honour and the assigned bridal car driver, my now cousin-in-law Chris. And then making a u-turn as I forgot to bring along my IC (which turned out that I did not need it)… Then setting out again…

I told Tsiao Yi in the car that this is the first time throughout the wedding that I am feeling nervous. I could feel butterflies in my stomach. Oh gosh! Chris, who has been there and done that, told me to keep cool, relaxed, take a big breath. I took his advice since he is the man of experience! 🙂

The bridal car, decorated with lilac flowers approached the Singapore Art Museum’s driveway. I saw Tuck Hong waiting to snap the photos. I saw Yee Wei waiting to capture the video.

The weather was gorgeous. Blue sky, the most beautiful shade of blue, the sun was shining bright. Actually it was blazing. As Jarrod has put it, “The skies cleared up for you!” As only a couple of hours ago, there was a huge downpour, and I was worried that we would not be able to have the outdoor ceremony that we have dreamt of. But we had faith, and we were not let down.With the various cues, the music started to play. The song that we have chosen for this segment was “Butterfly Kisses”. Not your atypical wedding processional song, but I guess we are not your atypical couple. I have always loved this song as it painted out the relationship between father and daughter. And as I walked into the courtyard with my arms around my dad’s, to the strain of “And she’s changing her name today…” I could feel tears welling up.

After I was officially given away, we sat down listening attentively to Mr. Chan Kai Yau, our Justice of Peace. I must say he totally blew me away with this eloquence and professionalism. I could still recall the first time we met him. He was this stern man in his late 60s or early 70s, and he started giving us a lecture on how husband and wife should not work together. Frankly, Jamie and I did not know what to say… However, given our desperate state then, as the Justice of Peace of our choice has disappeared from the country, we decided to take our chances.

Mr. Chan was fantastic. He was well-rehearsed, he was polished and he was even witty. He went through with his the standard vows, and now it was time for us to say our individual vows.

Jamie and I have decided from the outset that we would not go through each other’s vows. So our vows will be a complete secret from each other. The only person who knows mine is Tsiao Yi. I rehearsed my vows a few times with her. And I kept telling her that I would try my best not to cry. I would not want smeared mascara now, would I?

We stood up, Wee Fun, the best man passed Jamie my ring and he started. I looked at him, in all his earnestness, holding this small piece of paper in his hand, referring to it only when he needs some prompting saying his vows.I thought my heart would burst as I am marrying the man of my dreams, the man who loves me, and the man whom I love. His vows were just as I imagined – beautifully crafted and meaningful.

Then it was my turn. Wee Fun passed me Jamie’s ring. I have worried that I would forget my vows. I worried that I would stumble over the words. But as I look into my future husband’s eyes and say the vows that I promise to upkeep for the rest of my life, my voice came out firm and clear.

By the time I got to the part where I would sing a verse from one of my favourite songs by Shawn Colvin, I could hear cracks in my voice, it was inevitable, there was no stopping it, I started to cry…Mr. Chan declared us as Man and Wife. We exchanged our first kiss as husband and wife. And we sat down to sign the marriage certificate.

We legalized our marriage to the upbeat tune of…

 

“At the Beginning”

And life is a road that I wanna keep going

Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing

Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey

I’ll be there when the world stops turning

I’ll be there when the storm is through

In the end I wanna be standing

At the beginning with you

 

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