“You spend a lot of time denying yourself certain foods to be a certain weight, but your wedding is a night for guilt-free eating. People will be wobbling home. We want them to leave us as Weebles. Have we got a chocolate fountain? I’ve always wanted to sit under one of those …”    – Robbie Williams -

I must have been living in a hole all these while, such that when I found out my idol Robbie Williams has wed his girlfriend of 4 years, Ayda Fields, it’s already considered as ‘2-week old, stale news’.

HELLO! magazine hit it spot-on, when the first paragraph reads  ”…the beautiful photographs on the following pages are destined to break an army of female hearts …..”

Who would have expected Robbie to settle down, having once committed himself to the life of a bachelor. The wedding was a celebration that embodied Robbie and Ayda’s fun personalities. All 60 of their guests thought that they were attending a James Bond Casino Royale party in celebration of Robbie’s 20 years in the business. It wasn’t until they stepped in through the front doors that they were presented with a silk box containing their invitation to the wedding of the year. Having to keep the secret from all their closest friends, they appointed all their 8 dogs to be their bridesmaids! How’s that for suprise!

What I’ve always liked about Robbie Williams is the honesty in his music. The purity of his emotions that pours out into the lyrics and music he makes - raw, simple and somewhat in-your-face direct. He’s a total class act and world class entertainer who can have the audience scream their lungs out at the palm of his hand while taking pictures of his ***** with the other. Call him bad ass nasty or sensitive prick, one thing he’s always been is being true to who he is and that makes him original. He’s Robbie Wiliams.

The following excerpts are some of my favourite bits quoted from the exclusive interview with HELLO! magazine.  Non-Robbie fans should really leave this page now because the following are gonna be blatantly, in-your-face cheesy : P

“I’d spent my twenties looking for a soulmate, but I was in no shape to commit myself to anybody. That was painful because you watch love in movies and it feels magic, it looks like the thing that will fix you.”

“So she walks into the house and I think, “She’s pregnant.’ And she’s had a few wines so she had this real attitude. Now because I’ve been in LA for so long, I’d got it into my mind that there are no good women in LA – maybe pretty women, but they’re all crazy and it’s not a sound gene pool to swim in. I thought she was another crazy.”

“Later in the evening, when the party got really crazy, with people in the Jacuzzi, she changed into a Bond-style Ursula Andress bathing suit. I thought, ‘Holy F**k! That pregnant lady is fit!”

“Ayda came into my life and my ethos cracked a little bit, and a bittle more, until it shattered.”

“She makes me want to do the best for her – she makes me want to be a good man with all the trimmings. She makes me want to be a better person. And in the process I have become a better person.”

“I’m an emotional guy. I’m a crier, a weeper. It will be difficult to hold it together. But what is absolutely amazing is that I’m not nervous, which goes to show how ready for this I am, and how right it is.”

“Now, believe it or not, I’m actually pretty socially awkward and one-on-one, if I don’y know you, I get sweaty and I don’t know what to say. If you’re beautiful as well, then it’s double problems. I revert into the fat, bumbling kid in the playground.”

Did anything else bond you together in the early days?

“Cake. We basically didn’t leave the bedroom, and ate a lot of cake together. My thinking was that if I didn’t eat anything other than cake, I would maybe lose weight.”

“You know Ayda is a proper brainbox – she speaks French, Italian, was training to be a lawyer before she became a comedienne, and now all she does is eat chocolate and watch reality TV. She is perfect for me!”

 ”We’re so cheesy. We are cheese. It’s a mush-gushy, cheesy kind of love. We’re never far apart.”

“We just want to build on this momentum of happiness, and I want to be as unselfish as I can be.”

I guess Robbie Williams has finally found his perfect Angel.

Now all the ‘real’ Robbie fans should go grab the September issue of HELLO! for the full story on the Wedding of Robbie and Ayda. I can’t wait for his upcoming release – Robbie Williams’ 39 tracks of Greatest Hits collection.

Lo Bjurulf at Agent Bauer designed this set for Ikea. Once again, she has demonstrated that you don’t need sky-high budget to turn ordinary spaces into a beautiful setting. Everything is so pretty I don’t even know where to begin! The grey, wash-out wall is the perfect backdrop for this shabby chic setting. The details are amazing including the two adorable doves! It’s not just about the style but also her great sense of colours. From mariam pink to champagne roses, the dusty pink to navy and light marine blue ribbons, oh.. and I must not forget to mention the equally cute macaroons in matching colours. Hope you have been equally inspired by this style spread as much as I did! Happy planning!

You may also like:

• Inspiration by Lo Bjurulf for Ikea

Specially handpicked, suggested songs to daydream to your dream wedding as you cozy up to your other half on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Enjoy!

e prepared for a serious dose of daydreamin’. Well, aren’t we all dreamers anyway? All you need to do is dream the next big idea and a heart to bring them to life! Henceforth, the concept for this tablescape at The Tamarind Springs Jungle Luxe Bridal Fair was centered around the DayDream concept – surreal , artsy and a rustic freedom of expression. A tablescape theme that screams personality yet at one with nature.

DayDream to these Suggestions for a Budget-Friendly, Eco-Friendly, One-of-a-Kind Wedding:

1. Did you notice only a handful of flowers were used? In most weddings, decorations go to waste right after the party ends. Reduce flower wastage by opting for artistic posies that guests can take home. For this look, Creativelines recycled tree barks, used papers, coconut husks and twigs to create one-of-a-kind centrepieces.
2. Local flowers can be beautiful too! Don’t strike off orchids or gerberas from your flower theme just yet. A good magician can turn water into wine, as with a good planner and floral designer who can create couture, statement pieces out of ordinary things.
3. If you want to create a lasting impression, get an event designer. For the DIY couples, consider rentals. La Flaire also offers a wide range of decoration props, linen and furniture rentals for parties and weddings.
4. Miniature cakes are perfect for small weddings. TrulyScrumptious!’s adorable miniature cakes were almost too gorgeous to eat!
5. Consider a day time wedding reception. Not only would you be reducing energy consumption, you can also reduce the cost of food and beverage. Tamarind Springs is truly the perfect respite to nature with a jungle lush dining atmosphere that’s not only intimate yet romantic even during the day.

Stationery, Conceptualisation & Styling: The Peak Xperience / Floral Designs: Creativelines / Party Rentals & Props: La Flaire / Miniature Cakes & Wedding Cake: TrulyScrumptious! / Venue: Tamarind Springs

Special thanks to Sunday Photography and La Flaire for the photos. Stay tune for the next part of DayDream.

I came across this interesting video which was discovered and posted at the blogsite of Stories by Integricity Visuals.

Must have taken lots of planning, orchestration and rehearsals but boy, was it worth it! Make sure you watch it till the end!

I simply adore this video!

Add a dash of creativity + music by Arcade Fire + dynamic skills of Ry Russo Young and you get a super cool retro, indie , almost lo-fi save-the-date video!

From this video alone, you’ll get a sense of their unique sensibility and music interest.

Tiffany-inspired wedding is such a timeless trend. It’s also my favourite shade of blue so  I was totally on cloud nine when a client decided on this colour theme! Apart from being a very elegant colour, it is also a versatile colour that can be paired with white, ivory, rich brown, platinum, silver or even gold; but there is also risk that the wedding might end up looking tacky and distasteful. The trick is really not to go overboard with the blue eventhough it is the dominant colour for a wedding.

I’ve put together 5 of the closest turquoise tones for my client. Which tone would you go for, the lighter or darker ones?

I’m so glad that we’re finally in the final stages of finalising the wedding details of Kam Soon and Wendy *Notice just how many times I stressed ‘final’* The theme is inspired by the old-charmed world of Shanghai bund in the 40’s – 50’s but without the sexy and glitzy western influence so present in that era. The theme takes on a more classic chinoiserie interpretation with gold, red and shades of pink as the colour theme.

Photos for collage are taken from various sources namely The Knot.com, Style Me Pretty, Dama Orchestra

Just last week, I revised the sketch for guest table centrepieces for hotel’s reference and will be meeting up with Justin of Mandarin Oriental again this coming Thursday to finalise the banqueting details.

I simply can’t wait for the big day!

It is a fun and provocative advocate by Shanghai Tang to liberate men from wearing ties.

In short, it is a by-invitation only Club with the goal to promote elegant Chinese-inspired style for men. Instead of the traditional necktie, the mandarin collar is a modern, elegant and formal alternative. I always find men in mandarin collar tuxedos (also known as the Mao jacket or nehru jackets) to exude that authoritative charisma and manly confidence associative with successful, powerful men.

What’s more interesting is that Shanghai Tang’s Mandarin Collar Society actually have a manifesto (and a really cheeky one):

I’m a fan of all things vintage and retro. If I was getting married, I would probably have my bridesmaids in adorable  baby doll dresses, spotting geometric or floral prints and whimsical vintage accessories. However, as Asians, it’s hard to carry off vintage and rocking the vintage style to make it look current and timeless, and hopefully not making a wedding fashion faux pas in the process. I believe subtlety is still the key to timeless wedding photos. You wouldn’t want to look back at your wedding photos 20 years later and wonder “WHAT WAS I THINKIN??!!”.

I was actually in the midst of brainstorming for a client’s wedding moodboard as she wants her bridal party to have the vintage style but not wanting to look ‘dated’ either. After one hour of starring at my computer, I decided to put together a colour theme of black, white and yellow with a touch of citrus-y orange. It’s still a work-in-progress but so far I kinda like what I’m seeing.

Styling ideas for bridal party:

• Polka dot yellow button hairclip from Miss Selfridge. There are so many kinds of badges and corsages of such from local flee markets that make wonderful, lasting gifts for your bridesmaids in replace of floral wrist corsages. I believe once we pair them with a simple belle dress, it’ll immediately transform the look with just accessories!
• I’m really loving the yellow silk flower hairband from My Diva’s Closet.
• Black and yellow leathered heels from Net-a-Porter.
• Other than flowers, why not personalise the groomsmen corsages with a touch of whim such as this handmade yacht corsage paired with pin-stripped orange ribbon. The above corsage was taken from Brides.com

I thought of creating a photowall area with the whole nineyards. Confetti has some really cool retro furniture and equipment which are suitable for such themes. Would definitely speak to Desmond soon but first, it’s time I get back to working on my moodboard.