Couple: Carrie Leong & Sylvester Gabriel Tan, both Lawyers
Date & Location: 27 September 2025; St. James’ Church (Holy Matrimony) and Capella Singapore (Banquet)
Guest Count: 320
Wedding Style: Rooted, Romantic, Abundant
If you had walked into Capella Singapore that evening without context, you might honestly have wondered if you’d taken a wrong turn and ended up somewhere in the Italian countryside.
The day actually started quietly. Picture this: warm bread on the table, soft yoghurt in little bowls, fresh coffee in the air. Carrie was getting ready with her mum, the kind of slow, familiar morning that could have been any weekend at home. Except this time, there were butterflies in everyone’s stomach because, by the end of the day, she’d be Mrs Tan.
Golden Hour at Capella
By the time guests arrived at Capella for the banquet, the ballroom had transformed. Four-metre-tall trees rose up between the tables, like a small indoor forest. Real grapes and plums spilt across golden linens, tucked in with deep red florals and layers of greenery. It didn’t feel like someone had just chosen a colour palette; it felt like walking into a mood – earthy, warm, and so inviting you wanted to reach out and touch everything.
A live saxophonist and keys player filled the room with music while 320 guests settled in. For a moment, with the stone walls and those towering trees, you could almost forget you were on Sentosa. It felt like late afternoon in Tuscany.
That was exactly what Carrie and Syl had hoped for. When they describe their wedding, they use three words: rooted, romantic, and abundant. Every decision, from Carrie’s orchid-filled bouquet to the little sachets of Capella’s White Tea tucked into the favours, was made to reflect those three anchors.
A Love Story Built on Belief
Their story didn’t begin in Italy, though. It began on Tinder.
When Carrie and Syl first matched, they thought each other was attractive and easy to be around. It was simple, straightforward. But two weeks in, things shifted. Syl opened up about what he was going through at the time and shared his goals with her. Instead of shying away from his struggles, Carrie told him she believed in him and wanted to see him succeed.
For Syl, that moment was it. “I knew I wanted her in my corner for the rest of my life,” he says.
Later, their relationship was tested by long-distance when Syl went abroad to study. Carrie had expected to hate it; instead, she found herself wanting to talk to him constantly. She chose to stay, to see the journey through. When he finally came home, they slipped back into place easily.
Over time, their relationship settled into a gentle rhythm: morning coffees, time with each other’s families, and a shared fondness for revisiting places that held meaning for them.
One of those places? A goat farm. That’s where they had their first date, and years later, it’s where Syl proposed, complete with a banner reading, “Will you mehhh-ry me.” He knew how much Carrie loved celebrating with her people, so after they had their private moment, he had friends and family lined up to surprise her.
Carrie describes their love as “golden hour”. That soft, flattering light that makes everything feel warmer and more alive. “Even if the heat gets to you, you kind of just stay and soak it in,” she says, “because you want to be present in a moment like this.”
From Feeling to Form
When they started planning the wedding, they didn’t begin with a Pinterest mood board or a list of colours. They started with a feeling: Italy.
They’d spent their second anniversary there, and the memory stuck with them. That golden light, the warmth, the sense of time slowing down. They wanted their wedding to carry that same feeling.
Capella Singapore became an easy choice because it reminded them of the Italian countryside. “Its stone walls and tall trees hold nature close rather than shutting it out,” Carrie explains. “It felt like a place where time slowed down. We wanted our wedding to feel like that too, grounded, elegant, and abundant.”
The first vendor they booked wasn’t a planner or a photographer, but their florist and stylist, Noelle of Fleurs by Noelle (@fleursbynoelle). “The vision began with the feeling of Italy, and I knew she would understand how to translate that into form and colour,” Carrie says.
Throughout their 12–18 month engagement, a timeline Syl had wisely insisted on, Carrie and Noelle were in constant conversation. Together, they shaped the Capella ballroom into something that really did feel alive: four-metre-tall trees, tables piled with real grapes and plums, deep-red florals, golden linens, and layers upon layers of texture.
Le Fairy Meadow (@lefairymeadow) created the photo gallery, From One Bride to Another (@fromonebride.toanother) handled the planning, and Pei Weddings (@pei.weddings) took care of the day-of coordination. Behind the scenes, Carrie was also quietly orchestrating everything with her Pinterest boards, Google Sheets, and hours of research on TikTok and Instagram, drawing on the hard-won wisdom of brides who’d gone before her.
If you ask her what she’s most glad they splurged on, she doesn’t hesitate: the florals and styling. “The trees, fruits, and layers of red transformed the ballroom and made the space feel alive. It was more than decoration; it told our story.”
The Moments That Mattered Most
For all the work that went into the décor, some of the most powerful memories from the day had nothing to do with how the ballroom looked. They were small, almost quiet moments that said everything.
A father’s quiet rhythm. At St. James’ Church, as Carrie walked down the aisle on her father’s arm, he kept patting her hand. Just a gentle, steady rhythm. To everyone else, it probably looked like a small habit. To Carrie, it was a lifetime of safety and comfort condensed into a few steps. “I remembered how safe I’ve always felt with him, and how bittersweet it was to realise he was sending me to build a home of my own.” In her hands, she carried a bouquet of orchids (兰花) chosen because they reminded her of her mother, Mei Lan (美兰). “I wanted her to still be there with me, overflowing from my hands the way her love always has.”
A childhood helper in the pews. Among the guests that morning was the woman who had helped raise Carrie when she was little. Seeing her there felt like a full circle moment, a gentle reminder of all the people who had played a part in raising her.
Private vows that landed. Before the big celebrations kicked off, Carrie and Syl chose to read their vows to each other privately. Away from the crowd, Syl told her: “To me, you are the sun and the moon. When the world gets dark you always find a way to guide me home.” It left her breathless. For Syl, the moment that stayed with him was hearing Carrie describe his strength as unwavering. “It made me feel that this was someone who cared for and thought the world of me,” he says.
The moments that went off-script. The banquet entrance was supposed to be choreographed and polished. In reality, it turned into something much more them. Syl kept forgetting the moves and ended up copying Carrie on a two-second delay. When she broke into laughter mid-routine and doubled over, he copied that too. Earlier, at the altar, when the pastor announced that Syl could kiss his bride, Carrie instinctively ducked out of the way, which Syl is still amused about. “She was very cheeky,” he says, “but I got the kiss.”
The Details That Made It Theirs
If you look closely at their day, you’ll see their fingerprints on everything.
Carrie designed the stationery herself. The wedding favours were sachets of Capella’s signature White Tea blend, custom-packaged just for them, a small, thoughtful detail that she’s still grateful the hotel said yes to.
For their parents, they didn’t just send flowers; they commissioned two-metre-tall bouquets from One Giant Rose (@onegiantrose) as appreciation gifts. The scale of it matched the emotion, and the gesture landed exactly the way they’d hoped.
The gatecrash was another highlight. Carrie’s parents wrote a list of promises that Syl had to recite when he came to pick her up. After all the fun and games, her father pulled Syl aside for a private, heartfelt conversation. Later at the banquet, both sets of parents gave speeches that had the whole room listening. By all accounts, those speeches became everyone’s favourite part of the evening.
During the tea ceremony, relatives flew in from Malaysia, Australia, and beyond. Syl laughs, saying that no one really knew what they were doing, but it doesn’t matter. “They were all happy to be there,” he says, and that was enough.
There were small, sweet details too. Carrie never really liked the colour pink until Syl. “They say you know it’s the right man when you start loving the colour pink,” she jokes. “It’s a bit cheesy, but I think it was true for me.”
Syl matched her quietly. He wore a suit tailored by his family’s trusted tailor, finished with heirloom jewellery passed down from his side of the family, subtle threads of history woven into the day.
Looking Back
Asked if she would change anything about the day, Carrie’s answer is immediate: “Nah.” Syl’s: “Same.” If they could relive one moment? They wouldn’t pick. They’d relive the whole day.
Their advice for couples navigating the planning stage is simple and grounded. “Start with how you want your wedding to feel,” Carrie says. “This narrows down all the decisions and makes planning clearer.” Syl adds: “Be an active partner. Also, your friends really want to help. Let them!”
When the dust settled, the wedding left them not just with beautiful photos, but with a deeper sense of who they were to each other. “It taught me that he truly has my back,” Carrie says. Syl, in his steady way, sums it up simply: “That I married the right girl.”
Now, they’re back to building the life they always imagined together, one that feels like them. “Best friends first, always,” as Carrie puts it. Slow mornings. Meaningful work. A home that feels like a soft landing. A life stitched together with purpose, laughter, and the quiet confidence that, whatever comes next, they’ll keep choosing each other again and again.
Vendor Credits
- Wedding Planning: From One Bride to Another (@fromonebride.toanother)
- Day-of Coordination: Pei Weddings (@pei.weddings)
- Ceremony Venue: St. James’ Church
- Banquet Venue: Capella Singapore
- Official Photography: Smitten Pixels (@smittenpixels.co)
- Decor Photography: Lens of Mira (@lensofmira)
- Videography: Roam the Hills (@roamthehills)
- Florals, Sculptures & Styling: Fleurs by Noelle (@fleursbynoelle)
- Photo Gallery: Le Fairy Meadow (@lefairymeadow)
- Bridal Gown: The Proposal Bridal (@theproposal.bridal)
- Groom’s Suit: Family tailor
- Jewellery: Heirloom pieces from the groom’s family
- Hair & Makeup: Victoria Han (@victoriahan_makeup)
- Live Music: Jamusician (@jamusician, keys) and Saltine the Crackers (@saltinethecrackers, sax)
- Stationery: Designed by the bride
- Wedding Favours: Capella Singapore White Tea blend (custom-packaged)
- Parent Appreciation Gifts: One Giant Rose (@onegiantrose)
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