Hannah’s Conceptualising Moment : “Joan and TK are such a warm and sincere couple, and I really love them. It was one wedding I teared a few times during moments they exchanged the vows, their speeches. And having witnessed their journey of coming together from the view of a planner, and seeing how they learnt to embrace each other brought a new meaning to me about Love. Joan always dreams of an English wedding, in some ways, she reminds me about myself, of all the little things I love about London – The Victorian Street, The quirky expressions of British, the famous Telephone Booth, the Concert Hall etc etc. She wants a classy and yet quirky expression of the uniqueness of London. TK, on the other hand, prefers something cozy, homely and close to heart. He puts more emphasis on ensuring the people he invited are taken care of, and how to entertain them well. So putting together with what both of them dream to have, this concept – English Love was created. We want the concept to be integrated to the interior of Island Ballroom, almost appearing as part of the existing structure, yet the English styling is clearly depicted.

Think of the Little Gallery you will have in an English mansion, the Little Concert Room, the icon of English Telephone Booth, The Street of London, and the all favourite Hats of English. I have asked Hari to create a Hat Floral centrepiece for me, and I knew that took a lot of intricate works and detailing.. and when all was done, it was a perfect illustration and completion of what I have in my mind. All was worth it!”

The post English Love – Transforming Oriental Hotel into An English Heaven. first appeared on Heaven's Gift.

The post The Journey of a Wedding Planner first appeared on Heaven's Gift.

This video is very special, bcos it is a wedding transformation that takes place on National Day which was also the SG50 Jubilee Year.

While many celebrated Singapore’s independence at home, a team of us from Heaven’s Gift, and our beloved partners were working really hard to create the magical wedding of a life time for our lovely couple on National Day.
At the end of the day, the party was a blast, and every process was an awesome experience. I think the enormous task to transform a ballroom in 3 hrs still amazes everyone and that fulfilment itself lingers. It has once again proven to us, that with precise planning and a great vision, all things are possible, bcos there is one leadership, one vision, one heart and one people!

For those who wonder about what we do, or who dream to be in our team, I want to say :
Wedding planners are never never a glamorous vocation, but I must admit, it has been one lifetime experience that has changed my life, and many in our team. So here is a glimpse of what we do on the actual wedding day, or you can check out the details of the setup at our blog : hannahchong.com

The post A 3hr Wedding Transformation on Singapore Jubilee Year SG50! first appeared on Heaven's Gift.

We always desire to create something different for every wedding. And for this wedding, our Creative Director, Hannah decided to design with our in-house team our very own paper flowers and used it as the decorative elements for the wedding ceremony at Alkaff Mansion. The entire process of designing the floral mold to the installation of the paper flowers was a very memorable experience. Estimated 6000 floral parts, 1000 flowers, 650 hours created by a team of dedicated and passionate planners and designers to perfect the magical Gazebo of Paper Floral and the backdrop of the live stations.

The one memorable testament was the perfect weather that the crew witnessed in this setup. It had been raining for the entire month of December, and we knew that the paper floral gazebo would not be possible without a perfect weather plan. We always held on to Hannah’s ingenious quote : when there’s kindness, it will not rain, and for this couple, it will be a perfect weather”.

2 days prior to the wedding, the weather was hilarious, raining cats and dogs and when the team arrived for setup on 7 Dec at the wee hours of the morning, the rained stopped, and for the next 2 days, we experienced the best weather settings for this wedding. Truly Heaven is kind, and the groom first comments to his beloved bride and us was : Wow, unbelievable, do you see that, it is perfect weather. Everything is amazing and I love it!

The post Midsummer Night’s Dream at Alkaff Mansion first appeared on Heaven's Gift.

This is one wedding this is very close to my heart. It is one wedding creation that I have freely created to what I have believed in my vision of the dream wedding my couple will embrace. When we first met Victoria and Lawrence, it was in their hotel room at St Regis. They were based in China and they had just dropped by Singapore to confirm some wedding details. Victoria was sick that day, and Lawrence did most of the sharing. Never would we have expected that a couple who is so well-versed in the banking world could trust us so graciously and completely to create their big day. From the stage designs, to the floral decorations, to the selection of artists, to the actual day programmes of the 2 nights, down to the invitation card designs, every intricate detail from the table settings, the stationery to bouquet, to the logistics of the event, they have believed in us completely. They have never seen any of my proposed drawings or sketches, they simply have given me the deepest desire of my heart as a planner i.e. the freedom of a concept designer and a visionary to freely express what I have envisioned of them as a couple.

Above their complete faith in us, we are tugged when we received this note from them : “If u want the WOW factor, go with Heaven’s Gift. If u want to hv the WOW moment for every guest, go with Heaven’s Gift.What better compliment can u hv when guests say that this is the best wedding they ever attended, and these r guests from the 5 continents – with sincere gratitude from the newly weds “- Victoria and Lawrence. Once again, our heartfelt thanks to Victoria & Lawrence : Thank you for giving us this opportunity to be a part of the wedding and to serve you. And an awesome video by Yang & Nancy from Substance Films.

The post Lawrence & Victoria’s Wedding at St Regis – The Impressions, The Awesome Crowd, and The Perfect Couple! first appeared on Heaven's Gift.

The post Happy 1st Anniversary, Charlotte & Desmond! first appeared on Heaven's Gift.

The post Vineyard Fantasy at Alkaff Mansion first appeared on Heaven's Gift.

Interestingly, those times, despite how huge my project was, I have a fair share of amazing couples who didnt even ask much about artist impressions, designs, mockups etc. In fact, the first time I met my bride, Amy was during the food tasting and her first remark was : I thought I am here for tasting, I didnt expect any floral mockup. Such was the faith my clients have had for us in those times, and frankly I miss those times. There were no instagrams, no pinterest, no facebook. It was just me and my imagination to internalise the dream of my client.

You know what’s the best joy to receive, on that very day, while we were still crazily setting up at noon : Joe came in and took a look, and we were still frantically running around supervising contractors, and the only remark I received from him was :Wow, even at this instance, this already surpasses my expectations. I have not expected such a huge staging.”  That’s the joy of we love to do : we want to wow our clients and their guests and create the party they would have never imagined before.”

The post The Roaring 20s Party at St Regis Singapore first appeared on Heaven's Gift.

The post Singapore Destination Wedding designed for a Chinese couple. first appeared on Heaven's Gift.