Splendour Of Nature : A Splendid Finale

The Simple Ceremony for Sam & Gavin

After 2 months of contest period, 3 months of preparation and planning for the winning couple and a lot of co-ordination (no less the drama either) for the organizing committee, the Splendour of Nature project finally came to an end with a splendid wedding ceremony reception for Samantha and Gavin Clarke at the Clearwater Sanctuary Resort in Batu Gajah, Perak. I had written just last month – about the 1st International Wedding Fair in Cambodia and how the wedding industry in Malaysia has its fair share of divas and the high-noses especially when you are working with some of the crème de la crème of the wedding business. But when the push comes to shove, all differences and dramas are put aside to put up a great, great, great show – and in this case – a memorably beautiful wedding for the bride and groom.

For that, as part of the organizing committee, I am grateful and thankful to all our sponsors who believed in the idea when I first tabled this out to them and for their generous sponsorship in kind and time to put this whole project together cohesively. I think I need to write a different blogpost to thank the sponsors individually (If you are a sponsor and would like to read my “Thank You Speech” – click here)

Our vision of ‘beautiful’ could not have turned out more perfectly than what went on for the past 3 days at the Clearwater Sanctuary Resort. We could not have asked for a better bride and groom – AND their respective families. Right from the get-go, they were easy, they were courteous, they were absolute darlings. Had they been paying clients, we would still have gone out of our way to ensure that they get a perfect dream wedding. And I am pretty sure I am speaking on behalf of all the vendors too! Sam & Gavin were sweet and in love and they definitely had a very interesting tale to “how it all started” (talk about an online love affair!). The best part of it was that they were utterly and obviously appreciative of every single vendor and thanked each one personally – we all got ang pows from them. I’m rich! I’m rich!

Rich not because of the sum of money in the red packet – rich from yet another great experience being a part of someone’s wedding (notice I did not say “planning” the wedding as I was not directly involved in the daily grind!). And as I said, our joy in doing what we do is much derived, not just from seeing our ideas come to life, but also in seeing the joy and pleasure on the couple’s faces. This is a thankless profession most of the time so when clients do come up to say thanks or express their gratitude – we get a high :) At least, I do and still do.

The weather had not been great in Perak for the past week. In fact, on the morning of the wedding day, it was raining since 6am in the morning. At 11am, the entire crew was still refusing to do a Plan B set-up, rooting for the bride and groom to have their beautiful outdoor wedding amidst the backdrop of nature and the serenity of the gorgeous lake (not to mention, everyone had planned their best for an outdoor showcase!). We stayed positive, we prayed together – by 11.30am, the skies cleared and by 4pm, it was blue skies. A little hot – but we were happy hot. Even Candy Mah from Cave & Cellar said, “All of us sponsors are not stingy – sure it won’t rain!” That was a hilarious moment.

The poolside ceremony was simple and a little strange for me because the celebrant was my Mom. Since I did not do the planning of the wedding, I can safely assume that my partners had a big part to play in getting her on board as a “sponsorship” of her time. I also did not realize that the NS team had hired a ‘part-time operations person’ until my Dad started arranging place cards and did a final check on all the set-up off the checklist. OK – way too strange. But when one is not ‘in-charged’ – it is best not to meddle (remember – do not be a part of the problem if you are not a part of the solution!).

Anyway, the best of the best moment for me was during the bride & groom’s speech after their ceremony. The groom cried!! And so did I. Hah – exteriorly tough as I look, I’m very much a big sucker for things like these. You can so, so, so feel the love from the bottom of his heart for the woman he is marrying. Oh-so-romantic!!! The day I get stone cold at a wedding we plan is the day I know the time is up for me in this business.

For the reception after the ceremony, we had Master Chef Ricky Parlanti – newly onboard at the resort customize a nature-inspired menu for the wedding – which included a whole roasted lamb on the spit. Whilst I have to admit that the guests were a little ‘boring’ – I have to say that they were very nice and very “well-behaved”. Absolutely no complains, requests, treating any of the vendors as their servants (since we were ALL staying at the Clearwater Sanctuary the entire duration) and even the young kids were so well-behaved! The team from La Flaire was even more surprised to find that their table linens were still spotlessly clean after the function ended. Wow – definitely a different kind of guests!

They were no doubt enthralled by the sultry and very sexy Janet Lee – and since I had been holed up in Cambodia, this was my first time watching her perform live – and I too was enthralled. She was not just good. She was damn good. She got the crowd to sing together with her, cracked jokes, dance – she was just that – blady good. I am a big fan.

The media too – came in full force – The Star, Berita Harian, China Press, NST and Malay Mail – something which we were also very, very grateful for because it at least gave our sponsors the mileage in return for their sponsorship. And guess what? Even the media were friendly, polite and un-demanding. Of course our press kits were absolutely so complete that Berita Harian commented, “Wah, you orang, betul-betul sudah prepare semua. ‘Cam in, kita tak payah nak tanya-tanya lagi!” I suppose being a little kia-su pays off sometimes :)

The vendors too – had been absolutely great. I was imagining cat-fights and all that jazz, being holed up in an enclosed environment like that and having to sit-down together for meals. (You know, kinda made me imagine college cafeteria – which table do you join? Hmm..) But nope, we all had a great time laughing, talking c*** - although I must say, much of the entertainment came from Janet, Candy, Aunty Lilian and Uncle Lui. How superficial it was or how sincere it all was – who cares? What I knew and saw at the event was how we helped each other out as vendors to put up a great wedding. No one was being calculative or catty. Those who needed extra flowers got extra flowers. Those who needed additional vases got vases. Those who needed make-up got make-up. I wish the entire industry was like that everyday. You can still bitch, you can still have your dramas and divas – but at the same time, we’ve also got each other’s back when required to work together. You see, sometimes, we don’t get to choose who we work with.

Well, the 3 days were a little tiring (also plus the fact that I still dragged myself out of bed before dawn to go for a run in the nature, followed by a kayak session in the serene lake) – but it was enjoyable. And I find myself wishing it hasn’t ended.

Kudos to all! Certainly another big applause for such an absolutely splendid end to the grand finale of this project and we are looking forward to more opportunities to work together again. Of course, congratulations once more to Sam & Gavin – first for winning the contest and then for their dreamy, nature-inspired wedding. You have been so adorable to work with.