July 4th, 2009
(Ivan in blue, Kar Ling in purple)
After 5 and 1/2 yrs together, we are finally tying the knot.
Wow, what a whirlwind feeling.
I remember the day i went to Karling's hospital with flowers and the ring to propose
to her in the houseman room, and the rest was history.
Sorry Ney, can't be too extravagant, had to save up for the big spending day.
I was in surgery department and was walking out from the ward when i received a call from Ivan asking me where was i. As i reached the door, i was taken back by surprise to see Ivan standing there with a rose in his hand. The surprise quickly turned to embarassment after it struck me that he was about to propose and as Ivan mentioned earlier, the rest was history.
Ya, so the history was like this: We went around on a motorcycle in a jam-packed Melaka Raya on a weekend looking for the best wedding photography deal, then a restaurant which could host our wedding dinner on the proposed date, all these we got it done on the same day.
Also booked a hall at Mahkota hotel for the Church Wedding Ceremony, accommodations for our guests, designed our own wedding invitation cards....etc etc just to name a few.
And how can we ever forget, notifying our parents on our intention to get married.
God was gracious and merciful to us as we managed to get everything done without much hiccups.. Things just fell into place one after another. As the big day drew nearer, both of us became more and more stressed; worried as the unknown awaits us..
Don't know what my mum was thinking, but i thought, "Ma, hope i'll make you proud today."
So here we are 4-7-2009. United States of America celebrate their independence. I smiled at the irony of me losing mine...sshhh. Hehe.
There wasn't some wild bachelor party the night before, not like it was my fantasy.
Still i remembered sleeping only at 4am, doing some last min preparation and
spending quiet time with God.
My parents had a mini party for me the night before the big day and invited relatives but i was not really enjoying myself and was most of the time caught up in my own thoughts; nervous as to how tommorow will be. I retired to my room early but tossed and turned on the bed wondering if Ivan might be enjoying himself doing all the wild things that he might never ever have another chance to do after being tied down to me. I was so worried that i actually messaged him (i know, already being possessive).
7.15 am. I've got everything in check. Stressed~ but trust that God will lead my way.
Departed from Melaka with a 2 cars convoy. Keeping my eyes on the Teddy Bear couple
in front of the car hoping they won't fly off.
Made a stop at USJ 11 to be joined by my 1st aunt and family. Then combined again with friends and cousins outside USJ 2 to form a larger convoy...
which could easily stretch up to half a street..probably not,haha :-p
Wedding Version of Amazing Race: Road Block by the aunties
Oh btw my bro Chi Voon was my bestman. He was standing tall behind my back all the time.
I knew i had another pillar to lean on.
Wasnt prepared for the road block aunties though. They were "fiercely" guarding the staircase and a lil' "quick thinking" from me made every1 happy.
*Pon....Pon...* It was close to 10am and i was just about done with my makeup when
Ivan arrived with his crew. I hastily put on my veil and all the photo taking inside my room stopped
as we prepared to "welcome" my hubby.
I could hear all the commotion downstairs and imagined Ivan "fighting" his way to come upstairs.
My sisters and cousins were arming themselves with tasks for Ivan to do as the commotion continues. Finally, Ivan reached the door and after completing a few tasks, managed to please
my gang and was granted access.
A gentle peck on my wife's cheek
I sat nervously as Ivan entered the room with his crew; wondering if i looked my best
and the jitteriness became worse as the cameras started clicking and the video cam focused on me.
Ivan walked to me with a big smile on his face and it was then when i looked at him
that i felt safe and secure.
As i walked into the room, there she was, my princess,
sitting there gorgeously in her white angelic gown.
She looked so beautiful my heart was pounding as i close in on her.
Behind the veil was her shy and radiant smile, the smile that lighted up the whole room.
Her eyes glowed when she looked at me, her mane was sensual and to touch her skin felt electrical.
I can't help but tenderly showed her my adoration by planting a peck on her cheek.
Saving my prize from captivity..Finally~
We can't tell you how happy we were.
I struggled a bit as we were walking down the stairs; it was quite hard to walk in my
wedding gown and i felt like trippig a few times. Ivan had to be very patient with me.
When we arrived downstairs, things were such a blur as there were so many faces and flashes coming from cameras. We made our way to the living room and sat as we did not know what to expect next.
Not everyday you get to be the centre of attraction, at least not for the right reason.
The moment we came downstairs, the crowd cheered loudly for us.
We have never been in such situation before and I had to try hard to put up a brave front, not to loss my cool, and acknowledge as many people as i can.
Some of them for example my childhood friends from hometown i haven't met in ages and there they were giving me support.
Kar Ling has a very huge family network, 10 siblings from her dad side and another 10 from her mum.
Glad to say most of them i'm not meeting for the 1st time after few previous awkward family dinners so that ease things up a bit...
A tea ceremony featuring 20 uncles and aunties (10 siblings from each side) was quite
a long procession.
We continued with the tea ceremony where all my uncles and aunties took the opportunity to congratulate and give us their best wishes. Everyone was excited as i was the first granddaughter/niece from my dad's side to tie the knot. After a relatively long que of uncles and aunties, the tea ceremony ended. Wish i had the opportunity to taste the tea. Heard that it was very sweet..hehe..=)
I felt like i was busy stuffing the red packets into my coat. Thank God there were pockets inside.
...and they kept coming, not that i was complaining.:-) I can't be thankful enough for every1 who has helped us and given us their best wishes to kickstart our new phase of married life together.
My grandma (dad's side) giving me a hug.
After my uncles and aunties had wished us, it was me and Ivan's turn to sit down and my equally long row of cousins took the opportunity to wish their new cousin brother-in-law. It was a little bit awkward as they were shy and so was Ivan and i. However, we had fun giving out red packets.
It was like a mini Chinese New Year.
"Now where's that red packet..?"
We then proceeded to the dining table where 2 big bowl of mee sua awaited us. The mee sua was sweet too! It seems according to my mum, everything has to be sweet so that Ivan and i will have a 'sweet sweet' marriage. It seems to be working so far..;-p
Hey, what do you mean? Of course its working la, but we gotta work really hard
to climb up our carrier ladder and we're gonna have children.
Children as smart as the mum and as sporty as the dad, the best of both worlds.
Many ppl ought to know its not easy working in the medical profession, what more with the
government sector. Television series has wrongly glamourised our jobs deceiving the current generation into thinking that doctor is a money-churning profession. Shame..
My convoy from Kelantan
Here are my wonderful childhood friends that were so excited to hear i was getting married.
We still have CNY reunion every year in Tanah Merah and i hope 1 day i would be able to attend.
I suppose every1 look exactly the same as how i remembered them from our childhood days.
Thanks so much guys!
Kar Ling entering our wedding car. The gown was so big the back seat could
only fit me, Karling and Yee Ling the bride's maid.
I know..I know, what's with the red umbrella and chinese fan right since there's no sun and I am walking under the canopy. To tell you the truth, my parents also didn't know.
It's just tradition. I was sent to our wedding car shaded by this red umbrella and i had to
open the chinese fan eventhough i wasnt using it.
Funny that i didnt know my parents had already bought those for me. Ivan being overzealous about our marriage bought another red umbrella and he even bought another tea pot set.
He must have been worried that he would not be able to serve tea to my parents..hehe..:-p
Now i have 2 pairs of red umbrellas and 2 tea pot sets
so anyone out there who's getting married and need the above items, i have spare..:-P
Newly weds..it has finally came to this day
We departed from the bride's house close to 11. Was expecting Melaka to be jammed since it was some sort of public holiday plus the 1st saturday.
Church wedding ceremony starts at 1.30pm but just needed to get there earlier to make sure.
For the both of us sleep was the most important thing in the car since we didnt get much last night,
still it wasn't easy for Karling to sleep in her gown and also the fear of ruining her hairdo.
My bridesmaids and the man who's giving me away~still the shortest among me siblings despite wearing a 4" high heel; at least i became taller than dad:-p
We reached Melaka close to 1pm and after refreshing ourselves, my sisters and i came back down to the function room. I was looking at all my flower girls and flower boys all looking pretty and handsome waiting for their march into the room. It was then it struck me that this is it~the moment of eternal change. For a short while i panicked; worried that i might trip and fall during my grand entrance.
The Wedding Hall was awesome with the blue-themed decoration
The function hall in Mahkota Hotel was well decorated. Theme colour was sky blue.
Our wedding coordinators made sure everything was well in place. Dau Lim, Robert Chong and Joshua
told us we shouldn't be cracking our heads or worrying about anythingelse on our big day
and they would handle it from there.
We're also really grateful to the other church members who attended to all the minor details of our church wedding ceremony.
The flower wedding arch and flower stands were an addition Kar Ling and i got from the florist in order to create an atmosphere and environment of a real Malaysian church wedding.:-)
.
.
Still i was restless and pacing around shaking my guest's hands thanking them for coming. I just didn't know whats gonna happen in full scale and whether it would turn out smoothly was another
question mark since our children and us didnt get together to rehearse much.
The Wedding March played by the song "Canon in D" by Pachebel
The guests took to their seats and alas, the wedding procession began. Canon in D by Pachebel was playing and all the guests suddenly turned to papparazis..haha:-p
I guess the whole experience was something new to me, so it was to them too.
I must really compliment the 2 front flower boys for their courage to walk the whole red carpet while withstanding the immense attention and camera flashes from the crowd.
Well done Leonard Peh and Eddie Yeow, you 2 made us proud :-).
.
.
Ok so we had 2 flower boys (..making way) , followed by 4 flower girls (walking 2 by 2)sprinkling rose petals, followed by the 2 elegant and charming bride's maid who happened to be Kar Ling's sisters,
followed by Felix Peh who carried the weight of our 2 rings (and a golden pillow), and at last not least Kar Ling my darling, brought along by her father.
I was afraid he wasn't gonna let go~
As the entrance music started playing, i said to myself "This is it!".
Taking a deep breath and gathering all the courage i could muster, i entered the function hall,step by step. Flashes from the cameras partially blinded my vision.
I looked through all of it to find my prince charming standing at the end of the road nervous but smiling from ear to ear. It was then when everything else seemed blur and the only one i saw
was Ivan, my knight in shining armour.
Our eyes made contact and we made a secret bond that only he and i understood; a bond that would seal our lifes together forever.
Til today,i can still remember ever so clearly the look Ivan gave me..=)
Pastor Moses conducting the Solemnisation of our marriage.
The entire wedding ceremony was a new experience to me. I had only attended one church wedding before this in my entire life but could not remember anything as i was only 5 years old. Ben lead the congregation into a time of praise and worship followed by pastor Moses giving a short sermont. Then, the serious part came~ the saying of our vows.
Many people are not aware that a wedding ceremony itself is like a sunday church service. In protestant churches sermonts are usually an hour or so,
hence its no wonder that our sermont took a tad longer than usual.
I would say the delivery of God's Words was suppose to annoint or add flame to the events that was to come
I would say the delivery of God's Words was suppose to annoint or add flame to the events that was to come
...the Solemnisation
Ivan pouring his heart and promises to me.
So here i went, i was well aware of the curious and expectant scrutiny every1 was laying on me, the guy holding the microphone 1st. I brushed off all my fatigue, and look intensely into my bride's eyes.
Before God, from the bottom of my heart, i said,
" I, take you, Chin Kar Ling,
to be my wife, to have and to hold,
from this day forward;
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and cherish, till death do us part;
according to God's Holy Law,
In the presence of God i made this vow".
Ivan and i both decided to memorize our vows.
I felt so nervous as i was handed the mic, i felt lightheaded and i could feel butterflies in my stomach. I started saying my vows and words just started to get jumbled up, my mind went blank and i could not think clearly.
Somehow, i managed to keep my cool and completed saying my vows.
The wedding rings, signifying our circle of trust
I'm not suppose to loose it, no compromise, gotta do it right. I wanted God to bless our marriage.
"Kar Ling, i give you this ring, as a sign of our marriage;
with my body i honour you,
all that i am i give to you,
and all that i have i share with you,
within the love of God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit".
It was not without some amount of hiccup though..:-p
Then my bride said hers.
As i put the ring onto Ivan's finger, I marveled at the thought that something so small
can bear such a huge significance in life.
Pastor Moses lay both our hands on the bible as he completed the final part of our wedding ceremony..
The Proclaimation
Prayer and blessing for our marriage, then proclaimation.
Pastor Moses gave a final prayer and that was it~all our endless planning, fussing, stressing and running around has ended. All done for this one day, this event.
I suppose the other highlight of the wedding ceremony was the proclaimation,
besides the red carpet wedding march.
Every1 was just waiting to hear those words. And so we were proclaimed husband and wife.
Wow, so according to the Bible we're basically 1 body now.
We're gonna work as a team, you know complement each other's strength and cover each other's weaknesses that sort of thing, and we'll be each other's shadow.
Hope we'll always be there for our kids..now i'm thinking too far.
Me kissing the happiest bride in the world.
Okay..okay..so it hasn't ended yet. How can a wedding end without the finale~the "You may now kiss your bride part"? Ivan and i looked at each other shyly as the crowd encouraged him to kiss me. After a slight hesitation, he gives me a peck on the cheek. I felt a little self conscious with so many people staring at us and felt my face going hot.
I wanted to go for her red hot lips but chosed to kiss her cheek instead.
Why, which one would you guys want me do?..haha!!
Kar Ling's humongous family (its not even full force and it's only my dad's side)
I felt relieved and happy that it is finally over. As we sat down for photoshoots after photoshoots, Ivan squeezed my hands and gave me his smile; a smile which tells me that an exciting journey is about to begin.
A journey full of trials and testings, nonetheless exhiting. At least we have each other to go through the hardship that God meant to build our characters. Its gonna be a newer ending struggle but end of the day, I count my blessings 1 by 1 and thank God for His provision in His own good time.
Just see where He has brought us now.
.
.
Wanna take this opportunity to thank my mum and dad.
Thank you for me. Thank you for being you.
If you weren't being you, i wouldnt be who i am today.
You guys showed through your lives what i want, and not want to be.
You guys are the extension of God's love to me and my brothers and i pray hard we will continue to cherish each other before uniting for eternity in God's kingdom.
My mum and my dad, don't they look young?
Guests began to help themselves with the delicious high tea by Mahkota Hotel every1 was enjoying.
And we proceeded with the tea ceremony for Ivan's side of the family. Butterflies flew back into my stomach as i meet his uncles, aunties and cousins (most of them i am meeting for the first time). A new phase of my journey has indeed begun...
Yay~ its Ang Pow time again~!!
Anyway, stay tune for our next blog...Our Wild Wedding Night.
No, not that, its our Wedding Banquet la~
