Bevlyn’s Thoughts: I’m Yours
I got to know Nigel and Louise through Esther and Jeff’s wedding. One year plus later, I finally got to sing for Nigel and Louise, the special couple who came up with this intriguing idea of collecting love stories as wedding favours for their wedding guests. I felt touched just by the idea, and after reading snippets of some of the love stories, I agree that these lovely stories make perfect wedding gifts because they celebrate love!
The couple also set up a blog to share some wedding details with their guests before the actual day. I thought that it’s an excellent idea, especially with regards to the showing of map, and details of transportation arrangements they have made.
One of the main highlights about having the celebration at Raffles Marina is that the couple usually does a “yacht-in” instead of a march-in. Though there was a little drizzle during our setup, we were most fortunate to be able to have the cocktail session at the lawn when the rain stopped in good timing. Family members and friends gathered at the lawn, enjoyed the sea breeze and sight of the yachts with their cocktails in hand. After the yacht had docked, Nigel and Louise alighted and walked to a pavilion to cut the wedding cake, and the band was happy to liven the atmosphere of the whole processup by performing ‘Everything’.
I also love the 3 videos which the couple specially recorded to share with their wedding guests: “How we first met each other”, “Describe each other and a memorable incident”, and “What’s our plans and hopes for the future”. I always thought it a fantastic idea to let your wedding guests know a little on how you fell in love with each other, and some memorable events between the two of you; these will certainly make your wedding guests feel more involved, and make the event more intimate.
What I love best in the video, was Nigel’s recollection of his first memory of Louise – he noticed a girl hurriedly entering the pantry to grab something and was about to turn to leave. As he had never seen her before, he thought that he should introduce himself to a new colleague (same department, different office). As he approached her, he noticed that Louise is actually very tall, and has small eyes – at first he thought that she was really tired and sleepy, but he found out later that her eyes are indeed that small. (Bad, Nigel bad!!!) .
Other than our live band which performed a selection of the couple’s favourite love tunes, another band which comprised of the couple’s personal friends also put up a performance. The lead singer Liling composed a wedding song titled “我愿意” (I’m Willing), and dedicated the song to the newly-weds!
The speech by Nigel’s father counts to be the most hilarious I’ve come across so far amongst all the fathers’. He particularly noted that “it’s family tradition to have wonderful wives”… and “having a son is good for the ego, because everytime he is successful in something, I feel it’s a chip off the old block”. One tip he passed on to Nigel was, if everything else fails, “do like what I did for the last 40 years, get down on your knees and BEG!”
Nowadays, having a good speech is essential. Grooms serenading their brides are making the norms soon. Hence what Nigel did for Louise that night raise the bar – he sang ‘I’m yours’, totally unrehearsed with our guitarist Jixiang, and the lyrics for one part of the song was amended to customise the song specially for his lovely bride:
Now we’ve done done and gone ahead and married
Not caring about what people say to tarry
I’m so in love with you, more today than yesterday
So baby don’t you worry we’re only just beginning
There’s so much more to see which I believe is coming
I promise you again…to love you, forever…
Louise on the other hand, also planted a surprise for Nigel with the help of the band. We performed one of Nigel’s all-time favourite song “Mondo Bongo”, and I invited the couple for a dance, much to everyone’s delight. Definitely a moment to call their own…
Thank you Nigel and Louise! Our pleasure to be part of your wedding, and our heartiest congratulations to the two of you!
Band: Bevlyn, Jixiang & Ivan
Repertoire:
Everything (1st March-In), Bubbly, Come Away With Me, Grow Old With You, L-O-V-E, For Once In My Life, A Love That Will Last, Pretty World, That’s When I Love You, What A Difference A Day Made, C’est Si Bon (in French), I Love You, Quando Quando Quando, It Had To Be You, Always True To You In My Fashion,
I’m Yours, Mondo Bongo, Everlasting Love, Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love), Isn’t She Lovely, Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Songs to Recommend:
Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder – I dedicated this song to Louise on behalf of Nigel!
