Getting married in the Maldives

Jon shirtless... you can't take the Kuching outta the boy!:)

In Malaysia, it’s not unusual for students to be sent abroad during their teenage years to further their education and get a taste of what life is like in the western world. Having grown up in Kuching, I saw the bulk of my classmates move down under to Australia (I, the anomaly, was sent to N.Z!) and some to England. The irony of it all, was that I found many of them would somehow end up dating fellow Malaysians albeit been miles away from home. Well, why not – after all only another Malaysian will ever get what it is to be ‘truly asia’ ;)

Jonathan Jong is my classmate’s older brother and we all used to hangout when back in Kuching for the xmas hols. I can still remember when he met the lovely Sylvia Tan, years and years ago, while they were studying in the U.K. Be it a case of Kuching boy charms Penang girl, after nearly a decade their love story took a walk down the aisle and around the world as they got married in 4 different places! Enjoy.

Club Med Kanifinolhu (or Kani for short!)

Everyone dreams of a wedding in the Maldives. And there are so many nice resorts – which one did you end up choosing?
JJ: Maldives is made up of thousands of islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean. We stayed in Club Med Kanifinholu which occupied its own island.
ST: Our chalets looked out to the sea. We would wake to the soft lapping of the waves and venture into the pristine beaches on our doorstep with barely another island in sight. Perfect!

We heard you had four weddings!
ST: We had a registration ceremony in Cambridge where we first met, then exchanged our vows in the Maldives. This was followed by a church wedding in Kuching and a traditional Chinese wedding in Penang!
JJ: It was a good idea at the time but I should have realised that I now have four anniversaries each year!!

Haha. Let’s backtrack for a bit. How long have you been together?
ST: We had a quintessential love story which started when we were both shipped off to England at a tender age of sixteen. Our story was no different from others, boy meets girl, boy winks, girl smiles and the rest was history!

The hut they exchanged vows in

Jon, when did you know she was ‘the one’?
JJ: I always knew she was ‘the one’ from the moment I met her!
ST: Yes! And that’s how he proposed… his first line was ‘From the moment I met you, I knew you were the one…’. You really can’t say no to that kind of a proposal!

Why did you choose a destination wedding?
JJ: Our friends all love a good holiday. Instead of a one-day wedding, we thought what better way to do it than spend five days in the Maldives together, to celebrate this special occasion.
ST: The wedding day often begins and ends too quickly – you hardly get five minutes with those closest to you. The wedding was made more special as all our guests were friends who we’ve known for more than a decade, and who have witnessed the ups and downs of our courtship days.

Why do you think everyone falls in love with the Maldives (I know I did!)?
JJ: For most holiday destinations, you have to take the brochure hype with a pinch of salt. The thing about the Maldives is that it’s the few places on Earth that actually lives up to the billing.
ST: Sometimes when you see the pictures of holiday places, then when you get there they turn out to be a bit of a disappointment. But in the Maldives, the sea really is that blue, the sand actually is that white and the air really resonates romance!

Cupcakes, dessert & lots of fresh seafood! Checkout those fish...

What made the wedding so special?
JJ: The simplicity of it all. There was no fuss over anything. We simply exchanged our wedding vows on a beach with the sunset behind us and with our friends as witnesses.
ST: The setting in the Maldives was so beautiful. No amount of clever wedding planning can replace the blue sky, the white sand and the air of romance. It was good for the bride not to stress about anything. Aside from a white dress and some flowers in my hair, I stood barefoot in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and all I thought of was how lucky I am to have met the man I am going to spend the rest of my life with.
JJ: The wedding was made more special when we learnt from the island chief that we were the first couple to get married there!

Throwing the bouquet, exchanging vows & jumping for joy!

And the celebrations?
ST: As we all stayed in the same resort, everyone could join in the five-day celebrations! We dined on the beach with grilled lobsters fresh from the sea; we all got sun-burnt snorkeling and even entered a sailing competition. In the evenings, we sat out on the pier under the stars, sang our hearts and danced the night away.
JJ: Sylvia failed to mention the endless booze and bad karaoke nights which the boys definitely enjoyed!

Any advice on destination weddings to the brides-to-be?
JJ: Plan, plan and plan ahead but most importantly, plan to do what YOU want rather than what is expected by others.
ST: One often forgets the true meaning of weddings. The most important day of your life should not just be about grand gestures like the ten course meals or a ten-tier cake. You need to be able to remember your special day without the stresses of the guest-list or the wedding favours. My fondest memories are seeing the tears from the boys as we exchanged our vows and how Jonathan ripped my wedding dress during the photo shoot. Ten years down the road, I would have forgotten the food or even the cake, but these memories I will remember for life!