What’s it like to go to a real Crazy Rich Asians-style wedding? 4 venues for a gold-plated ‘I do’
A real-life Crazy Rich Asian wedding needs a stunning backdrop – like those found in Japan’s historic Kyoto, Vietnam’s panoramic Amanroi, Singapore’s majestic Capella or the dazzling beaches of the Maldives
The over-the-top wedding enjoyed by Araminta Lee and Colin Khoo in the hit Hollywood movie Crazy Rich Asians vividly shows what money – and film productions – can conjure up. Where the book by Kevin Kwan originally had the wedding reception staged on a private island away from Singapore, the producers eventually settled on CHIJMES chapel for the wedding and Gardens by the Bay for the afterparty in the movie adaptation.
The transformation of these popular Singaporean landmarks showed how impressive the filmmakers’ vision was – but the extravagances of a real-life Crazy Rich Asian wedding might well astonish not just the movie’s producers, but even the author of the book himself.
A year ago, I was invited to the nuptials of a Singaporean couple I have known for years. The groom is one of Singapore’s most successful venture capitalists and a man with a keen eye for grand details. Having witnessed the proposal two years earlier – itself an eye-popping event replete with laser-beamed declarations of love and a whopping 6-carat rock from Bulgari – I was quite convinced the actual wedding would be nothing short of spectacular.
As planned, I had arrived in Bali on Friday afternoon for a weekend of celebrations. Once immigration was cleared, the airport greeter quickly whisked the guests from my flight into a waiting vehicle bound for the hotel.
I was checked into a US$1,000-a-night ocean-view villa at Alila Uluwatu, one of Bali’s most stunning hotels, with a wedding favour and note of thanks from the happy couple as well as a schedule of the day waiting in the room. With more than 400 guests arriving, complimentary accommodation had also been arranged at the nearby Ayana Resort at Jimbara.
At about 6pm, guests started trickling onto the lawn of the Alila Uluwatu against a gorgeous backdrop of pink sky and blue sea. The theme of the welcome party was “Black and White”, an easy one, allowing us to dress up or take it easy with our sartorial choices.