A Little Dream

Florence & Edmund, 28 Jun 08, Grand Copthorne Waterfront

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:10:32 GMT

Bevlyn's thoughts: It's In The Way You Love Me

Edmund and Florence's getting together is really courtesy of 'Citibank'. They were colleagues at Citibank to start with, but a team outing to KL was really what started the undercurrents of the fountain of love. In Florence's own words, "We intially wanted to keep the relationship under wraps but was caught 'red handed' by our colleague when we finished a migdight movie @ Orchard Cineplex...so all the drilling starts the following Monday......it was hilarlous!"

The proposal story was also a really cheeky one:

Staying at Burasari Phuket with their own sun deck that led to a pool, Florence came out from the shower and saw a lighted candle pathway from the bathroom all the way to the swimming pool. She instantly spotted a wooden coffee table on the steps of the pool with a 'menu' on top of it. Edmund asked Florence if she would like to have her dinner, and the 'menu' turned out to be the certificate of the proposal diamond ring. Edmund cheekily asked if she likes the 'cut and the size of her main couse', then went down on one knee to propose.

Fast-forward to the banquet that evening. One of the interesting highlights of the wedding had to be the video interviews of Edmund and Florence's group of good friends. It is always refreshing to watch interviews of the couple or their friends, and the event instantly became more personalised when we watch the interviewed friends tease the couple. One of the friends even confessed to recording a second take on a separate day because she was too stressed up about the recording! LOL.

The first march-in featured Leo on saxophone on the grand stage, his instrumental introduction of 'La Vie En Rose' playing up the romance factor for the entire ballroom. To everyone's anticipation, Edmund and Florence entered the ballroom only when I start to sing the verse of the song.

A very sweet gesture the couple had tied up with the band to deliver, was to dedicate 甜蜜蜜 to Edmund's parents and 'You Raise Me Up' to Florence’s mother. When Zhengquan started singing "You Raise Me Up', I could see Florence going over to her mother to give her a hug and express her heartfelt thanks. We are truly honoured to be part of this special thanksgiving arrangement.

It was also an event of coincidence for me, given that Florence's aunt-in-law happens to be my ex-singing student! Looks like love for music runs in the family!

To Edmund and Florence, we wish you everlasting bliss and many cute and bountiful babies to come!

Band: Bevlyn, Zhengquan (ZQ), Jonathan Ang, Leo

Repertoire

La Vie En Rose 1st march-in), 甜蜜蜜 (dedicated to Edmund's parents), You Raise Me Up (dedicated to Florence’s mother), Forever Love, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You, Sway, I Do (Cherish You), A Moment Like This, Quando Quando Quando，月亮代表我的心 (The moon represents my heart)

Because You Love Me (2nd march-in), Yellow, 当我八十岁 (When I'm 80), 天使 (Angel), It's Your Love, Grow Old With You, Because Of You, You Are My Everything, It's In The Way You Love Me, I Finally Found Someone

Song To Recommend:

It's In The Way You Love Me by Shania Twain

- I had fun singing this well-paced and low-tone piece. Sometimes a good song doesn't need the singer to scream her lungs out :)

Yellow by Coldplay

- a good song that will certainly go down as a classic!

Jazz in July - Bevlyn Khoo

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:03:40 GMT

If you didn't manage to catch Bevlyn's performance last evening, make a date with her tonight!

Bevlyn, accompanied by two Jonathans (Jonathan Ang on piano and Jonathan Lim on saxophone), will serenade audience with her interpretations of popular French jazz chansons.

Don't miss this first all-French-songs gig for Bevlyn! Examples of some songs you can expect to catch:

C’est Si Bon (It's So Good)

Les Parapluies de Cherbourg

La Vie En Rose

Ne Me Quitte Pas

Sympathique

And rest assured that each song will be explained properly in English before it is performed. (",)

Do drop by if you would like to experience something French - this is less expensive than foie gras, in fact it is FOC:

@ Concourse, Esplanade
21 Jul 08 (Mon): 715pm - 745pm, 815pm - 845pm
22 Jul 08 (Tue): 715pm - 745pm, 815pm - 845pm

More details at the Esplanade website here

Feel free to RSVP here.

À Bientôt (See you soon)!

Official Band for "Vows of a Lifetime Wedding Showcase", 2 Aug 08, Holiday Inn Atrium

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:50:25 GMT

We're excited to be the official band for Holiday Inn Atrium's upcoming wedding fair on 2 August!

More details below:

Vows of a lifetime Wedding Showcase

Date: 2 August 2008, Saturday
Time: 11am – 7pm
Venue: Atrium Ballroom, Level 4
Address: Holiday Inn Atrium Hotel, 317 Outram Road

Entry to the wedding showcase is complimentary, however registration will be required. If you're among the first 100 couples to turn up, you'll receive a complimentary (terms and conditions apply) International Buffet Dinner voucher for two worth $69.

Please contact the hotel's wedding planners, Thomson Tsen at 6731 7149 or Sharon Chia at 6731 7176 or email them wedding@hiatrium.com

Jo-Lyn and Yew Minh, 19 Jul 08, Grand Copthorne Waterfront

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:38:09 GMT

Hsin Yeow's thoughts: So She Dances

One day, Jo-Lyn remarked to Yew Minh, "You know Minh, I'd love to take up dance lessons." Minh's reply, "Me too!" The dance they both decided to learn was the Waltz, commonly known as the dance of love for its fluid and graceful movements.

And what better occasion to showcase their dancing skills than their wedding? And what better song than So She Dances by Josh Groban? I fell in love with it upon first listen. My goosebumps agreed, too. The couple then spent countless hours learning, and perfecting the steps. "It is such a big part of the wedding!" Jo-Lyn told me over the phone one night. "You'll be fine!" I assured her. To set their minds at ease, I arranged for James to visit Jo-Lyn's home and play the song for them to record and practise at their leisure.

I was under quite a fair bit of pressure too, but I tried not to show it to Yew Minh when I met him on the wedding day. After a quick sound check, I asked Yew Minh to rehearse together with the live band. And I saw Yew Minh shadow-dancing, a lump immediately formed at my throat. If I screwed it up for them, there was no way I could forgive myself.

The plan was for Yew Minh and Jo-Lyn to enter the ballroom and head straight to the dance floor in front of the stage. Jo-Lyn would dance with her father for a few precious moments, before letting Yew Minh cut-in. The rest would be up to them.

When it was time for me to sing, I stared with a concerted focus at the lyrics sheet and didn't dare blink, for fear of missing a phrase or skipping a beat. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yew Minh picking Jo-Lyn up and making a few spins, but I had to miss most of the dance. When I finally took my breath (it seemed like I was holding it for the duration of the song), I heard several rounds of thunderous applause. "The dance went well!" I thought. "Thank goodness!"

To Jo-Lyn and Yew Minh - thank you so much for your faith in us. We had a fantastic time, and it was such a privilege to be part of your beautiful wedding. Take care, and enjoy yourselves at the Gold Coast!

Band: Bevlyn, Hsin Yeow, James, Niq, Feri

L-R: Feri, James, Niq, Yew Minh, Jo-Lyn, Bevlyn, Hsin Yeow

Jonathan's photos are so rich in texture and colour, they look like paintings. How does he do it? Thanks jOhO!

Repertoire

One Boy, One Girl, The First The Last My Everything, You'll Never Walk Alone, She, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, What A Wonderful World, La Vie En Rose, Everything, It's in His Kiss (Shoop Shoop Song), 爱很简单 (Love Is Very Simple), The Way You Look Tonight

今天你要嫁给我 (You're Marrying Me Today), So She Dances, Because You Loved Me, Sea Of Love, Two Words, Valentine, 豆浆油条 (Bean Curd And Dough Fritters), 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart)

Dance set:

Quando Quando Quando, Sway, Fly Me To The Moon, Come Fly With Me, Besame Mucho, Fever, Kiss Me Honey Honey Kiss Me, For Once In My Life, 我要你的爱 (I Want Your Love), Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Rock And Roll Music, Save The Last Dance For Me

Feri joined us for the final set, and we were glad that several couples heeded our call to dance. What's a celebration without some cha-cha-cha?

Song To Recommend:

So She Dances - perfect for a waltz

Joelle and Kevin, 20 Jul 08, Amara Sanctuary

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:35:14 GMT

Hsin Yeow's thoughts: Can't Help Falling In Love

Famous last words.

I had a bit of time after Calvin and Misako's wedding, so I popped over to Amara Sanctuary to look for Joelle. She was getting ready for the solemnisation ceremony at the Glass Pavilion, and took time to chat with me. Those few minutes made all the difference to how the wedding turned out.

Joelle told me that Kevin was not the "romantic sort." And she would be "very happy" if I could persuade him to do something "really romantic". ("Is that a challenge?", I thought.)

Then I got to know Adrian, Mui Sin and Shaowei, who were helping Joelle out. Adrian, a University friend of Joelle, told me that she's a "warm and kind-hearted person" and that he would like to remind Joelle and Kevin that today "is just beginning of their journey together".

Of course, all the above became fodder for my speech later that evening. Mui Sin also heeded my advice by penning a few lines of well-wishes on a piece of paper and handing it over for me to read aloud. Her words, strung together with thought, care and love, read like a poem.

The "challenge" was surprisingly easy to overcome. When I asked Kevin if he would like to serenade Joelle, he agreed without much hesitation (apart from the usual I-can't-sing excuse, which I brushed aside). Kevin even orchestrated the surprise by determining when he would be springing it. Instead of choosing to do it after the toasting ceremony, as I suggested, he decided to sing his song after he finished the rounds of phototaking, on the pretext of going onstage to express his thanks.

When Kevin whipped out the lyric sheet (which he didn't really need) and started singing, Joelle's shoulders shook and she started tearing up with joy. Kevin sang with conviction and panache, and he won thunderous applause from the audience and several shouts of "Encore!"

Kevin's performance was not the only surprise of the evening. Mr Ong, a family friend, was cajoled by Joelle's dad to sing the Teresa Teng chestnut 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart) and Shaowei, Joelle's cousin, performed the final song of the evening, 花心 (Heart Of A Flower).

I'll remember Joelle and Kevin's wedding for the laughter, the applause and also for that touching moment when Joelle broke down when giving thanks to her parents, telling them, "I'm really a big girl now. I can take care of myself, and Kevin will take care of me. Thank you, and I love you."

Thank you Joelle and Kevin, for trusting us to provide music for your wedding! Congratulations and may you enjoy every step of the journey ahead!

Band: Bevlyn, Hsin Yeow, Edward, Lim Hui

Thanks to Kelvin Koh of Lighted Pixels for sending us these beautiful photos!

Repertoire

Wonderful Tonight, 当我八十岁 (When I'm 80), My One And Only Love, Pretty World, As Time Goes By, More Than This, And I Love You So, La Vie En Rose, Let's Fall In Love, 宝贝 (Baby), Quando Quando Quando

L-O-V-E (2nd March-in), Something Stupid, Dream A Little Dream, 家后 (Queen of the House), You Raise Me Up, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, I've Got The World On A String, Taking A Chance On Love, Save The Last Dance For Me

Audience request: 一人一半 (One Half)

Special performances:

By the groom - Can't Help Falling In Love

By Mr Ong, a family friend - 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart)

By Shaowei, Joelle's cousin - 花心 (Heart Of A Flower)

Official Band for Amara Hotel's Wedding Fair Extravagance, 2 Aug 08

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:03:31 GMT

To the good people at Amara Hotel:

Thanks for inviting us to be the official band for your upcoming wedding fair!

More details here:

To our couples: see you soon!

Calvin and Misako, 20 Jul 08, Pavilion Ballroom, Rasa Sentosa

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:48:37 GMT

Hsin Yeow's thoughts: Love Love Love

When Calvin sent me an e-mail with the programme for their wedding lunch reception one day, he included a document called "bio.doc". I opened it, and to my surprise, it was a page of Calvin and Misako's "bio-stats", listing their birthdays, zodiac signs, favourite colours and hobbies.

Here are three of the most interesting (in my opinion) ones.

Calvin's secret ambition: Sail around the world!
Misako's secret ambition: Fashion model (Misako certainly has what it takes)

Calvin believes in: Dreaming with open eyes……
Misako believes in: Kindness to others

Calvin's greatest adventure in Life (so far): Backpacked Silk Road for 3 months!
Misako's greatest adventure in Life (so far): Overseas study in Canada

It was my first performance at The Pavilion Ballroom, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The hotel staff were obliging and very helpful, and I liked the fact that guests had a beautiful view of the outdoors from the multitude of windows in the ballroom.

The weather was bright and breezy in the morning; although there was a light fall of rain for a short while later, that occurred when all the wedding guests were ensconced in their chairs, while Juliet, Jonathan and I were performing a repertoire of jazzy tunes.

Now, I had no problems with the jazz standards we had to sing, but the Japanese songs were a completely different kettle of fish. Juliet and I agreed readily to Calvin's request to perform in Japanese, but boy, I sweated over the two that I picked. I loved their melodies so that helped me a bit, but I was a bundle of nerves when it came to my turn to belt out Towani Tomoni, a popular song at weddings in Japan. (Juliet, on the other hand, breezed through Love Love Love and sounded amazingly authentic). Thankfully, the audience were extremely appreciative of our efforts.

Congratulations, Calvin and Misako! Thank you so much for having us!

P.S. It was great to meet Karen and TP, who came up all the way from Auckland to attend the wedding! And a shoutout to my former JC-mates. Great to meet up with all of you after so long!

Band: Hsin Yeow, Juliet, Jonathan Ang

L-R: Hsin Yeow, Misako, Juliet, Calvin, Jonathan Ang

Repertoire:

Have I Told You Lately?, Corcovado, Dream A Little Dream, Can't Help Falling In Love, What A Wonderful World, Something Stupid, It Had To Be You, I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me, Towani Tomoni, I Got A Crush On You

From This Moment (2nd march-in), Love Love Love, Sakurazaka, Baby It's Cold Outside, Two Sleepy People, Cheek To Cheek, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Love Is Here To Stay, Come Fly With Me, Sway, Save The Last Dance For Me

Songs To Recommend:

Take a listen to these three Japanese songs we sang!

Love Love Love

Sakurazaka

Towani Tomoni

And here's a refreshing update of a standard:

I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me

Compliments from Calvin and Misako:

Dear Hsin Yeow, Juliet and Jonathon,

Thanks so much for that wonderful performance at our wedding!!!

It was certainly all that we had expected & hoped for when we thought of engaging a band to perform for our wedding!

You guys certainly added a touch of class and elegance to the lunch affair with those jazzy tunes. "From This Moment" for our 2nd march-in was perfect notwithstanding we had no prior rehearsal!

And we really appreciate you guys bravely agreeing to learn and peform those Japanese songs! To be honest, our guests, esp. the Japanese guests, really appreciated and liked your performance! We heard a lot of good comments after the the event.

Thanks again for the great show!

Sincerely
Calvin & Misako

Gary and Faith, 13 Jul 08, Marriott

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:44:13 GMT

Hsin Yeow's thoughts: I've Dreamed Of You

How cool is it when the couple dances right in front of you while you're singing?

That's what Gary and Faith did, and they danced and sang For Once In My Life with me. Their impromptu jig came complete with playful actions, like when Faith gently slid a finger down Gary's cheek while I was singing, "For once, I can say, this is mine, you can't take it!" I like.

Gary gave me a pleasant surprise a month or two before his wedding when he called me and announced, "Hsin Yeow, I want to sing a song for Faith!" I asked him to sing a few lines of Close To You, the song of his choice, to ascertain whether he needed singing lessons, and he passed with flying colours. He memorised the lyrics beforehand and ran through the song with the Jonathans (Jonathan "Magic Fingers" Ang and Jonathan "Saxy" Lim) in less than ten minutes during our sound check. Gary was ready.

When it was time for Gary to sing, he delivered in spades. In fact, he had so much fun in the song, he gazed straight into Faith's eyes and tried to wrap her hand around his waist! Faith obliged, of course.

I also loved the fact that Gary put a lot of thought into the song list. He chose 就是爱你 (Just Loving You), as it was the song that Gary's sister sang to her husband, Phil, at their wedding a short while ago. Gary's sister took pains to translate the lyrics so that Phil, an Australian, could understand what the song was about. Cherry Pink and Apple Blossoms White was a favourite of Gary's mother, while 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart) was significant because Gary's father had sung it to his mother at a company dinner!

Serene also sang 爱你在心口难开 (Love You More Than I Can Say) for Faith's dad as he's a fan of 凤飞飞 (Feng Fei Fei), a Taiwanese songstress.

Congratulations Gary and Faith! Thank you for engaging us, and may your days ahead be blessed with joy and happiness!

Band: Hsin Yeow, Serene Koong, Jonathan Ang, Jonathan Lim

Jonathan Ang

Jonathan Lim
All photographs in this entry were taken by the talented team behind Live! Studios

Repertoire:

Cocktail set: jazz standards

Dinner:

When I Fall In Love (first march-in), Let There Be Love, Everything, Wave, As Time Goes By, 爱你在心口难开 (Love You More Than I Can Say), 就是爱你 (Just Loving You), L-O-V-E, Quando Quando Quando, We've Only Just Begun, True Love Ways

梁山伯与茱丽叶 (Liang Shan Bo & Juliet) (second march-in song), Cherry Pink and Apple Blossoms White, I've Dreamed Of You, 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart), Sway, Polkadots and Moonbeams, Dream A Little Dream, 你最珍贵 (You're The Most Precious One), Besame Mucho, The Prayer

Gary's surprise song: Close To You

Encore:

Come Fly With Me, Cheek To Cheek, Fever, For Once In My Life, Save The Last Dance For Me

Song To Recommend:

I've Dreamed Of You - My favourite wedding song of the moment. Gary loved it when I introduced it to him, and Jonathan Ang put it on repeat when I sent him the mp3.

This song reduces me to a pile of mush. My tear ducts get into motion every time the inimitable Barbra Streisand sings, "And just when I thought love had passed me by, we met."

Lyrics

I've dreamed of you
Always feeling you were there
And all my life
I have searched for you everywhere
I caught your smile
In the morning sun
I heard your whisper
On the breeze of night
I prayed one day
That your arms would hold me tight

And just when I
Thought love had passed me by, we met
That first look, in your eyes
I can't forget
You melted me
With your tender touch
I felt all fear and sorrow slip away
Now here we stand
Hand in hand
This blessed day

I promise you
As I give to you, my heart
That nothing, nothing in this world
Shall keep us apart
Come happily ever after be
The man I'll love
Until the very end
I've dreamed of you
My great love
And my best friend

For God must know
How I love you so
Hes blessed us here today
As man and wife
Come dream with me
As I've dreamed of you
All my life

Come dream with me
As I've dreamed of you
All my life

Compliments from Gary and Faith:

Hi Hsin Yeow and gang!

We can't say thank you enough for being part of our beautiful wedding!

It was great to meet the 2 Jonathans, Serene and yourself, and the only regret we have is being so extremely busy that we didn't have time to take a group shot with all of you... we're now awaiting our photographer's shots to see if he captured that moment where we danced in front of you while you guys were performing! Heehee... That should be quite a funny moment!

As for now, please do include these photos of us alright? :P

We had so many fantastic reviews of your performance that evening! Even till today my relatives and friends have been telling me how much they enjoyed that evening's entertainment! :)

Thank you for your wonderful performance, that has brought so much joy and pleasure to us and our guests!

All the best in your future endeavours ahead! Take care & God bless!

Forever Love
Gary & Faith

Irene and Vincent, 13 Jul 08, Grand Ballroom, Grand Copthorne Waterfront

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:57:13 GMT

Hui Bing's thoughts: Always

I think it's great that more couples are using more creative ways to showcase their love journey to their guests during their wedding dinners – be it a simple powerpoint presentation, speeches or anecdotes shared by friends, or more seen at wedding dinners recently, the use of animation, as in the case of Irene and Vincent.

The animation took all of us back in time, as it replayed some of the significant scenes of Irene and Vincent's love life – from the first time they met (Irene first thought of Vincent as an ‘ah beng’ with his gold chain and curly hair during their school orientation camp), how they fell in love (chit chatting via IRC and Vincent’s daily ‘Good Night’ smses) and finally, the proposal (a candle-lit ‘I love U’ at the beach).

Irene actually engaged the live band without Vincent knowing. She and Shi Hui, her wedding coordinator, took great efforts not to let the cat out of the bag even on the actual day, down to using CDs when rehearsing for their march-ins. As for Junxiong, Linus and me, we tried to blend in as much as possible as the couple's helpers while Vincent was in the ballroom. I hope Vincent had a pleasant surprise when we sang the march-in songs live :-)

It was great performing all the duets with Junxiong, my longtime singing partner, and Linus, who is versatile in all genres, from jazz to mandopop.

Dear Irene, thanks very for having us to perform during your special day and we wish you and Vincent a life filled with sweet surprises and love!

Band: Hui Bing, Jun Xiong, Linus

L-R: Jun Xiong, Hui Bing, Irene, Vincent, Linus

Repertoire:

From This Moment (1st March In), Tonight I Celebrate My Love, Nothing's Gonna Change My Love, A Moment Like This, 今天你要嫁给我 (You're Marrying Me Today), It Had To Be You, La Vie En Rose, I Wanna Grow Old With You, C'est Si Bon, Love Me, Somewhere Out There, 爱和承诺 (Love And Promises), 今生注定 (My Destiny)

I Finally Found Someone (2nd March In), 追 (Chase), 制造浪漫（Creating Romance), L-O-V-E, Wonderful Tonight, 亲密关系 (Close Relationship), Somebody, Always, On The Side of Me, Stand By Me, Endless Love, Quando Quando Quando, 爱得正好 (The Right Kind Of Love), Sway, Save The Last Dance For Me

Compliments from Shi Hui, Irene's wedding co-ordinator:

They were great! :-) Pleasure to listen to. Hui Bing, Linus and Jun Xiong were really good!

Compliments from Irene:

(Sent to me an hour before she was about to fly off to Japan for her honeymoon --- thanks Irene!)

Hi Hsin Yeow,

Thank you to your band for the wonderful performance yesterday!

Hui Bing, Jun Xiong & Linus were a great team and made the night a memorable one =)

Here's a photo from my pre-wedding shots.

Will send more photos to you once I receive from my photographer =)

Best regards,
Irene

Meiting and Lochin, 12 Jul 08, Legacy Suite, Marriott

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:23:29 GMT

Bevlyn's thoughts: 黑白配 (Black And White)

The story between Meiting and Lochin has got to be one of the most amazing ones I've ever heard:

Meiting decided to go for a vacation when she was 16 years old, and during her stay at the Superstar Virgo of Star Cruise, she got to know Lochin (a Burmese), who was an employee onboard. They swiftly fell in love and 'embarked' on a long-distance relationship. Apparently they could only meet on Wednesdays and Saturdays because those were the days when the ship were on dock. 10 years down the road, here we are at their wedding banquet!

Meiting told me before, that even though they had already been to the ROM, and even had the cutest little girl, they still want to have a banquet to celebrate the marriage; one reason was also because she wanted to walk down the aisle in the pretty gown. Well, I suppose all girls can understand that! :)

One song which probably speaks on behalf of the shy couple is 黑白配:

谁说不能黑白配
世界上没有什么事
能够如此的绝对

(Who says black and white don't match? There is no absolutes in this world)

曾经有人这样唱过
白天它不懂夜的黑
你却懂得我的美

(Once someone sang, "The day doesn't know how beautiful the night is." Yet you understand the beauty within me)

钢琴也是黑白键
一样能看出我对你
只有满满的感谢
也许黑永远不明白
在这个彩色的世界
有你我才会存在

(The piano has black and white keys; clearly, they can tell how appreciative I am of you. Perhaps black shall not understand how, in this colourful world, I am alive because of you
It was our first time working with Benson on soprano saxophone, and we had such a great time performing with him! We were also raving on the excellent song choices like 豆浆油条 (Bean Curd & Dough Fritters), 爱爱 (Love), 鸽子 (Dove), 甜甜的 (Sweet). Thank you Meiting for giving us the opportunity to indulge in these songs. We wish you and Lochin everlasting marital bliss!

Band: Bevlyn, Ein Ein & Benson

Repertoire:

Heaven (1st march-in), 两只恋人 (Two Lovers), Love Will Keep Us Alive, 就是爱你 (Just Loving You), 一人一半 (One Half), La Vie En Rose, Hero, 黑白配 (Black And White), Everlasting Love, 第一次 (The First Time), Love Me

When You Say Nothing At All (2nd march-in), Every Day I Love You, 非你莫属 (It Had To Be You), 甜甜的 (Sweet), Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Thank You For Loving Me, Stuck On You, 鸽子 (Dove), Super Star, 豆浆油条 (Bean Curd And Dough Fritter), 爱爱 (Love)

Esther and Jeff, 28 Jun 08, China Club (dinner)

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:35:03 GMT

Hsin Yeow's thoughts: Let's Fall In Love

Tonight, I want everyone to fall in love again; fall in love with your friends, with your family and with one another! - Esther

You seldom hear couples talk about their differences on their wedding day. Yet, Esther and Jeff mentioned several times during their wedding celebrations at the Church and The China Club, that they were "not a perfect couple". Their candour was refreshing and sincere; it showed to me that Esther and Jeff are not the kind of couple to build their relationship on fairytale promises of happily ever after, rather, their love is based on a rock-solid foundation of trust and acceptance in each other.

It's no wonder that one of the must-sing songs that evening was Inside Out by Bryan Adams.

I wanna know you - like I know myself
I'm waitin' for you - there ain't no one else
talk to me baby - scream and shout
I want to know you - inside out
I wanna dig down deep - I wanna lose some sleep
I wanna scream and shout - I wanna know you inside out
I wanna take my time - I wanna know your mind
ya know there ain't no doubt - I wanna know you inside out
Their wedding celebration at The China Club is one I'll remember in years to come. First of all, they chose a beautiful venue. The view from The China Club was literally breathtaking. Although the couple had to be a little bit creative with the seating arrangements and table layout due to the dimensions of the Club, Esther and Jeff got around it by spending more time on their feet and talking to everyone of their invited guests.

Take a look at the ornate decor of the Club. You feel as if you've stepped into another world.

Esther, whom I've known for some time prior to the wedding, really outdid herself by planning two surprises for Jeff. The first surprise was engaging Bevlyn to sing at the Church reception. The second was more elaborate, and personal.

In spite of having to deal with last-minute crises at work before the wedding, Esther found time to create a video specially for Jeff! She interviewed friends and family, and cajoled them into sharing their first impressions of Jeff. The best part of it was that Esther provided the video soundtrack by singing an unplugged version of Can't Help Falling In Love! Her voice was gentle and pure, and moved me to tears from her first note to the last.

After the video, I went over to Jeff and whispered, "Hey man, now it's your turn to surprise her! Why not invite her for a dance?" Jeff nodded, and his eyes gave me a conspiratorial twinkle. When I announced that it was time for the guests to hit the dance floor, Jeff went over to Esther immediately. Esther was clearly not expecting it, and she was thrilled! Buoyed by the mood and music, more couples joined in, until the night ended as every wedding should: with everyone laughing, singing and dancing.

Band: Hsin Yeow, Juliet, Matthew, Brad

L-R: Couple's friend, Matthew, Juliet, Brad, Esther, Jeff, Hsin Yeow

Repertoire:

When I Fall In Love (1st March), Somebody, Two Sleepy People, La Vie En Rose, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Come Away With Me, 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart), A Love That Will Last, Lonely Afternoon, Misty, Inside Out

Everything, Love Will Keep Us Alive, Mr Bojangles, Chasing Cars, Butterfly Kisses, I Just Called To Say I Love You, That's What Friends Are For, Something Stupid, Somewhere Out There, Quando Quando Quando, 爱得正好 (The Right Kind Of Love), Sway, Save The Last Dance For Me

Compliments from Esther:

Thank you for the wonderful performance. We had one of the happiest nights of our lives and our guests too. They all raved about the band. Best wishes to the rest of the crew too :)

Compliments from Jeff:

Really thanks to Hsin Yeow, Juliet, Brad and Matthew, we had the most memorable night of our lives.

Our guests all enjoyed your performance thoroughly and more importantly, so did we with a more relaxed setting, I sure did enjoy the performance more then anything else.

My compliments to the band and also, for your kind words and soulful tunes from your band. It really did made a difference.

You all made what we envisioned a reality. A night for everyone to take home for many years to come. :)

- Jeff

Esther and Jeff, 28 Jun 08, Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Lunch)

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 01:40:44 GMT

Bevlyn's thoughts: 当我八十岁 (When I'm 80)

Earlier this year, Esther had kindly invited me to write a couple of articles for My Paper, and I have always been very thankful for the opportunities. When I got wind that she would like to engage A Little Dream for her wedding, I was thrilled beyond words!

It turned out that Jeff loves one of the songs in my EP album titled "失了踪" (Lost), but since it is not a suitable wedding song, Esther requested that I sing "When I'm 80" as the first song, her hope was for Jeff to be surprised by my live singing because I was supposed to be a surprise item for him. Then, as with many busy wedding couples, Esther let the cat out of the bag at the 11th hour. I was laughing in stitches when she described how that actually happened.

Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
It was nevertheless a good gig. I relished singing some new covers like How Deep Is Your Love and Auld Lang Syne, both taken off the soundtrack of Sex And the City

It was our very first time jamming with Brad who has been in Singapore for only 2 months! Welcome, and we look forward to more jamming sessions with him!

Band: Bevlyn, Matthew, Brad

Repertoire:

当我八十岁 (When I'm 80), Everything, Save The Last Dance For Me, Wishin' and Hopin', We've Only Just Begun, Top Of The World, La Vie En Rose, Girl From Ipanema, Que Sera Sera, What A Wonderful World, Beyond The Sea

Love Will Keep Us Together, How Deep Is Your Love, Bubbly, These Are The Moments, More Than This, Wave, The Nearness Of You, L-O-V-E, C’est Si Bon, And The Angels Sing, Auld Lang Syne

Compliments from Jeff: My Thanks

My brief but 'surprising' encounter with Bevlyn, and also with the huge turn out meant that I had very little time to hear her soulful voice in its entirety.

But that little time which I manage to stop and listen, was really just bliss.

I thank you Bevelyn, Brad and Matthew for being present on our special day.

My compliments to you all for taking time out to celebrate with us.

- Jeff

Daniel and Penny, 6 Jul 08, Villa Seafood Restaurant, Labrador Park

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:53:25 GMT

Bevlyn's thoughts: If We Hold On Together

Sceptical of office romance? How about cross-office romance?

To make reservations for his vessel crew, Daniel had to call Penny up rather often to make reservations at the hotel she was working at. That went on for 9 months until one fine day, Penny’s sales manager Christaline left the company and Penny was promoted. Penny then had to make sales call at Daniel’s office and before long, their relationship took off. Even though some were a little sceptical of the relationship at the beginning because of the 19-year age gap, the couple eventually won everybody over with their sincerity and love for each other.

The garden in front of Seafood Villa restaurant is really breathtaking. When I sang the song The Gift, Penny walked down the garden, accompanied by her father to meet with Daniel who was looking on from the glasshouse. Daniel and Penny then took their vows in the glasshouse, which allows up to 15 guests to be seated inside; the rest of the guests could still hear the couple loud and clear because of a PA system the couple had rented.

Inside the restaurant, Penny dedicated the song 感恩的心 (Grateful Heart) to her parents, and also That's What Friends Are For to friends who had helped out throughout the day - Kevin Loi, Lim Cheng Leong, Shen Yinhui, Pang Ming June, Sylvia Huang, Stacy Lim, Christaline Seah and Esther Lim.

L-R: Bevlyn, Penny, Daniel, Clarence. Photos courtesy of ImageGarden
Our heartiest congratulations to Daniel and Penny!

Band: Bevlyn & Clarence (guitar)

Repertoire:

The Gift (Solemnisation march-in), Always You, One Boy One Girl, 給我一個吻 (Give Me A Kiss), Close To You, Sway, 甜蜜蜜 (Honey Sweet), Lover’s Concerto, Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Kiss Me

If We Hold On Together (1st march-in), L-O-V-E (1st dish), 宝贝 (Babe), Grow Old With You, So Nice, Everything, 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart), What A Wonderful World, 喜欢你 (Liking you), It Might Be You, 我要你的爱 (I Want Your Love)

La Vie En Rose (2nd march), 感恩的心 (Grateful Heart) (dedicated to parents) That’s What Friends Are For (dedicated to friends)

Compliments from Penny:

Hi Bev,

Thanks for your performances on our wedding. It really makes a difference with you around.

Best Regards,
Penny

Cathy and John, 28 June 08, Marriott Hotel, Main Ballroom

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:34:37 GMT

Hui Bing’s Thoughts – I Will Still Love You

Cathy was one of the nicest colleagues I had worked with – sincere, easy-going, bubbly, and always ready to lend a helping hand when needed, whether it was during work or after office hours. I was really happy for her when I met her then-fiancé, John, as they are really compatible – both are sweet-natured, friendly and have close-knit families.

This close family bond was evident when Cathy and John decided to do only one video for their wedding dinner. Instead of a montage of photographs showing their growing up years, they decided to do a thank-you video to express their gratitude to the ones that they love – their parents, siblings and siblings-in-law.

It started humourously with phrases such as, "Yeah I know thank you speeches are boring. Why didn’t you think we did a video?" and John as the ‘Executive Producer’ of this ‘Raintree’ production which was later crossed out and replaced by Cathy’s name, which elicited laughs from the guests.

In the video, John and Cathy explained why a particular family member was important to them during their lives, with heartwarming footage of their family activities that must have took them quite a while to compile. I was truly moved and touched by these happy images and as I looked over my shoulder at John and Cathy’s parents, I could see tears of emotion shining in their eyes.

After the video, it was my cue as one of the emcees to invite John and Cathy back on stage as John had ‘forgotten to do something’. I could see Cathy’s eyes went ‘Huh?’ as I announced that. It was John’s surprise item for Cathy – to serenade her with one of their special songs - I Will Still Love You by 98 Degrees. He sang extremely well, with none of the tentativeness showed during our quick rehearsal, and the audience gave him thunderous applause after his performance.

It was a night of get-togethers and reunions. Besides my ex-colleagues, I met Qinzhong (KC) of Greymatter photography, whom Jixiang and I engaged for our wedding a few years back. Jixiang also caught up with Project Superstar finalist Jeremy Kwan whom they have performed together previously and Jeremy sang Right Here Waiting to dedicate to the newly weds.

Congratulations, Cathy and John! May your lives continue to be filled with laughter, happiness and love.

Band: Hui Bing, Junxiong and Jixiang

L-R: Ji Xiang, Hui Bing, Cathy, John, Jun Xiong
Photographs were taken by the talented KC of Greymatter photography
Check out KC's blog entry

Repertoire:

爱是永恒 (Love Is Eternal) (1st march in), Can't Take My Eyes Off You (1st dish), Love Will Keep Us Alive, Crazy For You, 追 (Chase), L-O-V-E, When You Say Nothing At All, Something About You, More Than Words, 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart), Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Fly Me To The Moon, Love Me，Lovin' You, 恋爱频率 (Love Frequency), 梁山伯与茱丽叶 (Liang Shan Bo & Juliet)，Kiss Me, Fallen, 传说 (The Legend), Quando Quando Quando, Dream A Little Dream, Way Back into Love, Sometimes When We Touch

Song requests:

Right Here Waiting (performed by Jeremy Kwan), Forever Love, 今天你要嫁给我 (You're Marrying Me Today)

Song to Recommend:

传说 (The Legend)

- A new duet by Lin Youjia and Liu Ruiyang, finalists of a renowned singing competition in Taiwan 超级星光大道. Simple melody which grew on me after listening to it for a while.

Kathleen and Alvin, 27 Jun 08, Swissotel Merchant Court

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:33:16 GMT

Hsin Yeow's thoughts – 你的名字我的姓氏 (Your Name, My Surname)

The story goes that Kathleen was mesmerised by Alvin's voice one day when both of them were at a karaoke joint.

Alvin sang 你的名字我的姓氏 (Your Name, My Surname), a moving ballad with beautiful lyrics and a soaring melody.

I particularly like the simplicity of the chorus:

从此以后无忧无求
(From now on, I have no worries or desires)
故事平淡但当中有你
(My story may be simple, but because you're in it
已经足够
(It is enough)
The couple's friends were so sure of Alvin's ability to sing under pressure that they only told us of their plan to surprise him just before we started our performance! And when the surprise was announced, Alvin did a double take, but recovered quickly and rose to the challenge.

I could see Kathleen's face blush in happiness as Alvin began to sing. She looked overjoyed as Alvin serenaded her with his strong and clear voice. When he finished, the audience gave a few rounds of thunderous applause!

Bevlyn and I had a great time performing with Ein Ein and Feri. The musicians' chemistry was finely honed after numerous performances together, and their different styles of playing complemented each other well.

Congratulations Kathleen and Alvin! Thank you for engaging us. Alvin, we'll call you if we need another male singer for Cantonese songs, okay?

Band: Hsin Yeow, Bevlyn, Feri, Ein Ein

Repertoire:

We’ve Only Just Begun (1st march), La Vie En Rose (1st dish), Everlasting Love, Fallen, 你的名字我的姓氏 (Your Name, My Surname), Kiss Me, Happy Together, 给我一个吻 (Give Me A Kiss), When You Say Nothing at All, I Love You, Wonderful Tonight, 恋爱频率 (Love Frequency)

A Moment Like This (2nd march), Daddy's Little Girl, Way Back Into Love, 求婚 (Proposal), 世界唯一的你 (The Only You In This World), Wishin’ and Hopin’, I'm Yours, Bubbly, Grow Old With You

Song request:

Angels Brought Me Here

Song to Recommend:

Daddy's Little Girl, written and sang by 萧萧 (Xiao Xiao)
- An uptempo number that is perfect as a song for fathers.

我含羞答答低头不语眨眨眼
你却一脸严肃不发言
这是什么样的一幅怪画面
怪的就像一团乱毛线
我一堆话说不出口
我现在只有一个心愿
让我轻轻松松和他天天见面

爸爸我不会受伤
爸爸别为我紧张
我要和他到处闯闯荡荡
My Baby 他风流倜傥
My Baby 是个男子汉

惊天动地的爱已无法对你隐瞒
花有重开日人无再少年
我要试试轰轰烈烈
爱情总有可能历经撞撞跌跌
让我张开翅膀去飞翔
但我永远是 Daddy's little girl
我对你的爱永远不变

Philips' Lunchtime Concert, 27 Jun 08, Philips Electronics Singapore Pte Ltd

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:31:42 GMT

Bevlyn's thoughts: 你是我心内的一首歌 (You're A Song In My Heart)

Organised by Philips for its staff, the lunchtime concert's aim was to let the staff enjoy live music while they have their lunch, and it was to mark the end of the 'Health and Wellness' week. I was kind of envious, and felt slightly nostalgic of having a meal in a canteen, having colleagues around me all the time and taking part in company activities. Yes I know how weird this sounds, but we all know the grass seems to be greener on the other side...sometimes.

Other than providing great guitar accompaniment, Wilson also did a few duets with me, and even delivered a great vocal percussion on 我只在乎你 (I Only Care For You). We were overwhelmed by the response, and were more than happy to do an encore with the song 你是我心内的一首歌 (You're A Song In My Heart).

Thank you Philips for inviting us to do the lunchtime concert. We look forward to perform for you guys again!

Band: Bevlyn & Wilson

Repertoire:

至少还有你 (At Least There Is You), Eternal Flame, 爱很简单 (Love Is Very Simple), 你是我心内的一首歌 (You Are A Song In My Heart), Suki Yaki, Anymore, 爱是你眼里的一首情歌 (Love Is A Song In Your Eyes), Ever Ever After, 遇见 (Encounter), Crazy For You, 专属天使 (You're My Angel), 一人一半 (One Half)

Kiss Me, Because You Loved Me, 绿光 (Green Light), First Love, 梁山伯与茱丽叶 (Liang Shan Bo & Juliet), Play With Me, La Vie En Rose, Hero, 我只在乎你 (I Only Care About You), Endless Love, Bad Boy, Fly Away

Jingwen and Youyi, 7 Jun 08, Canning Ballroom, Swissotel The Stamford

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:03:04 GMT

Zheng Quan's thoughts: 今天你要嫁给我 (You're Marrying Me Today)

I remember arriving at Swissotel to find that there were four wedding celebrations at the hotel. It must be a very auspicious day. Then I thought I’d spend too long finding the venue, but with excellent service from the hotel’s attendant, I was directed to the Canning Ballroom promptly.

Just outside the ballroom entrance, I met Huimin, my singing partner for that night. We were both a little nervous and excited about the evening’s show, as we were going to work together for the very first time. In fact, we’ve only met for the second time, other than the time we met up for rehearsal. We entered the ballroom and headed towards the grand piano by the main stage, where we would be singing at. Not long afterwards, Linus, who was going to play the piano for us arrived. We proceeded with sound check and made sure we had the songs in order. After a while, we were all set and ready, waiting for the guests to enter.

Soon, the guests filled up the spacious ballroom constructed with high ceilings and furnished with beautiful crystal lights. The evening started off with video clips of the newlyweds' love journey. Then it was time for the 1st March-in song From this Moment. The couple had specially requested for Huimin to sing the sacred vows at the beginning of the song, which would usually be ignored at other occasions.

Then it was my turn to entertain the guests with the song Sugar Sugar while being greeted by that night’s first dish. I was pretty nervous, as it was my first time performing that song. The first set of our performance was soon over with just a little sweat on our palms at the beginning of it, but we warmed up rather quickly after getting applause from the guests.

Just before our second set, we received an unexpected song request. It was a birthday song for one of the bride’s best friends. Huimin and I led everyone to sing along. That was my first birthday song performance at a wedding dinner! When the song was over, a lovely young lady stood up from one of the tables to give thanks and a toast to the newlyweds.

There were many of my first experiences that night, including singing duets that covered half of the songlist. My favourite numbers were Two Less Lonely People In The World, Fallen, Way Back Into Love, You Light Up My Life, The Way You Look Tonight, and also 朋友 (Friends), for which we received most applause. ;P. Everyone seemed to adore and enjoy singing that song! We ended the evening’s performance with a popular Chinese duet called 今天你要嫁给我 (You're Marrying Me Today).

Working with Huimin for the first time was not difficult at all. She has a sweet personality, and with soft angelic vocals, she will sooth and comfort any soul. I have been working with Linus for a few times now and he is one of my favourite working partners. I am still amazed by how swift and skillful his fingers are (Wish I could play like him.. he plays in any key and no transposition buttons required!!)

Band: Hui Ming, Zheng Quan, Linus

Repertoire:

From This Moment (1st March in), Sugar Sugar (1st Dish), Quando Quando Quando, Kiss Me, Two Less Lonely People In The World, 你最珍贵 (You're The Most Precious One), I Only Want To Be With You, Because I Love You, 制造浪漫 (Creating Romance), Can't Take My Eyes Off You, When You Say Nothing At All

I Finally Found Someone, (2nd March in), Tonight I Celebrate My Love, She, You Light Up My Life, 恋爱频率 (Love Frequency), Fallen, The Way You Look Tonight, 爱和承诺 (Love & Promises), Way Back Into Love, 朋友 (Friends), 今天你要嫁给我 (You're Marrying Me Today)

Compliments from Jingwen and Youyi:

Hi Hui Ming, Zheng Quan and Linus,

Many thanks for performing at our dinner - without which, it will just be another ordinary dinner.

Apologies for not being able to say "hello" or even to take a photograph with you all as we were so busy with the photo taking session. Nonetheless, the performance was great especially the first march in with the vows at the beginning.

Our guests were very impressed with your singing and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves that night. In fact, for many of them, it was their first time to attend a dinner with a live band.

Definitely look forward to many of your performances in the future. Once again, thanks for making our wedding dinner a special one.

With Warm Regards,
Jingwen & Youyi

Jessica and Clarence, 22 Jun 08, Grand Ballroom, Grand Hyatt

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:25:04 GMT

Hsin Yeow's thoughts: On The Wings Of Love

Jessica and Clarence felt the first stirrings of romance, time and distance were not on their side.

They were close friends for a while, but they really started to miss each other when Jessica took on a job in Hong Kong. A long-distance relationship soon developed over frequent late-night MSN conversations, and the couple officially got together on Christmas Day three years ago.

While Clarence was "pining" for Jessica, she made the monumental decision of changing her job last year to be close to her man.

Before I started singing On The Wings Of Love, my corny sense of humour started to manifest, and I said, "When Jessica was flying back to Singapore, she must be doing so on the wings of love!"

I had so much fun performing for Jessica and Clarence! Joel and Leo were on fire that night, and their chemistry was amazing.

But what made my evening was the enthusiasm of the guests. A few, in particular, sang loudly with me. In fact, their voices were so robust it seemed as if I had a backup choir echoing me! It was fantastic!

Congratulations Jessica and Clarence! May the both of you be blessed with joy and happiness always.

P.S. When I had a few minutes with Jessica and Clarence before the wedding reception, I asked Jessica what made her decide to return to Singapore. She simply said, "Because he's worth it!"

Band: Hsin Yeow, Joel, Leo

Repertoire:

That's Amore (1st March in), From This Moment, Grow Old With You, If We Hold On Together, Just The Way You Are,
Close To You, Magic Moments, Somewhere Over The Rainbow, You To Me Are Everything, Dream A Little Dream, Sway

L-O-V-E (2nd March in), As Time Goes By, The Rose, On The Wings Of Love, You Were There, Quando Quando Quando, 爱很简单 (Love Is Very Simple), 但愿人长久 (May All Live Well And Long), 甜蜜蜜 (Honey Sweet), Stand By Me, Wave, Save The Last Dance For Me

Songs To Recommend:

Stand By Me by Shayne Ward, winner of the second series of The X Factor - The song starts off slow and quiet, and builds up to an anthemic chorus. A great wedding song!

On The Wings Of Love - I'm so glad Jessica chose this song. Do click on the link and listen to Jeffrey Osborne's masterful live performance of the song.

Rena and Christopher, 13 Jun 08, Grand Plaza Park Hotel

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:10:34 GMT

Bevlyn's thoughts: Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

Not all storms brew trouble, at least not for this one. Here's how it goes for Rena and Christopher:

Rena: "Chris & I met each other through tennis lesson. We were in the same group and from there, we became friends. Though we were in the same group, he didn't quite leave an impression. It was only during a heavily rained tennis session that I got to see the gentleman in him. Well, he gave me his umbrella and braved the rain. It was quite a distance before there was any shelter and by then, he was drenched. I then offered my concerns. As he now admits, it was already then that he was attracted to me. Oddly, it was from such a small episode that we left an impression on each other. Along the way, we had more tennis sessions and well..."

Another thing which amazed me:

Chris: "... she had done many sweet things for me like giving me cards with words of support every month, giving me support when I am down and always surprising me with gifts which I least expected."

I was full of anticipation to meet this lovely couple, and after a rather scary experience of going to the wrong hotel, I was stunned again when I saw Chris at the reception - he is actually one of my groupmates in one of the orientation camps way back in NUS!

Photo montage which features childhood to adult photos of the couples are very common nowadays, but Chris and Rena's one sought to share their love story with their guests, by having the storyline in text below the photos, as if told in their own words.

During rehearsal, Chris' father walked up to us and asked if we can perform "Love Me Tender" as it's his favourite song. I had no lyrics but thank goodness for internet through mobile phone, we were able to dedicate the song to him! :)

Band: Bevlyn, Ein Ein

Repertoire:

For the first time (1st march-in), Fallen, 最浪漫的事 (The Most Romantic Thing), 宝贝 (Babe), Bubbly, When You Say Nothing At All, Have I Told You Lately?, Kiss Me, 爱很简单 (Love Is Simple), Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, 給我一個吻 (Give Me A Kiss), Dream a Little Dream

L-O-V-E (2nd march-in), Love Me Tender, You Were There, Valentine, What A Wonderful World, So Nice, When I'm 80, Can't Help Falling In Love, That's When I Love You, 多可爱的玫瑰花 (What A Cute Rose), Crazy Little Thing Called Love, 爱是你眼里的一首情歌 (Love Is A Song In Your Eyes)

Special Dedication:

Love Me Tender

Wedding Tip:

Share your love story with your guests - it'll definitely leave a stronger impression in them, and help them to share your joy in more depth!

Pei Ling and Kok Hiang, 15 Jun 08, Dunearn Ballroom, Raffles Town Club

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:54:05 GMT

Hsin Yeow's thoughts: The Gift

Pei Ling and Kok Hiang had a novel idea for their entrances into the ballroom. Before their first march-in, they had put together a slideshow of photographs, and timed it to end after two verses and two choruses of the march-in song, The Gift! They used the CD recording of the song to gauge the length of the video, because they wanted to start walking in at the lengthy instrumental part of the song (about 2:20 min into the song), before the final repeat of the chorus.

We were happy to help Pei Ling and Kok Hiang with this, and after two short rehearsals, we knew what to do. The amazing thing was that the couple had absolute trust that we could fulfill their wishes, since they had not heard us perform before.

The couple's second entrance was also specifically timed together with another photo slideshow, this time of the couple's solemnisation ceremony. When I saw the lyrics appear on screen, it was my cue to start singing the song, You Raise Me Up.

Another memorable part of the evening happened right at the end, during our 'encore'. One of the guests (surprisingly a non-Chinese) wanted a song by singer-songwriter, Guang Liang. I chose to sing 童话 (Fairy Tale), a collosal hit in Asia. When I started singing, I was tickled to see two tables of friends standing up and waving their hands in unison, as if they were groupies at a concert. Thank you, guys, for making it so much fun!

Congratulations Pei Ling and Kok Hiang! Thank you so much for your faith in us, and we look forward to seeing you again!

Band: Bevlyn, Hsin Yeow, Joel

Repertoire:

The Gift (1st March-in), When You Say You Love Me, Love Me Tender, Can't Help Falling In Love, Grow Old With You, Every Day I Love You, The Love I Found In You, Love Of My Life, L-O-V-E, A Moment Like This, 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart), 甜蜜蜜 (Honey Sweet)

You Raise Me Up (2nd March-in), 但愿人长久 (May All Live Well And Long), Lover's Concerto, Fly Me To The Moon, My Valentine, Because You Loved Me, The Prayer, Tonight I Celebrate My Love, In Love With You, 今天你要嫁给我 (You're Gonna Marry Me Today)

Audience Request:

童话 (Fairy Tale)

Compliments from the groom: Having our little dream

L-R: Joel, Bevlyn, Pei Ling, Kok Hiang, Hsin Yeow
Hi Hsin Yeow,

Err..the honest truth is that both Pei Ling and myself only started planning full-time for the wedding 4 days before the actual big day and we came up with what we wanted to do for the wedding on Thur, just in time for Sun. We believed that by focussing on the dreams that we have for the wedding, it would be translated into reality and everything else would fall in place.

Calling it naivety, we believed that everything would turn out well, and we put our faith in your team. When we walked on the red carpet and saw everything performed as clockwork precision, the immense happiness was, priceless.

Thanks again to Bevlyn, Joel and yourself for making it happen. It proves that all it takes is to start with a little dream and the rest will take care of itself.

Regards,
Kok Hiang & Pei Ling

Li Yi and Joel, 7 Jun 08, Island Ballroom, Shangri-La

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:25:59 GMT

Daniel's thoughts: I Wish You Jesus

The wedding dinner was so romantic, from the story of how Joel and Li Yi met each other and how the groom dedicated his own original song to his beloved bride.

There was also one special song requested by the couple's friend, Eileen. The song was I Wish You Jesus. All of us in the band shared the same thought: that it's really a good blessing song. True enough, Melissa's performance not only touched the couple, but moved us as well.

We really enjoyed performing at the wedding, because we all loved to play jazz standards (which was what Joel and Li Yi chose). Although I seldom meet Melisa (vocalist) and Wah ong (Bassist), we had great chemistry together. I also had fun playing with Edmund, a nice and friendly saxophonist. (P.S. It was my first performance with him, and I found that we share the same sense of humour!)

Congratulations, Joel and Li Yi!

Band: Melissa, Daniel, Wah Yong, Edmund

All photographs in this entry come from Eadwine's keen eye for aesthetics. Check out his blog entry for more photos!

Repertoire:

Love Is Here to Stay (1st march-in), Let There Be Love (1st dish presentation), The Way You Look Tonight, L-O-V-E, Till There Was You, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Come Fly With Me, Let's Fall In Love, Paper Moon, Taking A Chance On Love, Time After Time, What A Difference A Day Made, I'm Beginning To See The Light

Beyond The Sea (2nd march-in), Cheek To Cheek, Corcovado, Dream A Little Dream, Fallen, Fly Me to the Moon, I Could Write A Book, It Had To Be You, La Vie En Rose, So Nice

Special dedication: I Wish You Jesus

Compliments from couple's friend, Eileen:

Hi Hsin Yeow,

Please kindly thank Melissa again for her kind help with the singing of my requested song last Saturday.

I love her version of "I Wish You Jesus!"

:) and yes, it was wonderful to hear her sing during my friend's wedding :)

Thanks and when I get married, I will like to engage her again :)

Cheers
Eileen

Godfrey and Kelly, 8 Jun 08 (Lunch), Conrad

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:44:49 GMT

Bevlyn's thoughts: 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart)

Background: Godfrey was in System Support while Kelly was in Customer Service, in the same firm.

One day, Kelly had to seek help from System Support for some PC problems. Fortunately for her, she guessed Godfrey's name correctly, and that was how they got acquainted. But things only picked up, guess what, 2 years later, when they got together for a tennis session organised by a common friend!

With the most interesting duo of female emcees for the wedding, the atmosphere was livened up. Not only did they manage to make Godfrey sing 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart) onstage to Kelly, they even led 2 tables of guests to sway to *and almost act out* our rendition of 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart) and 追 (Chase). Totally unbelievable, it was like the making of a concert MTV with real audiences! With such fun guests, the band had a blast too!

It was our first time working with James on piano, and we're glad to find chemistry not just musically, but also frequency-wise. We'll be seeing more of him!

All the best wishes to you, Godfrey and Kelly!

L-R: Lim Hui, Bevlyn, Godfrey, Kelly, Jerome, James.
Photo courtesy of Nicholas who happened to be Kelly's friend among the guests!

James posing with this lovely boy could not help but come up to us numerous times to play with our mics and piano.
He has the potential!

Band: Bevlyn, Jerome, James, Lim Hui

Repertoire:

I Love The Way You Love Me (1st March), L-O-V-E, My Girl, Moon River, 每天爱你多一些 (Every Day I Love You More), 梁山伯与茱丽叶 (Liang Shan Bo and Juliet), I Wanna Be With You, Love Is All Around, 你是我心内的一首歌 (You're A Song In My Heart), Fly Me To The Moon, Wonderful Tonight, Dream A Little Dream

Pretty World (2nd March), Forever Love, Way Back Into Love, The Way You Look Tonight , Grow Old With You, When I Fall In Love, And I Love You So, 今天你要嫁给我 (You're Marrying Me Today), 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart), 追 (Chase)

Lilian and David, 7 Jun 08, Conrad

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:17:08 GMT

Bevlyn's thoughts: Love Takes Flight

The theme for the wedding was 'Love Takes Flight', and it was not due to the fact that David is a pilot, but more because the love between David and Lilian took flight after sharing their common interest - travailing - over many exchanges of emails!

David's training to become a pilot took place in Australia, and though disadvantaged in terms of distance, he went on to win Lilian's heart by sending her flowers (through the power of Internet), and sending special videos of his traveling to Lilian to make sure he was always on her mind. Believe it or not, this took more than a year before they got together!

A highlight of the evening was the couple's special video tribute to their mothers. A special guest was 'invited' to the wedding - Taiwanese songbird Fei Yu Qing 'arrived' in a video montage, featuring him singing "千理之外" with the couple's idol Jay Chou. The video also featured Jay Chou's song "听妈妈的话", with excellent lyrics to dedicate to mothers:

"听妈妈的话别让她受伤

想快快长大才能保护她

美丽的白发幸福中发芽

天使的魔法温暖中慈祥"
And Jerome gave a rendition of Oh Carol to dedicate to David's father because this has always been his favourite song to sing to David's mother!

Thank you David and Lilian, we are really touched by your love story! Here's wishing you a blissful marriage ahead!:)

Photo courtesy of the talented Wansheng from FeldBeryl Images

L-R: Bevlyn, David, Lilian, Jerome, Benedict Goh (Not in picture - Lim Hui)

Band: Bevlyn, Jerome, Benedict Goh, Lim Hui

Repertoire:

Two Words, Let There Be Love, Angels Brought Me Here, Grow Old With You, 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart), Ti Amo, Quando Quando Quando, Inseparable, 非你莫属 (It Had To Be You), La Mer (French), L-O-V-E, Lover's Concerto

La Vie En Rose (French), 爱很简单 (Love Is Very Simple), Wonderful Tonight, Beautiful In My Eyes, 甜密密 (Honey Sweet), 一人一半 (One Half), 遇见 (Encounter), I Will Be Here, Cest Si Bon (French), 你是我心内的一首歌 (You're A Song In My Heart)

Compliments From Couple:

Hi Bevlyn, Jerome and the music team,

I hope that you guys had a good time singing and playing at our "celebration of love dinner" last Saturday.

Just wanna say a very big thank you for the wonderful performance! Our guests really enjoyed your music and many of them (young & old) raved about your singing! :)

You guys have truly added that magical touch to our wedding, making it so memorable for us and our guests!

May your love for music continue to shine through at future weddings.

Cheers,
David + Lilian

Grand Copthorne Waterfront - Bridal Show 2008, 13 Jul 08

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:50:07 GMT

Our next bridal show....

See you there!

Su Lynn and Steven, 8 Jun 08, Vanda Ballroom, Marina Mandarin

alittledreamwedding@gmail.com — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:53:13 GMT

Hsin Yeow's thoughts: If We Hold On Together

When Su Lynn chose the songs for her wedding, she had certain people in mind. The Gift was dedicated to her parents, while When I See You Smile was for her close friends who helped to organise the wedding.

If We Hold On Together was for herself, because it was her favourite song. Hence, it was the first song she heard when she walked into the ballroom with her husband, Steven.

Don't lose your way
With each passing day
You've come so far
Don't throw it away
Live believing
Dreams are for weaving
Wonders are waiting to start
Live your story
Faith, hope & glory
Hold to the truth in your heart
The mood was magical, and it was a great start to a wonderful evening.

Bevlyn and I had the pleasure of Sebastian and Boon Chye's company; both of them had great chemistry, and knew exactly how to compliment each other's playing. The guests enjoyed our performance very much, and gave warm applause after almost every song.

Congratulations, Steven and Su Lynn! Thank you so much for engaging us!

P.S. Steven and Su Lynn came to listen to us perform at the Marina Mandarin wedding show on 12 Jan. When they came by our booth later, Su Lynn confirmed two things immediately: that she wanted Bevlyn to sing for her wedding, and she would like 当我八十岁 (When I'm 80) as one of the songs for her wedding!

Band: Bevlyn, Hsin Yeow, Sebastian, Boon Chye

L-R: Boon Chye, Bevlyn, Steven, Su Lynn, Hsin Yeow, Sebastian

Repertoire:

If We Hold On Together (1st March-in), Something About The Way You Look Tonight, La Vie En Rose, The Gift, Forever Love, You Needed Me, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Way Back Into Love, 夜来香 (Fragrance In The Night), 爱很简单 (Love Is Very Simple), Quizas Quizas Quizas, She's The One, 爱和承诺 (Love & Promises)

今天你要嫁给我 (You're Marrying Me Today) (2nd March-in), For The First Time, Stick Wit You, 就是爱你 (Just Loving You), I'm Always Dreaming Of You, Through The Years, 当我八十岁 (When I'm 80), The Way You Look At Me, When You Tell Me That You Love Me, When I See You Smile

Song To Recommend:

When I See You Smile - Ah, the '80s. The era of big hair, cheesy music and shoulder pads. This song by Bad English wasn't half bad at all. Written by the amazing Diane Warren, it leapt straight to Number 1 in the US.

Compliments from Su Lynn:

What I can say is, "What a wonderful night it was!"

I really suck at choosing my songs. Thank God A Little Dream helped us, helping me to filter what was drastically wrong haha...

I really love my march-in songs as it was one of my favourites, was a bit uncertain about a mandarin number, but hey, it turned out well and fun :)..

During dinner, my guests were all entertained, I think they all clapped after every song especially those who flew in specially for the dinner, they didn't experience such a performance we have in Asia.

It was the right move to engage 2 lead singers so that we can have a duet up there (more song choices)..you really entertained them throughout.

I didn't need to have the usual DVD playing which everybody love to show for almost every wedding, all I needed was professional Live Band to do the entertainment and my guests, Steven and I really enjoyed ourselves.

I've attended a recent relative's wedding. They played a CD throughout dinner, and half way through the track was jammed up, really embarrassing. Therefore, anybody who is still thinking about getting Live Band for their wedding, Just Go For It!!

I wanna thank Sebastian and Boon Chye too they did a great job :)

Sulynn