A Little Dream seeks to move, inspire and engage our wedding couples and guests with the magic of live music. A professional wedding live band comprising more than 20 versatile singers, emcees, songwriters and musicians, A Little Dream provides a one-stop service for your music needs. From 2006 - 2009, A Little Dream performed at over 800 local and overseas weddings. Read about them here!

To start you off, here are our answers to your burning questions.

And do read our quick round up of 2008.

Hsin Yeow's thoughts: Better Together

Holding a wedding outdoors can be a risky thing, given the temper tantrums of our tropical weather.

When I reached Amara Sanctuary Resort on 31 Oct afternoon, the blazing sun showed no signs of abating. I had to swallow my words two hours later, when dark clouds ate up the sun, spat out a light drizzle which swiftly turned into a downpour.

Luckily, Jesslyn's sunny disposition kept rain clouds at bay for about two crucial hours. Within that time, she walked into the glass pavilion to our live performance of "Better Together", exchanged vows with her husband Sterling, and even found time to throw a bouquet to a group of enthusiastic young women!

Two moments, in particular, will remain etched in my memory. One was when Jesslyn came over to me, pointed to my lyrics sheet and said, "Oh, I chose this song for my mom!"

That song was 我只在乎你 (I Only Care For You). Jesslyn went over to tell her mom, who turned to smile at me. It was great knowing that she appreciated her daughter's gesture. While I was singing, Jesslyn continued talking with her mom, and in the ensuing conversation, Jesslyn's eyes watered. Her mom caressed her daughter's hair, and looked reassuringly at Jesslyn. It was a beautiful moment between mother and daughter.

Another highlight was when I suggested to Sterling, "Would you and Jesslyn like to have a first dance?" Sterling agreed straight away, and whispered to me, "Let's have La Vie En Rose!" He was so excited that he started stacking up the chairs in the pavilion to clear up some space for the dance! He certainly knew when to take the initiative.

Congratulations Jesslyn and Sterling! Thank you so much for inviting us to be part of your beautiful wedding.


Band: Hsin Yeow, Justin, Ivan


L-R: Justin, Ivan, Jesslyn, Sterling, Hsin Yeow

Repertoire:

She, Love Me, 情非得已 (Can't Help It), All My Life, Angel, 简单爱 (Simple Love), Crazy Little Thing Called Love, When A Man Loves A Woman, Wishin' & Hopin', When You Say Nothing At All, Sway, I'll Follow You Into The Dark, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, The Way You Look Tonight, Fly Me To The Moon, 我只在乎你 (I Only Care For You), Save The Last Dance For Me, La Vie En Rose, Better Together, I’m Yours, Grow Old With You


Compliments:

Hi Hsin Yeow,

Thank you so much for performing at our wedding, everyone enjoyed your performance. Many of the guests told me how wonderful they thought the band was. I only wished I had been there for the first set as well (could hear the drift of melody from the villa while I was getting ready).

Don't know if Sterl ever told you, but he had the two leftest of left feet (which was why we didn't factor in the band for dinner nor a dance floor haha), and I was really surprise that he took on your suggestion to have a first dance. It made the day all the more special :)

Once again, a million thanks for being there to share our joy.

Cheers,
Jess and Sterl

Ji Xiang's Thoughts: Been Around The World

Hui Bing and I always enjoy performing at Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa, as it always feels like you are going on a short 'getaway' while going on Sentosa Gateway from mainland Singapore. Nestled within the tropical gardens on the hillside of Sentosa’s popular Palawan Beach, the crew and managers at Amara Sanctuary are also very polite and professional. We are always able to get good EQ from the friendly AV coordinator.

The first thing that caught my attention outside the ballroom was the photo display. The romantic photos of Vincent and Georgina shot in Paris with the Eiffel tower in the background told their love story. Through our conversations later, we got to know that Vincent & Georgina spend a substantial amount of time working abroad.


When Hui Bing and I asked Vincent about their honeymoon plans, he said that he would rather spend time with their family and loved ones here as they will be off to work in Bangalore shortly after.

The next thing which I felt touched by was Vincent’s thank you speech. He delivered it with so much sincerity. One sentence I remembered vividly was when he mentioned that he hope that he would be the best father he could ever be soon. And we all know that you will be!

Congratulations and best wishes, Vincent and Georgina!


Band: Hui Bing & Jixiang




Repertoire:

Valentine, I'm Yours, Love Is All Around, Just The Way You Are, Wonderful Tonight, I Swear, Love Me, Fly Me To The Moon, What A Wonderful World, Longer, Heaven, Can't Help Falling In Love, When You Say Nothing At All, I Don't Want To Miss A Thing, Eternal Flame, You Belong To Me, 我愿意 (I'm Willing), 一路上有你 (You're With Me On This Road), 我只在乎你 (I Only Care For You), 遇见 (Encounter), 一人一半 (One Half), 爱情 (Love)

Hui Bing's Thoughts: Thank You 

I have been very late penning this blog entry as I was quite tied up over the past few weeks. But I have no problem recollecting the happy moments from Eileen and Alan’s wedding.
 
Eileen and Alan came specially to meet me to discuss their wedding programme and it was great to be able to speak to them in advance so that I can see how the band can help make this joyous occasion more memorable. 
 
Eileen has requested for the band to perform Joi Chua’s 庆幸有你爱我 (Glad That You Love Me) as the first march-in song as she really loved the melody and its lyrics.  So I asked her if she would like to sing it herself while making her entrance.  Immediately, Alan voiced his support and I can sense the pride and love as he told me that Eileen will sing it brilliantly.  With such strong encouragement, Eileen gamely agreed to the suggestion.
 
It may not be the most pitch-perfect performance but as Eileen made her way down the aisle with Alan, everyone in the ballroom knew that it was their moment, as their gazes locked and Eileen sang her heart out.  It was a definitely an entrance that they as well as their guests, will remember.  
 
Another highlight of the wedding was the wonderful and talented musicians that I have the pleasure of performing together. I have sung with Jixiang for a long time but he never failed to surprise me with his growing versatility between jazz, pop, Mandopop genres.   I have caught Shawn in action several times but this was the first time that I am working with him. Their chemistry and rhythm was immaculate.  And having a percussionist is so appropriate for many of the uptempo songs that evening, such as Maroon 5’s Sunday Morning and She Will be Loved.  I enjoyed the experience immensely.
 
Dear Eileen and Alan, thanks so much for sending us the pretty pictures of the band.  Here’s wishing you all the best as you embark in the next important phase of your lives ahead.


Band: Hui Bing, Jixiang & Shawn






Compliments from Eileen & Alan:

 

Hsin Yeow's thoughts: 玫瑰玫瑰我愛你 (Rose, Rose, I Love You)

Constance (aka Connie) and Max's wedding scores for the most innovative march-in music ever!

I thought I'd heard them all, but then the emcee went onstage to demonstrate how to make bird calls using the wedding favours (a special whistle). Five minutes later, the entire ballroom rang with resounding shrill tweets that heralded the second entrance of Connie and Max. It was nothing like I'd ever seen before, and I loved it!


You can see the guests blowing the whistles!

Special thanks to KC (+65 96222707) of Greymatter Photography for sending us his beautiful work!
Perhaps it was the couple's in-joke to mark how they came to know each other. Their mutual friends had volunteered at the Singapore Zoological Gardens, and they both met at a group date. The funny thing was, both had expressed interest in finding out more about each other to a mutual friend, but that friend promptly went overseas, and did not link them up.

Well, it didn't matter in the end because love found a way.

The wedding celebration was such joyous fun that it's hard to list all the memorable things down. There were many laugh-out-loud moments, like when Connie innocently remarked, "I found Max at the Zoo!"


The couple's friends were also a great bunch. They got together and presented a hilarious skit (complete with styrofoam cutouts, powerpoint slides and song-and-dance) to celebrate the couple's union.


At the end of the entertaining skit, they surprised Max by asking him to croon a song for Constance. In the end, Max stole the show by belting "Wonderful Tonight" with consummate ease. Max brought the house down!


Congratulations, Connie and Max! It was a pleasure and a privilege to be part of your wedding. Thank you!


Band: Hsin Yeow, Bevlyn, Matthew, Ein Ein, Jonathan Lim


L-R: Jon Lim, Ein Ein, Max, Bevlyn, Connie, Hsin Yeow, Matthew







Repertoire:

La Vie En Rose (1st march-in), All You Need Is Love, Chanson L'amour, And the Angels Sing, So Nice, Hooked On A Feeling, 玫瑰玫瑰我愛你 (Rose, Rose, I Love You), 夜上海 (Shanghai Night), Way Back into Love, Quando Quando Quando

C'est Si Bon (2nd march-in), My Girl, That's Amore, Fly Me To The Moon, Besame Mucho, Sea Of Love, Don't Ever Change, Dream A Little Dream, Something Stupid, Walking On Sunshine


Compliments:

Dear Hsin Yeow, Bevlyn and A little Dream,

Thank you for doing such a great job at our wedding!

Max and I received many many many wonderful compliments on your performance. Your music gave an extra special touch to the whole evening. A live band is just different!

Thanks for playing some of the dedications, and your earlier advice on songs. Our guests had a great time! We now wish there is a recording so that we can enjoy your tunes all over again!

Great job! But to be brutally honest, I must say that in my eyes, Max's impromptu performance totally outshone all of you! It was such a wonderful surprise! My man can sing!

Thanks for everything!

Cheers
Constance & Max

Hui Bing's thoughts: Crazy Little Thing Called Love

There is something different about going to a wedding not on mainland Singapore. Maybe it was the feeling of going to another island while traveling over the ocean across Sentosa Gateway. Or the sight of lush greenery and seeing the signs leading to the various attractions on Sentosa, while we were traveling to the hotel. Anyway, it was a great feeling to be back at the lovely Amara Sanctuary Resort & Spa at Sentosa for Serene and Alvin's wedding.

We enjoyed performing for the guests that night and we were deeply encouraged by the response that the guests have given us. A note of praise for the hotel staff, especially the sound crew; they were one of the friendliest and most accommodating people we had ever met, and it made our job so much easier as we tried to create the best ambience for the wedding.

The evening grew to a high with a special performance by Uncle Dennis, who belted out song after song of Rock-and-roll to the delight of the guests, particularly the ladies who were into line-dancing. First, Serene and her father got up to gyrate to the song to the music. And a few more songs later, a big group of guests of 15 guests were merrily line-dancing in the middle of the ballroom. Check out the pic!


Dearest Serene and Alvin, thanks for having us at your lovely wedding and wishing you a lifetime of bliss and happiness.


Band: Hui Bing, Junxiong, Jixiang, Lim Hui


L-R: Jun Xiong, Ji Xiang, Hui Bing, Alvin, Serene, Lim Hui

Repertoire:

Grow Old With You (1st March-in), Kiss Me, Forever Love, The Way You Look Tonight, So Nice, Dream a Little Dream, Quando Quando Quando, Somebody, Close To You, 我愿意 (I'm Willing), 甜蜜蜜 (Honey Sweet), Come What May, The Look Of Love

I'm Yours (2nd March-In), Can't Buy Me Love, L-O-V-E, Sway, Bubbly, My Way, Dream Lover, Dreams, Goodnight My Love

Performed by Uncle Dennis and Sherry:

Love Me, Teddy Bear, Rock And Roll Music, Crazy Little Thing Called Love

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)


Compliments from Joelle:

Hi Hsin Yeow,

Thank you, Bevlyn and your band so much for a brilliant performance on my wedding day! All our guests enjoyed your performance thoroughly and many actually thought you're our mates! And I personally owe you a big one for you-know-what!

And our sincere apologies for forgetting angpaos at the end of it all! We're really not the most organised couples around. When I'm back in s'pore again, I'll give you a buzz and organise to make this up.

thanks a million, once again...

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

It took us three attempts before we finally got to sing for Wendy and Roger.

The couple wanted to listen to our live performance before engaging us, so I arranged for them to meet us at Myra and Vernon's wedding.

Alas, they were held up, and by the time they arrived, we had to stop playing as some guests were already seated.

Several weeks later, I invited the couple to drop by Karen and Peter's wedding. Unfortunately, the heavens conspired against us that evening, and our plans were thwarted by snarling traffic jams caused by a sudden deluge.

Undaunted, they made a third appointment with us, at Kwan Eng and Joey's wedding. They made it in time, and sealed the deal.


Sharing a light-hearted moment with Roger before the wedding
For Wendy and Roger's wedding, I asked Josephine to partner with me. She did not disappoint, and her unique delivery and interpretation of jazz standards drew praise from the couple.


Jo
The audience was extremely warm, and gave us loud applause after almost every song. The two Jonathans (Jonathan Lim rushed over to join us after performing for Christelle and Romain) were fired up by the enthusiastic reception and delivered the goods.


What made the wedding memorable for me was Roger's heartfelt rendition of Can't Help Falling In Love. It was his surprise for the beautiful Wendy, who also planned a little one of her own. She whispered to me over the phone a few days before the wedding that it would be Roger's birthday that very night. So we arranged for a cake to be wheeled out after the toasting ceremony. After everyone got on their feet to sing the birthday song, Roger took the microphone and began crooning, "Wise men say, only fools rush in..." to thunderous applause.





It was a magical moment. Thank you, Roger and Wendy, for making those moments happen. It was a joy to be part of your wedding celebration, and may you both enjoy a lifetime of happiness!

P.S. The sound system at Amara Sanctuary was excellent, and what made the whole experience all the more enjoyable was the excellent service from Ivy and Seelan. Irene was the affable wedding coordinator, and she was genuinely warm and friendly at all times. Seelan, the banquet manager, was very helpful as well. Great job, guys!

Read Jonathan Lim's account of the wedding here!


Band: Hsin Yeow, Josephine, Jonathan Ang, Jonathan Lim


L-R: Jo, Jon Ang, Wendy, Roger, Jon Lim, Hsin Yeow

All the photographs above were lovingly captured by Benny</center>

Repertoire:

The Look Of Love, Fly Me to the Moon, Besame Mucho, Quando Quando Quando, What A Difference A Day Made, Girl From Ipanema, I Wanna Be With You, Something Stupid, Sea Of Love, Somebody, The Gift

Way Back Into Love (2nd March-in), If I Ain't Got You, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, So Nice, The Way You Look Tonight, Chasing Cars, Lovin' You, Angels Brought Me Here, Everything, Save The Last Dance For Me

Special song: Can't Help Falling In Love


Compliments from Roger & Wendy:

Firstly we'd like to say a BIG THANK YOU to the four of you who made the event a complete one!

Hsin Yeow, who was the male lead/emcee, was fantastic at bringing a cosy feel to the night. Although we did not have the chance to really sit down and enjoy the music, friends and relatives both sang praises about the band's performance.

Additionally, they were always game for instantaneous song requests. Jon, the keyboardist was also very pro. Just needed 1 time to rehearse for my song which I thought was really cool.

PS. You'll need to be from the same high school to get discount... LOL.

Cheers Guys, you were great!

Bevlyn's thoughts: Wonderful Tonight

It was a fun-filled evening, for the members of Yokogawa and for our band. This has got to be one of the best corporate gigs I have ever done because the responses were really great; many people were singing along from their seats, and at one point, there was a even table of people waving their arms in unison from side to side.

We also did a surprise birthday song for one of the Yokogawa members, who was having his birthday that very day. The band jammed up an impromptu blues edition of birthday song for him.

It was fantastic to work with Daniel (on guitar), Lester (on bass) and Niq (on percussion). And to my surprise (for a corporate function), everybody loved All I Ask Of You.


Band: Bevlyn, Daniel (Guitar), Lester (Bass), Niq (Percussion)


Repertoire:

Angels (Robbie Williams), Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion), Love Me (Collin Raye), Valentine (Martina McBride), Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton), Lady In Red (Chris de Burgh), Moon River (Frank Sinatra), My Girl (The Temptations), Rainbow Connection (Kermit The Frog), All I Ask of You (Phantom of Opera), A Love That Will Last (Renee Olstead), Sway (Michael Buble), Kimi No Suki Na Took (Japanese), Jambalaya, 我只在乎你 (I Only Care About You)(Teresa Teng)

Hui Bing's thoughts: If I Ain't Got You

It was our first time performing at the spanking new Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa, a stylish resort spa on Sentosa Island that had its soft launch in August this year. Check out the pictures of the resort below.

As it is a new venue, there were understandably, some small hiccups.

First, the hotel staff took two attempts before the fountain of champagne glasses could be set up properly. And they placed the wrong wedding favours (a classy translucent photo frame) with another couple's name printed on it, instead of Jenny and Jason's.





We saw the error in time and the staff managed to swop all the favours before the guests arrived. Fortunately, all these happened during the setup and the actual programme went smoothly without a hitch.

The highlight of the wedding was definitely the song items by the couple. Unknown to Jason, Jenny had contemplated to sing a song ever since when we were corresponding with each other on the songlist.

However, she wasn't sure if she could deliver it well. Just before the first march-in, we managed to persuade her to sing for Jason and she gamely agreed. Her rendition of 至少还有你 (At Least There Is You) was beautiful and it was greeted with thunderous applause from the guests and a loving kiss from Jason.

And seeing that Jason had sung 梁山伯与茱丽叶 (Liang Shan Bo & Juliet) as part of the 'tekan' (of Malay derivation, meaning to put pressure on someone) session during the morning ceremony, Junxiong and I got them to sing it again together on stage.

I am sure Jason will remain Jenny's Liang Shan Bo, and Jenny as Jason's Zhu Li Ye (Juliet) for the rest of their lives.

Congratulations, Jenny and Jason!


Band: Hui Bing, Junxiong, Linus





L-R: Linus, Jun Xiong, Jason, Jenny, Hui Bing

Repertoire:

L-O-V-E (1st March in), Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Everlasting Love, If I Ain’t Got You, Somebody, You Are The Sunshine Of My Life, For Once In My Life, The Nearness of You, The Way You Look Tonight, Quando, Quando, Quando

终身美丽 (Beautiful Forever)(2nd March in), 嫁给我 (Marry Me), 爱很简单 (Love Is Very Simple), 至少还有你 (At Least There Is You), 最浪漫的事 (The Most Romantic Thing), 世界唯一的你 (The Only One In This World), 爱你不是兩三天 (My Love For You Won't Be For Two Or Three Days), 每天爱你多一些 (I Love You More Every Day), 你的名字我的姓氏 (Your Name, My Surname), 爱是你眼里的一首情歌 (Love Is A Song In My Eyes), 恋爱频率 (Love Frequency), 梁山伯与茱丽叶 (Liang Shan Bo & Juliet), 但愿人长久 (May All Live Well And Long)


Songs To Recommend:

If I Ain't Got You

I thought the lyrics are so meaningful. Totally agree with these phrases,

"Hand me the world on a silver platter and what good it be, with no one to share and no one who truly cares for me" and

"Some (people) just want everything but everything means nothing if I ain't got you"

The Nearness of You

This song has been performed by various artistes such as Laura Fygi, Gaynor Ellen and Norah Jones. Personally, I like Norah Jones's husky rendition - totally puts the listeners in a mood for love.


Compliments from Jason:

Hi Hsin Yeow,

Thanks... Saw the Blog... real funny..

The photographer's name is Tian Sheng. He is my sister's friend as my sister is also a wedding photographer. He is working free-lance so don't think he is working for a company.

Hui Bing and Jun Xiong are great.. They are very flexible and really got sabo by them that i have to sing a song... Oh God... my singing is terrible.. (always sing this song at Karaoke and my friends said my high pitch tone sound like micky mouse voice)... Anyway the whole event was fun.... Good Job... Jenny and I together.. 4 thumbs up.. No regrets..

Also one of my friends who attended the dinner really liked their singing and they are likely to get them to sing for their wedding as well.. Their wedding is next year May at Sentosa resort and Spa... Has passed them your contact to her!

Cheers,
Jason Bong