The First Wedding at Raffles Sentosa: A Celebration Built on Secrets, Surprises, and Heart
- May 10
- 3 min read
Dawn & Xavier — Raffles Sentosa Singapore, August 2025
Dawn and Xavier’s wedding will always hold a special place in our hearts, because it was the very first wedding ever held at Raffles Sentosa Singapore — the country’s first all-villa resort, and a venue that felt every bit as beautiful and exclusive as you would imagine.
Planning a wedding at a newly launched hotel is not something that intimidates us. Over the years, we have learned that preparation is everything. Long before the actual day, we make it a point to arrange site visits, walk through the venue, and conduct AV testing so that nothing catches us by surprise when it matters most.
What made this wedding truly challenging, though, was not the venue itself — it was the surprises.
Almost the entire wedding was planned by Xavier and I behind the scenes, because so much of it had to be kept from Dawn in order for the surprises to land the way he intended. And these were not small surprises either. They involved coordinating with both local and overseas talents, each one bringing their own magic to the celebration.
There was James Wong, whose piano playing brought such elegance and emotion into the room. There was Lullaboy, with the kind of voice that instantly makes a moment feel intimate and cinematic. The evening was hosted by the lively and charismatic Hazelle and Zeliang from Mediacorp 933FM, who brought warmth and energy to the programme. And as if that was not enough, we also flew in Dior from Malaysia with her live band, just to perform three songs — a gesture that felt so grand, thoughtful, and deeply personal all at once.
With so many talents involved, rehearsals became a huge part of the coordination. Although it was a dinner banquet, I was already there from noon because we had carefully batched the rehearsals for each artist — giving them enough time to practise, rest, get ready, and still keep everything hidden from Dawn. It felt like we were operating in ninja mode the whole day, quietly moving people in and out without letting the bride catch on.
And even with all of that happening, the usual responsibilities never paused. We still had to oversee the ballroom setup, coordinate the vendors, conduct briefings, and make sure every other part of the wedding flowed as it should. That is the thing about wedding coordination — no matter how extraordinary the added elements are, the foundation still has to remain strong.
By the end of the night, what stayed with us was not just how special the wedding had been, but also how much we had learned. Being part of the very first wedding at Raffles Sentosa gave us an understanding of the hotel’s operations that now allows us to approach future weddings there with even more confidence.
And perhaps that is also why I believe so strongly in the value of having a professional wedding coordinator. It may only take up a small percentage of your overall wedding budget, but our role is to make sure the much larger percentage is spent wisely, used meaningfully, and brought together in a way that truly honours the celebration you have invested so much into.
Because at the end of the day, a wedding is not just about beautiful ideas — it is about having the right people behind the scenes to bring them to life well.
