Love & Sex

Monday August 3, 2009

Love in the fast lane

By KIM ONG

WHEN Josiah slipped a wedding band on my finger on June 26, his eyes conveyed a deep sense of love.

All of a sudden, everything seemed unreal. Now I am Mrs Josiah Ng – but being a married woman is about a lot more then dropping that O in my "Ong".

As it turns out, the man I have just married is full of surprises.

It was no April Fool's joke when he proposed last year. He had booked a private deck on the London Eye when we were in Britain for a holiday. After sipping champagne while enjoying a bird's eye view of the magnificent city, Josiah went down on bended knees to pop the question.

I was ecstatic and could not hold back my tears. I said "yes" without a doubt.

We had been dating for since November 2007 and I was sure of my feelings for him. Still, I was immediately forced to think 20 steps ahead, of the possibilities living with this person for the rest of my life. I would be lying if I said I did not think of him as being "the one", but I just did not realise all this would happen so soon.

I found myself confronted with that all-important question – what is the right age to get married? Josiah was 29 and I, 25, but that didn't matter. If you ever have to face that question, the answer is, "You just know".

The months following the proposal were busy with preparations for the wedding. As it was my very own "project'', I carried it out with much passion.

The first thing was to ensure Josiah and I were on the same wave length. We liked the same ideas – traditional yet modern – but we also wanted a warm and comfortable wedding to relate our love story to our guests.

It wasn't difficult at all selecting The Westin in Kuala Lumpur as it was the obvious choice based on its perfect ambience and quality of service. The price matched our budget so we booked the hotel one year in advance.

Just four months before the wedding, things were put into perspective. I had chosen Melvin Lam Haute Couture for the satin white halter mermaid gown and a Roman goddess purple schiffon gown. Josiah would deck himself out in Bespoked's white tuxedo.

The pre-wedding photo shoot was going to be of Josiah and I on a tandem bike; he would be dressed in Melvin Lam's lace shirt and I in a tutu with a lace toga top. Just like in a couture fashion shoot, I was made up by Taisu from Shu Uemura and my hair was done by Kiehl's. Arthur Chen's photo shoot lasted nine hours but we forgot about feeling tired. The whole thing just spelled F-U-N.

It was three months before the wedding. After the pre-wedding photo shoot, we had to book for a place to register ourselves with the Registrar of Marriage.

I carried on with my planning and execution. There was lots for me to do, and I wanted to do it in our very own "Josiah & Kim" way ... like giving out specially hand-wrapped Fedex teddy bears and Loacker Mini Bar Wafers as wedding favours and sending out customised wedding cards by Acadia Design. I also personalised e-invitations and set up a wedding blog at http://josiahandkim.wordpress.com.

I did not forget about taking care of myself leading up to the big day. Shu Uemura's skin cleanser and facial mask rejuvenated my skin while Kiehl's hair shampoo ensured my hair was healthy and vibrant.

I did feel tense many times during the preparation stage, but thankfully managed to calm myself by saying that things would fall into place eventually. It helped a lot that Josiah and I had a great team of helpers who ensured things ran smoothly for us.

Josiah was racing in Japan and returned home just days before the wedding. His return was followed by our registration and a simple blessing service at the KL English Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

On the wedding day, I left everything up to the organisers of the evening. Josiah and I gracefully walked down the aisle to The Look of Love by Chris Botti and our eyes sparkled as intensely as the diamonds I wore (sponsored by Hong Kong Gem) and the Swarovski crystals on my Jimmy Choo's.

We took our seats and sports commentator and emcee for the event, Melvin Aeria, introduced us to the crowd. He spoke with much flair and wit, and guests were suitably impressed.

The event began with a prayer to bless the food, offered by my godfather, Reverend Datuk Dr Yeoh Beng San. After the first platter, guests were entertained with my amateur self-put-together growing-up and how-we-met videos. There were three singing performances and the main highlight was the showcase by the Josiah and his quartet. My husband's violin-playing was spectacular, as he never fails to surprise me over and over again.

Cake-cutting and champagne pouring and a toasting session completed the night. There was also the usual cathing the wedding bouquet thrill after I changed into my next outfit, a unique cheongsam designed by Cherrie Lee.

Josiah and I enjoyed ourselves so much we wished the day did not end so quickly. Thankfully, we can recap and reminisce on the special occasion with the amazing photographs taken by Andy Kho and Shoot.com.my's videography.

My husband left me the day after the wedding dinner, to race in Japan in the keirin series while I returned to Australia to begin my career there. Now I really know what it's like to be the wife of a professional athlete. Maybe I'll write a book on that in a few years' time.

Kim Ong is now based in Melbourne. She continues to blog at www.kimong.com.