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Making her entrance on a white horse, dressed in a pale-blue princess gown complete with a tiara and a pair of custom-made glass slippers, it would be easy to assume that Madam Jolene Chong was celebrating her big day. But it was only the beginning of her $600,000 nuptials. The elaborate set-up, in which the ballroom of Hotel Re! on Pearl's Hill was transformed into a castle with a cherub fountain and featuring a harpist playing Disney tunes, was simply for her engagement party that was held in July 2010. Madam Chong, 28, and her husband Joseph Ong, 30, who both work at Hotel Re!, went on to have two other parties in March last year to celebrate their wedding - each just as elaborately crafted. Mr Ong is the general manager and Madam Chong is the deputy general manager. The three parties - the engagement, the solemnisation and the wedding dinner - each required at least two costume changes, including shoes, for bride and groom. Outfits included traditional Chinese costumes for Tang dynasty-inspired dinner celebrations at the luxe Shangri-La Hotel, and feather-laced dresses to create an "angelic feel" for her solemnisation ceremony, themed "A Match Made In Heaven". Her solemnisation party was held at the 1-Altitude's rooftop bar, housed at One Raffles Place, which is among the tallest buildings in Singapore. "My friends were not surprised that I wanted to do all this, they know me very well," chuckled the self-proclaimed "princess" with a penchant for pretty things. Most of their guests gave them hongbao on the day of the dinner and gave gifts for the other parties. Madam Chong knew that there was no way she would be able to break even on the $600,000 spent on the festivities. But it did not matter to her as long as her guests had a good time. Their parents helped to pay for the expenses. "The fact that you throw parties means you want people to share your joy, so their presence is most important," she said. "I'd rather they come and enjoy themselves than worry about covering the cost." She was also meticulous about details, right down to the wedding invitations. While most guests received standard wedding cards for the dinner, about 120 close family members and friends received traditional decree scrolls that cost about $2,000 to print. She declined to go into specifics about how much she spent on each of the celebrations, but shared that the traditional wedding dinner alone took up more than a third of the total budget. In keeping with the oriental theme, the couple were carried into the ballroom on a sedan as Chinese ribbon dancers and a traditional Chinese band entertained guests. They also had a five-tier wedding cake decorated with plum flower blossoms. Madam Chong added that her jewellery, which included diamond necklaces, bracelets and rings, cost the most. Despite the hefty sum, she feels it was completely worth it. "I feel that the money is well-spent when people enjoy a unique wedding. Their presence to me is the most important thing," she said.
