Laidback bride

[nuclear.orange]

Mon, Mar 23, 2009
The New Paper
Laidback bride
by Germaine Lim
NO DRAMA, no tears. That is how Jaymee Ong describes her upcoming nuptials.

It is less than a fortnight away but the Contender Asia host and her boyfriend of three years, electrical engineer Matthew Heath, are hardly sweating over it.

She even had to be 'persuaded' to have a ceremony in February for the signing of the marriage certificate.

In a recent interview with The New Paper at Hairloom & Caramel cafe, Jaymee said: 'We wanted to just go to the Registry of Marriages and sign the papers. But my friend said it was so unromantic.'

The couple, both 29, eventually held it at Singapore Indoor Stadium's Brewerkz, a microbrewery restaurant.

As for the wedding dinner, which will be held on Koh Samui island on 31 Mar, Jaymee, who currently hosts entertainment show eBuzz, cannot be morecalm.

Neither she nor Mr Heath, who relocated from his hometown in Perth to Singapore two years ago, has gone for food-tasting because 'we trust the chef'.

She doesn't know what flowers will be used, except that they'll be white.

All she knows about the wedding cake is that it will be chocolate.

Jaymee doesn't know how her hair and make-up will be done, although she wants a sun-kissed look and her hair pinned back.

Heck, she hasn't even met the make-up and hair artist.

So what's her formula for a stress-free wedding? An 'amazing' wedding planner whom she found on the Internet.

Jaymee said: 'I just tell myself, nothing's going to burst into flames. The worst thing that can happen will not be that bad. The music may be cued in a little late but so what?'

The Chinese-Australian babe, who moved to Singapore five years ago, also found her dress in record time - the same day she popped by local designer Renee Leung's store at Delphi Orchard shopping centre.

She chuckled: 'Maybe I'm just not very anal.'

Describing the dress to which she made only minor modifications, she said: 'It's not poofy because it's going to be a beach wedding.

'It has a mermaid tail at the end and is figure-hugging. It also has a very low back. It's very elegant but also kind of sexy at the same time.'

She even had to be 'talked into getting a small train for my dress' by her bridesmaids.

Before you think she doesn't give a hoot about her wedding, Jaymee is just 'not one of those people who needs to know every detail'.

'I'm detailed in everyday life. But I don't want my guests to remember my centrepiece or how the table setting looked like.

'I want them to go, 'Oh, wasn't the ceremony beautiful? Wasn't it so much fun?' So in that respect, I'm very laidback.'

Although the planning has been relatively stress-free, Jaymee admits there has been one occasion when the couple had a 'semi-argument'.

She said: 'I told Matt we had to plan the seating arrangement. He, being the typical bloke, didn't think it was necessary. 'The guests will take care of themselves and find their own seats,' he said.'

No sponsors for wedding

But don't expect this to be a typical celebrity wedding with a slew of sponsors.

Jaymee said she doesn't want to 'cash in on it' and turn it into work.

Perhaps it's this relaxed attitude that bonded Jaymee and Mr Heath when they started dating three years ago.

After all, their first date was at a Clarke Quay pub, watching a 2006 World Cup match between Australia and Japan.

Mr Heath, a self-confessed 'sports junkie' had wanted to catch the game badly. But he also wanted to take Jaymee out for dinner.

He said: 'I never miss a good game... and was actually a bit bummed that I was going to miss it as I had forgotten about it when I asked Jaymee out.'

Thankfully, she suggested watching the game together.

Mr Heath, said with a laugh: 'I couldn't believe she brought it up. I thought, 'Yup, this one's a keeper!'

Jaymee, who is also a yoga instructor, added: 'I think this was when I won him over.

'So when people say you can never meet the love of your life at a club (they met at the now-defunct Ministry of Sound), it's such a lie. You can - just don't be drunk when you meet them.'

When asked about his new bride, MrHeath gushed: 'She's one of the most compassionate women I know. She always has time for everybody.

'Most people may find this surprising but she's also a huge goofball. We can talk about anything with each other, and I know she is always there to listen to and support me.'

No mind games

As for Jaymee, she said Mr Heath 'keeps me grounded'.

The former model, who reportedly dated American dance music DJ Theo, added: 'I've dated people from the industry but never found someone really compatible. I just wanted someone who's real.

'Matt doesn't try to impress; he is who he is. He gets along with everyone.

'This is totally different from my previous relationships. There are no mind games.'

As for the proposal, it took place on the rooftop of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel last April.

He surprised her with a pair of diamond loop earrings and popped the question with a Tiffany & Co. cushion-cut diamond ring.

The couple's wedding bands are also from the renowned jeweller.

Jaymee said: 'After I said 'yes', he immediately flopped onto a lounge deck beside him and was so relieved. It was really funny.

'We ran all over the hotel and told everyone we met that we'd just gotten engaged. I think they must have thought we were nuts.'

Like kaypoh aunties, we had to ask: Will the pitter-patter of little feet be next at their new apartment in the East?

Jaymee, who is the first to get married in her family, admitted she's feeling the pressure.

'I never believed in 'the ticking biological clock'. But I really feel it now. I definitely want a family, possibly with two kids.'

Mr Heath added: 'No Brangelina brood for us (referring to Hollywood couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's six children). We'll be happy with a couple of healthy, happy kids.'

This article was first published in The New Paper.

I saw her in real person before...very pretty and sexy..

[duckiee]

laidback is good

[ilusion]

Agreed!!

Wedding is supposed to be the happiest day of your life...not the most stressful day of your life...

[green_tea]

its turning into my most stressful project. ever. no thanks to my future FIL.

[chilloutbride]

Hi! Pardon me, this is my first time posting in this forum. I just wanted to revive this thread again, cos I'm facing a similar situation, where I am a more relaxed and laid-back bride about what I want for the wedding. That would have been fine, but my FH is the opposite of me, he's more concerned about the fine details, and likes to plan way in advanced.

I won't say that I'm lazy or don't do any work, but there are so many things about the wedding that I don't think are worth worrying about, and if some of the more important things need to be done, I'll do them but usually within the usual time as other people.

But recently, things have gotten worse, bcos as usual, problems crop up, eg suddenly vendors have new plans or cannot meet us, etc, then my FH would freak out. I don't think there is any need to panic, but my FH would then lash out at me, and say things like I just don't care as much or even worse, that I don't do anything, which is not true. I do them, just not as early as he would like (he usually wants them done way in advance). I would say our wedding is pretty on schedule, and most of what we can do, we have done, and now is just waiting for other vendors or people to reply us.

What can I do to calm him down? He says that he loses sleep because he is worrying about the wedding, but to me, I think everything is going fine and we can plan all we want, but expect that problems will come our way, just be prepared to change our plan. How can I convince him that everything will be alright?

[ilusion]

when is your wedding?

i think you are quite fortunate, your hubby being so enthusiastic about the wedding plans.

have you drawn up a plan or schedule? time line to gauge what must be done by when? i think that if you have that done up, then it is fine. just follow the schedule and when something crops up, you will be able to see how to adjust the timing to fit in the problem.

since you say that you are on schedule, then i think you need to talk to your hubby to see what is the real problem bugging him. i don't see how it can affect him so much that he loses sleep over it, if like what you say, you are currently on schedule and just waiting for the vendors to reply. and maybe ask him how he needs your help. he needs to be specific, or else you will just go around in circles.

[chilloutbride]

Thanks, ilusion! My wedding is Nov this year. I drew up a schedule that both of us can access online, and left lots of buffer time for delays. Yeah, we've talked about it, and now I'm being more proactive, and wayanging it to him. I think he doesn't know how much I'm doing, that's why.

I must admit I did let the wedding preparations lapse in July, cos I was having a very very busy period with work. But that was after the pre-wedding photoshoot, so I suppose it didn't affect anything. Even then, I still contacted our vendors to arrange appointments in Aug. I've even resorted to taking leave for 1 month, mostly to recover from July, haha, and also settle more of the wedding planning.

I guess part of the reason for his insomnia was we had too many things happening at the same time, his parents are moving to a bigger house to accommodate us, and there were renovation decisions to be made all the time, plus we're also buying a flat as a back-up plan, and HDB was giving us trouble, and all the time, we had to plan the wedding dinner which was bursting at the seams cos my FIL has too many guests.... SIGH.... Luckily we're postponing the honeymoon to early next year, I don't think we could have handled one more big event this year already...

[pinkletterbox]

I am also doing up a budget sheet to record the pre-wedding preparation, wedding day, housing, reno and honeymoon expenses. Everytime I see the amt, I kanna stressed.