Having your dream pre-wedding photoshoot and getting to travel at the same time? Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
Actors Nick Teo and Hong Ling recently went overseas to do theirs, leaving us all guessing about the mystery location.
Nick, 33, shared a photo of him and wife-to-be Hong Ling, 28, on Instagram on April 1, writing that they were "flying off somewhere close to our heart".
In it, the couple are holding hands and smiling to one another at Changi Airport.
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While guesses came in about whether they were going to the United States, Europe or even Genting, Malaysia, clues from Hong Ling's Instagram Stories point to a very different location.
In one Story, she shares a video of Nick's first time driving a "left-hand drive" while the road signs and shopfronts around them are in Korean.
South Korea is a left-hand drive country, which means that they have right-side traffic. In the video, however, Nick seems to be driving a right-hand drive car, like in Singapore, which appears to be allowed also in South Korea.
In a subsequent Story, Hong Ling also shared that it gets "freezing cold" in the evening where they are.
Hair stylist Calvin Gan, who accompanied the couple, posted his own Story showing the team arriving at a villa with a "beautiful garden" complete with sakura, orange and rose plants.
Hong Ling showed off the large garden in their backyard, with trimmed bushes and a blossoming cherry tree, in a Story of her own this morning.
The couple got engaged on Hong Ling's birthday, Aug 16, last year after seven years of dating.
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Pre-wedding photoshoots in South Korea aren't just for the rich and famous.
Last year, a Singaporean couple went to Jeju and managed to do theirs on a budget.
TikTok user Reglhy showed the behind-the-scenes details of the photoshoot in a video on March 30 and let her followers know about the costs she and her fiance incurred.
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"In total, we spent around $2,250, and felt it was really worth it," she said, excluding the price of airfare and accommodations.
She also provided a quick breakdown, with photography and the rental of the wedding outfits being the priciest at over $800 each.
Other costs included the flowers ($167), a helper ($222) and the rental of a car for two days ($173) to travel between their four photoshoot locations.
By comparison, a pre-wedding photoshoot in Seoul could set couples back anywhere from $2,500 to $3,900.
Nick and Hong Ling are both in the running for Star Awards' Top 10 Most Popular Male and Female Artistes. Nick is also nominated for Bioskin Most Charismatic Award and Hong Ling for Best Actress and MyPick! The Female Show-stealer, both for her performance in Your World in Mine.
Star Awards takes place on April 9.
drimac@asiaone.com
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