Couple holds wedding banquet in Bukit Merah coffee shop

Affordable, hearty and homely. That's the Singapore coffee shop in a nutshell. 

But two lovers saw it in a slightly different light when they held their wedding banquet at a coffee shop in Bukit Merah last Sunday (Feb 5), as reported by local publication Lianhe Zaobao.

The bride, a 42-year-old Chinese beautician, and the groom, a 54-year-old local delivery driver, invited their loved ones to a celebration of their union at Foodgle Eatery & Beer Garden.

It was a humble get-together with six tables in total and more than 60 friends in attendance.

The atmosphere was joyous nonetheless with balloons hung around the coffee shop for decoration. 

Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao, the groom, a man surnamed Huang, mentioned that Feb 5 would be an auspicious day for getting married but "all the nearby restaurants were fully booked".

Feb 5 was the 15th day of the first lunar month — Lantern Festival — and some have even dubbed it the Chinese Valentine's Day, according to CNN travels. In the past, unmarried guys and girls in China can only meet up on this day. 

That might be why so many restaurants were fully booked that evening. Not that it bothered the couple.

Having the banquet at Foodgle Eatery & Beer Garden had plenty of benefits, as many attendees worked nearby so travelling to the wedding location was not an issue.

Huang's friend also works at the coffee shop and was able to come up with a "wedding banquet menu" for the special occasion.

The couple paid $3,000 for six tables. In comparison, the cost of a hotel banquet is estimated at around $17,420 to $40,540.

This is not the first marriage for the bride and groom. Prior to their relationship, both were single for nearly 12 years.

Their love story began in a nightclub a year ago. After that first meeting, they naturally got together and decided to get hitched last November.

Huang has yet to meet his wife's relatives in person as they are based in Chongqing, China.

But with travel restrictions relaxed, he is looking forward to flying over in March or April to have that meet up with the family.

The newly-wedded couple will also hold another banquet and wedding photoshoot while they are there.

In July 2022, a couple donned the traditional garb for their Chinese wedding ceremony at Nirvana Memorial Garden, a columbarium in Choa Chu Kang.

While that might seem off-putting to some, it was there that the couple first met and this added to the significance of the wedding venue.

ALSO READ: 'We are both pretty quirky': Couple pose with Haw Par Villa sculptures for their pre-wedding photoshoot

amierul@asiaone.com