After a bustling traditional tea ceremony and wedding banquet for their friends and family in Hong Kong, Angela and Nicolas held the intimate, low-key beach ceremony they dreamed of at Conrad Koh Samui with just 30 guests.
We’re thrilled to be featuring a destination wedding in Thailand for the very first time! Saying “I do” by the waves was an obvious choice, as they both love beaches – Nico even grew up right by one. The tender ceremony, filled with meaningful readings, ended with a sunset that made for spectacular photos. Angela shares more about the special day below…
How they met:
Nico had just arrived in Hong Kong to start a new job two months before we met at a mutual friend’s birthday dinner. I actually wasn’t too interested when he asked me out two days later, but am I glad I went! We went on our second and third date within the week, so things were going pretty well. We were one year in when he had to move to Beijing for work for eight months, so I flew there to spend our second anniversary and celebrate my belated birthday. After dinner, he was surprisingly very antsy to go back to the hotel. When we finally got back to the hotel, I opened the door and there were flowers and candles everywhere in the suite. I was so shocked, I almost didn’t notice he was on one knee! He was so nervous I could hear his heart pounding. It was the cutest.
The bride’s outfit:
I originally wanted a vintage-style dress, heavy beading and details, and short sleeves to cover my arms. I was actually totally set on a Jenny Packham dress. But the moment I tried on anything with beading, or elaborate details, or sleeves, I hated it! Then I tried on a simple dress just to compare the train, and I knew it was the one. It was sleek and understated, with a twist on the sweetheart neck. I realised I didn’t want anything froufrou, so I kept the accessories quite simple. I found a necklace, which was the statement piece, and matching earrings from another shop.
Hair and make-up:
I’m a makeup artist, so I did my own makeup for the wedding. I kept my makeup very simple and natural – earthy tones and minimal contouring to enhance my features. The hotel provided a hairstylist, and I asked her to do a simple, elegant low bun.
The groom’s outfit:
A simple, linen get-up for the hot weather. We initially wanted to have the suit in pale sky blue, but we went for beige-khaki instead.
The wedding party’s style:
The bridesmaids all live in different countries, and have different skintones and style, so it didn’t make sense to have the same dress for everyone. I gave them a colour range (anything from peach to pale pink) and length, and told them to find something they liked on themselves! I did some research and sent them some samples of what I thought was fine, and then they sent pics of their dresses to me. It worked out really well!
The venue:
We Googled for nice beach weddings in all kinds of different places for a long time, but as soon as I saw a photo of the beach wedding at Conrad, that was it. Everything was exactly as we had hoped it to be, and it was relatively easy. They had an outsourced event planner, which as a huge help. They gave me options for everything and I just chose!
The decor:
We wanted something clean and simple for the decoration and flowers, so we stuck with white. We also chose a peachy pink palette for the bridesmaids as it’s the most flattering for different skin tones, and it complemented the white theme well.
The ceremony:
We actually wanted a Catholic ceremony, but the priests would only do it in church. So Nico worked with our civil celebrant and included some readings from the Bible in the ceremony, which was very meaningful to his mom. We also had a poem about love. Everyone teared up!
The food:
Who doesn’t love Thai food? The hotel put everything together and we just had to choose our favourite dishes. It was so delicious.
The entertainment:
We were planning on creating a very last minute one on Spotify the day before the wedding, but then our friend Daisuke had an amazing jazz playlist, so we used that instead. We both love jazz anyway, so it worked out perfectly. For games, we asked our bridesmaids to come up with a list of questions for me and Nico, to see how well we know each other. They sent us each a list of the most bizarre and random questions. It was pretty hilarious going through them during dinner. We also released sky lanterns!
First dance:
Etta James – “At Last”
The wedding favours:
Because it was a destination wedding, we thought it appropriate to give our guests luggage tags. And as they’re our nearest and dearest, we wanted to make it more special by hand-crafting the tags ourselves – from cutting and polishing to oiling them and hammering in their names. It was really fun for us, and we felt quite proud.
The photography:
We wanted someone who could capture that ‘Kodak moment’ – unstaged, beautiful and real moments. We found LoveDezign through pictures of a beautiful wedding at Conrad Koh Samui on Pinterest, and that was it! We actually found out later that the pictures on Pinterest were of a rainy wedding, but you can’t even tell. They were so professional and friendly, and they made us feel really comfortable. They were funny too, and that helped us smile! The pictures captured the emotions and moments exactly how we wanted.
Notable moments:
A very unforgettable moment was when the steamer made a hole the size of my hand in my veil, just two hours before the ceremony. I was in shock and so upset, but my bridesmaids got together to fix it like champions. What would I have done without them? It wasn’t noticeable in the end – phew! Our guests and our bridal party were amazing. Even though they’re from different continents, they all came to be with us, help us, and share our biggest day.
Angela’s wedding advice for brides-to-be:
No matter how much you plan, how detailed you are and how early you start, there are always things that crop up or don’t go to plan. And that’s totally okay, so don’t sweat it too much! Your bridal party, family and friends will always be there to help you. Just remember to have fun and enjoy your big day, because it goes by so fast. And even if you don’t have a wedding planner, assign and brief someone (preferably someone who knows you well, like your maid-of-honour or your mum) to be the go-to person on your big day, so they can handle most things on your behalf. You really don’t want throngs of people running after you and asking questions when you have more important things on hand.
Vendors
Bridal gown: Anaïss Bridal
Jewellery: Earrings from Kelly Kellie, necklace from Harvey Nichols
Shoes: Gold strappy heels from Sergio Rossi
Veil: Anaïss Bridal
Groom’s suit: Per Suit
Groom’s shoes: Florsheim
Groom’s accessories: Cufflinks from Hermes (given by his grandma), belt from Mulberry (given by Angela’s mum)
Groomsmen’s outfits: Their own
Venue: Conrad Koh Samui
Wedding planner: Outsourced by Conrad Koh Samui to BLISS Events Thailand
Florist: Conrad Koh Samui and BLISS Events
Decor: Conrad Koh Samui and BLISS Events
Cake maker: Conrad Koh Samui‘s own
Food and drinks: Conrad Koh Samui
Stationery: Invitations designed by the bride, paper from Ideas Design Co
Wedding favours: DIY personalised leather luggage tags
Emcee: The couple’s friend, Daisuke
Music and DJ: Supplied by Conrad Koh Samui
Photographer: LoveDezign