Rebecca Lim: 'My wedding planner said first time they started a 600-guest wedding on time'

Benson Ang
The Straits Times
Nov 28, 2022

It was a perfect day for Mediacorp actress Rebecca Lim, who got married on Sunday to Mr Matthew Webster at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore.

The 36-year-old told The Straits Times on Monday that the wedding was “just wonderful”. Her Singaporean husband, also 36, is of British-Chinese descent and works in corporate branding.

The event kicked off at 3pm with an afternoon solemnisation and church ceremony attended by family and close friends. This was followed by a tea ceremony for the elders as well as a dinner banquet in the hotel’s grand ballroom, which started at 7.30pm sharp.

During the first march-in, the Singaporean star wore a long, flowing Viktor & Rolf gown, which she had also donned during the solemnisation. She changed into a sleeveless Viktor & Rolf outfit for her second walk-in.

For the reception and tea ceremony, she had on an asymmetrical Romona Keveza dress. During the tea ceremony, she wore a gold bracelet which her grandmother had given her a few days before.

Some 600 guests attended the banquet, including celebrities such as Christopher Lee, Fann Wong, Xiang Yun, Romeo Tan, Elvin Ng and Pierre Png. All four hosts of the 1990s variety show City Beat – Bryan Wong, Lina Ng, Kym Ng and Sharon Au – were also present, with Au flying in from Paris.

The evening’s emcee was Hossan Leong, who Lim said was “so entertaining throughout the night”.

“I was very pleased with how everything turned out,” she said. “With so many guests, I was worried about it starting on time and whether the food would be hot. But everything was just perfect. I was not stressed at all the whole day. My wedding planner said it was the first time they had started a 600-guest wedding on time.”

During her first walk-in, Lim recalled seeing many happy faces. “Everyone was smiling and it was a dream.”

Her solemnisation dress, she said, was chosen very early on. “It was very comfortable, very ‘me’, and it had pockets too, which was a bonus. It was a dress which I know that, 20 years later, I would not cringe and question why I wore it.”

The other dresses were decided about a week before the wedding.

The dinner featured three speeches. One was given by Lim’s elder brother and younger sister, which made the bride laugh and cry. Another was given by the best man, a childhood friend of Mr Webster. The third speech was given by Mr Webster’s father.

She said: “When my father-in-law gave his speech, all the guests were quiet, listening. I had not experienced that before in such a huge ballroom.

“Everyone was just happy for the both of us. It was a wonderful atmosphere and their silence really touched me.”

It was a day when tears flowed freely for the actress.

Lim wept when saying her vows during the solemnisation. “From the corner of my eye, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room. Everyone was just really happy that I had found true happiness.”

She also teared up when she thanked her parents on stage during the dinner.

“They are simply the best parents,” she said. “Even on occasions when they were given the shorter end of the stick, they were always there. They went through a lot for me and my siblings, and that really got to me.”

After the dinner, when the happy couple returned to their room, Lim recalls: “He said, ‘Today was perfect.’ And I replied, ‘Yeah, it was. It really was.’”

Planning for their wedding while working has kept them so busy that they do not have any honeymoon plans.

The actress plans to move in with Mr Webster’s family. Their home is being renovated and is expected to be ready in the middle of 2023.

And Lim is ready to start a family.

“After living with my nephew and niece, I would love to have a family of my own,” she says. “But we will take things one step at a time. Hopefully a little angel baby will come to us soon.”

The Straits Times

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