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We just adore cross-cultural weddings like Atul and Xin Jin’s. This delightful couple met years back when they were both working in Singapore for the same company. At that time, both of them were in relationships with other partners. Fate had it that they were both posted to Hong Kong (albeit at different times) where they actually connected — eventually, falling in love! The wedding day was a most colorful affair — and we don’t just mean the wedding colors! The morning ceremony paid homage to Xin Jin’s Chinese heritage, beginning with the traditional gatecrash games involving the groom and his groomsmen. As they were mostly non-Singaporean Chinese, such games were actually a whole new experience for them which they embraced enthusiastically, from the strenuous planking with elbows supporting the entire body weight to performing a Bollywood dance, and definitely not forgetting the traditional sour-sweet-bitter-spicy food! A simple solemnization and exchange of wedding vows followed at the Covenant Community Methodist Church followed by the lunch banquet at the St. Regis Singapore. Perhaps the most beautiful element of both Indian and Chinese weddings is their collectivism: they not only unite the bride and groom, but both families, too. So undoubtedly the most symbolic yet equally entertaining portion of the day was the Indian marriage tradition of the ‘garland exchange’, or the “Jai Mala.” This is where both the bride and groom march separately into the ballroom with their respective entourages, to then be hoisted up while they attempt to place the garlands on each other. It is considered that, whoever puts the garland first on their partner, will have an upper hand in the marriage. In this case, Xin Jin took charge!