We loved playing sweet romantic tunes for the wedding of James and Janice at Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club. As many of the couple’s guests flew in from the United States as well as China, we pulled out a diverse range of popular tunes in various languages, not limited to Mandarin and English for them. We also sang popular Spanish tunes like Quizas Quizas Quizas (Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps) and Quando Quando Quando, thanks to our brief lessons with our Venezuelan friends during our residency in a different part of the world! (There must be something about triple accents!)
It was one of the most windblown days in Perth this Summer this Sunday just passed. What that was supposed to be a simple wedding celebration and performance, turned out just as poignant and unforgettable as the night unfolded.
Thanks so much for playing beautiful music last night. Appreciated!!! All my guests enjoyed the incredible night.
Hello Abby! I think she was drawn to my favourite someone, guess who? (see bottom of post for answer)
James and I will keep going with happiness and with your beautiful wishes. Thanks again for your beautiful music Juliet and Didi!
If you are considering a fuss-free wedding venue that could give you one of Perth’s most beautiful water views, the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club is definitely a popular choice. It is one of those venues, where food and service of the few times we had performed there, as consistently THUMBS UP. We were unexpectedly asked to join the table and enjoy the wedding dinner with the guests right after our pre-dinner cocktail performance. We felt a little overwhelmed by Janice’s and James’ hospitality and generosity but also right at home, because everyone was so comfortable and relaxed at the wedding party and the couple themselves were indulging in some very interesting games.
Since Polkadot + Moonbeam (our story) was formed (2010), it had been 7 years since we performed together. Of which, we spent the 1st five years gallivanting and hopping about various cities, and had accumulated quite an interesting and eclectic repertoire, consisting of Mandarin, Bahasa Indonesia, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, French and even a little bit of Italian classic tunes. Both the bride and groom were expecting a majority of Mandarin-speaking guests, so she had requested for 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart), a Teresa Teng classic favourite for the Chinese. But as the night went on, it seemed like the right moment for one of our favourite duet latin arrangements – So Nice (Summer Samba – see instagram video post below). My good friend (my twinny from musical theatre days playing sprites from The Snow Queen, and concubine roles in The Forbidden City, and just the main person who really drew me into the whole world of jazz), Sing!China 2nd runner up, vocalist Joanna Dong penned very fitting Mandarin lyrics to this Marco Valles latin standard and called it 夏日桑巴 （Summer Samba). Very often tunes come on, and people haven’t the opportunity to appreciate the lyrics, but heads started turning as we began singing this duet arrangement of the bossa nova classic, and I saw Polkadots and Moonbeams literally floating in this love-filled room. I was so immensely filled with joy to share twinny’s heartfelt lyrics on this beautiful latin jazz number.
What touched me deeply was when the bride shared a very simple but significant confession that although they had already been registered as husband and wife a while ago, every woman, every lady desires a nice proposal, a real wedding celebration. I was wrecked when the groom, James knelt down and proposed there and then. It was the surprise of the evening for everyone, including the bride. And of course, out flowed those tears of joy.
Bless you both with a beautiful journey together, now witnessed by all your loved ones, celebrated over fine food and wine, toasted to for your future steps together for a very long time.
It was also wonderful meeting the TMI events team, they were on their feet all night making this night special for the couple, and so wonderful reliving some old memories of our days playing as resident musicians and leading the Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts Team at Qingdao, China. Here’s the official video of our interview from 2015, if you may be interested in our past life: http://www.iqiyi.com/w_19rtfyzmp1.html
For those who know the Mandarin pop hit 被风吹过的夏天（The Windblown Summer) that I had the pleasure of co-writing with Singaporean-born pop sensation JJLin 林俊杰，this wedding summed it up. Truly windblown this summer’s day at the lovely Royal Freshwater Bay, with fond memories of our travels from not too long ago.
And before you go, meet Abby and her not-so-secret admirer. Perhaps that’s where it had all started…
