In July 2014, Channel NewsAsia presenter Glenda Chong exchanged vows with a Singapore lawyer in a small ceremony attended only by family. The day was Peranakan in spirit, chosen to honour her heritage, and a larger celebration with friends followed in August.
At the time she was an executive editor and presenter at Channel NewsAsia. Her groom was an advocate and solicitor who was also a partner at Tito Isaac & Co. LLP.
A carpark, a party and a July wedding
The couple first met in 2012 in a carpark, and then crossed paths again at a party. Neither could have known then that they would be married within two years.
Speaking around the time of the wedding, Chong said she knew not long after they began dating that she wanted to grow old with him and to share both happiness and sorrow with him.
The first part of the celebration was traditional. She wore an off-the-rack nyonya kebaya with sarong-print heels for a tea ceremony, which was followed by lunch at Beng Thin Hoon Kee Restaurant. She said the traditional elements pleased the older relatives in particular.
She also recalled the gatecrashing games, in which the groom is made to earn his way to the bride. He lifted her off her feet afterwards. She keeps a wedding photo of her late parents by her bed and said she hoped her marriage would be as happy as theirs.
The August dinner at Labrador Park
A month after the tea ceremony, the couple held a dinner reception at Tamarind Hill Restaurant. The colonial house-turned-restaurant sits among the greenery of Labrador Park. Fleurlicious did the flowers, in a white and green palette that suited the setting.
The bride wore a lacy ivory gown from Bridal Veil by Michelle HuiMin. The groom wore a three-piece suit from The Men’s Club.
Several touches reflected her background:
- A friend, Mashizan Masjum, designed a pair of custom-made shoes for the couple.
- The invitation cards were designed to reflect her Peranakan heritage.
- The sugee wedding cake echoed the same theme, and the couple kept its top tier to eat on their first anniversary.
During dinner, a guest read E.E. Cummings’s poem “I Carry Your Heart With Me”. She said it captured how the two of them felt about each other.
Chong described the day as fun but exhausting. She was so busy entertaining guests that she hardly ate, yet she said she would do it all again in a heartbeat.
Since the wedding
More than a decade later, in March 2025, CNA reported that Chong had welcomed her first child, a son born on 5 March at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital. The Straits Times reported that the couple had gone through ten rounds of IVF.
FAQ
When did Glenda Chong get married?
She married in 2014. The family-only ceremony, tea ceremony and lunch took place in July, and the dinner reception for friends followed in August.
What was Glenda Chong’s wedding theme?
The theme was Peranakan, with a nyonya kebaya, a sugee cake and invitations that reflected her heritage. The dinner was held in a colonial house at Labrador Park.