Avery Khuan
- Feb 28
- 2 min read

First; Esther & Ian

By Avery Khuan

Life is full of firsts; from the first time you ride a bicycle, the first time you made a friend and to the first time you said “Will you marry me?”. And as they say, you always remember your first. Esther and Ian’s wedding is our first wedding as the newly minted DTE Weddings and it will always be one for the books. As someone with tattoos, I’m highly tempted to permanently ink the date down so I’ll never forget it even when dementia finally hits (I joke - about the dementia, I mean). But that seems highly extreme.

black and white photo of makeup artist and bride

A destination wedding for the couple and their total of fifty-ish guests flown in from around the world, it could not have been the more perfect wedding to start off this new chapter of my (me, Avery) life and career. Their wedding represented everything that we stood for; the perfect embodiment of DTE, or rather, Down to Earth Weddings. From the intimate guestlist, to the wedding colours (burgundy for Ian and emerald for Esther) and down to the customised table names representing countries that held meaning for the two. There was thought, there was care and there was love in every detail. There was Esther and Ian’s love story in every corner.

bride approaching groom with his back turned

It’s insane how much love there was to go around and how each and every person was touched by Esther and Ian’s all encompassing love. Even looking at the photos, you can see the love and support the two of them receive from their community and share to whomever they touch.

The time I spent with Esther and Ian was precious, from communicating at odd hours with the couple based in Dubai right down to the rehearsal dinner the night before where I taught the international guests how to prepare their very own bowls of sago gula melaka. The details of their wedding are hazy now (they said “I Do” in 2022; yes, I have a terrible memory) but I will always remember all the fun I had, not just with Esther and Ian but with their guests, their wonderfully charming bridal party, their incredibly warm and genuine family members (I ended up telling them about my crush on a certain boy) and the fantastic team of vendors.

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. Here, I raise a glass to you, Esther and Ian, for putting your trust in me and for becoming incredible friends along the way. Sending all my love!