When Christy and Kenneth planned their solemnisation, they skipped the hotel ballroom for their own dining table with their two family dogs whom they wanted to be present at their special day. We styled their newly renovated central Singapore home almost entirely in foliage and botanical greens, playing off their dark wood table and white walls.
Home solemnisations are having a quiet comeback. Here's how their day came together, and what to know if you're considering one.
What is a home solemnisation, and why are Singapore couples still choosing one?
A home solemnisation is a legally registered marriage ceremony held in a couple's own house instead of the Registry, a hotel, or a garden venue. Couples choose it for privacy, lower cost, and a setting that's genuinely meaningful to them.
The format peaked during the pandemic out of necessity. It's rarer now, but couples like Christy and Kenneth are choosing it by choice for a space, and guest list, that's entirely their own.
Why did the couple choose to hold their solemnisation at home?
They wanted the ceremony inside the home they'd just renovated, and they wanted their two family dogs present, something only available at limited pet-friendly venues.
Getting married in a space they'd just built together turned the ceremony into a permanent memory tied to their new home, while home was really the only way to have their dogs beside them for their vows.
What makes botanical, foliage-forward decor work so well for a home solemnisation?
Foliage-forward decor works because it complements a home's existing architecture rather than competing with it, unlike a blank hotel ballroom that needs to be transformed from scratch.
For Christy and Kenneth, that meant leaning into their dark wood table, white walls, and natural light with greenery in earthy, organic tones that read like a small forest brought indoors and grounded.
How do you style a dining table for a solemnisation using foliage and natural textures?
Skipping the table centrepiece and let the greenery come from above. We hung a low, wide cluster of mixed foliage over the table: trailing asparagus fern and ferns for movement, broad philodendron leaves for structure, and amaranthus tassels and baby's breath threaded through for texture and a touch of softness. Kept loose and asymmetrical, it drapes just above eye level so the wood grain and place settings stay the focal point underneath.
For Christy and Kenneth, we anchored the palette in deep greens and soft sage against warm walnut, echoing it at the base of the table with a low floor arrangement of ornamental grasses and white calla lilies. Let your furniture and lighting guide the design, not the other way round.
Can my dog or cat really be part of my solemnisation ceremony?
Yes, they can sit right beside you, have floral accessories like floral collar. In our early stages of the decor discussion, it would great to let us know that you will be having your furkids at the event and we will plan the florals and foliage to be pet safe.
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