A Wedding Day in 1960 - Kampong to City to Kampong

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Indeed, it was a lovely day to be married - 2 October 1960, the day our parents tied the knot. After the groom fetched his bride and returned briefly to our Bedok kampong house for the traditional tea ceremony, they set off for their studio portraits at Studio De Luxe, located at 33 Stamford Road. Only after the photographs were taken did they continue on to their wedding high tea - a modest celebration at Robinsons Café in Raffles Place, back when the Robinsons Department Store stood as a landmark of the district. A dinner was beyond their means then, but the joy of the day was full and unreserved.

This photograph was taken just outside the studio, capturing the moment the couple prepared to leave for Robinsons Café after the photo session. Our mother, the bride, is seen being gently helped into the wedding car by her bridesmaid - her younger sister - and the best man. It is an iconic image for our family: not only for the splendid Pontiac that carried them through the day, but also for the familiar backdrop of the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, Victoria Street, visible to the left, anchoring the scene in the heart of old Singapore.

When the evening drew to a close, they returned to our kampong home, where our mother began her new life - living with her husband and his siblings, welcomed by her mother‑in‑law and the cousins who were already part of the household. It was the start of her journey in a home full of movement, kinship, and joining in the regular heartbeat of kampong life.

Original black and white photo colourised with ChatGPT

1961 Singapore Street Directory showing Stamford Road, unknown source


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