Unique wedding invitations to President Tharman and brands bring touching and thoughtful surprises to Singaporean couple

SINGAPORE – A Singaporean couple received heartwarming responses and generous gifts after extending wedding invitations to an unlikely guest list, including President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and several popular brands.

The heartening saga unfolded as their TikTok video chronicling the remarkable gifts went viral with over 674.8K views and 78.4K likes.

The couple, who wished to be identified simply as “Sian Shi and Gillian,” initially sent out wedding invitations to businesses they admired, for what they described as “a laugh.”

Their wedding took place on 12 October at the Singapore Turf Club, but little did they know that their invitations would garner such heartfelt reactions.

In a video, they expressed their gratitude and exclaimed, “Thanks for making our day!”

Koi, the renowned bubble tea cafe, was among the first to respond.

The café graciously waived the delivery fee for a bulk order of bubble tea on the couple’s special day, making it a memorable gesture.

Next, the couple received a letter from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam himself.

While he expressed his inability to attend their solemnization due to official commitments, he conveyed his warm wishes for their future, acknowledging their congratulatory message for his recent presidential election victory.

Mr Kang Puay Seng, the CEO of Gong Cha Singapore, also joined in the celebration.

He sent the couple S$90 worth of gift vouchers along with a personal letter, expressing his honor at hearing of their love for Gong Cha. Mr Kang’s message reinforced the brand’s commitment to its loyal customers.

Gong Cha Singapore, told TODAY that they are honored to receive the heartfelt, handwritten invitation from the couple.

They emphasized their commitment to reciprocating the love and kindness of their fans whenever possible, and their gesture of providing vouchers and a specially crafted letter to Sian Shi and Gillian demonstrated this dedication.

Scoot, a budget airline, surprised the newlyweds with a gift basket containing adorable teddy bears, stickers, and a heartfelt card.

Additionally, Don Don Donki, the popular grocery chain, contributed to the joyous occasion by presenting a gift box that included a hand-drawn illustration of the couple alongside penguin plushies and various other goodies.

Inspired by other similar videos

When asked about their inspiration for this unique approach to invitations, Sian Shi and Gillian revealed that they had been inspired by a similar viral video where a couple had sent a wedding invitation to McDonald’s and received a “McNugget bouquet.”

They decided to try their luck with the brands they frequented and extended an invitation to President Tharman as well, hoping to receive well wishes from the newly-elected president.

The couple clarified that they sent the invitations via traditional postal mail and did not request any gifts, simply stating their admiration in the invitations.

They were overwhelmed with joy upon receiving the unexpected and thoughtful responses and gifts from the brands and dignitaries they admire.

Netizens’ responses 

Additionally, online commentators also extended their congratulatory message for the couple’s weddings in the comment section.

One user wrote: OMG, this is too cute. Their gifts are 100/100.

Another user said, “That is so cool of them, congratulations.”

Nevertheless, there are also some individuals who scoffed at the couple, accusing them of merely seeking freebies or sponsorships for their wedding.

Conversely, there were those who approached the situation with a touch of humor.

The most prominent comment playfully proposed that, in lieu of the invitations sent, they would have considered reaching out to high-end watch and jewelry brands like Rolex, Cartier, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and Van Cleef & Arpels instead.

Gong Cha Singapore and Scoot Airline also left comments on the couple’s TikTok video, extending their congratulations once again for the wedding.