About Small Vows

Small Vows is an independent guide for couples planning smaller, more personal weddings in Singapore — the kind with a short guest list, a meaningful setting and room for family traditions. It is written by a small editorial team who care about heritage buildings and about weddings that reflect the people in them. We are not a venue, a planner, a solemniser or a government body, and nothing here should be read as legal advice.

What this guide covers

We focus on the practical questions that come up when a wedding is intimate rather than grand. Where should the couple stand, and how should guests flow into the room? What changes when the setting is an old shophouse, a colonial bungalow, a museum hall or a Chinese courtyard house? How do you style a protected building without harming it? What should you know about the tea ceremony if you are new to it, or blending it with another tradition? And how do you keep an open-air ceremony on track when the weather changes?

How we choose sources

Where a statement has historical weight, we rely on official or well-established sources and link to them so you can check. For heritage buildings, it means the National Heritage Board — including nhb.gov.sg and the Roots.gov.sg portal — and the Urban Redevelopment Authority's conservation pages. For weather and outdoor planning, we refer to the Meteorological Service Singapore and the National Environment Agency. For fire safety around candles and décor, the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

When we describe a particular building, we keep to facts that are documented in public sources and avoid anything we cannot verify — including how many guests a space holds. Venues change their layouts and rules; please confirm details directly with them.

A note on the ceremony

We write about the ceremony as something that happens in a particular room. Our ceremony planning page looks at focal points, seating layouts, guest flow, timing for light and heat, sound in old halls and a weather backup for open courtyards. It does not cover paperwork or administrative steps; those sit outside this guide. What it offers is a way to see a space clearly before you commit to it.

On traditions

Singapore is home to many communities, and wedding customs differ between them and within them. Our tea ceremony notes describe practices that are common among many Chinese families here, but they are intentionally general. We encourage every couple to ask their own elders first. If a family custom differs from what we describe, the family custom is right for that family.

On heritage buildings

We feature older buildings because they offer something new venues cannot: a sense of continuity and craftsmanship. We also believe weddings in these places carry a responsibility. That is why our styling page starts with what not to do — no nails, tape or adhesives on historic surfaces, no candles without the venue's agreement — before it gets to flowers and fabric. A building left exactly as you found it remains available to the couples who follow.

Links to other sites

We link to government agencies and reference sources for verification, to an events page where couples can find hosting details for one featured house, and to one other independent guide that compares heritage venues more widely. We do not rank settings, and inclusion of a setting is not an endorsement of any particular business.

Corrections

We try hard to be precise, but procedures and venues change. If you notice something out of date, we would rather fix it than leave it standing. In the meantime, treat every page here as a starting point for your own checks, and confirm anything important directly with the venue.

Thank you for reading, and may your vows — however small the gathering — be exactly the size you want them to be.