Cross-Cultural Vows

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Experience the enchanting fusion of tradition and modernity as dual Olympian Heidi Gan and Simon Le Couilliard tie the knot in a captivating celebration at the historic Old Courthouse in Kuching.

Celebrating diversity in matrimony

A beautiful wedding was held at the Old Courthouse in Kuching’s city centre, just before the usual rush of preparations for the Chinese New Year.

The lovely bride is none other than Heidi Gan, a dual Olympian who represented Malaysia in open water swimming in the 2012 London Olympic Games and the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. She also won gold in 10km open water swimming at the 2017 SEA Games.

***Posing with their friends before the wedding ceremony.***

Although she was raised in Australia, her parents, Judy Gan and Kang Seng Gan, are from Kuching, while the parents of Simon Le Couilliard, the groom, Liz Le Couilliard and Dennis Le Couilliard, are from the Jersey Channel Island in the United Kingdom.

It was raining so heavily on the morning of Heidi and Simon’s wedding that some of us who thought it to be a garden wedding were concerned.

It was a big relief when we arrived to find the guests all comfortable in the controlled indoor space with a cool temperature. The rain pouring down the inner court created a rather dreamy atmosphere for some great pictures.

***The happy couple, Heidi and Simon.***

The rain served as a symbol for this couple, who came all the way from Perth, Australia, to have a memorable wedding. It allowed them to move on from their past struggles and begin a new chapter in their lives.

The bride wore an off-white bridal gown and a veil embellished with lovely floral designs. The gown complemented her personality and her well-shaped athletic body. It was a beautiful, simple modern gown. Her groom looked sharp in a suit of the same colour tone.

Faux flowers were used in every decoration, which was brought in from Australia. Muted tones decorations added a sense of freshness.

Everyone was dressed in an oriental style, with the men looking rather dashing in Chinese Tang jackets with lustrous dragon motifs. The ladies, including Heidi’s mother, looked stunning in qipao (cheongsam), while her mother-in-law wore the Nyonya Kebaya with lovely embroidery.

The tea ceremony saw the happy couple dressed in traditional Chinese attire and provided a delightful tea ceremony experience for their foreign guests.

For Heidi and Simon, it was important to hold their wedding in Kuching in order to pay homage to Heidi’s family heritage and include her Malaysian family in the celebrations.

What they did not expect were 70 friends and relatives from all over the world (including Norway, Canada, London, New Zealand, Oman, and Australia) who flew to Kuching to celebrate with them.

The couple wanted to showcase Sarawak’s rich heritage throughout their wedding weekend, which involved a sunset river cruise down the Sarawak River before their civil ceremony and Chinese tea ceremony at the Old Courthouse, followed by a wedding dinner with Chinese lion dance performance at the Sarawak Club.

It also included a post-wedding tour to visit the Bidayuh Ring ladies in the Annah Rais Longhouse and see orangutans at the Semenggoh Nature Reserve, which is located just 20km from Kuching. Two buses were chartered to take their foreign guests around Kuching.

“It was important to observe my family’s cultural practices at this wedding in Kuching. Both my husband and I, together with my family, planned all of the events and celebrations here,” said Heidi, who is also a corporate lawyer as well as a public and motivational speaker in Australia.