05/05/05...06/06/06...07/07/07: 'We deliberately waited for this date to finish the sequence.' - Ms Rachel Ng (above, seen here with husband James Tan), on the couple choosing to hold their wedding dinner on July 7. Mr Tan proposed to her on May 5, 2005, and the registered their marriage on June 6, 2006. -- ST PHOTO: STEPHANIE YEOW

For one Singaporean couple, the day marks the end of a 'three-year' plan which began when Mr James Tan proposed to Ms Rachel Ng on May 5, 2005.

They then registered their marriage on June 6, 2006. And they will have their wedding dinner on... yes, you guessed it: July 7, 2007.

Certainly, the number seven is auspicious in many cultures.

In Judaism, God rested on and sanctified the seventh day and Buddha walked seven steps at his birth. And there are seven heavens in the Islamic tradition.

Also, three sevens gives a player 21 points on a blackjack table, while 7-7-7 is a winning line on slot machines.

For Mr Tan and Ms Ng, the number seven brings back happy memories too.

They dated for seven years and King Edward VII (the Roman numeral for seven is VII) Hall was where they first met while studying at the National University of Singapore.

Said Ms Ng: 'We deliberately waited for this date to finish the sequence.'

Other couples have also been eyeing this 'triple' once-in-a-century moment.

Ms Ng Ling Siew notes that the term 'seventh heaven' connotes bliss. She will be marrying Mr Dean Baey, her boyfriend of seven years, on Saturday.

Ever the practical Singaporean too, she joked: 'This way, he has no excuses for forgetting our anniversaries.'

Even the Registry of Marriages (ROM) nearly got into the triple-seven sweepstake - there will be 772 solemnisation ceremonies this Saturday, just five shy of that special number.

Still, the figure will be a record for the year, far surpassing the average 100 solemnisation on Saturdays. It is already the second most sought-after ROM date in recent years.

The one that took the icing on the cake was Valentine's Day in 1995, when 1,082 marriages were solemnised. Also, the day coincided with the 15th day of the Chinese New Year.

Meanwhile, the fact that July 7 this year is a Saturday helps the wedding planners - as well as adds to their woes.

Function rooms at hotels such as the Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Oriental and Sentosa Resort & Spa are all fully booked for July 7.

The Grand Hyatt hotel received enquiries over two years ago and had to turn away 20 couples. There was simply no room at the hotel.

As for the Shangri-La Hotel, an additional 150 temporary banquet service staff have been hired. There will be six weddings at the hotel on that day, compared with the average two to three Saturday weddings usually held there.

Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel will see a record 13 wedding events on Saturday.

Getting a popular wedding photographer for July 7 can also prove to be tough.

Mr Chew Heng Yong and Ms Joan Wong will celebrate their marriage at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront, but they missed out on getting the servi- ces of popular wedding photographer Kelvin Koh.

Another couple had already 'booked' him 18 months ago and Mr Koh had to turn down over 20 requests.

There is yet another dilemma, this time for the would-be guests - which event to attend.

Researcher Ivanus Manopo, 31, received two wedding invitations for Saturday.

'I've no choice but to give one a miss,' he said.

He may take comfort that his dilemma is likely to be a global one this Saturday.

Wire reports say that wedding planners, hotels, caterers, florists and bakers everywhere are scrambling to accommodate the flood of couples rushing to the altar on 07/07/07.

TheKnot.com, a popular United States-based wedding website, found that 38,000 American couples out of 1.1 million registered on the portal are getting married this Saturday - more than three times the average for Saturdays in July.

Celebrity couple Eva Longoria, star of Desperate Housewives, and Tony Parker, French basketball hero of the San Antonio Spurs, are getting hitched on 07/07/07 as well.

Businesses too are hoping to hit the jackpot on that date.

Hotels, catering halls, bridal shops and wedding consultants have been rolling out triple- seven wedding packages and beefing up inventory and staff to accommodate the demand.

Las Vegas, the land of economical and impromptu weddings, will be particularly chaotic.

More than 60 couples are to be wed in mass ceremonies at the Mandalay Bay and Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino.

The Flamingo, also on the famous Las Vegas Strip, has scheduled 77 back-to-back weddings, running virtually nonstop.

Meanwhile, back in Singapore, an airline pilot who flies a non-stop jet, is cleared to take off on his matrimonial journey on 07/07/07.

Singapore Airlines pilot Sparks Ng flies the Boeing 777. He drives a Saab 9-3 with the numbers 777 on the licence plate. And at 7pm on 07/07/07, he will exchange wedding vows with Ms Catrin Ler, who is a cabin crew member on Boeing 777s.

Said Mr Ng: 'We chose this date because it's meaningful to us - it coincides with so many things.'

In 2004, the former schoolmates of Outram Secondary School crossed paths again on a Boeing 777.

After losing touch for close to 20 years, they were among the crew on board the same flight to Bali.

Recalled Mr Ng: 'I was checking in for my flight and printing out the crew list when I noticed her name.'

Coincidentally, their combined ages when they tie the knot is 77. Mr Ng is 39, while Ms Ler is 38.

Given the significance of the number seven, the couple acknowledge that they could not have found a better day to get married.

'It's the perfect date,' said Ms Ler. 'And there's no reason to ever forget this day.'

But couples who have missed the 07/07/07 boat can take heart that the date may not be all good fortune, said a British Telegraph report.

It said astrologers have warned of delays, miscommunication and travel problems.

Now, that is a no-brainer.

linxinyi@sph.com.sg

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM WASHINGTON POST, ASSOCIATED PRESS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEWSDAY