#11 - Fights are necessary!

“The couple that fights the most is the one most in love… it shows they care enough to notice the other one screwed up and care enough to mention it to the person so they can fix it. When you stop fighting it means you stopped caring…..”

- Jom.. B... Kita gado banyak2!

#10 - Of Wedding Plannings

Click banner to be redirected to the website

Here's a great directory if you are still in your early stages of wedding planning.
Sampai kero mata.

Another great place to look at would be Multiply. Go the Multiply Search Engine and just do a random search. You'll be amazed at the no of vendors you can find online.

But please be careful with who you deal with. As you know wedding planning requires a huge sum of $$. Do a background check if needed and get opinions from other in forums etc. :)

#9 - The Perfect Shade of PInk

Was doing up some work while i thought of what would be my colour palette for my wedding.

I like something sweet, romantic and girlish and i have always love Pink but i do not want to have it Pink all over considering we be doing a combined wedding and it will be a little too sissy for his likings.

I love those English Garden theme kind of weddings or perhaps something Spring.
So i suppose my colours would comprise of White, Pink & Green.

I was browsing through The Perfect Palette and stumbled uponthis pallette i have somehow 'shortlisted'.

Inspiration Board # 264: Shades of Pink & Green

However, i would just keep the Green to a minimal and concentrate more on Pink and White cos the boy hates green. bleargh.

#8 - you're invited!

If you are currently recce-ing around for wedding cards, try The Card Maison.

Click the banner to be redirected to their Official Page.

Click here for their Facebook Page where they update their latest news and promotions.

#7 - Doll me up.

I reckon this would be one of the top priority for all brides!

Mak Andam mana eh nak pakai?
Yang popular gedemak, hari2 masok TV tu tapi package dia peh lah mahal...
Atau yang tak popular sangat tapi yang tak lari dari budget?

Personally, i feel the Mak Andam (Makeup Artist) is the Most Important Person next to the Tok Kadi of course. (Tok Kadi takde, majlis grand2 pun tak guna worr)
Because she would be the person taking care of you throughout the whole ceremony.

She is also responsible of making you look good and pleasant for all your guest and the pictures!
(You sure do not want to cringe when you see your wedding pictures few years down the road)

Often, my friends would ask, what are the things that i look out for if i were to choose a Mak Andam?

1) Her Makeup style.
Personally i prefer something not too natural and not too dramatic.

I cannot take something too natural because i wear Makeup ALL the time.
So if i were to take a natural makeup, i probably look like i how i look every single day.

I also cannot take heavy dramatic makeup because my boy say i have a garang face.
So, those deep deep black eye sockets kind of style that some Mak Andam are so fond of is a no-no for me.

An Example of Natural Makeup would be by Versari Ade.
An Example of Heavy Makeup would be Ratu Weddings.

But then again, this is my personal opinion.
What i deem as thick may not be thick to you.

Oh.. i would say Chantique Bridal has the perfect makeup style for me!
I love most of the makeup style from Abg Zul except for the Pink eyeshadows.
Maybe because i just cannot have Pink eyeshadows. But i love pink though.
I just do not like Pink on my eyes. That's all. Heh.

Another one that i like would be The Fatimah Mohsin herself.
I know, i know, very over-rated already.
But you just got to agree her make up skills are very good.
She transforms how you look. But well, at least people can still recognise you lah
and not think they went to the wrong wedding!

2) The Baju-Bajus
It's not a wedding if you don't wear nice baju kan?
When i say nice baju, i really mean nice to wear..
Not those yang banyak sangat ruffles, kalau diri depan langsir, confirm tak leh bezakan.

Oh.. and people.. stop wearing matching baju and your deco.
It does not turn out good in pictures. Trust me.
When in doubt, stick with White or Cream. That is the safest colour for wedding.

Gone are the days where pengantin tukar baju 5, 7 kali. If it was me, confirm pengsan.

But i digress. Back to the nice baju-baju.

This is what i would love to have for my wedding.
1) A white simple kebaya with a selendang and baby pink roses.
No tiaras for me. Not a fan. Tak nak feeling princess2. haha

2) A Traditional Outfit for the Sanding Ceremony. Preferably midnight blue or red (roooooaaarrr)

3) White Lace Long-sleeved dress for my Cake-Cutting. So i can hide my fat arms.

I particularly like Maya Karin's Wedding Dress. Very Grace Kelly style.



3) Her Service & Conversational Skills.
I am very particular about service. I can be kancheong at times and i need someone to reassure me that things are going as planned. So good service is a must.

I don't want my Mak Andam to go MIA on me the day before the wedding.
I tell you, i confirm gelabah mcm mati laki.

As for conversational skills.. I am a talkative person and i get even more talkative when i'm nervous. So i must have a Mak Andam who can keep up with my incessant ramblings.
If i have someone who keeps quiet most of the time, i mati liao!

4) Reasonable Price.
Sekarang bukan nya susah sangat nak cari Mak Andam rumah.
Berlambak2 kat Multiply. Toleh kiri, nampak Mak Andam, toleh kanan, nampak mak andam lagik.

Of course, mak andam rumah and mak andam yang ada kedai sendiri tu beza lah harga dia.
Kita pun understand, dorang advertise mcm nak rak, bayar duit sewa kedai beribu2..

But i personally would draw a line at below $1.8k for my Mak Andam.
3 Baju, 2 hari makeup and hair-do and a fresh flower bouquet.
Boleh dapat kan?

Dah.. tu je my punya criteria. Tak lah berjela sangat.
Paling penting aku & Mak Andam boleh ngam.

Tak leh ngam, susah....
Nanti gambar kahwin aku, semua muka sedih

Macam ni.. :(

#6 - Click Click

One of the things i absolutely love and adore about weddings must be the Wedding Photographs.
To me, that is one of top things to really be choosy about.

Recce, recce, recce for a good and affordable photographer.

I am very fickle-minded when it comes to photographs.
Sometimes, i really love the soft, vintage approach.
Sometimes, i love the very bright contrast photos.

I have a few photographers yang i think i suka lah sangat2..

Some of them are within my budget and some of them, not really.


Khai from Khai FotoAtelier is my favourite.
His rates are above average, but his works - SUPERB!

I have worked with Khai before on a Photoshoot he has done with my boy nya Band.
He is professional and makes people really comfortable and his pictures turns out great!

I think his trademark has got to be the really bright contrast pictures he takes.
But he has very nice soft-looking pictures as well that just makes you go aaaaawwwwwww.

This is what i meant by the bright, contrast one. This would really look so nice as a wedding poster.

The picture on the left is also one of my favourite. I love those vintage, desatured kind of pictures as well.

Khai's package rates starts from S$1850.00 for a one-day event and S$2850.00 for a two day event.

His outdoor shoot starts from S$550.00 and if you ask me, it's totally worth it!

Another of my favourite photographer has got be Ehsan from Frames of Life.

I find all his pictures kinda dreamy and the standard sama lah mcm those Photographer cina.
Not very posey2 sangat u know.


Lagik best is, his wedding package starts from $850.00 for a one day event!
Good for my budget! :)

I have got other photographers that i like too. But i will probably feature them next time ok!

#5 - In or out?

One of the things that have been bugging me is to have my wedding indoors or outdoors.
To be really honest, i would really much prefer an outdoor setting and i have fell in love with The Lake House at Bottle Tree Park.

I have envisioned myself to have an evening wedding on a Saturday.
The reception will start at 4.00pm till 7.00pm just for relatives and that would also includes Nikah. It will commence again after Maghrib till about 10.00pm just for our close friends and colleagues.

Why do i want to be in the Evening?
Because the ambience is oh so romantic lah!

Have you seen the Lake House yet?


Here is the Lake House from a Distance. It sits atop a small pond with lots of lotus leaves and water lily. It would have even more perfect if there are swans. lol


Now this is the aisle walkway that i totally love! If i'm doing it there, i would surely put lots of tealight candles along the aisle or maybe those smaller block candles if i want them to last longer.
Can u just imagine how pretty it will look when it's all light up! I can also decorate it with white chiffons at the rail as well to have a dreamy look.

However, there might be some restrictions with the place lah that i am now having second thoughts about.

Firstly, i won't be able to get my parents and relatives to cook there of course. I would have to get in catering and that would mean extra $$ spent, and also because BTP will impose a surcharge of $4.68 per pax if i bring in external caterer. So if i am inviting 400 pax, i would have to pay an additional $1900 at least.

If i really have to get someone else to do the catering for me, i probably will get Sweet Memories to do it for me.

She does it from home and her price is negotiable.
eg: if You have a budget of $6.00 per pax, she will work out the menu with you.
Currently, her wedding package is at $7.50 per pax which i feel is reasonable enough.

The best thing is, because she works from home, i do not need to go and book a tentage or whatever for her to cook and she can do it from her home and deliver it to me.

Problem solved!
But i must be prepared for a bigger budget because i foresee there will problem with the deco logistics as well!

#4 Tightening our belts

Hands up if you are tightening up your belts because of your wedding!
Wedding are really a lavish affair and i have known some people who spends at least $30,000 on a void deck wedding.

I hope i am not going to spend that kind of money on my wedding.
Not because i cant afford to, but i just don't want to.
I want my wedding to be memorable and nice and pleasing to the eye but i am also practical.

I believe with proper budgetting, i definitely can do it! What's my budget you ask?

S$15,000 for a combined wedding for at least 800 pax.

I know some of you will go
"Huh????? Dekni biar betul! aku peh catering je dah nak dekat S$12,000!"

It is possible because my parents are gonna be cooking for me, together with some of my relatives. It was their request and i would gladly accept that. lol

I am after-all big on the "gotong-royong" spirit.

For 800 pax, my budget for catering will be approximately S$2,000 and that is including the drinks and some desserts which i would order.

See, i saved S$10,000 on catering alone.

The next thing i know that is in your head will be "Can her parents do it?"

Yup! Last 2 weekends, my mom and dad single-handedly cooked for 800 pax at our 4-room flat.
Trust me, it was not even chaotic. Just imagine, just the two of them cooking for 800 pax at home.

That's because my uncle had a small budget and asked him for help.
My Dad did it with a $1500 budget.

So, yes... u can have a smaller budget wedding if you can round up your relatives to help you.
But don't force them to do it lah! My relatives were kind enough to extend their help even before my father mentioned it to them. haha

So, my parents would probably help with the before-event preparation and then my relatives
will help during the event itself.

Me and the boy are quite lucky in that sense.

But, of course we are not taking advantage. My parents don't wish to take any payments for us.
They only want us to fork out the $2,000 for them to buy the barangs2 and we were thinking of getting them a Travel Package to Jakarta or something to reward them for their hard work. :)

So, anyway, i have drawn up a Wedding Budget just to be clear on the things that i am supposed and not supposed to spend
my hard-earned $$ on.

So far, we are still far away from the budget (thankfully!) but we are just preparing ourselves
for other ad-hoc payments etc.

Wedding Budget for Multi-Purpose Hall - 800 pax


Catering: $2000.00
Mak Andam: $1500.00
Void Deck Deco: $1800.00
Room Deco: $300.00
Photographer: $800.00
Videographer: $500.00
Wedding Favors: $800.00
Cards + Posters: $200.00
Stickers for Favors & Invitation: $50.00
Wedding Gifts: $1000.00
Cakes: $200.00
Henna: $100.00
Kendarat: $500.00
Kompang: $300.00
Booking of Multi Purpose Hall: $100.00
Wedding Marriage Course: $150.00
ROMM Registration: $39.00
Kadi: $100.00
Table & Chairs:
Kitchen Tentage:
Toilet:
Cutlery:

Subtotal: $10, 439.00

The budget above is not inclusive of the rental of Table & Chairs, Cutleries, Portable Toilet & tentage for cooking etc. I figure the amount will come up to $2,000 plus.

Phew! Budgetting is so exhilarating.

#3 - Can i have one 4-room flat, upsize please?

If you are also living in Singapore, you would know how difficult it is to get a decent flat.
We have been trying for a flat and so far, we have applied for two sales launches.

One of it is the Sales of Balance Flat and we chose Bukit Panjang Area because it woul be near to my
parent's place and we personally love Bukit Panjang.

We applied in August and we got our Queue no in October.
Guess what our no is? No 49!

Those who heard about it said that we were very lucky to get a low queue no.
However, we are talking about Balance Flats here and they only have 43 units of 4-room flats at Bukit Panjang!

I know right, so near yet so far! Worse is, there are only 41 flats available for us cos that is the quota for the Malays.

So right now, the boy and me are praying hard that people are rejecting some of the houses.
So that our queue no will move up. BUt that would be like hoping for the sky to turn pink, right?

We are definitely crossing our fingers.

We have been going around Bukit Panjang to look-see some of the houses as HDB have released the Houses details
(eg, Blk No and Unit No). So, what the boy and me did was, we drove around Bukit panjang and try and go up to the unit
just to see if it is suitable for us.

However, it is also during this trips that we realise some of the units have the "O$P$" marks on it.
Yes, the previous owners have meddled with loansharks before.

While all those marks have been duly covered up, we are still worried.
After-all, we all have heard about how some people get harrased by loansharks because of the previous owners.

Another of my concern would be the neighbours. I would very much prefer to have neighbours who are tidy at the common space.
I hate it when people hang truckloads of their clothes at the main corridor or even worse, their children mattresses.

Other than that, i'm really fine with anything.

In November, we applied for a BTO Flat in Yishun, just in case we dont get the flat in Bukit Panjang.

Its called Yishun Greenwalk I love the flat in Yishun but it will take us another 4 years before we get it. (That's IF we get it. lol)

Results will out end December and i pray that we get a good number.
We really, really need a house. Help!

#2 - What about us?

A blog would probably be boring if you don't know who exactly you are reading about. Right?

However, i would really like to keep things a little bit low-profile until later. :)

U can call me Dee. I'm 27 this year.
(Believe me, according to my makcik-makciks, 27 is an age where i should have 3 kids already. NO!!)

I'm currently residing in Singapore (and loving it!)

Monday to Friday, from 9am to 6pm, U can see me slogging my ass off at an established dot.com company where i get to organize corporate events / workshops for them.

Yes, i am a sucker for organizing and planning things which is why i think i will do an awesome job planning for my wedding. lol.

I am currently blissfully engaged to an awesome guy whom i shall call Mr R(ight).
(oh well, at least he is right for me and it does not hurt that his name starts with R!)

We are currently not planning for a wedding yet because we are planning for a house 1st.
Now, if you are a Singaporean, you will find that getting a house in Singapore VERY difficult.

So, no house = no wedding.
At least this is what we have agreed upon.

However, that should not deter me from doing some research. Right?

Now, i am really bad at describing myself so i really suggest you stay on and read to know more alright?