Cards done, pictures taken.. what's next?

The wedding invitation cards are all done, and its only about time that we have started sending them out to the invitees. The effect from the invitation cards turns out just the way we wanted it to be.. simple, classic, nice.

The invitation cards was easy, it took us only 2 days to get it done. It's the invitee list that sort of hold us back awhile.. I know its abit difficult to get ppl to confirm us 2 months ahead.. but that is to sort of cut down on the unnecessary waiting time for us and for them.. don't you think so?

Anyway.. we finally can get to collect our wedding pics this Saturday!! Yey.. after like 2 month long of waiting.. Hoepfully this time we don't have to wait again when they tell us "oh, sorry... we have not done this or that.."

Evening dress for the dinner is yet to surface as they only manage to get the materials I wanted for the dress like early this month. Estimated time to get my 1st fitting is in Aug.... argh.. why does it has to be so tightly scheduled.. oh well, that gives me more time to get myself into my desire weight and shape.. hehehehe.

Oh.. I didn't update about our house ballot... well, sad to say, we fail to secure ourselves with a house to move-in in time for the wedding. They left us with no choice but to decline the offer to select a unit when all that was left was 2nd floor units conveniently located next to the central rubbish chute. And it's just next to the kitchen window!!! Gosh....talk about house design.

The next housing ballot will only be in Oct, way after our wedding day. Oh, well..let's just say it may be a blessings in disguise. I rather wait than to stay to the stinky dump for 5 yrs!

As the date draws nearer, I am begining to feel the pinch of it. A little disappointed that we couldn't get the house of cos but that can't be helped too. Though everything seems to be in place, I just can't stop thinking that I may have missed something out.

Let's see:

1. Cards - done and sent
2. Hotels - booked
3. Accommodation - booked and confirmed
4. Gowns - chosen and pending on my evening dress only
5. Pictures - collecting this Saturday
6. Bridal car - booked, need to reconfirm
7. Wedding proper - handled
8. Final hotel arrangements - to be confirm in Aug
9. RSVPs - still waiting
10. Anything else?

Wedding cards

We collected our wedding cards from the hotel about a couple of weeks ago for printing and finally on last Saturday we went to check out the printing company that the hotel has recommended to us. (there are 2 of them in fact) We decided to go with the one called T.Dragons at Excelsior Shopping Mall.

We were into a surprise when we found the shop just at the tiny corner of the mall, conveniently right next to a slimming center and opposite a nail parlour to be packed with eager parents and couples alike. Everyone seems to be busy with their own selection, while some parents give their pieces of advise on how the wedding invitation should be. As I was still nursing my seriously sore throat.... my excitement over the generous amount of selections and choice has numbed it. To go for a simple design or be extravagant with the wordings.. to use gold stamping or normal digital printing.. to add fancy icons or just plain text.. decisions, decisions, decisions!

Everything looks sooo pretty there. Even the simplest of the invitation cards look sooo elegant in plain white. Though in Chinese tradition, red has always been the colour of festivities, but nowadays, white has taken over the norm. Even the traditional invitation card with an envelope has evolved into something so unique by itself that, its no longer just a card. Its a piece of art specially created by the couple to their honouree guest. However, how many of you actually keep the invitation card for real?? Like keep them in a safe box, or put them into a collection or something?? Alot of times, small little things like these do not make it to our list of important "keepsake" unless for the couple themselves. Even for some couples I know don't keep their own wedding invitation cards. So why spend that amount of money into printing such fancy cards only to find that people don't appreciate it? I don't know... do you?

Printing doesn't comes cheap these days, though its still within the few hundred dollars. The final total IS what we are looking at!! hahaha.. not a small sum at all. Hence we try to look at the big picture and go with what we want and yet within our tight budget.

Anyway, wedding isn't just about all these right.. the very important thing is the presence of our love ones to witness the ceremony. Everything else just compliments the entire event :)

Jiffy Lunch time Update

What other time is best to take a sneak break and do your personal stuffs but LUNCH TIME??? hehe

Thought I take this time to do a little update on what happen over the past weekend. Plentiful I must say.

We cramp almost everything in one day, and I must say that the schedule is as neatly done as our decisions. Last Friday as I unexpectedly check my long forgotten personal emails, I realised that there is a new housing ballot exercise that came out of no where. We are already a day late when me and Mike finally decided to make the move. Looking at 171 applicants to start with in just a day's old exercise, we brave ourselves to put in our applications as well. At a quarter to midnight!! hahahahaha.. talk about impulse buying.. we are litterally applying for a house in just a brief session of discussion. None the less, we are glad we did. At 307 applicants since this morning.. we definitely hope that we manage to get thru during the automated ballot number session.

The very next day, we made an appointment with our good old Tom for some follow up on our big day despite the fact that he is no longer our planner (tentatively speaking, as long as we have not met with our new planner yet, he is still our planner! ) We both took our time to look at the room AGAIN at a different layout. We try to give ourselfs some creativity in the sense of not being stuck with the norm. No more info's on the hotel, but all I can say is that, we are glad we have decided on our choice of hotel. :)

Moving along, we head to our bridal studio again for another round of gown trying. I was suppose to choose the colour of the evening gown which I have chosen on my 1st visit. However, things got a 2nd turn and I ended with another design instead. Totally unexpected, totally unplanned. Right there and then, we confirmed the wedding gown and his dress suit and the evening pieces as well. Nothing much to be done on my part although I have a choice made-to-measure evening dress. The fact that the piece I choose is already a pretty fit for me, plus i like the cutting and the colour.. I guess the MTO dress is just another gimmick of them to have me sign for the package!! hahahah.. none the less, I'm happy with what I see.

We realise that our actual day wedding photographer is not the same as the one who will be doing our studio/outdoor shots ONLY when we ask them. The fact that this job will be given to a freelance photographer who sign the contract with the bridal studio, we are not inform at all. I have to say, both me and Mike felt cheated. Slowly we are finding them giving us the "whatever will do as long as there is one" attitude. Not very pleasing.. knowing that all the "good" freelancer are taken up as early as a yr ago! Sad to say, we only manage to get a "leftover" one when someone actually cancelled theirs. Needless to say, we are both very upset over the matter.

Imagine spending the entire year preparing for the special day, not to mention the emotions, the tears and laughters that will be only shared once in our lifetime. Would you be contented to end the day with amaturish pictures that does not capture any souls at all?? No right?? I guess this just adds up to our budget having to hire another photographer on top of what we already have. Better be safe than sorry!!

Will updates the picture we took during the day when I have the time.

So, stay tune to the blog!

Three times the better

I just got a call from our wedding planner yesterday evening. Totally unexpecting a call from a stranger at this hour and I have to say I was rather shock to hear the familiar voice and yet couldn't really figure out who he was until he disclose it.

 

Another shock came right after, when I was told that he will no longer be looking after our wedding plan. It is once again, referred to another planner. This time, the Senior Manager.

 

"Three times the better" they say.... we shall have to welcome her then.

Drafting out the guest list.

All of a sudden I just have this urge to do up my wedding guest list yesterday. I opened up my excel sheet and start drafting away. Before I knew it, ta-dah! I have 80% of the list done.

 

I'm so happy. Another box ticked.

8 more months to go!!

Woo hoo.. what a nice number. 8 more months to go on the year 2008.

The Ring

Just before X'mas, Mike and I were doing some X'mas shopping for my little nephew and nieces at Vivo. As always, when you least expected it, you got it. That is what happen to us, yet again.

Yeap, we purchased our ring that very day. Though still a long way to go before our actual event, but who can resist a perfect pair of rings that is also perfectly nice to our wallets?? :P Irresistable!!

Taking advantage of the X'mas sales in Dec, the total spent is definitely worth it. This is not the 1st shop we went into since we first planned for our wedding. Love & Co. a sister company of Soo Kee Jewellery is the one of the many blooming couple ring jewellers around. Tapping into the marital bliss market, they do charge rather "happily" with a price tag that I find will not bring a smile to my wallet. No doubt their designs are modern and current ( with some even close to designer rings) set with beautiful diamonds and other semi precious stones, I find that the whole "wedding band" meaning is not there anymore. To me, the wedding band is THE band that symbolizes the bond of the couple.. Everlasting and forever. Not some fancy rings that you see dating couples wear. Although at the end of the day, the decision still lies on the couple's taste, lifestyle and $$... I truly believe a practical couple will opt for a more affordable ring rather than style/fashion.

I am glad we did not make the purchase from Love & Co. The model that we chose cost 1.8K each. White gold with a certified diamond set at the top to mark the date and month of the wedding day. Unique.. but costly.

At the end of the day, simplicity is the best. :)