BOOKED: ISHQ X SAP

I'm happy to report that we got the bridal on the top of my list!

Our appointment was set for 18th Feb, so we went down to Oxley Bizhub yesterday at 7pm and placed our deposit to secure the date!

Such wow. Much happy.

The package we'd decided on was The Premium; a collaboration between ISHQ by Nora Zee and Shamsydar Ani Photography, which consisted of:

ISHQ by Nora Zee

3 pairs of bridal outfits

3 makeup looks

3 hair or hijap styling

10 hours of service

+ additional charges apply for designer outfits

Shamsydar Ani Photography

12 hours of photography service

300 4R printed images

1 slot in album

Personalised name and date stamps

16" by 24" framed canvas

High resolution images in thumbdrive

For both these services, I have to say I think it's quite a steal! And I'm so happy that we've managed to book 2 services in one day.

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So, I think some people are probably wondering how Kak Nora is..... hahaha. 

After hearing all the stories from various friends who know friends who either regretted taking up ISHQ for whatever reason, or found her 'sombong', I was actually really nervous when I went into the room.

Thankfully, we were greeted by Sham (the photographer) herself, and she was soooooo warm and friendly! Absolutely loved talking to her. She gave us tips on how the bertandang could be, and suggested we go for an outdoor photoshoot after the sanding. No qualms on her part about it being too dark (as I've heard from some photographers), and she even suggested we 'chase the sunset'. Loveeeeeeeee that idea!

Then Kak Nora came to us to collect payment, and that's when I got to meet THE Nora Zee. THE Nora Zee that everyone's been talking about.

I thought she was pleasant enough; self-deprecating humor (which I love!), perfect English and quite smiley, even though not as smiley and warm as Sham. Oh well, everyone's different la.

But as for Said, he told me later on that she sounded quite stuck up, and he felt quite turned off by her at one point. And he, not realizing that Sham is our would-be photographer, asked if Sham could be our mak andam instead, haha! So cute ah. But that's a testament to how warm and friendly Sham was.

Anyway... Something did happen during the discussion that kinda irritated me a little.

You see, all this while, in my kanchiongness, I'd been asking how much the deposit was. I'd asked Sham via email, and Dahlia (one of ISHQ's orang kuat) via Facebook, and BOTH told me the deposit is 20% of the package price.

So based on that, we'd both readied that 20%.

But when we got there, they told us they prefer a payment of $600 each (photography and bridal), which is more than what we'd prepared. So I was quite taken aback ah. Tibe2 nak suruh aku bayar extra $200 each eh when all this while you've said something else.

Long story short, I asked if we could stick with the 20% (nicely and laughingly of course) as I'd already asked 2-3 times prior to the appointment and everyone said it's 20% of the package price.

Thankfully, they agreed! Yay! They even decided to take $800 instead of the initial $860. Alhamdulillah.

And Alhamdulillah, that we've managed to secure my most wanted bridal and photography for our big day!

I mean, thisssssssssss:

How can anything top the amazing makeup by ISHQ?! And the designer dresses!

I rela. I RELAAAAAAA!

And not forgetting the ah-may-zingggggg photography by Sham:

SO FRESH. SO BEAUTIFUL. SO RELAAAAAAAA HATI I BOOK YOU ALLS!

Pre-Wedding Shoot?

Back when Said and I were still in the early stages of our relationship, we'd gone for a mini photoshoot.

When I said photoshoot, what I meant was: we grabbed a tripod, my trusty Canon Powershot S100, and headed off to HORT PARK to photograph ourselves.

That's right! We shiok sendiri at Hort Park with a tripod and our camera timer and came up with these!

Kelakar kannnnn when you imagine us in front of an unmanned camera on a tripod and suddenly hugging each other or laughing spontaneously at nothing or chasing each other on those wooden thingies hahahahahha (actually macam kesian ah kena amek gambar sendiri)

Apart from the crappy editing, none of my friends realized that these shots were self-taken until I told them.

So I was thinking, macam nak recreate something like this for our pre-wedding photoshoot je...

At least we don't have to spend a bomb and that money can be used elsewhere, like honeymoon ke.. churros live station at the wedding ke..

And we'd definitely have a ball!

So something to think about la eh!

Save the date!

15.10.16
15th October 2016

Any idea what date this is?

Well.

It's our...

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WEDDING DATE!

Yes! We've finally decided on a date! *throws confetti in the air*

(after almost 4 months, but who cares)

Some people have asked me if there's any significance to the date, to which I've answered the truth... which is NO.

Honestly it was just because it's after pay day (lol), and because my intended mak andam is already taken up on 29/30 Oct 2016. And also because I didn't want to wait for the third week of the month to get married hahahahahaha gatalllllll

We've also decided that our event will be a ONE DAY EVENT. Itinerary belom plan la, but most likely it will be something like this - Nikah: Morning. Sanding: Afternoon (both sides).

InsyaAllah.

So yes! February is turning out to be pretty awesome, because we have decided on 2 important things, and I can now go ahead with my bookings. Feels good to finally know what I'm working towards. 

613 days till #themisaiwedding, hooray!

Or, to be exact..

20 months, 4 days, 16 hours, 22 minutes and 50 seconds to go!

Falling in love with: ANGGUN by Mastura

I mean, how gorgeous are these right?

I kennuttttt.

Too gorgeous already.

Yes some people may say the decor is too simple, but maybe that's why I like it leh!

Clean, understated, sleek. Elegant. Totally NOT cluttered by jewels and bulu2 ruffle2 and whatnot. Right up my alley.

And what's the best part? 

They offer full packages too. With / without venue.

So if I do engage them, I can have everything under one roof yall!

Mum and I have an appointment with them this Friday afternoon. InsyaAllah they have something to suit my budget. They're really the only company I berkenan their decor AND food (I've tasted their food at the boy's friend's wedding once), and I really, really hope they're the one.

Of course I'm trying not to be so hopeful, but insyaAllah. Only Friday's appointment will tell. 

In the meantime, I'll just stare at their decor's gorgeousnesssssss until Friday rolls around

Location Scouting #1: Lagun Sari

Just came back from Lagun Sari's 'Golden Age Wedding Fair' this afternoon, and boy do I feel drained.

Bukan drained pasal ape. Drained pasal stress trying to fend off the wedding planner! Hahaha, but more of that later.

I liked this fair because it was free entry, free lunch and entertainment, goodie bags and a tour of the place, which was good because I had always wanted to survey their different floors but never had the chance to.

So the parentals and I arrived, signed in, sat down and... immediately went to the buffet hahaha

Of course we tried everything!

What did they have for us?

• Nasi Minyak
• Ayam Masak Merah
• Sambal Goreng Gelodok
• Rendang
• Mee Hoon Goreng Mamak
• Roti Jala w/ Chicken Curry
• Pengat Pisang (dessert)

I have to be honest k. The only things I liked from their menu was their Nasi Minyak and their Ayam Masak Merah. Everything else was just..... =X

The Sambal Goreng Gelodok had too much hati (liver, is it?) in it, the Rendang tasted too much of a certain spice, the Mee Hoon Goreng Mamak tasted like FLOUR, and the Chicken Curry had too much santan or whatever in it.

Disappointing actually.

So after our meal, we waited about 5-10 minutes for someone to attend to us (we understand the consultants are busy with other clients so we didn't mind), and then the GM introduced us to a Cik S.

Now, I'm not going to ruin anyone's rice bowl, and certainly not Cik S's, so I'm not going to mention any full names here (just in case my opinions matter hahaha).

Cik S was nice enough; he asked which of the packages I was interested in, and then went on to explain what would be included in my chosen package. He also included some other things that were not written in the actual list of items, heh heh.

I've blurred out the prices. Kalau nak tahu, text me separately ya?

As you can see, the list is pretty comprehensive. Apart from food and decor, they also provide your berkat, bunga rampai, bunga pahar, sireh dara/junjung, invitations, wedding cake, gubahan trays, DJ (for 500 pax and above), and even half-hourly shuttle buses to and fro Eunos MRT beb!

Cik S even threw in free Nasi Putih, kompang, wedding car, photobooth, and on top of that, CINCIN KAHWIN LA SIA. 1 PAIR LA SIA. GOLD LA SIA.

And all for the price of... $13xxx.

Macam unbelievable eh? I know, right?

So naturally, my parents fell in love la. Especially my dad. Senang, they kata. Tak payah fikir pape.

But I wasn't really convinced, cause so far my impression of them was a) their food sucked, b) the band playing kinda sucked so it pissed me off abit cause tak sedap didengar, c) the decor I saw was not exactly my thing (lots of ruffles, bling-bling and colour scheme tak kena).

The decor on the first floor

Nothing exactly screamed 'DREAM WEDDING' to me, you know?

So I asked Cik S to show me the upstairs rooms, cause I wanted to see what the other rooms' decorations were like before I made a decision.

Cik S advised us to take the room on the topmost floor (3rd). I didn't manage to take a picture of that room as there was an event happening there, so I grabbed some photos from their website.

This floor is honestly not bad. Nice pastel colours, but different la from what I had envisioned.

I BELIEVE the below picture is of the 2nd floor. Once again, taken off their website.

This one in the PICTURE is also not bad. The flowers and pelamin are quite alright, but sadly, when I was there, it was not this decor that I saw. The one I saw was more bling2 and teddy bears, and jewels all over. But, ok la.

So after the short tour, we went back downstairs to view the cards and gubahan trays on display. By the time we reached the invitation part of the display, my dad was SMITTEN.

Everything to him was lawa.
Everything to him was perfect.

And it was at this point that he started telling me to just take it up hahaha.

But I still could NOT make up my mind.

We sat down at the table again, and Cik S started being.... pushy. Sorry, there's no other word for it. He kept saying that everything's already included and that we didn't need to worry about anything anymore, and even asked me straight for my IC so he could sign us up. At one point, he GRABBED my dad's arm (in a friendly manner) to ask for MY DAD's IC.

Pakcik, you scary or what?

My mum sensed my hesitation, and tried to ask for some extra time to mull things over. Ask for a few days, Cik S say cannot. Ask for until the next day, Cik S say cannot. Ask for until later today, ALSO CIK S SAY CANNOT. How lidat, la Cik S?

I cannot, CANNOT make a decision this way. I understand that probably the promotions were only available for that day, but respect la siket Cik that I need time to think it over.

When I told him I needed time to think things over, he retorted, "Buat ape nak fikir2 lagi! Semua da ade da! Takyah fikir2 lagi! Semua cik da kasi untok awak je! IC?" whilst holding out his hand.

Wahlao, pakcik, you will NOT bully me into making a decision eh!

I asked him some questions about wanting fresh flowers as part of my decor and having my own mak andam instead of taking up theirs. He brushed off my wanting fresh flowers with the reason that it's a waste of money to have fresh flowers cause they will die anyway :( He also said that I could of course take up my own mak andam, but reiterates that I shouldn't do that as the mak andam they provide is only $2000, and my own one is a waste of my money. Whatever I want, mesti he say is a waste of money seh.

After a few minutes, I asked him politely if we could have some time to ourselves to think about it first. And luckily, he obliged and went to sit with a makcik and pakcik at another table (who handed him their IC later btw haha!)

So.. after discussion maha discussion with my parents, where I simply could not bring myself to say yes no matter how many times my dad told me to, and tried to persuade me to. He even offered to pay first!

But... no la. When something's not right, it just ain't right. You can feel it.

I'd spent a big chunk of my life doing things I didn't want to just to make the people around me happy, or because people say it's the right choice, and I will not do it again, cause I know the end result is simply regret. No more.

It's my money, it's my wedding. I have every right to want certain things. Things that Lagun Sari cannot give me.

So we left.

And I know that my dad is a bit upset at having to go all the way there only for me to turn it down. I know he thinks I'm passing up an amazing opportunity.

But when it's not right, it's not right. No amount of forcing can make it right. Plus, it's only the first vendor we've looked at leh! Cannot anyhow make decision la.

We did leave with something nice!

They handed us goodie bags and we got to take pictures at their photobooth!

So, according to the sign my dad's holding, in the end we really did come only for the food hahahaha

Of a bridesmaid and a (possible) bride (zilla)

I always thought I'd want my own "army" of bridesmaids to "iring" me on my big day.

To be there for me and calm me down if I were freaking out about anything wedding-related, to help me with my DIY projects (if any), to plan a Bachelorette party for me, to do fun stuff with me during my big day.

But now.. after having seen and heard a lot of stories about bridesmaids, bridezillas and the likes, I don't really know if I actually want all that anymore.

(Disclaimer: Not that any of my brides were actually bridezillas to me eh. Don't anyhow assume k! Lol)

Like I said, I've heard tons of stories.

Ade yang pasal the bride(zilla) "ordering" her bridesmaids to come early for hair and makeup, and then on the day itself, takde angin takde ribut, springing it on them that "hair and makeup you all bayar sendiri k", leaving them gobsmacked and digging around for money to pay the hair and makeup person on the spot cause they weren't prepared. I'm sure most bridesmaids wouldn't mind la, but at least ask them first if they're okay with it cause some people may simply not have the budget and may choose to do their own makeup to save money.

Ade yang pasal the brides expecting bridesmaids to do stuff for them, because "I'm the BRIDE and I am QUEEN", not caring that the bridesmaids might have their own lives to lead, and having their own stuff to deal with.

And ade jugak yang pasal the bride SULKING & throwing tantrums when the bridesmaids aren't able to help as much due to certain reasons, or if things don't really go according to plan. Which leads me to the below tweets sent by a friend...

Sungguh pedas, no? LOL

LOL! I actually found it quite funny and SPOT ON, if I must say.

It's true isn't it, that your girls are becoming your bridesmaids out of goodwill? And sure it's definitely an honour to be CHOSEN, but it's also important to remember that they're not exactly paid to be at your beck and call, and thus, you cannot EXPECT them to be.

Which is why I can't really decide if I want to have bridesmaids or not for my wedding. Of course, I'd love to have my best girls with me throughout the day lending me support, but you know the whole process of having to choose which girls make the cut and all....

On top of that, I'd feel really bad asking the girls to pay for their own outfits and stuff, and so I'd probably end up sponsoring their outfits. I didn't mind doing it for my brides, but I'm just worried about asking them to do it for me, you know? You know how sometimes you're willing to do something for someone, but you don't know whether other people would be willing to do the same for you?

POKOKNYA.... actually I think I can be quite cerewet so I'm afraid I might just turn into a bridezilla despite my best intentions not to la hahahahaha

I'm afraid I might put my friends in a position to feel resentful towards me for having to do things for me that they didn't feel 100% for. I don't believe in feeling like they owe me the world just cause I'm the bride for that one day, cause that just ain't right. They are my friends, first and foremost, and you don't treat your friends that way.

I've seen firsthand how some weddings can ruin friendships, and I treasure all my friends too much to risk losing them over my wedding :(

Baik pulak eh aku. #lol

#themisaiwedding : baby steps into wedding planning

Almost 2 months have gone by since the #misai4eva engagement, and judging from the lack of wedding posts, I'm sure whoever's reading this blog can see that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING has been done with regards to the wedding hahahaha

Eh chill la babe, still got 22 months to go whaaaaaattt. So kancheong spider for what.

Ah ye la, that's exactly what I was thinking!

Until a babe of mine told me that 2016 brides-to-be were already menggelabar tgh nak booking for all the most sought-after vendors in the industry.

And here the boy and I were, just enjoying our newly-coined status macam without a care in the world gitu. We've only just set the wedding month, not even the wedding date, and korang da gi booking eh! Seram pe hahahaha

Okay la, I've got to hand it to you ladies (and gents) for being so well-prepared (and I'm sure most of these brides that I'm talking about are having their weddings in early 2016, which is why bookings would have to be made already), and I know how lega you guys must be feeling after securing all your most-wanted vendors. I know I would be too!

So in an attempt to become more organised, and to kickstart our wedding planning, I finally sat down today (at work, LOL) to perfect my very own wedding excel spreadsheet. HAHA #nakjugak. Belom ke tahap booking-booking la, now plan first. Next year (after we've started saving properly) then can talk.

So now, my plan for the following 3-4 months:

1. SET OUR WEDDING DATE / DAY
Sebab takde gunanya aku plan plan plan nak booking dekni, nak booking dektu, tapi date belom choose. Just set the date first, and after that everything will go smoothly, insyaAllah.

2. DECIDE TO HAVE A 1 OR 2 DAY EVENT
Witnessing some of my friends' weddings highlighted the pros and cons of holding either a 1 day or 2 day event.

1-day
Pros:
- Nikah, sanding all in one day
- Everything will be settled within that 1 day, and there's no need to worry about the next day anymore.
- Less $$$ spent on photography, videography, andaman services, car, etc as services are only needed for that 1 day. Extra charges are usually incurred for 2 day events or extra hours.

Cons:
- May be a bit rushing, especially for the groom's side, as after the nikah, they would need to hurry back to their venue to prepare for the arrival of their guests.
- Planning and execution has to be done to a T; any delay could cause chaos on both sides in terms of arrival of bride/groom at each side, etc.
- Could be tiring.

2-day
Pros:
- After nikah, can relek-relek, and prepare for sanding the next day (if your sanding is the next day).
- If your side's sanding is on the same day, but your guy's side is on the next day, there's not much of a rush to get ready and travel to and fro.
- Your wedding takes up a whole weekend #weddingweekend

Cons:
- Your wedding takes up a whole weekend. Could be tiring, time-consuming, draggy. (But then again, what wedding isn't tiring, right?)
- More $$$ spent on photography, videography, andaman services, car, etc.

3. SET A BUDGET
Budget is so, so important. No money, no talk geng. I've set a blanket budget of about $30k just in case (better to have extra la). I'll be paying for most of my wedding myself, mind you. Catering, andam, decor, photography + videography, invites, car, etc. So this means..........working like a slave again for the next 2 years. Having a budget makes sure I don't over-spend (as I tend to) and that I don't spend on unnecessary items.

4. SET THE NUMBER OF GUESTS
I guess this point also ties in with our budget. Nak buat kecik-kecik intimate cosy wedding with only close friends and family, or nak buat besar-besar grand-grand and jemput everyone including our parents' old neighbours yang tak jumpe since 20 years ago?

In my opinion, budget plays a big role in determining this aspect of our wedding. Sure, if I had an unlimited supply of moolah I would probably buat besar-besar grand-grand and invite 1000 to 2000 people - probably just because I can. Every girl has a dream wedding in mind, and more often than not, for those dream weddings to be turned into reality, high cost is involved.

At the moment, the parentals and I are not really that keen in having a huge wedding due to budget constraints and priorities, so we're thinking... 600 to 700 guests?

For me, I'm quite skeptical about having to work like a slave for 2 years just for that 1 or 2 days of celebration. Money doesn't come easily for me (this has been evident this past year), and I'd rather have a nice cosy, intimate wedding with the people who are important to me rather than to spend unnecessarily on people who are not, and whom I couldn't give a damn about (haha). Harsh truth, but yes.

5. LOOK FOR AN AWESOME MAK ANDAM
So far, I've enquired with as many as ONE mak andam LOL. And that is ISHQ by Nora Zee. But I will be enquiring with others such as Peti Solek & TWB just in case my super fickle self changes my mind. Right now, I'm inching more towards Nora Zee, but in the next 5 months, who knows?

6. GET A GENERAL IDEA OF THE DECOR I WANT
Facebook. Instagram. Blogs. Anywhere I can. Because I should have a general idea of the type of look and feel that I want for my wedding. I don't need to have an exact theme in mind; just a general idea will do. Right now, my general idea is..... FRESH FLOWERS. Haha, tu je. Oh, and tiffany chairs. Accessories. Fairy lights. NO GREEN PLANTS (I can see this at work already lor).

7. LOOK FOR AN AWESOME DECOR COMPANY
Only a number of the decor companies I've surveyed seem to be able to suit my "taste". Others were either too neon, too garish, too green with plants, too bling2, too old-fashioned, etc. One of the decor companies I felt suit my taste was Kasai Sayang, but will also be enquiring with others like Daun Dco, Jentayu, Elly Weddings, Bonito by Bob in the following months.

8. LOOK FOR AN AWESOME CATERER
I simply love Aish Catering's food. Everything else seems to pale in comparison ever since I got hooked onto their absolutely delectable Ayam Masak Merah and Sambal Goreng Pengantin. They served ah-may-zinggg food at our engagement (yes both sides, mine and his) and I honestly believe that my guests' tummies will be well taken care of should I leave the catering to them. So, I'm inching towards them right now. But like I said, I'm fickle. We'll see how I feel again mid-2015.

9. LOOK FOR AN AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHER
This one I have to admit I'm quite particular about. I've shortlisted a few, namely NAF IMGS, Fandy Razak, pink elephant labs. All three very different with very distinct personal styles, so this may be a tough one to decide on (for me at least). Of course must also think about budget la eh.

10. LOOK FOR AN AWESOME VIDEOGRAPHER
Being a semi-perfectionist, if my budget allowed it, I would go for CST Productions cause they. are. amazing.

11. CHOOSE MAK ANDAM / DECOR COMPANY / CATERER / PHOTOGRAPHER / VIDEOGRAPHER
Very important! Must make the right choice. MUST. So lots and lots of research have to be done.

12. SET A TIME PERIOD TO START MAKING APPOINTMENTS / DEPOSITS WITH VENDORS
Right now, the boy and I are geared towards mid-2015. We both feel that we need to get some savings in first before doing anything (of course la). So for this, we'll see how it goes la eh. Kalau rezeki lebih, of course we may bring forward the appointment-setting time frame.

So that's about it la eh. Basically our game plan for the next 3-4 months would be to do lots and lots of research, and make our decisions by mid-2015. In the meantime, a savings game plan would have to concocted and executed as well, but will leave that for another post la.

We have a long journey of planning ahead, and I'm excited! Yes, while some people bemoan having to plan, I am one of those gila people who just LOVE to do it! I go crazy for excel spreadsheets, quotation requests, quotation collations, comparisons, etc. I just hope the boy loves planning as much as I do ah haha!