The Pre-Wedding Preparations (Part 1)

Realized that my entry on my pre-wedding preparations will be as long as the Great Wall of China punya nenek moyang if I dump everything together in one entry so I'm going to break it down into 3 parts! Kirakan ada sequel triquel ala ala Hollywood blockbuster lah gitu.  

As we all know, about 3 weeks before the wedding I still had time and breathing space to blog about preparations but bila part dah masuk second last week, hah ambik kau obat. I started getting emails and text messages from my vendors, asking me to confirm this and approve that and approve this and confirm that! Sampai naik pusing macam gasing aku dibuatnye.

And that was when I knew my wedding was definitely creeping up on me (Take note eh guys!!! Once korangnye email inbox and Whatsapp inbox start jamming and beeping non-stop, maka itulah tanda tanda hari yang berbahagia dah nak sampai). I was so busy macam bee sampai niat nak kasi one short short good good entry before I became a wife pun tak kesampaian.

2 October 2013 (Revised on 28 October 2013)

Finalized Songlist For Dinner Reception

I think I pernah cakap that I was very pleased with my mamat for preparing our dinner reception songlist all by himself! I've mentioned here before that my mamat was put in charge of the songlist for our dinner reception because he is the more musically-inclined between us two and I've also mentioned here that I loved how he took the initiative to include the duration of each song so it'll be easier for us to kira how long the whole songlist will take. So much sayang for saya punya significant other yang sorang ni! :D

Now I just want to sebok sebok posting a screenshot of the Excel spreadsheet which my mamat prepared for our songlist! *beams*

And since we've decided to share our tak seberapa songlist after the wedding is over, here it is! :D

Guest Arrival

01. Dealova - Once (Youtube)

02. For The Rest of my Life - Maher Zain (Youtube)

03. Fallen - Lauren Wood (Youtube)

04. Turn Me On - Norah Jones (Youtube)

05. Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye (Youtube)

06. Beautiful As You - All 4 One (Youtube)

07. Just You and Me - Zee Avi (Youtube)

08. Reasons to Love You - Meiko (Youtube)

09. I Won't Give Up - Jason Mraz (Youtube)

 

March In

01. Love is Endless by Mozella (Youtube)

Dinner Reception

01. Lovable - Kim Jong Kook (Youtube)

02. Near or Far - Carissa Rae (Youtube)

03. Darling It's You - David Choi & Clara C (Youtube)

04. Treasure - Bruno Mars (Youtube)

05. Love is Easy - McFly (Youtube)

06. I Think I'm in Love - Mocca (Youtube)

07. You Make Me Happy - Cathy Heller (Youtube)

08. The Best Thing - Mocca (Youtube)

09. The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson (Youtube)

10. We're Good Together - Cathy Heller (Youtube)

11. Quando Quando Quando - Michael Buble ft Nelly Furtado (Youtube)

12. A Thousand Years - Christina Perri (Youtube)

13. Greatest Story Ever Told - Oliver James (Youtube)

14. My Heart - Acha Septriasa & Irwansyah (Youtube)

15. Terukir Di Bintang - Yuna (Youtube)

16. I Do Adore - Mindy Gledhill (Youtube)

17. Best in Me - Blue (Youtube)

18. I'm Yours - Jason Mraz (Youtube)

19. You're Home To Me - Cathy Heller (Youtube)

20. Little Things - One Direction (Youtube)

21. I Swear - All 4 One (Youtube)

22. God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You - N'SYNC (Youtube)

23. All My Life - K-Ci & Jojo (Youtube)

24. I Do (Cherish You) - 98 Degrees (Youtube)

25. Everyday I Love You - Boyzone (Youtube)

26. You And I - Ingrid Michealson (Youtube)

27. Lucky - Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat (Youtube)

28. Missin' You Like Crazy - Us (Youtube)

29. Stuck on You - Meiko (Youtube)

30. I Need A Girl - Taeyang (Youtube)

31. I Do - Colbie Caillat (Youtube)

32. Two - Lenka (Youtube)

33. True Love - Pink (Youtube)

33. Sayang - Shae (Youtube)

34. Love on Top - Beyonce (Youtube)

35. Lucky - Pharrell Williams ft Daft Punk (Youtube)

36. Nothing on You - Bruno Mars ft B.O.B (Youtube)

37. Turn Up the Love - Far East Movement (Youtube)

38. Brighter than the Sun - Colbie Caillat (Youtube)

39. Something 'bout Love - David Archuleta (Youtube)

(On hindsight, I regret not remembering to include Selena Gomez's I Love You Like a Love Song and Lindsey Ray's You Make Me Happy into the list!!! Sigh pie lemon pie.)

We spent quite a fair bit of time on this, and even though we're ~pretty~ sure our guests didn't even pay attention to the music since everyone was so busy eating and chatting and conquering the photobooth lol, it was really nice to hear snippets of the music that both of us love and enjoy throughout the dinner reception. Ada satu part I even whispered to my mamat after I caught the both of us humming along to the same part of a song "Entah entah orang tak dengar pun lagu ape ni, kita dua je yang enjoy the music haha"

So aaaaanyway, our songlist is a happy mix of: 

• music that has meaning to our relationship (think True Love by Pink and Dealova by Once)

• music which is radio-friendly (like Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat and Little Things by One Direction)

• music which brings us back to our teenage memories (cue the legendary God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You by N'Sync and I Do (Cherish You) by 98 Degrees), 

• cute music which we - okay, I - like and listen to (such as You Make Me Happy by Cathy Heller and Darling It's You by David Choi and Clara C); as well as 

• catchy tunes which can guarantee earworms for the next few days (that's Lucky by Pharrell Williams ft Daft Punk, Treasure by Bruno Mars and Turn Up the Love by Far East Movement for you. I decided not to include Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines into the mix in the end because of my apprehension mentioned here. Meh.)

We didn't have a specific songlist for the afternoon reception - except for a short list of must-haves which my mother-in-law provided - so we left that to the good hands of our trusty entertainment people from Medialite.

Oooh, a little cerita about our march-in song: it was initially supposed to be Everyday I Love You by Boyzone tau but it was too much of a snoozefest zzzzz and ignited groans from our orang orang kuat hahaha EH KORANG YANG TAK NAK JOGET BILA TIME MASUK APE (I've explained why we couldn't do a fun dancing entrance which is more reflective of our personalities here). Seriously itu lagu memang sappy and soothing ah but the only way to walk in to that song is to freaking sleepwalk, can?!

So we did a trial run on Mozella's Love is Endless, which is one of our favourite songs and has a faster beat, managed to get the right pace for the march-in (at 2 bloody am, one week before the wedding haha more on this in another entry) and tadaaaaa~ itulah al-kisahnye. 

Actually kita punya first choice is Treasure by Bruno Mars ah but tak boleh because the pace turned out all weird and cacat. I mean, how the hell do you just walk in selamba bomba to Bruno Mars' Treasure?!?!?! That lagu is the kind yang kena goyang punggung inul segala sak.

12 October 2013 - 13 October 2013

Printed DIY signages and table numbers

Etc Etc Etc

During the weekend before Hari Raya Aidiladha, I bought an extra pair of heels from Payless (which turned out to be maha useful because end up that extra pair lagi kena with my sanding and dinner outfits than the first pair that I bought in JB!) and printed out some of the DIY stuff, which I blogged about here. Itu time masih ada kuasa ah nak berblogging hahaha

After that there was a lot of movement during this period, which involved finalizing the necessary permission from Temasek Polytechnic for the outdoor photoshoot, booking the minibus for transportation (my usual go-to for minibus - Aunty Nancy from Million Bus!), chasing Compass for the license application approval, passing the colour samples that we bought from Princess (Arab Street) to the relevant vendors, etc etc etc x 100 etcs.

13 October 2013 (Sunday)

Confirmation of Guestbook Table and Dessert Tier Mock Up 
from Dessert Artisans

One of the emails that I was maha excited to receive was the one from Dessert Artisans, attaching the moodboards for our wedding dessert tier and the guest reception table setup for our dinner reception!!!!!

We got the complimentary guest reception table setup when we signed up with Dessert Artisans at Jentayu Gallery's wedding exhibition last year so if you thought our reception table was gor to the geous, it was all thanks to the talented hands of the amazing Dessert Artisans!

Wish I can show y'all all of their hand-drawn moodboards but I just kasi sneak peek of the dessert tier moodboard je okay, since I'm not sure if they're okay with me posting the actual moodboards wholesale:

Moodboard je dah cantik lah siakkkkk. APAKAH MAKSUD SEMUA INI?!?!?!?!?!

Needless to say, the actual day punya setup blew my mind to the moon and back. Sesangatlah terhutang budi to Nani, who is my bridesmaid and my mamat's female equivalent, because she was the one who planted this idea into my head and eventually sponsored this!!!!! I will share more about the dessert tier setup and guest reception table when I do the final review on Dessert Artisans in a separate entry. You all please sabar menanti.

14 October 2013 (Monday)

Received Actual Bridal Bouquet from Woodleigh Park

I was also very excited when I received an email from Woodleigh Park a day before Hari Raya Aidiladha, asking me to approve the colours, materials and accessories collected together to make my bridal bouquet!!!!!!! There was no freaking way I could have not given my approval lah seriously - all the pieces are so gorgeous and so exquisite and SO ARGH aku tak tau ape lagi nak cakap because seriously boleh membawaku ke tangisan kegembiraan *sandiwara*

Here's a picture of the materials and accessories which Woodleigh Park emailed to me for my approval... cut by a third so as not to reveal everything hehehe:

Fast forward a few days later, guess what arrived at my doorstep that very same weekend?????

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Mehehehehe! You cannot really see it here in the picture but baru pegang kotak my tangan dah terketar ketar kegembiraan seh. Nasib baik my tangan cannot nangis kegembiraan okay. Kalau my tangan boleh nangis kegembiraan..........

... okay lah, tak lah, seram lah pulak eh kalau tangan boleh nangis kegembiraan?! Hur hur hur.

A picture of my favourite piece out of the whole bouquet and the super cute detail at the handle! MEGA LOVE!

Oh, and can you see that little bit of white fabric with gold embellishment? I was prancing around my middle sister's bedroom and excitedly showing her the bouquet when she, being the selamba bomba person that she is, actually said in her ~usual~ selamba bomba manner: "Eh bouquet kakak macam pakai baju kurung." WTF INI ANAK HAHAHAHAHA NI TREND BARU LAH MANA KAU TAU

Bouquet aku pun pandai tertib lah okay, pakai baju kurung pergi majlis orang kahwin. Takkan nak pakai translucent kebaya top and tight leggings ketat tersendat kat bontot pergi majlis orang kahwin kan. Kan tak manis, my friend.

Alright, just sneak peeks for now but suspect kuat I'll spam pictures of my bridal bouquet in its front angle, back angle, side angle, top angle, bottom angle, right angle, left angle, cross section angle, acute angle and obtuse angle segala once I do a proper final review!!! Don't say I never say ah.

Oh, one of the good things about opting for a corsage bouquet (since I'm not a fan of fresh flowers, so sakit hati when they layu okay D:) - is the fact that I get to receive the bouquet wayyyyy before my wedding day and I get to keep the bouquet for keepsake thereafter! Even if tak nak or tak boleh keep in bouquet form, at least boleh simpan the accessories and brooches as kenang kenangan, you know???

And yes, if you also want to have a super gorgeous customized bridal bouquet to compliment your outfit colours on your wedding day but not yet convinced (WHY???), you can take a look at Woodleigh Parks' other works on their Facebook here and their Instagram here. Kalau dah convinced maha convinced then ape lagi, terus email them lah!!!!!

[Note: Woodleigh Park is a design brand by Facelift Design.]

Tapi tau ape yang lagi best tak??? 

Woodleigh Park is currently running a promotion that runs until 23rd November 2013, y'all!!!!! All you need to do is ask them about the promotion brochure via email before 23rd November 2013 to get the details tau. So must cepat cepat!

Okay lah, akak rasa that's all for now, yang lain akak sambung another day.

[Edit: Part 2 is out! To read more, click here.]

around the country in nine hours... or so (part ll)

Okay, time to cerita cerita pasal my mamat and I merantau satu Asia Tenggara Singapore untuk cari photoshoot location punya pasal, guys!

(But sebelum I start this entry proper, I should probably clarify that I am referring to the outdoor photoshoot that we'll be doing with Zakaria Zainal, and not the 2-hour complimentary photoshoot that comes with our package with Bliss Photocinema and has to be taken on event day. That one, kita memang dah establish yang kita akan ambik the photoshoot at the place where we first met, which is Temasek Polytechnic.)

Okay, we've actually identified some outdoor locations from various photoshoots done by various local photographers but we didn't want to impose ourselves and ask photographers for their list directly so we had to take a long route (literally) - Google for possible locations then drive down to the locations ourselves to assess their suitability.

Oh, actually kan, we've already identified one location that we really really really really really like but alas, kita tak tau kat mana it is exactly and too malu to tanya the photographer :/ So if anyone knows where this location is, enlighten us please!

But in the meantime, kita terpaksalah depend on Google - the list of recommendations that you can find on the world wide web very banyak and very panjang one okay! You know, when I did the initial round of research over the Internet, I was surprised to see Matilda's House amongst one of the possible photoshoot locations:

Aiseymen bedah... Sungguh menakutkan!

Okay, okay, I know the whole story about the tempat being berhantu might be rumours only (and apparently it'll be turned into a clubhouse soon?) but I can't help but be influenced by the stories because of the way the house looks ok! *shudders*

Apparently some couples go for photoshoots at the infamously berhantu Old Changi Hospital too????? Errrrr... thanks but no thanks. Both my mamat and I ada lemah semangat sikit when it comes to the supernatural so kalau terjumpa dengan Casper the Friendly Ghost pun belum tentu kita boleh take it. So... forget it sudah lah eh.

Anyway, the plan to recce photoshoot locations was tentative actually - we didn't know whether the haze would chill the hell out but it went down to 100s by the time weekend came so once my mat came back from collecting his side punya invitation cards from Larkin JB, we set off on our little adventure around Singapore. Whoop whoop!

Before we set off, we knew we had specific requirements for our choice location due to the nature of our photoshoot (which also rules out concrete backgrounds, which I prefer):

- Must be very spacious

- Must be located in a private and ulu area

- Preferably open fields with short grass

- Preferably comes with a gravel path

- Preferably no lalang (No actual reason, we just don't want lalang haha) 

Took 3 hours on Saturday and 6 hours on Sunday to complete the journey but it was worth it ok. At least we now know which locations we'd like for our outdoor photoshoot!

Armed with Google Maps and a 1.5litre bottle of mineral water, we went to Punggol area from 4pm to 7pm on the first day since we didn't have much time till the sun sets and Punggol is the nearest location to my place.

Please click on images to enlarge them for better viewing!

Punggol Field

Our 1st location for Day One was a field in Punggol. Spacious open field with nearby flats and skies that can be used as backdrop. There is a roundabout in front of the field so you can park your vehicle close by. The downside - there were several construction workers and trucks when we were there and one of the workers told us that they'll be closing up the area in five minutes. So we took some pictures, accessed the area and left in a span of five minutes. There is a possibility that the area will be closed up for construction in the near future so we decided this was not the best location because of the uncertainty! Plus, with the workers and flats nearby, it won't be as private as we would like.

Punggol Waterway

Both of us didn't feel strongly about this location although there were nice structures that we can make use of during the photoshoot... and we might be able to get nice shots against the... river? Haha. Found the location a bit boring actually, and we're not sure where the nearest parking is. We parked illegally by the side of the road on that day to assess the location and took pictures before quickly jumping back into the car. So, next!

600 Ponggol Seventeenth Avenue (near Marina Country Club)

We like this location! Very pretty and ada gravel pathways. Also ada trees and bushes and the skies which we can use as backdrop. I'm sure the skies here will look pretty amazing during sunset and make for a nice cosy background!

We especially like the fact that it is located beside Marina Country Club because we can at least tumpang our car at their carpark and buy drinks from the 7-Eleven near the Marina Country Club's entrance bila part haus or lapar. This part penting okay!

But this location didn't make it high on our list in the end because it is not that private as well - when we were there, there were one or two cyclists kehulu hilir and around four to five men were spread out across the stretch with their fishing gear.

Also, this is not exactly the wide grassy field kind of area that we're looking for. There were patches of grassy areas, some even with lalang lalang lah, but there were also construction equipment around and the areas might be... I don't know, dangerous? We liked the place, just that we didn't like it enough.

Punggol End

We didn't set out to see this location actually - my mat and I have this habit of randomly driving into roads at places we are unfamiliar with just to see where we end up at. We were going to drive out of Punggol when my mat saw an unfamiliar road, we took the turn and ended up at this location.

We liked the location from first look! Pretty nice patch of land with gravel paths and grassy areas beside the Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) office. I was concerned about it not being private since it's just sebelah the OBS office but it looked deserted (since it's the weekend) so we can risk it if we want to, I guess.

The downside about this location is that it's not besar... might turn out boring because not much space to play around with. Kalau kat situ, kat situ jugak.

Seletar Area

Another one of the locations that we accidentally drove past when randomly taking an unfamiliar road. Remarked to my mat that I've seen the architecture of the abandoned bungalows in one particular pre-wedding photoshoot but we both agreed this is definitely not the location we'd consider.

(I was actually staring at the picture for some time after we left the location to see if I captured anything peering out of the windows lolololol penakut haram!)

It was going to turn dark after that so we called it a day and went to watch Now You See Me after that. Nice plot, nice cast, but we thought the ending macam jarring ah... The Prestige is much much much better, I feel. Go watch if you haven't! And don't read spoilers beforehand, please!

So, yes. Anyway. We ventured out to further locations the following day and started much earlier at 11.00am. First stop! The highly popular Hyderabad Road / Canterbury Road, which is located near Hort Park.

Hyderabad Road / Canterbury Road (near Hort Park)

Lovely place!!! Definitely a strong contender. This place is pretty huge so we can move from spot to spot in case the background or surroundings get too boring after awhile. Some spots are pretty wide open, some are more secluded and more intimate so we thought this will be a great location for our photoshoot.

The roads there are very narrow though, so must be careful when you drive up because there might be another vehicle coming in the opposite direction! We encountered that twice and my mat had to unlease some mad sempit driving skillz haha... oh, also saw a couple having their bridal photoshoot there! Haha. Wanted to wind down the window and scream congratulations but I chickened out in the end because the girl was massively frowning under the hot sun and I was scared I'd agitate her hahaha.

We also wanted to try and find Alexandra Park which is apparently nearby to look see look see but couldn't locate it on Google Maps so we gave that a miss. We're not particularly interested in parks (or beaches, for that matter) so didn't think it'd be worth making the effort.

51 Fairway Drive, Bukit Timah Saddle Club (beside Riders' Cafe) 

Another strong contender that both us really liked!!! I've seen this location used in many local photoshoots and it seems like a very popular choice amongst photographers and couples. Very spacious area and can be pretty private and intimate if you take pictures at the belakang side. The front side not so, because the front side faces The Riders' Cafe (which means there is an F&B option nearby where we can grab drinks if anyone gets too thirsty! There's also The Marmalade Pantry).

Oh, there's also the botak botak trees that will look very nice dalam gambar! My mamat very rude okay, dia cakap that pokok kena pergi Yun Nam hahahahahaha.

Kalau itu pokok boleh berbual, kau memang dah kena maki, budak.

Lim Chu Kang Road

We heard (and read here) that there are some parts of Lim Chu Kang Road that can be used for photoshoots but we couldn't figure out which part it was!!! Decided this location is definitely out of the list because the area we went to was surrounded by grave sites and it'd be super duper disrespectful to have a photoshoot there :/

Lim Chu Kang Rural Centre

I read about the Lim Chu Kang Rural Centre (Neo Tiew HDB Estate) here and here and was very curious to see the site! It didn't fit our requirements but I wanted to check it out for the fun of it... never know lah kan. Was quite disappointed to see that the site dah kena fenced and locked up now :( My mamat kept saying that the site is now used for army training zzzzz ye lah ye lah tau lah, abang askar.

 

Oh, we actually thought of dropping by Kranji Reservoir which was near the vicinity but we couldn't figure out the route even with Google Maps so we left. It wasn't an important location for us anyway (Not that excited about reservoirs) so not really a loss.

Open Field at Woodlands Drive 17 
(opposite Singapore Sports School, 1 Champions Way) 

I loved this location very much!!!!! I'd think this location fits our requirements very well - super spacious open fields, can use the skies as backdrop, ada gravel path and even though it is opposite Singapore Sports School, the field is pretty deserted during the weekend, save for the lone kite-flyer when we were there.

There's also a nice garden-ish place located on top of the slight hill at the side of the field which we saw when we drove past (and confirmed by my mat's brother who went there before for his longboarding sessions) but my mat and I were not really in the mood to hike up in such hot and hazy weather so we gave that a miss.

Unfortunately my mat doesn't like this location as much as I do so... :(

Oh, we actually went to Sembawang Park after that in hopes that we will locate the open field that I saw online here, but we couldn't find the field in question in the end. So we left for Begonia Road... for a special reason!

Begonia Road (near Seletar)

We dropped by Begonia Road before heading back to Tampines because I really wanted to see one of the few remaining merry-go-rounds in Singapore... and decide whether we can incorporate it into our photoshoot hehehe. Had a little bit of fun reminiscing on the merry-go-round and swings - you can see my mat happily swinging on the swing if you click and enlarge the image above hahahahaha.

(Wish there was a see-saw!!! So I can redo this to my mamat hahaha)

We also wanted to check out Seletar Airbase initially but we knew from the get go that our photoshoot won't be able to fit at such a lcoation and didn't want to waste time applying for permission - so we gave this location a miss. The location looks really pretty in pictures, though! Some samples here and here and here.

Tampines Eco Park

Very nice location as well!!! Large spaces to utilize, and ada stone benches and lalang lalang and pokok pokok and its ranting ranting as well as that wooden (?) pacak pacak things bersepah at the side (no idea what they are) which we can use for the photoshoot.

The plus side about this location is that our photographer is very familiar with it (he has done a few shoots in Tampines Eco Park - sample here)... and we ourselves are very familiar with this location too! Because this was the location where our Orang Kuat couple Nani and Poji had their outdoor photoshoot heh heh heh.

The park was relatively quiet when we went on Sunday afternoon but there was the occasional jogger or cyclist while we were there. Still not sure if this is the one for us... we quite like the place but we're feeling 50/50 about it.

We've also briefly considered going for our photoshoot at Pulau Ubin but... nah~~~ I don't exactly have fond memories of Pulau Ubin from our first (and obviously, last) cycling trip with my primary school friends a few years back and it's not as private as we'd like. Actually any place yang ada big groups of people and possibly ada all the rules and regulations and pantang larang nenek moyang is a no-no for us, which also explains why we ruled out Botanic Gardens and not that excited or interested in parks and reservoirs.

The above list of locations is not exhaustive, of course - all you have to do is do a Google search and you'll be able to get lists of possible locations which are suitable for photoshoots in Singapore. Ada banyak tau! Of course the easiest way is to ask your appointed photographers, dorang mesti tau banyak tempat punya.

Okay, I think that's pretty much what I wanted to say lah hor. 

Photoshoot location only, also talk so much hahahahaha.

Oh, but before I end off yet another panjang lebar entry, just want to say that if any of you all you all ada any outdoor locations that you think might fit our requirements and willing to recommend, please be informed that my mamat and I are more than happy to welcome all suggestions :D

Ok lah, jumpa lagi di lain kesempatan kawan kawan! Sekarang nak gi dinner with our orang orang kuat yayyyyy happy weekend guys!