A + F

I thought of blogging about Nani's wedding only after the official pictures and video from Bliss Photocinema are out but HAIYA I CANNOT CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT ANY LONGER LAH.

Lagipun I figured it'll be best to blog while the memories are still fresh and hangat hangat nugget ayam in my mind! Ok cerita dia very panjang melebar (so I suggest you heat up some popcorn and pour yourself a nice icy drink kalau you semangat nak baca ni) and it goes like this:

Two and a half or so years ago, Lisa, Nani, Ika (one of my close poly girlfriend who got married during Chinese New Year this year and got flak from us for holding her wedding during a long weekend lulz) and I had cakes and drinks at TCC Bugis. At that time, Ika and Nani were still recce-ing and preparing for their weddings so they shared some of their insight with Lisa and I (Fuhyooooo insight seh. Dah macam menukar pandangan dalam rancangan 'Detik' seh).

I was not yet ready to prepare for my wedding at that time but it pretty much gave me an idea what was in $$$tore for me in the months to come.

And now here we are, Ika is three months away from her first wedding anniversary and Nani's wedding was over last, last weekend. Doesn't help that my mat reminded me the other day that once Sheikh and Shahirah (another kahwing kahwing couple friends of ours who have also requested for our services as best man and maid-of-honour) officiates their union this coming November, we'll be left with less than a year to our wedding and jumping on the fast track that our friends keep telling us about - "Bila tinggal setahun sebelum kahwin, dah laju dok, kau pejam kelip pejam kelip... eh? Dah sign surat nikah?!"

As it is, I'm still reeling in shock after realizing that it is less than a month away from our engagement.

And I am still stressing over what the bloody hell I'm going to do for my engagement!!!

But that one is another headache untuk another occasion yer my friends. Now you all dah baca this entry for 10 days 10 nights already, tapi aku masih tak sampai sampai to the main cerita ape kejadah ni sekarang hahahahaha (one of the things that binds my mat and I together - both of us can jump from one random topic to another to another and another and talk alllllll day and all night long. Especially my mat. So becok. Mulut dalam ada pasang battery Duracell ah aku agak.)

Ok first up, I want to raaaaavvveee about Nani's bridal room decor!

(Source: Facelift Design & Interiors)

GORGEOUS NAK MAMPZ OK. I remember stepping into her bridal room during her henna night for the first time and the experience was phenomenal - I kena swept off my feet ok!!! Weight berat macam gini pun boleh tersweep off my feet, amacam cakap hahahahaha

I loved how the whole room decor screamed of Nani ok. SCREAMED ok. From the soft draping to the romantic lighting to the delicate styling with a touch of glam and the dreamy aura it exuded - vair up Nani's alley. If this was someone else's bridal room, I would have totally said "Nani will LOVE this!!!"!!! Needless to say, the bride was very pleased with Facelift Design & Interiors because they delivered spectacularly!

Her wedding bouquet was also crafted by Facelift Design & Interiors and it was pretty gila - I didn't get to take a photo and can't seem to find anyone who took a picture of it anywhere :-(

Ok, next pulak kita keluar from the bridal room and move on to the solemnization corner just outside the bridal room! (You all bayar I berapa ni for this guided tour hahahaha)

Kasai Sayang

(Source: Kasai Sayang)

How super cute is this?!?!?!

Simple but super duper teratur and sweet mini dais set up by the talented people of Kasai Sayang. Makes for very pretty pictures! I wanted to kidnap their mini dais and simpan dalam my bilik seh.

And now let's hop on down to the actual event venue itself - the humble Tampines Avenue 5 void deck, lovingly decorated by none other than the awesome people behind Kasai Sayang jugak!

(Source: Kasai Sayang)

I loved the backdrop, I loved the detailing, I loved the fresh flowers arrangement, I loved everything about it!!! Zahrin and Rashid have outdone themselves tremendously and the bride was very satisfied and pleased with the outcome. As Nani's bridesmaid, I pun tumpang gembira lah right!

I was also very happy with how Kasai Sayang handled minor hiccups or issues raised by the bride (attentive and prompt service recovery very penting, you guys!) - I guess having decorators who give their all and focus on only one wedding per weekend has its glorious perks eh! Hehe.

I'm very bersyukur that I can easily talk to them because they were very friendly and incredibly down-to-earth (Some vendors I've met or liaised with don't realise that I strike them off my list because I got turned off by any hint of bitchiness or arrogance towards my mat and I and/or towards other wedding vendors, and/or any hint of unprofessionalism.) - and as I've said before, they are very accommodating and don't shy away from new ideas - perfect for brides/brides-to-be yang suka menyusahkan like Nani and I hahahahaha 

Ok, ok, on a serious maha serious note, if you've already engaged or plan to engage them, please do not bully or go bridezilla-crazy-nak-mampos on the poor boys at Kasai Sayang ok?! Never ever take someone's kindness as a sign of weakness, my friends. Tak baik tau bully orang, nanti kena sumpahan orang minyak (takde link ah actually hahahahaha).

Zudrya Creation

[These lovebirds just got married last weekend woohoo!]

[Our very annoying friend... who is also very single and very available. Also very straight. 

Please email me directly if you're interested to know what he has to offer behind his Batman mask and his creepy smile. Hahahahaha]

 [Lisa and Ika (with husband in tow), the other two girlfriends who were present at my momentous peek into the world of wedding preparations two and a half years ago mua ha ha ha]

(Source: Zudyra Creation)

Ok, one of the things that the bride really appreciated was having the sweet, energetic people from Zudrya Creation managing her photobooth and ensuring her guestbook was pumped up with well wishes from her guests! They were early to set up and started working the minute guests started streaming in, swiftly taking pictures of the guests and helping those who wanted to leave messages for the pengantins in the customized guestbook.

Nani recommended that I engage express photo-printing and guestbook services for my wedding - I'm still thinking about it, but it does seem important to have reliable (third-party) people managing the guestbook. It'll be different if you DIY and get friends or relatives to manage the guestbook for you, sebab relatives or friends kan mesti nak take pictures, makan makan and mingle around with other guests... you wouldn't want your relatives or friends to be stuck at your guestbook table when dorang pun want to enjoy your wedding proceedings at their own pace and ease kan?! 

Pretty Chic by Peti Solek

Lovely exquisite gubahan trays for Nani were from the people behind Pretty Chic by Peti Solek! This was my wedding gift to Nani and I'm super glad you love them bb!

I remember Nani convulsing when they started doing gubahan services and posting up pictures of their lovely creations on Facebook hahahahaha come to think of it, I think kita banyak convulsing moments together seh, woman. Everytime ternampak wedding-related yang lawa or shiok kat Facebook mesti riuh rendah satu Whatsapp chat.

Chantique The Bridal Gallery

Kak Ruby from Chantique The Bridal Gallery was, simply put - amazing. I've heard about mak andams who mati mati tak kasi the bride's orang kuat (I'm talking about 1 or 2 people aje, not one whole kaumpuak of 20 to 30 people lah) or even worse, don't allow photographers and videographers to be present in the bridal room during the andaman process itself.

Apparently some believe it will hilangkan seri pengantin, or will reveal secrets of their trade or make their work lembab. Agaknya takut tangan tiba tiba tumbuh batu sampai jadi berat and become lembab to make-upkan pengantin tak? Or takut photo/videographers publish step-by-step manual on how to apply make-up using their techniques ke? Macam macam reasons lah eh.

I'm not a wedding makeup artist so I don't really know how reliable or how true these beliefs or practices are, but I was just very glad and relieved Kak Ruby allowed Nad and I to be in the room along with the awesome boys from Bliss Photocinema - she even enlisted our help with hairclips and hair sprays and accessories! Feeling feeling assistant mak andam, you all! Nanti kahwin boleh apply make-up and pasang hairdo sendiri, you all! Hahahahaha.

I was also very impressed at how Kak Ruby guided the pengantins throughout the proceedings with her patience and guidance, and how she made us and the pengantins feel comfortable with her motherly nature and easygoing personality.

To think the bride was initially hesitant about her mak andam! Mainly because she had heavily hinted that she wanted another MUA to the owners of Chantique the Bridal Gallery but was eventually assigned to Kak Ruby instead. (We were also a bit miffed because my mat and I followed Nani and Poji for their fitting session but we weren't allowed in because they had booked too many people for fitting sessions on that day and there was no space for us. My mat and I ended up merayaping at NTUC Joo Chiat to discuss the price of diapers and milk powder (hahaha) while waiting for them to be done because we couldn't eat, drink or smoke since it was during Ramadhan, and it was too scorching hot out for us to jalan jalan at the bazaar.)

In the end, it all worked out well and good though, because Kak Ruby memang the bomb lah. Hidayah, her assistant for the second day, was also very sweet and easy to talk to - I wish you all the best for your future mak andam dreams ok babe! :D

Andaman-wise, I loved the whole look for nikah and the first outfit for sanding (The sanggul lintang was maha gorgeous! If you're a sucker for gorgeous sanggul lintangs, Chantique The Bridal Gallery is one of the local bridal houses that have the best ones, imho.) Felt that the hair could've been better for the bride's last outfit change but the outfit was pretty and the make-up was very va-va-voom alamak terhantuk bengol anak mak!

In case you missed pictures of the pengantin outfits, you can see snippets of them here.

Bliss Photocinema

(Source: Bliss Photocinema)

There is a very good reason why Bliss Photocinema is very sought after by pengantins these days - these guys are seriously damn awesome lah ok!!! Very peramah, very talented, very professional. The main photographer was Syarfique and the videographer was Rizal (both from Bliss Photocinema) and I seriously have no bloody idea how they can actually do this for a living!

Halfway through the photoshoot, we already felt like nak collapse and give up on life from the exhaustion and dehydration segala, but these dudes macam steady rock pi pi aje walaupun kena angkut their heavy equipment, manage and give instructions to a group of noisy people involved for the photoshoot, and capture good shots in the merciless scorching weather.

(My respects not only goes out to the guys from Bliss Photocinema, but also to all wedding photographers and videographers who are very dedicated to and passionate about their trade and have to go through all that during weekends and more.)

One of the things I especially liked was how Syarfique made the effort to keep the mood light by cracking jokes, was always smiling no matter what temperature it was, and gave very energetic instructions to everyone. Steady lah abang photographer ni! I felt that Rizal was the more serious one, but it was very reassuring because you can see that he was very focused on getting his job done well. My mat (who was the best man for Poji!) also commented that the way he operated his equipment was very skilled and even demonstrated how Rizal handled his video equipment with his own hand gestures segala hahaha macam paham lah lu mat!

Adam's Corner

I looovvveeeee the husband-and-wife duo behind Adam's Corner - Walid and Farissa - because they're very friendly and easy-going and kind and always so accommodating!

Their food were decent and good, as always, and even though it would have been better if they were not shorthanded on staff that day, they managed pretty well and worked hard to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible.

Maria's Le Caterer

The cakes and desserts table at Nani's wedding was from Maria's Le Caterer, and their early arrival and quick setup did not go unnoticed by an appreciative bride. There was a good variety of cakes and desserts served in a nicely stacked arrangement, and even though it was not the popular prettified dessert table versions that are all the rage nowadays, it was good enough for Nani's guests - so much so that certain desserts kept running out (which MLC topped up immediately. Initiative!) Damn shame the bride didn't get to taste all of the desserts.

Cake Love Couture

Pretty wedding cake and cupcakes from Cake Love Couture! The best part was the fact that their cake and cupcake did not just look good, they tasted good as well. Thumbs up on presentation and taste! Now, if only their administrative staff can improve the speed of their replies, reduce their miscommunication issues and give better customer service and experience... Cake Love Couture would be on the right track.

Petitfour Express

Nani booked a popcorn machine from Petitfour Express for the children attending her wedding but end up mak budak, bapak budak, nenek datuk budak pun join sekaki haha! Nad and I didn't get to taste any of the popcorn because we were too busy running around, giving instructions and rectifying things, which was such a shame, because some of our friends said the popcorn was very good seh :( 

Kudos to the Petitfour Express team who set up way ahead of time and made do with the tight space that was allocated to them!

Sugarpop Productions

Nani stumbled on Sugarpop Productions by chance when we went to the mega wedding exhibition held by Mega Express in January this year and decided to sign them up because the details were very attractive - DJ services, live band and wedding car all thrown into one package, with discounts.

From Nani's wedding, we realized that DJ service is one of the things that people overlook or ambil ringan - please do not overlook or ambil ringan on this, if you want your reception to run as close to your event schedule as possible and if you want someone who can manage the atmosphere of the your wedding event well. Abang Khai from Sugarpop Productions was super nice and super rock steady throughout the event (even when we encountered hiccups along the way) and he was quick to act or think on his feet, according to what went on during the whole proceedings.

One of the main hiccups that made everyone really frustrated and anxious was the fact that the driver of the wedding car was very late to pick the groom up (Poji and his groomsmen dah get ready to transform into members of KL Gangster dok hahaha) and made it worse by saying "Ya, dah nak sampai, dah nak sampai, dah nak sampai" even after the guys called him every five minutes. They ended up tweaking the plan which worked out ok in the end, Alhamdullilah, but we wouldn't have had to go through the panic attacks if the driver had been early and responsible.

Al-Qawi (Kompang)

Ok, ini part pasal kompang aku nak rant sikit eh.

This is not about Al-Qawi (who have been nothing but nice and professional), but the kompang group that the pengantins booked before them. 

Many months back, my mat and I followed Nani and Poji to meet their kompang group to pay deposit and confirm the agreement for their kompang services. This kompang group is actually a subset of a popular dikir group in Singapore, and I know the guys from my younger heydays of dabbling in dikir and dating dikir boys. The meeting was very nice and light-hearted, and since my mat and I have seen them play twice at my friends' weddings (they're good and we really liked them), I figured oh hey, we don't really have to recce for kompang services, let's just book them for our wedding when the time comes.

Fast forward to a week before Nani's wedding. Nani and I were having lunch (Yay to nearby offices!) and the poor bride-to-be was listing down all the complications and grievances that were happening so close to her wedding over lunch, when she received a text message from the dude-in-charge, saying they weren't able to play for her wedding...

... because the saringan for Mega Perdana was happening on her wedding weekend.

Aku macam nak kompangkan aje budak budak bertuah ni lah.

Asal sepuluh tahun yang lalu tak tau nak bilang eh?! Tangan pun dah tumbuh batu macam tangan sesetengah mak andam jugak ke?! Sampai berat sangat tangan nak text siang siang?!

OK TO BE FAIR. They apologized, and I don't think they would've known the saringan date few months in advance. But at least a month's notice would have been better than a week's notice, yes? Would have made a difference to a bride-to-be who was in the throes of freaking out over her wedding preparations and struggling to tie up loose ends at the last lap, yes?

I assume the saringan date would have been announced during the taklimat which was held on 11 August 2012. Even if, for some strange reason, participating groups were not informed of the saringan date during the taklimat, I'm pretty sure participating groups would have known the saringan date at least one month before the competition, because firstly, groups usually train for a month or so before a major competition and secondly, the saringan date was publicly announced on 28 August 2012, a full one month before the wedding.

To give them benefit of the doubt, maaaybe they had divided people into the team that goes to Mega Perdana saringan and the team that performs at Nani's wedding but had to regroup due to shortage of people at the last minute and can only form and send one team to one event. Between the biggest dikir competition in Singapore and some random wedding, obviously the former would be of upmost priority to a dikir group kan?

Or maaaybe they had to take almost three weeks to source for replacement kompang group for Nani's wedding, how very efficient.

Granted, they made the time and effort to source for replacement kompang group but even then, it was not handed over properly because the new set of kompang guys didn't even know what the initial arrangements that the pengantins had requested for were. Luckily the boys from Al-Qawi were understanding and took the initiative to secure and arrange for the items that the pengantins requested for within a few hours and the issue was quickly resolved.  

In the end, dikir group gets through to the semi-finals, the pengantins had energetic kompang boys in their bright shiny outfits to iring them on the wedding day itself, and Al-Qawi gains recognition and possible future clients (because some people were asking for their contact details). Did everyone get what they want? Yes. Is everyone happy? Sure.

But I still think the whole experience was not very nice and not very professional and caused unnecessary distress to the pengantins a week to their wedding. Very bersyukur that everything turned out great in the end, it is just very unfortunate that my impression of the dikir group soured in the process. Aku pergi Mega Perdana campak tomato kat korang baru tau.

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Ok YAYYY finally done with all the credits credits yang patut, y'all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kasi credits macam aku punya wedding eh hahahahaha EH PENAT OK

Like I told Nani earlier, this blog entry probably took me six days, five nights, four and a half buckets of sweat and three vials of blood to finish muahahaha

I think by the time I get to blog about my wedding, you all will baca my entry dah macam baca Fifty Shades of Grey gitu, sampai kena ada trilogy segala.