Wedding Photography

Eric (my brother) is having his wedding photo with Jessy taken today. Saw him carrying a whole box load of magazines and stuff to his room the other nite. He said those are wedding magazines, they are looking at how other people pose for the wedding photos, not a bad idea.

Can't help but wonder how much effort does it takes to have an album of wedding photos produced? I recently contacted Covershots for their wedding packages and got some information. (hey, maybe I should charge them or ask for some discounts for the advertisement here... hehe)

a) PERIWINKLE
1 Scene
with 30 exposures
RM1,800

b) CHERRY BLOSSOM
2 Scenes
with 60 exposures
RM2,800

c) DAFFODIL
5 scenes
with 90 exposures
RM3,800


d) CAMELLIA
5 scenes
with 90 exposures
RM3,800


Now I remember vaguely that someone promised to sponsor half the amount :Þ

Some might argue that spending too much money on photos that one will probably keep under the bed or chucked somewhere in the shelf for the next 5 or 10 years is not worth it. Then again, if you don't take advantage and retain the memory of the prettiest moment in your life, many will live to regret this hasty decision.

Well, to spend or not to spend, Covershots or others, its still a bit too early to say. All shall be decided when the time is right. For now, all our attention is focused on our trip back to Kuching, to get a "YES" from her parents :)

For those who wants to check out the new Covershots gowns,
please click here. (Pictures taken from the Bridal Fair)

For those who wants to have more information on the wedding packages, you can email me or info@covershots.com.my

One Down, One To Go

We finally found an opportunity to speak to my parents. It was sunday afternoon, we waited for the right moment to bring forth our petition. I walked into the kitchen and told my mum I had something to tell her and dad. So she smiled and walked out to the living with my dad and looked at Vans & I and asked us, "So when do you guys want to get married?"

I have long suspected she was psychic :) and this proves it.

We told them of our plans and talked through some other details. We agreed in principal that we will not disclose this until we have spoken to Vanessa's parents, which we will be visiting on the 5th August.

My parents

So now we have to plan for our trip to Kuching and meet my future in-laws. To me, this is the hardest part yet. Then again, it is something I know we need to go through and perhaps we will learn something from this experience. Learn my future in-laws concern about her daughter and our future.

Here We Go

It has been a long week, a truly difficult and long week for both of us. We had a breather on friday, relaxing in KLCC and then watching Sinchan at home :)

We are finally ready to face both our parents, at least I think so. Vans managed to book the ticket to Kuching on 6th August, 2005 (Saturday) for both of us while returning to KL the next day. This is the best arrangement we can find as I am still not entitled to any leave before my confirmation by my employer.

As for my parents, we are trying to arrange to speak to them this weekend, probably tomorrow or next weekend, we need to talk to my parents before flying off the Kuching to meet Vans'. This is trying times indeed, when we finally sat down to think abut it, we both felt quite nervous. Although it is good news, we don't know how everyone will react. Everyone's condition is different and ours is not less complicated, so I just pray things will be fine on both ends.

Choices Aplenty

Vans & I have been surveying and gathering information for just about everything related to wedding in order to better prepare ourselves for the big day. The are just too many companies out there that are offering wedding related services, and we didn't know where to start from. We have purchase 3 local wedding magazines and they have been of great help to us in identifying where to have our wedding reception, photographer, invitation card and etc. Its great to be able to read from other brides and groom about their experiences with different photographers and hotels as it would help us in determining our choices too. There was, of course raving reviews about Grant Corban (which is of course out of our budget), and Covershots :)

We were particularly drawn towards articles that mention "Wedding Checklist" and "Weddings Do's & Don't". We didn't know that there are so many things to take note, but I guess there are always surprises around the corner.

For those who are getting married soon, you guys can check these magazines.

1. Her World Brides (Less than RM20)
2. Malaysian Bridal Guide for Bride and Groom (Less than RM20)
3. Female Bride (Less than RM20)
4. Premier Wedding (RM68)

These magazines provide useful local contents, unlike some of the magazines which provides advice and advertisements for overseas audience. I strongly recommend these magazines for couples planning their marriage or currently considering.

We have compiled a list of "Wedding Service Providers" (don't know if this is the correct term). Its a PDF file approximately 500k. Might take a while to load, but it will be worth it :)

For the list of "Wedding Service Providers", please click here.
(Link opens in a new window)

Bridal Fair (Part I)

We have been talking about the bridal gowns and where to have our wedding photo taken for quite some time now. Since we saw Covershots on Ratu Sehari (aired on Channel 4, Astro on Sunday 2:30pm) we have pretty much decided that unless we find some other studios with more appealing taste and better feel, we will stick to Covershots. We were pretty impressed when we first checked out their website, but we couldn't find any friends that had any encounters with Covershots. (Actually, Vans knew someone that is having their picture taken at Covershots, but she doesn't want that person to see this blog... hehe)

So we decided to get some first hand experience of their gowns, designs and album through a wedding fair in 1Utama on 16th July 2005. It was a working saturday for Vans and I had to visit the ENT specialist for my monthly checkup, so by the time we reached, we had just enough time to take a quick lunch and find ourselves a nice spot. Since all the space in front of the stage, where the model strut their stuff on the catwalk was taken by photographers, we decided to catch it from one floor above. I tried my best to take some shots of the gowns that Vans said was good, but considering the distance we were away from the stage (approximately 25 metres), this is the best that I could do.

Covershots served about 20 different designs that were both contemporary and elegant to cover just about any kind of orientation one was looking for in a wedding gown. I was made known that they have 2 studios and 2 garden setting within their compound, both for photo shoots and also for garden wedding. Although the packages are a bit pricy, but I do think its worth it, after all its a once-in-a-life-time thing.

We also managed to speak to, I believe was the owner himself, Dave of Dave Lab Motions, a company specializing in producing videos for weddings. He apparently affirmed my previous conviction that quality should not be compromised in a event such as a wedding, in his own words, "The quality is important, don't mess it up." I think he meant good, although he was also acting in his own business interest :)

Overall, this information gathering exercise did yielded a lot of benefits. We shall be be deciding on the bridal house and other arrangements pretty soon. Although things are moving smoothly so far, there are bound to be some hick ups. A substantial sum of funds that we were expecting to come in somewhere later this month is proving to be much lower that we first anticipated. I guess this is only the beginning of it, and we will try our best to work round all these obstacles to make things happen. As I write now, a lot of things are taking shape. A few more things will be decided in the next few days :)

To check out the pictures taken at the Bridal Fair, please click here.

HomeDec

The long awaited HomeDec has finally arrived. We reached Midvalley rather early, but we could see that this was not an ordinary sunday, people were already filling up the entire place. The crowd that gathered outside the Midvalley Exhibition Center was already massive, even with 5 minutes to go before the gates are opened. You could almost feel the eagerness and excitement of these folks oozing out from them.

11:00am, the gates were opened and the crowd rushed in, Malaysian style. This is a phenomena that is TRULY MALAYSIAN!!! No matter where you go, if there is a crowd waiting for the door or counter to be opened, the same thing will always happen. We took our own sweet time for the crowd to clear before making our grand entry :)

The number of exhibitors has increased, and will keep on increasing the next few years to come. (This is a good news... hehe) We already know what we wanted, so we weren't walking aimlessly like most did. Grills, kitchen cabinet, lighting and some interior decoration was our main aim. Anyway squirming through the crowds for most of the morning, we managed to find some pretty interesting products and tempting prices, especially for the hanging lamp that we've been eyeing for a long time. We contemplated on it since we saw it the prevous week in another exhibition. The price was within our range, but after serious consideration, we've decided to wait for the house to be ready :)

After reviewing the stacks of brochures that we've received, we knew we have all the information we needed, so now its just waiting for the house to be ready, and hopefully furnished before the wedding. As for the date of the wedding, it should be decided soon, hopefully.

Our Future Home

Part of the complexity of the entire marriage episode, and why I waited so long to even consider marriage was because of the house. You see, we wanted everything to be ready in time and to move in after the wedding, hence the house and when it can be ready (with CF) plays an important part in determining the wedding date.

According to the developer, the house should be ready by March 2006 so its barely 9 months away and we have to start not only budgetting for the wedding, but the house too. Our initial budget for all the furnitures and fittings were blew out of proportion when we added up all the figures of individual items. So we have to buy smart now.

Since we went for the HomeDec 04 in Midvalley, we have been keeping an eye on this year's event. I found out that HomeDec 05 will be held in Midvalley this weekend from 6-10 July 2005. I checked out the HomeDec 05 website and managed to find the layout plan for the event.

So I guess we can check out this year's HomeDec and start some serious planning of what to have in our house. HomeDec HERE WE COME...!!!


For more pictures of our future home, please click here.

The Proposal

Ok, i was a bit late to post this as the proposal was four days ago. However, it still stays vividly in my mind as though it only happened last night.

I didn't know Ken planned to propose to me on his birthday. I thought i was the one who would give him all the birthday surprises with the birthday present (a book on his favourite football club - Chelsea!). Now, all the "diamond ring trying" tricks weeks ago make sense to me. And, little did i realise he even contacted my sister back in kch telling her this noble intention on his own birthday.

It's 1st July 2005, i had the luxury of Ken fetching me from work. After dinner at his place, i was somehow 'forced' to wait for him in his room. "What is this? Isn't it supposed to be his birthday? Why is he more fishy than i am?". A while later, he appeared with a dozen of roses in front of me. Surprise! Okie, i told myself it's ok since it is his norm to give me present on his own birthday. What a weirdo, but that's one of the reasons we have been together this long.

He asked if i wanted another surprise. Of course yes ler, which girl on earth doesn't like a surprise!? hehe... but i told him i couldn't take too mushy stuff. He quickly swifted to his bed, took out a guitar which he hid under the blanket. Oh my, i had been waiting for this moment for so long and finally he decided to sing to me. Hehe.... now the mushy became romantic....... I should have snapped some photos of him playing the guitar with his sun-burnt face! Too bad, it happened so unexpectedly but anyway, it was really romantic to have your loved one sing to you, on his birthday of course.

No, the surprise didn't end there. He popped up with another question, "Do you want the 3rd surprise?". Wow it was my first time getting so many surprises at the same time. Before i could say yes, he switched on his laptop and i was shown a flash presentation with all our photos in it. He arranged the photos following the storyline and to match the lyrics of the song. It was about our life, from the very beginning until now. I was about to burst in tears but i wouldn't want it to ruin the wonderful moment. I hold back the tears. When the presentation just about to end, he flashed a diamond ring in front of me and asked me the magical question which every girl would dream to hear from her lover. Now, this is the surprise among the surprises! The joy had overshadowed everything, i was speechless but he got the answer!

CyberView Lodge Resort & Spa

I could not recall how Vans and I discovered this little resort in a secluded section of Cyberjaya but we somehow set our eyes on the garden environment that it provides. Just as they promise, its a place where high tech meets paradise. The setting of the whole resort is absolutely perfect for a Garden Wedding, which is what Vans & I have in mind. We have been wanting to visit the resort for sometime now, and finally decided to do it on 2nd July 2005 as we found out that a couple named Wu Han & Michelle is getting married there. After going through their wedding blog, which was the inspiration for this blog, we created ours. We owe them some acknowledgement :)

We arrived at Cyberview Lodge at 4:45pm on Saturday 2nd July 2005, waited for a staff called Vincent to show us around. Michelle and Wu Han's wedding guests was pouring in. We could see that they have opted for something simple, yet elegant. Vincent guided us through the entire resort and showed us the area where the garden wedding would be held. The deco was exactly what we saw in Ratu Sehari and the bridal magazines. It was nice. Finally we get to see it with our own eyes. The edge of the garden was a flowing waterfall, which complimented the nature ambience rather well. The entire setting and arrangments were absolutely dazzling, its hard to imagine that we can one day get married under these conditions. At 5pm, the sun was still blazing, and we were told that normally the ceremony will only begin at 5:30pm or 6pm. And should it rain on that day, which we don't want, there is always a backup area and the staffs are well versed with the contigency plan.

We were then led to the Cindai Ballroom, where the dinner reception will be held. Vans noticed the missing flower arches, which Michelle and Wu Han had opted to be removed. The stage in front of the ballroom was removed, by request. Thank God they don't provide karaoke here, even if they had, we wouln't want it to spoil the special occasion. With projector screens on both side of the hall, its setting is rather convenient. The ballroom can easily accomodate up to 40 tables. Although we don't intend to have that much guest for our wedding, its good to know that in case we need some backup, the room is large enough to accomodate that. We saw another couple walking round checking out the facilities and enquiring about the wedding package too. It won't be long before this place becomes a common wedding destination :)


I think its time to take other pre-requisite steps (i.e talk to both set of parents) before we can come back to Cyberview and make our booking. The task ahead is nonetheless daunting, challenging and exciting, but Vans & I are already looking forward to this day that we have rehearsed in our minds for countless times since... a long time ago :)

We took the opportunity to snap our way through the entire resort. To check out more pictures of Cyberview, please click here.

Something Amiss

Somehow I felt something was not right, although we were planning for everything from the photoshoot to the wedding dinner reception, well we both knew the asnwer, perhaps none of us really thought it would come down to this.

Today is 1st of July, my birthday, and I thought it was the perfect occassion to propose to the love of my live. I had spent the last 2 weeks preparing my song, a video presentation, looking for the perfect ring (with vans' help of course hehe) and also getting some flowers ready.

It all happened so fast that the actual proposal happened like er... more than 3 hours ago. She finally said yes, and now suddenly it feels right. All the planning and preparation makes sense now.

We'll be going to check out Cyberview Lodge tomorrow at 5pm. I found out that there is a couple having a garden wedding there, so it will be the perfect opportunity for us to check out the place, and how it goes. I'm sure Vans will like it. We've been talking about it for so long, its finally the time to see if it really is what we've envisoined it to be.

Well my birthday is officially over now :( its time to go to bed, and perhaps reflect on the events that have taken place today, its significance will only start to sink in when I am due to meet Vans' parents and break the news to them... phew ... sounds like hard work. Nonetheless, it has to be done. Let's leave that to a next day. Lights out.