2 Weekends to the Big Day

2 more weekends left before the Big Day. How do I feel? FREAKING NERVOUS. Not particularly on the part of being married and the marriage after (for now atleast) because I dont foresee a HUGE change, other than the fact that I will be living in 2 houses, one of which is the Parents-in-Law's house (which also gets me nervous at times). Me and Aliff will be staying at our parents' houses first until we get a place on our own. So, anyway, what gets me nervous is the ENDLESS things that still need to be done. This is when a Wedding Planner will come in handy. Oh Well.

Recap of last week:

1. Grooms Wear for Nikah & Bride's Reception- Aliff had picked up his baju melayu for the nikah and the suit for the reception dinner. Next: butang baju melayu for his nikah baju melayu.

2. Hantaran - I think me and Aliff have finished getting all the things to be placed on the hantaran dulang. Aliff got his shoes from Jakarta. We also got his ring, which needs to be refitted, scheduled to be ready sometime next week I think. We also got the tie and the shirt for the hantaran (which he will be wearing for the reception). Next: cufflinks and the perishables, like the sireh junjung, fruits, cake and chocolates.

3. Baju Pengantin for Groom's Reception -  We will be going traditional, adorning silverish creme songkets. The MIL got the songkets from Indonesia and we have sent them to a tailor in Subang. It is quite last minute, but they said they can do it within the time we wanted. Mine will be ready on the 11th of June and Aliff's probably the week after. The look we're going for:

Next: Getting accesories for the Bride's ensemble; the headpiece, the ankle bracelet, the three tier necklace etc. Since I'm wearing a baju kurung, don't know whether the belt is suitable or not. Either way, I'm so excited to be wearing all these traditional accessories! Bila lagi? :)

L: source  R: source
Because my attire would be a simple kurung, I think the left one might be a tad to simple, but the the one in right might be too overwhelming. The one in right is called the "Sanggul Lintang" - something I have just learned :)

source
I think this piece might be what I'm looking for.



The three-tier-necklace which is called the "Dokoh"
source

The ankle bracelet a.k.a gelang kaki

4. Bridal Shower! My lovely varsity friends threw me a beautiful tea-party-bridal-shower at the most perfect place; Carcosa Seri Negara, the place I've always dreamt of having my wedding...oh well, anyway, it was so much fun and beautiful. Unexpectedly cried while giving the coerced-bridal speech. Will talk about this in a seperate post :)

Ok, so what I am planning to do this week:

1. Managing the Guestlist. Everyday we will receive the RSVP cards in our mail (which is so exciting), and even more exciting when the boxes "hadir" is ticked. But, having people RSVP-ing as not attending is actually a slight relief because the number of cards issued out are more than the seats allocated, BUT even so, I get a tinge of sadness when I see the box "tidak dapat hadir" is ticked even if I dont even know the person (eg; friends of the parents). Hahaha. Anyway, will have to sort out the actual numbers and arrange seatings this weekend. Thank you to those who have RSVP-ed. Tho those yang belum RSVP, pleaseeee do so, it will be really helpful so we can know the actual numbers and not waste or worse, have short of seats. We've provided the stamps and the envelope, all you have to do is fill in your name, tick and post it ............

2. Song List. So, I have been compiling the song list since 2 weeks ago, and this is one of the MOST fun thing to do. Listening to beautiful songs is just the best! My song list consist of classic-jazzy love songs from Eric Clapton to Tony Bennet to Frank Sinatra to P Ramlee. Classics are the best! I am also very fortunate to have my friend, Maria to sing me a few tunes. Her voice is to die for! First time I heard her sang was at a karaoke birthday party where she sang "Listen" by Beyonce. Ya Allah, sedapnyaaaaaaa. If the song wasn't such a sad song I would want her to sing it at my wedding. But I found the perfect song she can sing, "At Last", sang by Etta James and covered again by Beyonce. A compulsory song for my wedding! Maria will also be singing 2 more songs, yet to be finalised; either "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson, "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton, "The Way You Look Tonight" by Tony Bennet, "Aku Cinta Padamu" by Sheila Majid and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" by the Platters. And tentatively, Kakmira will be singing a duet with Adri "Sudah Kahwin Ke Belum" by Saloma and Ahmad Daud. They sang this once while were karaoke-ing one time and I was like, you two MUST sing this song at my wedding. The song's really cute! And a special peformance by a special someone (don't get too excited, its not an artist) but lets keep this a surprise :) All this are just plans, kita hanya merancang, so HOPEFULLY by next week we can finalise all the wedding singers :) Other than that, we are going to have a band play at my wedding. The band that was booked was Bapak's choice - it's his office's band, I've actually never seen them perform and I dont know what kind of songs they can play. But according to Ibu, they are quite good. Bapak has asked (and repeatedly reminded) me to send them the list of songs that I want them to play so they can rehearse. So that I MUST do this week, or I'm going to get an earful from Bapak.

3. Cake. Yummmmsssss. I will be ordering 2 cakes; one for the hantaran and one for the reception dinner. I've actually already have the designs, which needs finalising this week. Aishah recommended me Madaboutcake. I've actually known about them and had asked for a quotation once. Their price seem reasonable and their designs are quite impressive. Thought of meeting them this weekend, but Aishah will not be free, so maybe somewhere this week on a weekday kot?

4. Hantaran. Fuhhhhhh. this is a toughie. I already have the concept that I want, but I've realised that I might need more stuff than expected and the materials that I need is quite hard to find. I bought some things weeks ago, for the prototype, but when I went to get them last week, they're out of stock. It's always like that. When you don't need them, they'll be everywhere you turn, but when you need them, they're not there. Haih. So, I have planned to get all the materials weeks ago, but my weekends are always full with other events. So, I hope this weekend I will be able to settle the hantaran trays once and for all.

5. Home/Tent Deco. So, I'm also doing this myself. I've already gotten most of the decorative items. There are a few more left. I'm planning to get them this weekend too while I look for the hantaran stuff.

6. Flowers/Bouquet. Yes I LOVE flowers and i love shopping for them. I will  probably drop by Floristika to order the flowers and have them deliver to me one day before the wedding or I'll get someone to pick them up for me. I am planning to get red carnations and roses for the centrepieces and for the mini-pelamin. Some white chrysantemums, roses, orchids and hydrangeas for the sireh junjung. Some pastel colored flowers like eustoma, hydrangeas, carnations, sweet williams, and lavender for the bridal room. And ofcourse Casa Lilies for they bring the most beautiful ambience. I wonder if Floristika has peonies and gardenias. What else? My pelamin maker will be making my bridal bouquet for the reception. For the nikah, I'm not sure yet, whether to get him do it for me or do it myself. I'll probably have white orchids which is one of my favorite flowers, or a combination of pastel colored flowers to match my bridesmaids who will be wearing pastel pink, yellow and peach kaftans...come to think of it, a bouquet of yellow flowers may look really nice, no? hmmmm. Something I need to think about. Oh, I need to get flowers for the bridesmaids hand bouquet for the reception. I'll probably use lavenders cause they'll be wearing maroon/royal purple dresses. Wow, how much are these going to cost me? Yikes.

The things listed above (minus the guestlist part) are actually the best parts which I look forward to and enjoy in wedding planning.

To Do:

1. Bridal Wear - haish, tak settle-settle lagi. The most important part of the wedding. Hopefully, by this week I get to see it! Excited + Nervous + Anxious + Scared + Happy + Every other emotion you can think of.

2. Nikah Shoes - I'm looking for a white peep toe heels. Probably with white lace or flowers or ribbon ... something which is very .... bridal ....

have been looking high and low, but I've not found the perfect one yet. Or maybe should I get a hot pink heel?

Hmmm...

3. Flow of Event - to appoint a floor manager for both events.

4. Pre Wedding Photoshoot and Videoshoot - these are the two things I did not plan to do, cause I dont really like to do the props-acting stuff ...but I guess I am doing it...hahaha...because;

- the photoshoot was actually Aliff's uncle's request...he takes pictures as a hobby and he wanted to take our pre-wedding photos. His idea is just to take casual pictures of the both of us, in casual wear, he specifically said jeans and white shirts, no make up, no props whatsoever. I'm ok with that...as long as we dont have to do awkward poses...ahaha Uncle Osman is cool, so I'm sure it will be lovely and not cheesy.

- the videoshoot, is actually MY idea...ahahahha...I fell in love with Nicole Kidman's Omega advertisement, and thought of doing something similar...ahahhahahahhahahah...not sure if it will materialise though...will be meeting the videographer on the 5th of June to discuss the theme and idea of the shoot. Hopefully it will turn out well.

Both will be done on the last weekend before the wedding because of Aliff's "busy" schedule.

5. MOH and Bridesmaid kaftan - For the Nikah, family members will be wearing pastel pink/blue/purple while my Bridesmaids will be wearing pastel peach/pink/yellow kaftans.

color palette for the family

color palette for the Bridesmaids

My MOH has not gotten her kaftan for the nikah yet, as she will only be arriving in Malaysia from Australia on the 12th of June. So I'm thinking to go look for it with her. I also  need to get a yellow kaftan for one of my bridesmaid (Jihan!) who will be arriving in Malaysia on the 13th of June from the UK.

6. Spa, Mani-Padi and Brazilian - I have not gotten the chance to find time to go to a really relaxing spa! A MUST DO before the wedding. Will probably go with my MOH/Bridesmaids/Sisters the weekend before the wedding! Because I will be doing quite a bit of decorating/flower arranging for the wedding, I'll go for the mani padi the day before the wedding. Brazilian.....hmmmmmmm? Never done it before. Planned to do it once before the wedding so I'll know what to expect when I actually do it for the wedding...tapi....hmmmmm....see how...ahahahha...

7. Malam Berinai - Ooooohhhhh I need to get a white kaftan for the berinai! Shoots. Probably too late to get materials and send it for tailoring...which means I need to get a ready made...


something like this will be nice
source

 8. Inai - speaking of berinai, I also need to find someone to do the inai and henna. But I'm actually thinking of NOT doing the inai and henna at all, for the nikah and reception, but I'll do it for Aliff's reception...If I wont be wearing inai, than what is the Malam Berinai for? Hahahha...just for fun, get all the ladies to come the night before and have a small gathering, last touch ups, take pictures....hmmm....this needs to be revisited.

What else? Mesti banyak lagi ni...tak teringat je lagi....See why I'm nervous? Every morning for the past week, after I wake up while brushing my teeth I feel like throwing up. Boleh tak?

So many things to do this weekend. I hope time is on my side.

Toodles.

The Wedding Venues

This was the first thing that was finalised and booked. After the engagement, we started scouting around for the reception dinner venue. This time my parents decided to extend the guest list to about 700-800 compared to Kakmyra's 550 because they wanted to cover those that were left out during Kakmyra's.

The place that immediately came to mind was Dewan Perdana Felda because it can sit about 1000 people at a time.

The future in-laws was interested with Dewan Merak Keyangan at Jalan Semarak which is also under Felda which can sit about 450-500 people I think.

So, one Friday in October I think, during lunch hour, my fiance and his parents picked me up from my office for an appointment with Felda. *My office is just 5 minutes away*.

We sat down with one of the staffs and was told that for both halls (Perdana and Merak), the only available dates in June 2011 are either on weekdays or Sunday, and there's only few dates available for Sundays. Wow, cepatnya orang dah booking. It's 8 months before the date and dates are already limited. We thought we were early, although I have heard that these halls are hot cakes and people usually book 1 year in advance. I was not happy with Sunday......but I reserved a date for Dewan Perdana just in case. Aliff also reserved his date for Dewan Merak Kayangan. Aliff was OK with Sunday.

So, I started looking out for other venues. Places that came to mind/suggested:  Concorde Shah Alam, Tropicana Golf Club, Dewan SACC, Dewan MATRADE and Dewan Seri Endon.

Concorde Shah Alam had to be striked out because they can only sit a maximum of 600 people at one time. Dewan SACC and Dewan MATRADE was rejected by Bapak because ... can't exactly remember why.

So it was between Tropicana and Seri Endon.

Me and Ibu went to Tropicana to see the hall and the other accomodations that they provide. The hall can sit 700 people at one time.

 
The positive:

• The hall has just been refurbished
• Interior nice and elegant
• Tropicana Golf Club is in Damansara, so it is in the middle between KL and Subang.
• I've been to a wedding held here once and the food and the hospitality by the staff are nice
• Their package includes a basic pelamin, P.A system, microphones, rostrum, CD player, backdrop, 2 big screens in front and signage among others
• Price affordable

The negative:

• Only dates available for June 2011 are weekdays and Sundays. And there was only 1 Sunday left. Ya Allah...cepatnya semua orang book!
• The hall is rectangular shaped, meaning the pelamin will be situated at the end of the hall far far away from the people seated behind. To make sure these people are not left out with what is happening in front, they have, i think 3 built-in tvs at each side of the walls - one tv for RM200 (if I remember correctly). So 6 tvs = RM1200 extra.You can also add another 2 big screens at the back for RM300 per screen.
• They also charge an extra RM300 (i think) for the set up/wiring/mini stage for the band (if any).
• The VIP holding room is small
• The room for the pengantin is also small
• No room for family members - but they can use the Golf Club's changing room - which is used by club members.

We reserved the only Sunday available in June.

Then we went to Dewan Seri Endon in Putrajaya.

For Kakmyra's wedding, the parents initially wanted to do it here. But then they were introduced to Concorde Shah Alam, so they abandoned this hall. I've been to one wedding which was held at this hall and I remembered the hall being very elegant and nice, so I was OK with it being one of the options for my wedding. The hall can fit about 1000 people at a time.

The positive:

• The hall is huge and the interior is very elegant and nice
• The VIP holding room is 10x bigger than the one in Tropicana and the interior is very exquisite
• The Pengantin room is also very big and spacious with an attached bathroom. I like that it is situated one level above the hall and that we will be coming down the majestic-like stairs to make our way to the hall
• The have a service apartment right across the hall and one unit with three rooms (i think) is complimentary. So family members can hang out and get ready there
• We can choose to either go with their caterer or hire our own choice of caterer (hall rental will be different if we hire our own caterer). I think I 've heard good reviews of their caterer
• Their package includes 2 big screens, P.A system, microphones, rostrum, CD player among others
• They have ONE Saturday availabe in June 2011! 
• Price affordable

The Hallway

The VIP Holding Room

 

The Hall

Bilik Pengantin

The negative

• It is situated in Putrajaya - not a familiar route for most people
• The stage for the pelamin is freaking huuuggeeeee - so more $$ for pelamin (Most decorators would say this)
• Make Up charge usually adds another RM50-RM100 because of the location which is outside of KL and Klang Valley
• You have to add another RM1k for the red carpet and RM1k for the main table set up, in addition to hall rental and food
• They only provide the hall as it is with tables and chairs (with table cloth and chair cover) - no extras eg; arch, main table decorations

 

The 60 by 20 feet stage for the Pelamin

So, going through the pros and cons of both venues, we unanimously decided with Dewan Seri Endon, Puspanitapuri, Putrajaya. We then sealed our booking by paying the deposit in November 2010.

One day in December 2010, (refer this post) after meeting with one of the many designers for my reception dress, we made visits to 2 more venues, just for fun; Duchess Place and Carcosa Seri Negara.

Duchess Place

Remember this post and this post?

Well, I got to know about this place from an ex-bride's blog. She had her wedding there and the pictures looked really nice.  So, just to feed my curiosity, I called up one of the owners and said I would like to come by to see the place. He said I could come at around 5pm because they are setting up and getting ready for a wedding reception so i can actually see the set up for a wedding dinner.

My observations:

• It is an old mansion which they converted into a small hall. They installed a large marquee, which is the main dining hall at the side
• The location is not so accomodating to guests because it is right smack in the middle of the busy Jalan Ampang. And people might miss the place as the house is not visible as you pass Jalan Ampang, you have to enter through this huge white gate which is in between bangunan PERKESO and some building under construction. And the parking space provided is limited. Was told that guests can park across the street and that there will be RELA officers which will transport them to the place.
• It can fit about 450 people inside the marquee.
• You can discuss with the team your theme, and they will transform the marquee. As can be seen from the pictures above, it can be transformed to an informal colorful and fun hall or into a formal and elegant set up
• PRICE - average, but I think a bit pricey as it is about the same as the big halls in KL. But was told by the staff that price would vary depending on the specification of your event taking into consideration the menu, deco and etc
• I think it is a nice place to have your wedding if you plan for an intimate, more smaller weddings

As mentioned in the previous blog, Bapak doesn't like this place. I'll quote again what he said: "Lebih baik pasang marquee dekat rumah". Macamlah rumah kita tu besar sangat nak pasang marque kan Bapak oiii. Anyway, as I said, this place is suitable for low key-intimate weddings. Not quite suitable for the size of my guestlist and from Bapak's guestlist, my wedding reception will be somewhat formal.

Next, I insisted to go see Carcosa Seri Negara, as we would pass by it on the way home. Anyone who knows me will know that Carcosa Seri Negara has been my DREAM VENUE since forever.

The place is very sophisticated with elegant interiors and soothing ambience. It can only fit about 120 people, so having my reception dinner here is out of the question (they have a bigger hall which can fit about 400 people which is under construction and will only be opened in late 2011 or 2012). But I was thinking to have my nikah here. The price is ofcourse pricey, but if you consider the small number of people they can only accomodate, it's actually not that bad. You don't have to spend on the canopy, catering, decorations and etc that you have to spend for for having it at home. And minus the hassle and cleaning up, it's actually a perfect place for a solemnization. I did the math and it won't cost a significant difference as having the solemnization at home. But, haih, Bapak doesn't like the idea. He insists on having the nikah at home or at a mosque.

Soooooo frustrated. But I really love the place...so did Aliff. So, maybe for our 10th anniversary? Hopefully this place will still be here in 10 years time.

Suddenly in January, Bapak was interested with MATRADE.

*I told you i have a father-of-the-bride-zilla kan??*

Ya Allah orang tua ni. He tried to persuade me to change venues, despite knowing that the deposit paid to Dewan Seri Endon will be burned. Well actually "persuade" is not the right word...Bapak? Persuade? more like COMMAND.

Anyway, Bapak then stopped talking about "his" venue...

So, yeah, reception dinner venue is confirmed to be at Dewan Seri Endon. Went to see the hall again with Ibu and Kakmyra yesterday to finalise the menu and other arrangements. Food tasting will be in May, about 1 month before the wedding.

Nikah will be at home sweet home.

NEXT:  MUST FINALISE this month - Pelamin for Reception Dinner, Canopy and Catering for the Nikah at home.

Another Fruitful Bridezilla Weekend

Last Sunday met with Alin Anuar. She runs her business under the name of Asian Atelier, which also does custom made shoes, make up (by her sister), wedding planning and a fashion line. Her bridal wear and kebaya line is known as Cantik Skaly.

The entourage this time consist of me, Nell, Kakmira, Lulu Alani and the two guys; Adri - the brother-in-law (BIL) and Aliff - the groom-to-be (GTB). The appointment was at 2.30pm at Alin's studio apartment which was converted into an office/studio, at Damansara Perdana. The BIL and GTB didn't stay for the discussion, they went to have drinks at a nearby mamak. Good thing, cause I've decided that I don't want the GTB to see my bridal wear until the day itself. Nothing to do with the mat saleh "bad luck" belief. I just want it to be a surprise :)

I knew of Alin Anuar from a former bride and a close friend, Nabilla. Alin was her bridal wear designer for both her nikah and her reception dinner. She looked absolutely stunning in both. Her wedding was featured here. Nabilla described Alin as "cool", so I decided to check her out.

Alin is definitely cool. She's a petite lady but full of energy. I described to her what i envision my reception dress to be while she took notes. Once I was finish, she reiterated what I have said and added her own ideas and suggestions, some of which I agreed to. Alin, unlike the other designers which I have met (including my Cindy) did not sketch a picture of the dress for me. She was more of a visualiser and descriptive in what she saw the dress to be like.  No qualms about that, I got the picture. She also sometimes talk to herself about the things she intended to do. It was really cute. She is really cute.

So, she told me that the fabrics that she would be using would be incorporation of chiffon and tulle. She also suggested to add some lace at the bodice, which, although I have decided not to use lace, I thought I could agree with, since the way she described how she is going to use the lace is to create texture and the illusion of a figure in the dress and the amount of lace to be used would be minimal.





Then we discussed the budget. She said she can work with my budget but she'll have to discuss it with her team and get back to me the day after (which is today). I have received her quotation and it is slightly more than what I asked from her, but still within my budget.

All in all, I think Alin got the idea and I like her and can see myself working with her. And she shares my adoration of Queen Rania, Audrey Hepburn and Coco Chanel. Which is a plus plus in my book :).

The only thing is that the beadworks that she is offering within the price that she quoted is not as elaborate as I would want.

So, I'm still waiting for Syomir's quotation. I don't know whether I'll be meeting with other designers or not because I really don't have enough free time this month. Planned to meet Arma after meeting Alin, but he was busy with weddings and events. So, we went to see Duchess Place and Carcosa Seri Negara. Will blog about that later.

At Carcosa Seri Negara

*all pictures from Nell*

I need to confirm a designer by this month. So, there's some thinking to be done within the next week for this HUGE decision to be made. I hope I make the right choice.

Watch this space. xx