26.6.2011 Groom's Reception

The week after my wedding hoopla was the Groom's Reception, on Sunday night, held at Dewan Merak Kayangan FELDA, Off Jalan Semarak, KL. It was a dinner reception which seated about 450 guests, of the Groom's family and closest friends.

There was not much preparation on my side, just to sort out the MUA and the ensembles. Basically my role is just to be present at the wedding! So, it was pretty much a breeze compared to the Nikah and Bride's Reception preparation. The MUA and the ensembles had been taken care of. The MUA is Aunty Faizah, who did my make up for the Nikah, and the ensembles were songkets which my MIL got from Indonesia and it was tailored by Faiz Boutique.  The ensembles were quite last minute as the songkets only arrived about a month before the date! Faiz did a good job in getting it ready in less than a month! All I needed to do was find someone to do the henna on my hand and get a flower bouquet (which I was told to arrange myself like 2 days before, ok, no worries, plenty of florist in Subang).

On Friday night, me and Aliff went to KLIA to pick up his uni friend back when he was in UK, who came all the way from Moscow. The next morning, we went again to KLIA to pick up another 2 of his friends who came from London. These 3 friends were Aliff's closest mates during his post-grad studies. I am guessing they are pretty tight as they flew in half across the world to attend his wedding reception on Sunday and flew back on Monday morning! They planned to stay longer for a vacation in Malaysia, but they were busy with work, so could only schedule 3 days off, 2 of which spent on the airplane. Anyway, Aliff is lucky to have such good friends! Aliff will have to save up to attend their weddings pulak!

After we sent his friends to their hotel and had breakfast with them, we went to Aliff's grandma's house to attend a khatam Quran. After that we went to Flowerworld, a florist in Subang to get the flower bouquet. Unfortunately, because it was already Saturday, and I needed the flowers the next day, the selection were scarce. Had to settle for white roses and eustomas. I actually planned to get calla lilies. Oh well.

Anyway, so yeah ok, like I have said in a previous entry, Aliff did not have time to have a bachelors party as he was busy with his CFA exams and Jakarta and work. So, eventhough he is a bachelor no more as of 17th June 2011, I gave him the night off to have his post-no-longer-bachelor's party with his friends on Saturday night. He told me he will be coming home, but it would be really late. Fine. I on the other hand, spent my night having Rekha (who was recommended by a fellow former bride, Hudra) drawing henna on my palms and feet. She told me to keep the inai on until it dried off, but I was already sleepy by 11pm, that I washed it off. I washed off the feet first, and to my horror, it turned out reaallly reallly dark! So I quickly washed off the ones on the palms, and it was dark as well! *Bridezilla moment alert* Soaked my hands and feet in water in the hopes that it would lighten. Rubbed minyak cap kapak as well because I heard it can make ur inai red. OMG...minyak cap kapak and water, my fingers kecut habis! Because I was rubbing them off and soaking them in water, some patterns of the henna on my nails and palms were fading away...so I asked Syida to reapply them using the henna tube I bought for the nikah. And I thought there won't be any drama left!

...or so I thought...Aliff didn't come home that night. Called him endlessly the morning after and he didn't pcik up. I got worried. I am pretty sure he fell asleep at his friends' hotel after the party, and if he is that tired, he won't be able to wake up to the ring/alarm of a phone unless someone shakes him real hard...but, the fact that he had told me he was coming home...that made me worried! So, atlast, at about 11am, he picked up the phone and said he had accidentally fell asleep at his friends' hotel while hanging out there after the party...HAISHH! He came home, and went back to his place to pack. Then his mum told him that the seating arrangements were all gone, because her laptop suddenly crashed! OMG. What else can go wrong? He had to do everything from scratch.

We FINALLY made our way to the hotel at about 4.30pm to pick up his best man, and reached the hall at about 5pm. Rehearsal was supposed to start at 4.30pm because there was a wedding before that, but the wedding party only cleared from the hall at 5pm, so rehearsal only started at 5.30pm.  I could not join the rehearsal, as I had to get ready for my make up. But it was fine because I'll just have to follow Aliff's que and the format is about the same for Malay weddings, so no worries there. Asyraf took my place as the Bride :)

Aliff and his Bestman

Aliff being the "Groom-Zilla"

Started my make up at 5.30pm. My family started coming by 7.00pm and hung out with me in the preparation room. By then Aliff had finished his rehearsal and joined me to get ready. Syida, Asyraf, Han and Aliff's bestman, Aran, also got ready in the same room. ALL IS FINALLY ON TRACK and everything went smoothly after. By 7.30pm guests started to arrive. Aliff's 2 other friends came and joined us.

the Inspiration for the look



Bride helping MOH getting ready



 

 

Aran preparing his speech

 

 

putting on my grandma's gold gelang kaki

Around 8.30pm most guests have arrived and seated and me and Aliff made our entrance to the hall to the sound of live kompang and "Gelora" by P.Ramlee and Saloma (my absolute FAV!). Aliff's reception is traditional, so through out the night we were accompanied by traditional songs. Once seated on the pelamin, and after the recitation of the doa, we were presented with a silat performance. It was quite aggresive, the silat fighthers we jumping on and off stage, but it was cool and definitely enlightening to the foreign guests. There were a number of foreign guests, most of them Aliff's mother's guests, so the reception was bilingual and every step of the ceremony was explained. That was one of the reasons his mother insisted on a really traditional reception.

 

So, after the merenjis, was the Pulut Kuning-Cutting. Then as we walked down the pelamin to the high table, we stopped by our respective grandmother's tables for them to merenjis...as they were quite old, and Aliff's grandmother being on the wheelchair, Aliff's aunts decided that we go to them to merenjis, instead of them having to go up the pelamin. Very good idea! Then we walked down to the hightable to the song "Saat Yang Bahagia" again by P. Ramlee and Saloma.

Dinner was then served. The picture and video montage was played during dessert. And after dessert we went back up to the pelamin for the speech by Iqa, Aliff's sister and Aran, Aliff's bestman. Aliff's uncle made Aran read a few pantun in malay and that got the guests cracking. After the speeches, the MC announced that it was the end of the night and me and Aliff made our way to the entrance to greet the guests goodbye, to the song of "Selamat Pengantin Baru" by Saloma. After, some guests mostly family and Aliff's close friends stayed back for pictures.



The MIL's foreign guests



Aliff's Cambridge mates

Both sides of the family

After the last guest left, me and Aliff went to the Trader's Hotel, which was a treat from my parents :) Kakmyra and family also spent the night at the same hotel, so we had breakfast together the next morning. Me and Aliff missed the breakfast at Shangri La and ended up ordering room service for breakfast, so this time, we made sure to wake up in time for the breakfast buffet. Went home at about 2pm and sent Han back to Gopeng. On the way home we stopped by a rest stop and had tea...

Ok, I'm going on and on even though the part of the wedding is over...because, after 3 months, I am still in denial that the wedding is finally OVER! I MISS being called a Bride-to-Be....

But the reality is, it is over ......... BUT, the Marriage is only BEGINNING!

I look forward to growing old with my bestfriend, my soulmate, my husband.

Till then.

Muaxxxxxxxxxxx.

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.