Tabahnya Hatimu Menempuh Dugaan

Today is our Prophet's day of birth and I heard this song on the radio. This familiar song brings back memories of elementary school, where every year for maulidurrasul, each class would compete in a nasyid competition and this song would definitely be part of the song selections of atleast one class. One of the best nasyid which rightfully commemorates the life of the Messenger.


Rasulullah dalam mengenangmu
Kami susuli lembaran sirahmu
Pahit getir pengorbananmu
Membawa cahaya kebenaran

Engkau taburkan pengorbananmu
Untuk umatmu yang tercinta
Biar terpaksa tempuh derita
Cekalnya hatimu menempuh ranjaunya

Tak terjangkau tinggi pekertimu
Tidak tergambar indahnya akhlakmu
Tidak terbalas segala jasamu
Sesungguhnya engkau rasul mulia
Tabahnya hatimu menempuh dugaan
Mengajar erti kesabaran
Menjulang panji kemenangan
Terukir namamu di dalam Al-Quran

Rasulullah kami umatmu
Walau tak pernah melihat wajahmu
Kami cuba mengingatimu
Dan kami cuba mengamal sunnahmu

Kami sambung perjuanganmu
Walau kita tak pernah bersua
Tapi kami tak pernah kecewa
Allah dan rasul sebagai pembela

The Make Up Artist Part I - The Reception Dinner

Work has been unbelievably overwhelming. Everything is super urgent and co-operation is not readily provided. Anyway, on to more happy things...My Wedding :)

So, the plan was to book the venue, then the designer for the dress, then the make up and then the photographer.

So much for following that order la kan.

The venue has been booked. Albeit Bapak's sudden change of mind , but I think that has passed and we're still with the innitial venue. Will write more on this.

Next in order was supposed to be the designer. OMG. This is by far the most "vendors" that I've seen. It started with 3 ... and I was pretty sure and confirmed that I wanted this particular designer, so I told myself I'm not seeing anyone else...BUT, because of some turn of events, I met another 2, and finally booked with the 4th one that I saw. Their prices are more or less the same. Will come back on this later jugak.

This entry, is on the Make Up Artist.

I finalised the booking for my MUA before the designer. Because there were some hoo ha-s with the designer, I could not follow the initial "order" because if I wait longer, I was afraid all the good MUA-s will be taken on my day. This fear was further exasperated by Kakmira's worried phone calls on why I haven't booked anything yet, 5 months to the wedding.

And so the SEARCH was on.

I already had a few names that I liked. And thanks to Izrin's blog post, I learned of some new names that I've not encountered, but quite established. She even gave me their rates. Thanxxxxx.

For the Reception Dinner, because it will be in a huge hall,  the make up has to be not-too-natural but at the same time I don't want it to be overdone with the foundation and the colors. In other words - Tak Tepung lah. So, experience is important. That is why I wanted someone yang ada nama lah jugak ...

First name in mind ... Sue Cantik (019-2742947)

She did the make up for Kakmira's Nikah and for both the Bride's and Groom's Reception Dinner.

Called her up (actually Kakmira called her, and every other make up artist - I put her in charge of the MUA - I just supply the names and numbers), but she's already booked for the whole day on the 18th ... Damnsssss!!. I thought I didn't have to go through all the trouble of getting quotations and researching for MUA.

Budget is around RM800 - RM900 ... and the SEARCH began.

1. Tiar Zainal (013-6284835) 

Recommended by Kakmira's friends. Quite popular. When I heard how much he charges mula-mula amik je lahhhh...tapi Kakmira put some sense in me...And I realised I can not let myself get tempted although it's just two or three hundred more than budgeted. 
  

    Nextttttttt........

2. Ayang Kamell (012-2720975)

Saw her work through Facebook. I like. Price lower than my budget. And most testimonials would always say that she is very nice. Plus pointssss!

Definitely under consideration.

3. Ian Sham (017- 2030635) 

Knew her from one Wedding Fair in Mid Valley last year. Price under my budget. Her work is also nice, but Kakmira don't prefer her so much ... Entah kenapa.

     Nextttttt.....

5. Sheng Saw (012-9005597) 

Nice artistic make up and he is quite good with hair as well. I fell in love. Tapi alamak over the budget. Damnsss.

Nexxxxtttttt!

6. Saidatulnisa (019-3128246/019-2094564) 

  

She is very popular. She does mostly VVIPs, Royalties and such. And I heard she can cancel on you if she gets a call from these VVIPs and Royalties. Don't know how true ... but, anyway she's expensive, so...

    Nextttttt!

7. Liza (aka assistant Saidatulnisa) (019-2094564)

The next best thing. ahaha. Other than being Saidatulnisa's assistant, she does make up for people as well. The times yang Saidatulnisa had to cancel, she steps in. She doesn't have her own page, so its quite hard to see her work...but from those I see, I LIKE. Price under my budget.

Sebab dah malas, and time ticking, and the fear of all the MUA-s getting booked by other Bridezilla-s, I had to make a decision.....and finally booked me ...

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No.7

Liza, the assistant.

It was actually between Ayang Kamell and her, and I've always had Ayang Kamell in mind even before I started looking for MUAs...but I don't know, that day I decided I want Liza. So, Liza it is. Bukan rezeki Ayang Kamell la kot. Liza seems nice on the phone. And from the uber-ex-bridezilla, Diah who is a friend to Kakmira, she likes Liza of all three 3 MUA-s she hired for her wedding.

Hoping that I made the right choice.

Here are other MUA-s out there yang I quite like tapi tak sempat nak contact (ranging from RM800-RM1000++ macam tu kot):

Nurul Shukor      012-2862286
Amy Janz           012-2763600
Fiza Zainuddin    012-2217031
Lova                  016-6720445

This is a useful link  - Top 10 MUA-s compiled by GLAM Magazine.

**Prices for Putrajaya is always more expensive than in KL. Booo.

Wedding Progress - 4 months till The Date

Dalam kesibukan dekat office, I managed to tick a few things last night...A little bit relieved that at least some things have been confirmed.

• Paid 50% deposit to my Reception Dress designer/dress maker.
• Paid 30% deposit to the Photographer.
• Paid the deposit for my MUA for the Reception Dinner.
• MUA for Nikah and Groom's Reception Dinner is semi-confirmed. Still finding a date for the test make up. But I'm 99% sure I'm going with her.
• I think the Venue for the Reception Dinner is confirmed, no changes because Bapak has stopped talking about "his" venue. Anyways, deposit for the innitial venue has also been made.

(Will write about each one when I have the time ... )


So, what's next:

1. Designer for the Nikah outfit. I keep on changing the design. Hopefully once I come back from Jakarta it'll be settled.
2. Canopy for the Nikah - still surveying the vendors. I like the one that we used for Kakmira's wedding, but he's a bit lacking in the creative side. The one I used for my engagement is also ok. But I'm not sure whether he has the things I want. I'm currently in talks with this one Event Planner, tapi their charges is more than the two that I have used before, tapi their results are gorgeous. See how this goes.
3. Catering for the Nikah - Probably going for the same caterer we always use, who is also a relative of my mother. But I'm still scouting around. One thing I definitely want in the menu is chopped lamb and mint sauce. yummmsss.
4. Pelamin and Decorator for the Reception Dinner - also still surveying. I already have my concept. Just need someone to realise it for me. Some "people" are quoting MAD quotations for their services - and what I'm asking will not be requiring much props like other pelamins pun. I'm not into the panel-type pelamin...and I wouldn't be requiring flowers sangat (fresh or artificial). Haih. Kakmira wants to quit and start doing pelamin after I told her how much "that" person quotes. Ahaha. "MEREPEK" is what Bapak would say.
5. Invitations and Door Gifts/Bunga Telur - Hoping to find these in Jakarta/Bandung. I'm not sure whether I'll be victorious in finding exactly what I want, because I heard the stuff there are more of batik/traditonal stuff and the cards are ready mades and it would be difficult to custom make. Keeping fingers crossed.
6. Entertainment - I found this looovely singer, she sang at Farina's birthday. She is the resident singer for 39 Restaurant at PNB Darby Park. Merdunyaaa. Tapi mahal sikit la dia. The one who sang at Andy's wedding pun sedap... Hmm see how this goes, depends on how much residue I have from everything else. I would probably just ask Kakmira and Adri to sing that night. Ahaha. Seriously. And other family and friends who have beautiful voices. More personal kan?
7. Videographer - this is a toughie. Mahal lah. I got a few quotes, they charge thousands just for a video of 5 minutes in lenght? GILA apa. I want a full video of both events, atleast 45 minutes in lenght lah. Kalau 5 minutes dah thousands...45 minutes? I'm not sure how videographers charge. The one who did Kakmira's was ok lah...tapi tak creative sangat lah...dia buat full video and the charge is reasonable. I also want a live feed for the Reception Dinner, which atleast cost another RM3k. ATLEAST. Fuhhh.  
8. Procedures and Approvals  - these have to be done before Aliff leaves to Jakarta (if he ever lahh - tak pergi pergi pun lagi).

Apa lagi eh? I think those are the big things. Yang minor-minor tu nanti lah. I have a loonnngggg list in my Wedding Binder.

Getting Married is EXPENSIVE. Especially if you want the finer things. SO, JANGAN MENGARUT ok. Something I have to constantly remind myself. And I'm feeling the heat now as this is the time deposits have to paid and the zero-s in the bank account becomes lesssss.

BUT, above all that, I still smile. Me and Aliff had our ritual morning conference just now and we casually just talked about how it would be like waking in the mornings to go to work once we're married. Because I leave the house earlier than him - would he stand the lights that i'll be switching on while getting ready and the fan and aircond that I'll be switching off because after the morning shower its collddd...and the hairdryer noise from blowing my hair...all these while he's still sleeping... (Syida, my current roomate always complains of these things) he said it'll be fine cause dia tidur mati. Ahaha. Hmmm....the thought of that made us smile...can't wait! :) :) :)

*cheh baru kahwin tak kisah, dah kahwin nanti? hopefully still tak kisah, or he'll have to build me a room-closet with an attached bathroom for me to get ready in*

Toodles.

STRESS Part 1

Semua benda mahal. Semua benda lebih from budget. And my budget is not cheapsket budget ok, I think quite reasonable. Hello, don't put your price too high lah. It's becoming ridiculous. Rezeki should come from working hard and not from making a quick buck by fooling the hopeless bridezillas. If you want to cater for the rich and famous only don't publicise your business lah idiots. Dah lah tak ada masa nak survey lebih-lebih and plan the whole thing properly. Work keep on piling like nobody's business. STRESS. I think it's the wedding ticker. Semakin cepat pulak the date. And probably because bitch hormone is kicking in. I'm almost due.

Kursus Kahwin

One of the requirements in this country for couples to get married is to attend the Pre-Wedding Course.

Every year you hear that the syllabus or the module of the course will change, from a 2 day course, to a 2 days 2 nights course where you have to participate and attend the qiyamullail at nights. Because December was just packed with weddings and other stuff, I called up JAIS (Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor) and asked them whether the syllabus will change in 2011. They assured me it was still going to be the same 2 day course where you basically just sit and listen. So, we decided to go in January 2011.

We decided to go to the one organised by JAIS, because it's just in Shah Alam which is 10 minutes from home, and Kakmira and Adri went there for their pre-wedding course and they enjoyed it. I downloaded the form here and faxed it from my office. I had to forge Aliff's signature because, well, he comes home too late for me to wait up for him just to sign the form. And I can't wait until the weekend because it becomes full very fast. So, if anyone wants to do their pre-wedding course there, you have to submit your forms atleast 2-3 weeks before the date you have chosen.

The date we chose were on the 22nd and 23rd January (the courses are only on Saturdays and Sundays).

So last weekend, me and Aliff had to sacrifice our "waking up late on weekends" to attend the pre-wedding course. Registration on the first day starts at 745am - 815am. Being me, I like to arrive early, so I woke Aliff up at 700am. Although it's just 10 minutes away and there will definitely be no traffic congestion as it was on a weekend, I purposedly told him to pick me up as early as 715am because I was anticipating the 15 minutes that he's going to be late, and the other 5-10 minutes of filling in petrol etc. He picked me up at 730am, stopped for gas and we arrived close to 800am. Imagine if I had asked him to come at 730am :)

The first day was interesting. Although the topics of the lecture was quite boring, but the lecturers were sooooooo funny that I hurt my mouth from laughing too much. Seriously. These people may be ustaz, but they are quite open and liberal about husband and wife relationship, if you know what I mean. The food was nice, nothing to complain. They served breakfast, lunch and tea. The first day ended at about 500pm.

The second day was not as fun as the first day, but still bearable. The lecturers on the second day was not as funny so there were times I almost fell asleep. So, I opened my Wedding Binder and started calculating the budgets and cutting where necessary - keeping up with my motto of "sticking to the budget". But there was one lecturer from Kementerian Kesihatan, who talked about health and STDs and pregnancy and giving birth....this lecture was very VISUAL. He showed us videos and pictures which brought back everyone's attention from the lack of during the prior lecture. One of the most impact-ful (is there such word?) video would be the video of giving birth. YIKES. Makes you think twice of getting pregnant and giving birth.....sakitnyaaaaaaaaa....and all the blood...alamak. It's ok. I am going to persevere. If I get pregnant, I am still planning to go for the natural birth. Kalau mati pun mati syahid kan?

Anyway, although there were some boring lectures, it was definitely a fun experience. The only downside is they did not allow us to eat with our other half...booo. But me and Aliff cheating sikit ... the did not put us in different rooms to eat, and there's actually no signage saying where the girls or boys eat. But there were 2 buffet tables. So, faham-faham lah. Me and Aliff sat at the end of the girls/boys area, so we got to seat next to each other. Hahahaha. It was my plan lahhh. Aliff penakut. Ahaha. A good suggestion would be that you go with a friend who is also getting married, if you don't plan to make friends, like me :) Other than that, anyone who plans to attend the requisite pre-wedding course, I would definitely recommend the one organised by JAIS.

The 2 day course was enlightening. Ofcourse there's the feeling of losing your weekend, but it sheds some light on getting married, especially the procedures. There's so many things that you have to do (tests, approvals, getting witnesses) to get married in Malaysia. It's not just saying "Aku terima nikahnya". Ahaha. So, we have to get all that done before Aliff goes to Jakarta, or it'll be too late and we'll be rushing.

NEXT: HIV Test.


Toodles.

Jakarta, here we come

Remember this entry on Aliff probably moving to Jakarta?

Well, when I broke the news to my Ibu, she was not happylah until I told her that the silver lining is that we can go visit him there and do the wedding shopping. After that she spread the news to everyone and everyone was suddenly excited to go to Jakarta.

My very excited mother had riled everybody up with the plan of going shopping at Jakarta that Kakmyra's MIL called her up one day and said there's a cheap flight to Jakarta via KLM (a dutch airline) for February, during Chinese New Year.

What?

Aliff's secondment has not been finalised yet. Going to Jakarta without him being in Jakarta defeats the initial plan of going to Jakarta kan - which was for me to visit him, and alang-alang dah dekat sana, get some stuff for the wedding.

Aliff said he can't join us because he wanted to do his studying for the CFA during Chinese New Year holidays.

Kakmyra wouldn't be joining us as well, because she's already in her third trimester...Maybe if she gets her OBGYN to sign a letter allowing her to fly and she feels fit she'll join us. But for now, she won't be joining us.

Anyway, because everyone else was so excited for the trip, and the tickets were quite cheap, Ibu managed to convince Bapak to fund the trip. So, on Saturday morning Ibu woke me up, told me to get Bapak's credit card and book the flight to Jakarta for the family. Since Mama-Ina and family will also be joining us, she asked me to call Nell to come over and bring her laptop so we can do the booking together.

I was quite sceptical with KLM...because I've actually never heard of it...but Kakmira's MIL had flewn with KLM many times before and they liked it. I did my research on KLM airline, and found a couple forums comparing MAS and KLM. Most preferred MAS, but those who preferred KLM, did not like MAS. hmmm?

We started  the online booking at about 4pm because everyone had stuff to do earlier in the day.

I don't know why, but there were so many problems with the online booking.

First, the internet was having problems.

Then, Ibu called and asked me to book for my grandmother and her maid. Her maid had an Indonesian passport, and didn't state her last name. So I didn't know how to fill in the "last name" column for her. Tried calling KLM hotline, but the Malaysia office has closed by then and we were supposed to call Amsterdam...what? Told Ibu the problem and she told me to book for our family first.

So I had to start all over again.

Nell didn't want to proceed with their payment just yet, she wanted to wait for me.

Then internet was slow again.

Then when it was finally time to make the payments, the page said they didn't recognise the credit card...whattt? I called the credit card company and they told me my dad has not registered for online banking. Luckily my dad was still at home (they were getting ready for a wedding). He gave me his other credit card.

Nell had to start over because her page has exceeded the time to finalise the booking. Ahahah.

We joked that probably it's a sign not to go with KLM.

Kakmyra and Nell browsed MAS website, just to check out the price....and they found that it was about the same, just a few RM more than KLM.

I ran back up and and told my parents, and they said proceed with MAS. (we always preferred MAS, don't know why...we feel more comfortable and more at home I guess ahahah).

So, then me and Nell abandoned the KLM website and started booking with MAS. By then, Kakmira's MIL came by, and they asked Kakmyra to do the booking for them. So Kakmyra took out her Ipad and started the booking for her PIL. Syida took over from me because I was tired from the whole KLM-booking problems.

Our booking was finalised. Tapi, Nell's and Kakmyra's had problems with the credit cards.  Then, we realised, Syida entered her name as "Mr Syaida Binti Abd Majid". Ahahahahahh. Ya Allah. So stressfulllll.

I called MAS, and they said its ok, that it wouldn't be a problem.

Nell called MAS and did their booking through the phone because they erred so many times, the credit card rejected the transaction.

Kakmyra's PIL ended up booking with KLM.

WOW. Such a stressful online booking experience! Those were some of the problems we encountered. There were many others (Mama Pogy, Sumirah related problems ahahah. FYI, according to MAS, for my grandmother's Indonesian maid whose passport didn't state her last name, suffice to put her first name again in the "last name" column - eg: First Name: Sumirah, Last Name: Sumirah. So her ticket will read "SUMIRAH/SUMIRAH").

My house was so noisy with everyone shouting at each other and on the phone, and running up and down. It was like at a stock exchange when the market opens.

At the end of the day, at about 10pm, everyone has booked a seat to Jakarta on the 1st-4th February.

Now, I'll just have to find out where to go, what to buy and how much I can spend.

Can't wait for the trip!

xoxo

27 Dresses

As I have mentioned in my previous entry, I have always loved being part of a wedding, be it as the MOH or bridesmaid, down to the usherers and the bunga telur girls (tho the latter 2 might be quite tiring, and sometimes you just have to ponteng for atleast 5 minutes). It's just so much fun to be part of the chaos during the last crucial moments before the wedding (tho it can be stressful at times). The best part is, you get to witness the beautiful moments of when 2 people become man and wife.

I have had the pleasure and honor to be part of the wedding of the closest people in my life. And, well, when you play a role in weddings, comes the matching outfits - be it the material or color. I have received quite a number of lace and satin materials for my roles as bridesmaid, usherers and the likes. This year alone I got 4 lace materials. Lucky me huh?

These past 2 years have been wedding frenzy, so I've got a lot of baju kurung, kebaya, kaftans to last me many Hari Raya-s.

So, here are some of my "27 Dresses"

1.    2006 - Kakmira's Merisik at home, Subang



Modern kurung with emroidered embelishments at the neck.
I love the multi-color-tie-dye effect. It is sari material if I'm not mistaken.

  This Merisik was very last minute and everything was done at the eleventh hour. We were told there were going to be hantarans, like the day before. We didn't expect that cause our understanding of merisik was just like a small informal gathering. (I deleted "small" because our family gatherings are never small bacuse my mum has a huge family). Anyways, the Merisik was right  after Hari Raya that year, so we (including Kakmira) wore our baju raya. I included this in this list because I was Kakmira's pengapit - whose duty was to sit next to her and wipe off the sugar from her lips and hold the glass of water for her to drink while the aunts and grandmothers shoved her face with spoonfuls of sugar. Its'a Penang tradition. Supposed to make you "sweet" or something.
I don't know.

2.   2007 - MOH for Shyra's Nikah at her home, Subang 

 

White chiffon baju kurung with pink dyed trims and hand painted flower motives

Shyra was the first of the gang to get married. She was 22 and was still pursuing her  M.D. Me and Nell used to have sleepovers and sneak-outs and ponteng tuition and drinking coke and laugh all night (know what I'm saying hihihi). So one day she texted the both of us at the same time and said: "I want the two of you to be my pengapit, one for the nikah and one for the reception. Both of you choose which one and let me know." Nell immediately called Shyra and said "I want reception!". Hahaha. So, I got to be Shyra's pengapit for her nikah, which personally I would have chosen, and not because Nell was so fast on her fingers calling Shyra to cop the Reception. Hahaha. I think it's really special to be next to the bride and hold her hand when the the groom say the 8 magical words and then realise the hand you are holding are now the hands of a different person, a wife.
I'm sentimental that way :) 

3.  2007 - Usherers for Shyra's Wedding Reception at Holiday Villa, Subang  



Materials for usherers were sponsored by the Bride's mother, sari material that she bought in India - very glittery :) Nabilla didn't wear hers cause her tailor botched her material. Yikes.

With the beautiful bride 

It was a small intimate dinner of close family and friends. So, the ushering was not that bad. Every attendees had been given table numbers beforehand. So all we needed to do was ask for their table numbers and usher them to their tables. We needed to memorise the table layout tho, but I think we managed to do quite alright. Just that we probably shouldn't have started taking pictures while on the job. Hihi.

4. 2007  - Pengapit for Kakmira's Berinai at home, Subang



Dark brown thai silk for the top and dark brown abstract batik for the sarung

 It was the night before the Nikah. I was sooo comot that night because I was running around that morning to get all the last minute preparations ready. There were actually 4 pengapit-s that night because Kakmira changed clothes twice. First she wore like a javanese ensemble to represent my dad's side of the family where Nell and Dzu was the pengapit. Then she changed to an arabic ensemble to represent half of my mother's heritage where me and Syida became the pengapit. It was more like the "pengipas". Because all we did was kipas her. Ahah.



5. 2007 - Dulang girls for Kakmira's Nikah at home, Subang. 



Peachy-pink plain chiffon for the chest and sleeves combined with peachy-pink floral printed chiffon for the body and the sarung

I came up with the "peachy-pink" theme. I fell in love with this color when I saw Sheila Majid wearing a dress of this color in one of her shows. The selendangs worn by the girls were sponsored by Ibu.

6. 2007 - Bridesmaid for Kakmira's Wedding Reception at Concorde, Shah Alam.  

 





Yellow crepe and chiffon for the top, songket for the sarung

There were 11 bridesmaids - 6 of them were Kakmira's besties. The theme for the family was light yellow. But the Bride decided that she wanted her friends to wear green. This reception was a double duty for me and Syida. Aside from being the bridesmaids, we were also incharge of the usherers. So we were literally running to the bridesmaids line up for the bridal march when the last guests were ushered in the hall.

7. 2007 - MOH for Kakmira's Bertandang at Holliday Villa, Subang 



Silver glittery net and satin lining with twisted emroidered lace at the neck and bust

It was the groom's reception dinner. The first time me and Aliff was the pengapit together for the same occasion. I don't think there'll be any other. Ahah. We get the usual "Ni, bila pulak?" :)

8.  2009 - Dulang girls for Aizat's Nikah



Styling the kurung pahang in pink songket

Aizat, the first of the 1985 cousin-trio to get married, at 25. The theme was pink. All 7 of us fit into the white allison behind us. The man in the baju melayu is Abang Imran, the so-efficient-and-organized wedding co-ordinator. He held a briefing before the rombongan went to the bride's place for the Nikah and the Reception, complete with white boards and the bride's home layout plan to make sure we know where to sit and put the dulangs. We were the most well-coordinated and organised rombongan, hands down.  



9. 2010 - Head of Bunga Telur at Aizat's Wedding Reception-I, Groom's home, Subang.  



Golden-Brown thai silk with black beadings at the sleeves and chest. The sarung had umbrella-pleated chiffon at the side - last minute installment as the original slit was too high ;)

As mentioned above, Aizat was lucky enough to have Abang Imran as the head co-ordinator. So the giving out of the Bunga Telur was also very organised. The cousins plus their plus-ones, (about 30 of us?) were split into 4 groups - which represents 4 shifts; 11.00am-1.00pm, 1.00pm-2.00pm, 2.00pm-3.00pm, 3.00pm-4.00pm. I was incharge to create a strategy/plan for the cousins to give each guest the Bunga Telur... the tricky thing was my aunt and uncle had bought different Bunga Telurs  for kids and grown ups and for the grown ups different casings. Then the anak yatim who came also had different casings of bunga telur. So we had to make sure everyone got the right Bunga Telur. On top of it all, I had to make sure that all shifts were doing their jobs. Fuhh. It was a hot and tiring day. Oh, the theme was golden-brown. Aliff only owns 3 baju melayu - peachy-pink, yellow and silver (all three from Kakmira's wedding in 2007), so he wore yellow, the closest to the theme. Haish.

10.  2010 - Bunga Telur girls at Aizat's Wedding Reception-II, Groom's home, Subang.



Turqoise chiffon shrug-tied in the front worn on top of a corset for the top. Light pink and turqoise embroidered lace and pink satin lining for the sarung

 Aizat had 2 wedding receptions, one during the day which was a laid-back reception for family and friends, and at night was a more formal dinner for close family and the parents's friends. Only the girl cousins were in attendance, beacuse we had Bunga Telur duties. The theme was turqoise.

11. 2010 - Usherers at El's Wedding at Holiday Villa, Subang.

  

Two-toned pink chiffon kaftan with a line of silver beads encrusted from the chest down meeting a ribbon at the waist.

El is Kakmira's brother-in-law. This was particularly hard because we didn't know the guest and who was who. Some people who were not in the "VIP" list were "supposed" to be in the list. The seating arrangements were very specific. The hardest thing was me and Aliff had to bring some of the family who came late to the coffee shop because the guests were too overwhelming. It was a tough crowd. El's reception and Aizat's reception was back to back, so I swore off weddings after that . But just for a while. Weddings are my thing. Can't let it go forever :)

Well this was the first wedding where Lulu made her first appearance, starting off her "career" as the flowergirl. More to come for sure. Brace yourself little darling. One day you will fill in my shoes :)

The theme was pink.

12.  2010 - Dulang girl at Endi's Engagement, Bukit Jelutong. 



Green french lace for the top and satin for the sarung with bordered lace patched at the trims of the sarung

The largest rombongan I've ever been part of. It was a convoy of about 20 cars. Reason being that the bride-to-be (who is the sister of El's wife. Small world) is from Sabah and the wedding will be at Sabah, so, many of the groom-to-be's family can't make it. As usual, muka sama lah untuk angkat dulang.

Theme: green

13. 2010 - MOH at Shereen's Nikah. 

 

Creme cotton embroidered kebaya top and cotton batik sarung

Shereen is one of my highschool best friends. We've actually known each other way longer because our parents are friends. We were inseperable in Form 2, going everywhere together. This girl was a heartbreaker. She has a long list of ex-boyfriends. And I was there for each one. I was also the shoulder to cry on for some of them. Ahaha. Nurman is a lucky lucky man to have captured her heart. And I felt so honored to be next to her when she became a wife. Poor thing, she had to rely 100% on her mother for the wedding planning, right down to the wedding attires, as she was so far away in Dublin. But she loved everything, so all was good.
The theme was creme.
The couple are currently still in Dublin, and we try to catch up every now then. I hope you guys can make it for my wedding!

14. 2010 - Bridesmaid for Shereen's Reception at Dewan SUK, Shah Alam



Lace modern kebaya with a square ribbon at the bust enhanced with a big purple brooch and satin sarung

I accidentally woke up late on the day and sped to Shah Alam, not exactly sure where the place was (altho I had went to the rehearsal the day before), I made illegal U-turns here and there, which caught the attention of a passing policemen. Shaitsss. Talked my way out of a ticket. "Sorry Encik, saya bukan dari Shah Alam, saya tak tau jalan and saya dah lambat untuk kahwin kawan saya. Saya pengapit ni. Janji tak buat lagi. Mintak tolong tunjuk directions boleh?" *smiles innocently*

(I think the Jabatan Peguam Negara sticker played a tiny part as well :)) 

He let me go on a "warning" and showed me the directions.Pheww.

The theme was purple. Lace and satin materials from Jakarta sponsored by the Bride.

14.  2010 - Bridesmaids at Y's Nikah, Masjid Al-Falahk, Subang.

Embroidered gold lace short kebaya and satin sarung

I knew Y when were in primary school but we belonged to different groups of friends. We met again in UIA for our undergraduate studies and this time, we were in the same group :) One of my closest friends in my varsity years. I was also asked to do her hantarans, flower bouquets and floral pieces for her room. Read this. The theme was gold. Lace and satin materials from Jakarta sponsored by the Bride.

15.  2010 - Bridesmaid for Y's Wedding Reception at Masjid Al-Falahk, Subang

 

Silver lace short modern kurung with 6 panel sarung

 It was at the parking space of Masjid Al-Falahk USJ 9 (hence the selendang :)). Other than lining up at the arch when the bride and groom made their entrance, we were also responsible of distributing the Bunga Telurs. What's a wedding without a slightly irksome relative (in this case "uncle") kan? Ahahah. "Beri laluan, beri laluan" Ahahah. All is good. The theme was silver and green.

Lace and satin materials from Jakarta sponsored by the Bride.

16. Bridesmaid for Nabilla's Nikah, at her home, Bukit Jelutong

short sleeved peach lace modern kebaya adorned with 2 big brooches and satin sarung with patched lace at the trims

Nabilla is another higschool BFF. Just recently got married in December. Like me and Aliff, Nabilla and Hanafi got together towards the end of the highschool years and have been together for 8 years when they got married. Our anniversary is just 1 month apart. Theirs in September '08 and ours in October '08. Beautiful couple and beautiful wedding. The lace and satin material was sponsored by the Bride. Tailoring was done in Bandung.

17. Emcee at Andy's Reception Dinner, Guthrie Hall, Bukit Jelutong

Yellow chiffon short kurung with crystal swarovski and yellow beads embelishments. This kurung was the one I wore for my merisik, which I shortened and added beadworks.

Me and Aliff were entrusted by my aunt MamaPoji to be the Master of Ceremony for Andy's wedding reception. It was my first time as an emcee, so you can imagine the level of nerves and sweats and stress I was under.

 I prepared the MC Script, which was a combination of the sample scripts that I google-d. It was definitely last minute. The script was ofcourse edited by Bapak, where he corrected the protocols, the sentences and QC-ed the contents. After a couple of rehearsals infront of Bapak (I can still hear his "dua suku kata"), and a couple more during rehearsal day at the hall, I think we did a good job that night, for amateurs. We received a lot of compliments :) 

All in all, it was a good experience, albeit, the sacrifice of my car on the way to rehearsal that morning...haih, something HAD to go wrong kan? (We hit a big-something, manhole? rock? we  didn't see, and the car stopped, 2 minutes away from the hall...had to be towed)

L: Lulu's second appearance as the flower girls. R: Me, Ibu, Kakmira and Syida

The cousins and the newly wed.

The theme was yellow.

Those are among my "27 Dresses" which were captured on camera. There have been many others especially relatives' wedding where me and my siblings and cousins were the dulang girls or the bunga telur girls.

I am sure many of us have our own share of "27 Dresses".

Good thing for me, the same with the ending of the movie, I'll be wearing my "28th Dress" soon.

I'll have my happy ending too.

Big Smiles.

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

December is Wedding Dress Month

It has been a while since I wrote anything about my wedding progress in this virtual wedding diary of mine. November was a bit hectic of ... I don't know what. Probably I was just plain lazy.

Anyways, I have made some progress on the wedding planning! Yeay!

Yesterday (when I first wrote this it was "yesterday" - but now it has become 2 days ago), before Nabilla's Wedding Reception, I brought my troops to see 2 wedding designers; Syomir Izwa and Qudyn. They are top 2 in my list because I think their work is simple, yet never short of elegance and poise, modern but timeless, not too busy with so many materials and designs incorporated in one piece. And I have read and heard of good reviews of the both them with regards to quality and service/customer relations.

So, I asked my Wedding P.A aka Kakmira to set up appointments with both of them on Tuesday the 7th because it was a public holiday due to the Maal Hijrah celebration - BTW;

To all my muslim friends and readers, Selamat menyambut Awal Muharram!

In other words, Happy New Year!

Buka buku baru, tutup buku lama...Semoga selepas ni buku sebelah kanan lebih tebal dari sebelah kiri. Amin.

Initially it was just going to be me, Nell, Kakmira and Aliff. But, Aliff ofcourse had to go in to office, public holiday or not. I asked Syida and Ibu to tag along. Ibu told Mama-ina (Nell's mum and my aunt who is my mum's sister and BFF), and she wanted to follow. So did Adik (Nell's sister). Kakmira decided to bring precious Lulu Alani. So it was 8 of us, 2 cars. Big troop I brought. Haha.

Part of the Bridezilla Troop.
L-R: Nell a.k.a Kakak, Lulu Alani, Syida
(picture courtesy of Kakmira)

Me and my troop started with Syomir Izwa. His shop is in Solaris Dutamas, Mont Kiara. The appointment was at 12. We reached there just in time, probably a few minutes past 12 because we got a lil lost finding his shop. It was a really nice shop, very exclusive and drama :) Loved the white dress on the mannequin situated at the end of the display room.

Ms. Lulu checking out the shop
(picture courtesy of Syida)

It started off with everyone pee-ing. Haha. seriously. Semua tak tahan nak kencing. Ahah. Then we started discussing on my reception dress. I described to him what I had in mind and showed him clippings from magazines of some designs that I had brought. Then he started sketching. He sketched 2 designs. Everyone liked the first one. Then we discussed materials. As I have said in this entry, I was thinking of incorporating chiffon and tulle and satin as lining. I've decided I don't want lace, since the nikah baju kurung will have lace. Syomir agreed and said; "lace is overused. yang datang wedding pun pakai lace." Hahaha. I also told him that I would like the dress to be encrusted with beadings for the bling effect. What I learned from my meeting with Syomir is that he is in love with chiffon! Haha. I am too. But I think him more than me. Hahah. He's not into tulle sangat. He even wants to use chiffon for the veil. All in all I think we are in the same page. He's really nice and friendly. I like him. He told me he would get back to me with the quotation. I have a feeling it's going to blow my budget because of the bead works.

*praying hard it would be right within, if not on the dot, of my budget*

L-R: Me, Mama-Ina, Syomir
(picture courtesy of Nell)

(picture courtesy of Syida)

(picture courtesy of Syida)

We spent about an hour with Syomir. Ibu and Mama-ina loved his ready-to-wear designs and shoes and clutches so they spent some time trying on his shoes and querying him on his work. We finished around 1.30-ish. Kakmira scheduled our appointment with Qudyn at 3pm. Qudyn is at Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, which is about 20 minutes from Mont Kiara (info based on google-map). So we had about one hour to spare. We went to Solaris for lunch. Aliff met us there before he went to work. His office is just nearby, at Jalan Semantan, Damansara Heights. We ate at Meatworks. One of the best beef ribs I've had so far. It has been a while since I ate at Tony Romas, which is famous for its beef ribs, so I'm not able to compare between the two.

We ran a little late, because of our darling Lulu Alani. She was sleepy by lunch time so she was a bit grumpy and took time eating her food, which she tossed here and there.

Lulu Alani still clean - before she started her tantrum
(picture courtesy of Mama Nell)

To make her eat and behave, Kakmira promised her ice-cream. So, after lunch we had to stop by Baskin Robbins. I told Kakmira to call Qudyn to change the appointment to 3.30pm.

It was my first time (at least that I remember) to Bandar Tun Razak, and Cheras is definitely not a familiar territory. I googled-map the way, and we didn't get lost ... until we reached Bandar Tun Razak. Haha. We had Qudyn's address but we were not sure how to get there. Google was right, it was about 20 minutes from Mont Kiara to Bandar Tun Razak, but we forgot to include the lead time for getting lost. I called Qudyn for directions and finally reached his place at 4pm. Shishkebab, 1 hour late. Sorry Qudyn!

Qudyn, true to what I have read, is really nice (eventho we were late). He runs his business from his home which he converted to something like a studio. Same as at Syomir's, everyone took turns to pee. Haha. A family of small bladders. So, we discussed the designs, the concept and the materials for the reception dress. Qudyn, suggested to incorporate tulle, which bodes well with my innitial idea. He also said he'll use tulle for the veil. He asked me my budget and gave me a quotation then and there, which is exactly the amount of the budget. Nice. I told him I'll get back to him to confirm. We left at about 5pm, just in time to reach home and get ready for Nabilla's Wedding Reception.

So, now I have 2 amazing designers. Different approaches but good reviews each of them. At the moment I'm not sure with whom I am inclined towards. They both have their pros and cons. Both really nice. I'll wait for Syomir's quote because that will ultimately decide my decision. I am also thinking of meeting Emma, Arma and Alin Anuar, just to make sure I am making the right choice, economical wise. I know right, five different options just for a dress? Ahah I know some people who would just go to one and confirm. Haha. I am meticulous that way. It's tiring, but I realllly have to make sure I stick to the budget, which is already bloated. I think I need some trimmings here and there. My new year's resolution is:

Not to get tooo carried away spending for the wedding.
(big fonts as a reminder to myself...I tend to stray away from this from time to time)

We'll see whether I'll have time to go the remaining 3. This month's weekend is all full (which reminds me I've to call for the kursus kahwin) and I HAVE to decide on the designer by this month. Both Syomir and Qudyn told me they atleast need 3 months to make the date. The faster the better, so my dress won't be lined up in a long que of other brides-to-be and there'll be enough time for fittings and alterations.

If you realise, I'm only concentrating on my reception dress for now. This is because I think I'll invest more on the reception dress because my vision for it is quite elaborate and would require special hands and touch. I already have the lace for the nikah ensemble, so I'll start sending the materials once I've confirmed the budget for the reception dress. 

Will write again on this :) Toodles.

Nabilla and Hanafi Tied the Knot

CONGRATULATIONS NABILLA AND HANAFI!!

Nabilla and Hanafi have been together for 8 years and this year they finally tied the knot.

Before the Big Day, us girls organised a Hens Party for the then Bride-to-Be at PNB Darby Park, Jalan Ampang. The theme was Little Black Dress. It started with the cake, then the early dinner, followed by games and then the mandatory gossipping. Innitially we planned to go out and party it up, but we were too tired (OMG tuanya we've become!), so we changed to our pyjamas and had a x-rated pyjamas heart-to-heart session by the balcony until about 3am :) The next morning Farina woke us up for breakfast and after we checked out, we went to have a light lunch at TGI Friday's at Menara Hap Seng, Jalan P.Ramlee, off Jalan Sultan Ismail. It was a fun fun fun Bridal Weekend!

The layered oreo fench crepe cake sponsored by Hudra. Looks may be deceiving Haha because it's soooo delicious. Hudra asked us whether we wanted a novelty cake which looks really pretty but with thick fondant, or an ugly looking cake but feels good in the mouth and tummy. Picture-friendly or Tummy-friendly? All voted tummy!

The dinner spread by everyone. Seafood Aglio Olio from Nell. Roasted Chicken from Farina.  Mash potatoes and Potato Salad from Me. Blueberry and Cheese tart from Hanna. Strawbery pudding, muffin, choki-choki and jar of sweets from Shikin.

L-R: Hudra, Shikin, Me, Hanna and Keysha, Farina

Arrival of Guest-of-Honor

Bride-To-Be

B.R.I.D.E bingo by Shikin. the Bride won.

Bridal Charade by Nell (Sangat Susah OK!).
L: Nabilla doing the "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". Ahah. Someone guessed it right.

The Kissing Game by Me and Nell. Blinfold and Kiss :*

L: Hudra dizzy after the twirling by Shikin.
R: Farina checking out her "score"

*Click* *Click*

R: Hudra showing Nabilla her emcee script

Lunch the next day





**Pictures by Nell. Editing by Me :)

On the 4th of December 2010, Nabilla officially became Mrs. Hanafi. The nikah was attended by close family and friends. It was a lovely solemnization and the house was beautifully decorated by Karyan Events with the pelamin and the stairs filled with pastel colors of my favorite flower, hydrangeas. The Bride's room was beautifully scented by the au naturale scent of tiger lilies and bunga rampai. The Bride wore a stunning modern white lace kurung accentuated by beads of pearls and a white veil with lace trims by Alin Anuar. The Bride had her hair pinned to the side with little pieces of hydrangeas in between and a crystal headpiece from Evita Peroni. There were white tents with colorful lanterns and white chairs also by Karyan Events. Guests enjoyed the food by JM Bariani. The ceremony was blessed by a short rain, hujan rahmat.

It was a beautiful day.

Getting ready

Last minute Bridesmaids :)

The sangat Beautiful Bride

Loving the headpiece and the pearl beads

The highschool sweethearts

To be wed. Loving the Pelamin

Pretty pastels hydrangeas

R: A Perak tradition - the father of the bride exchanging the songkok with the tanjak. A new tradition that I learned :)

Me and Nabilla

**Pictures by Nell. Editing by Me :)

On the 7th of December 2010, Awal Muharram 1432 Hijrah, was the Reception Dinner hosted by the Bride's Family. It was at, Ciao Ristorante, a little italian restaurant situated at Jalan Kampung Pandan, off Jalan Tun Razak, KL. The guests were greeted by drinks inside the restaurant and mingled about and later ushered to their seats outside under white tents filled with fairy lights. The Bride and Groom made their first entrance as man and wife at about 8.30pm and proceeded to the pelamin for the merenjis. The Bride was elegant in a  coral dress with white lace and tulle, again by Alin Anuar. The Groom was handsome in a grey suit. The guests then enjoyed a scrumptious spread of itallian dishes for dinner. The reception was relaxed and informal with minimal protocols and warm hospitality.

Hudra was excellent and non-chalant as the emcee of the night.

The father of the bride gave a short and sweet speech welcoming Hanafi into the family.

The cousins of the Bride serenaded the guests with their oh-so-beautiful voices.

The night ended with the guests posing for the cameras with the newly weds.

A beautiful way to start a new year.

Beautiful Couple

.one for the album.

**Pictures by Farina and Shikin. Editing by Me :)

All in all, it was one of the most minimalistic but at the same time beautiful and exquisite wedding that I've ever been to. Congratulations again to the beautiful couple.

The wedding might have ended, but your life is only just beginning. 

Love you two to bits! xx