The 2nd Most Anticipated Wedding of The Year

It's TODAY!

Its the 2nd most anticipated wedding of the year, for me atleast, because MY wedding would be my MOST anticipated wedding of the year lah kan...

The countdown starts at 1pm for some channels...what I know is  NTV 7 and TLC will start at 3pm. The live wedding coverage will start at 5pm.

official royal wedding program photo

Can't wait to see a "Wonderful For You" moment.

Wonderful For You

As I have wrote here, I am super-excited for the Royal Wedding of William and Kate this Friday. Frustratingly, Friday is not a pulic holiday in Malaysia...The live footage starts at 1pm I think, but I am sure there will be repeats...thinking of sneaking home early on Friday to catch the 5pm repeat of the wedding on TLC (channel 707 on Astro).

To feed the wedding frenzy especially for people like me, most tv channels have arranged programs on the lives of the royal family, particularly of Diana and William all week long.

I was soooo happy that last Monday, TLC aired the

Wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

It was so beautiful. Such a fairytale.

I even held my breath to see her step out of the carriage to show her dress to the world for the first time (eventhough everyone of us at present know how it looked like - I just got caught in the moment hahaha)

One part of the wedding that really touched me was when Diana stood next to Charles,

Charles looked at her and whispered;

"You look wonderful"

Diana replied:

"Wonderful for you"

Ohhhhh...so touching!

30 years ago, no one would have guessed the marriage would culminate to a bitter divorce and the oh-so-innocent doll faced Lady Diana's life would end so tragically.

Such a sad story.

Lets pray that William and Kate will have their happily ever after ending.

I'm already holding my breath to see Kate in her wedding dress!

Yours truly,

Wedding Fan.

Dulang Hantaran

Just a short post to document on my Hantaran Dulangs in this virtual wedding journal of mine.

For my wedding, I've always had this vision of a crystal/glass concept for my dulang.

Is there such dulang-s? Obviously it's not the traditional kind of dulang...so where do I get a crystal/glass dulang?

A cake tray!

Deleted 'crystal' because...kau gila? The cheapest that I found is about RM200 per dulang.

And I feel that spending too much for the dulang-s is a bit unnecessary, especially if you are on a budget.

So, I started my quest to find a glass cake tray or anything that looks like a dulang for my hantarans.

I found a glass cake tray at Parkson, Subang Parade one day while I was looking for a wedding gift for a friend, but the price is not quite within the amount budgeted for.  I found one in a wedding boutique when I was accompanying the then bride-to-be Mazuin in search of her bridal attires/pelamin, but was told that they were only displays and that I can find them at SSF. Went to the SSF in Puchong, but didn't find them. I thought that I could find them at Nilai 3, while I was looking for my Bunga Telur casings, but did not found any there either.

So, after searching high and low, last weekend I showed the one I found in Parkson to Ibu and she convinced me to just get them. Sebab dah penat and malas, I bought 9 glass cake trays from Parkson. There were only 4 in stock that Sunday, so I got the 4 first and they'll order another 5 for me to pick up on Monday. So, yesterday, after work, me and Ibu went to pick up the remaining 5.

Membazir tak? Hmmm...it can be used again for Syida or Han or any other relatives...even if it is not used for hantarans, it can still be used as its original function as kitchen wear.

So I think it is a good buy (menyedapkan hati).

So, DULANG HANTARAN = CHECKED.

Now to get the rest of the hantarans and the decorative items.

FYI, I'm DIY-ing my own hantaran. I know Kakmira had asked me to let go certain stuff because I am the Bride, so I may not be able to do everything on my own, but I like doing it. PLUS, I can have the hantaran that I want without being charged a bomb.  I know if I get some one to do it with the theme that I have in mind, it will cost more because they'll charge me not only for the props but also for their services. Which is fair, because you are paying for the convenience.

BUT, I have learned that the wedding industry is crazy and over priced! 

Anyway, it's just going to be simple, so, as long as there's proper planning and timing, I am hoping that it's a wise decision.

I'm already excited to start with decorating the trays :)

Marriage Approval and Hantarans

Just came back from Advisory Conference in Kuantan last Saturday. Was there from the 14th-16th (Thursday - Saturday).

Remember this post about Aliff going to Jakarta? Well, while I was in Kuantan, received a text from Aliff saying that his boss had asked him to go to Jakarta for one month and he'll be leaving next Saturday the 23rd. What? So close to the wedding already?? His boss has the BEST timing!!!!!! He'll have to be there for a month, but he'll be back in Malaysia once a fortnight. Which is only once lah cause he'll only be there for a month kan. 1 month ONLY ok Mr A. After the wedding please don't take my husband away! *chehhh 'husband'* :)))

Tried to sneak away on Friday the 15th so I don't waste my Saturday on travelling back from Kuantan, but did not succeed. Haih. So, Saturday morning, around 11am, I shoot back home and arrived at about 2pm to continue with the wedding preparations.

With Aliff leaving for Jakarta so soon, we had to speed up with some of the preparations that required Aliff's involvement. So, this is last week's round up:

1. GROOM's FITTING

Once I reached home, called Aliff to pick me up to go to his fitting at Baron's Gentlemen. Fitting was for his Nikah Baju Melayu and Reception Suit. Fitting went well. Aliff was satisfied. The baju melayu was ready, the suit will be ready sometime next week. But since Aliff won't be here, we'll probably pick them up when he comes back.

Groom's Fitting = CHECKED.

2. JAIS PROCEDURES

I had planned for Aliff to get his validation from the PPN (Penolong Pendaftar Nikah) of his qariah mosque on Thursday night and then to go to JAIS Friday morning to get the marriage approval. For the qadi, we both wanted this particular ustaz, Ustaz Khairul Jahrin because he was one of the speakers during the kursus kahwin that we attended and he was really funny and nice. So Aliff called him up to book him as our qadi. Coincidentally, he was the PPN for the both of us (we both are under the same qariah mosque - Masjid SS15, because our addresses are so near to each other). So Aliff met with him on Thursday night. Initially I wanted to do mine together with Aliff, but I had to attend Advisory's Conference, so we decided that Aliff did his first. Ustaz Khairul told Aliff that Aliff didnt have to go to JAIS because he works there and he'll do the approval for Aliff. And he said I could bring my wali and witnesses to see him when I come back and he'll also do the approval for me. YEAY. Tak payah cuti to go to JAIS. So, on Saturday night, me, my wali (Bapak), my witnesses (Papa Chen and Adri) and my future husband went to see the Ustaz at Masjid SS15. We filled in the forms and signed where necessary and the rest the Ustaz will do for us.Thank my lucky stars! All that is left is for us to just pick up from him the Surat Kebenaran Berkahwin. Aliff will do that.

Jais Procedures = CHECKED. 

3. HANTARANS

On Sunday me and Aliff went to look for our hantaran stuff. The two important and main components of the hantaran was the rings and the watches. Aliff have always wanted a watch. He has this fascination with watches that is waaaayyy beyond my pay check - names like Longines, Breitling, Jaeger- LeCoultre, Audemars Piguet, IWC, Patek Philippe (names I've grown accustomed with since I met Aliff) eeeksss. *telan air liur* ... For me, I guess the usual hantaran item for ladies are handbags and shoes. But I decided for Aliff to get me a watch instead - reason: I don't own a really nice watch and watches are very sentimental and timeless, something that you will always keep and treasure especially the really expensive ones lah kan. Ahaha. So, hantarans, being the Groom's gifts to the Bride, I think a watch is definitely a winner. Unless Aliff can also, in addition to the watch, get me a chanel classic flap bag and a salvatore ferragamo vara leather pumps. Ahahha. Takpelah, tak nak ketuk dia sangat. Kesian dia. Maybe anniversary gifts, Aliff?

Anyway, those are the 2 items that will drill a huge hole in our pockets, so we decided to get them first. We went to BSC at Bangsar.

Watches
Went to this watch chop called Hing's Watch. As i have said earlier, Aliff has a high taste for watches. *Pejam Mata* Itu pun what I got for him was not his first choice. Sabar ok sayang, when I leave this place and make more I'll get you your Breitling or Audemars Piguet or IWC *chehhhh confident jeee boleh ke?* Ahahah. Me, I didn't have a specific preference for watches. Aliff insisted that we should get watches from watch makers and not designer brands. So, I decided to get my watch from the same brand as his. Unless he wants to get me an Omega or Cartier lah kan. Ahaha. So, we got his and hers watches :))))) *matching gitu*.

Rings
We have been surveying for rings ever since we got engaged. I've always wanted a solitaire diamond on a diamond ecrusted band.  The size of the diamond is not so much an issue (ofcourse the bigger the ice the better ;p), but I've always loved a princess cut diamond.



Kakmira's friend, Dila who has a shop at BSC (Poya), who is also a bride-to-be this year,  had recommended Fa'iq Jewel, a jewellery shop near her shop. So we went there, sat for about a couple of hours, got a tutorial on diamond quality (cut, color, clarity, carat etc) and finally decided on THE ring. We decided on a solitaire ring - triple excellent round brilliant cut, colorless, with slight inclusion on a simple four claw band - Aliff preferred a bigger size for the diamond, so, to keep within his budget I had to let go of the diamonds encrusted band. I was ok with it because I will be wearing the wedding ring with my engagement ring which is already a diamond encrusted band. Maybe for our first year anniversary, we can change the band? :)))) And the jeweller there told me that round brilliant is the best cut for a diamond...takpe lah, I'm not so fussy on the ring sangat...don't know why...I didn't have a bridezilla moment that day. Ahahaha. Anyway, the band had to be refitted because I have really small fingers (i'm a size 8). It will be ready this week.  We decided to get Aliff's ring next Saturday before he leaves. Aliff is not so keen on wearing any jewellery, so he insisted that I don't spend so much on his ring, but to allocate more for his shoes (which is also one of Aliff's fetish).

So, Bride's Ring, His & Hers Watches = CHECKED.

***********

oh yeah, tengah happy-happy on Sunday

after getting the ring and watch and all,

on the way home we met with a traumatic incident.

put simply, we encountered a person who i pray that none of us will ever meet or become.

someone i will remember and truly curse forever.

i do not pray that you crash your car and die painfully and horrificly,

although that is what i want, but because i have my religion and faith,

i pray that Allah will do justice for me and aliff and every other person

who has had the most terrible luck of meeting you.

i pity your family and friends to have someone like you in their life.

i pity the woman who has been destined to be your companion.

i pity the children that you are going to have and

the generation that will forever be tainted by your existence.

 i pray that these people be given the strength and patience by having you in their lives.

 ******************

The Bunga Telur

So, OK. This was supposed to be one of the items that I would get from Jakarta. BUT, I guess our supir that day didn't exactly bring us to the right place, so we didn't get them at Jakarta. I think that was one of (or the only) upset of the Jakarta-Bandung Trip.

Anyway, last Saturday (when I started writing this it was last Saturday, now it's two weeks ago? I think), I managed to get Ibu and Bapak's time to go and find them. Getting their time during weekends are quite hard because of the endless wedding invitations they have. And, as I have said, countlessly, I have a F.O.B-zilla. He veto-s everything, including the Bunga Telur. And we hardly agree on the same Bunga Telur.

The week before we went to SSF Puchong, PKNS Shah Alam, Alam Central Shah Alam and SACC Shah Alam. Couldn't agree on a Bunga Telur. Well, there was this one shop at PKNS, where he kind of agreed with one of my choice, but I was not so sure myself so we KIV-ed that one. We decided to go to Nilai 3 as choices are a lot more there.

We left home at about 10am and reached there by 11am. It was still quite empty, not so many people so that is a relief. BUT what a HOT day!! Parked the car and went in one of the biggest shop there. Nothing that caught our eyes. Walked around and went in a few other shops nearby...there were a couple that were nice, but too expensive (RM10 and above). Kalau ikut hati memang lah nak yang cantik and yang besar yang RM15 punya tu...my dad almost succumbed but Bunga Telur is not one of the items that I feel I or my parents should invest a lot on for the wedding. Biasa-biasa je pun ok.And we have to cut on the Bunga Telur because I'm spending a HUGE amount on my reception pelamin already, something which I also feel is not something that I should spend so much on, tapi susah lah, pelamin sangat mahal!! Will blog about that later.

Back to Bunga Telur. So, after going to a few shops and not finding what me and the FOB-zilla can agree on, (if I like something, he doesn't like it. if he likes something, I dont like it...it went on like that for the first hour we were there), we decided to move on to the shops further down. Unlike the first time I went there, which was for my engagement, Bapak drove all around going from one shop to another, by car. The first time, me and my sisters parked at one spot and only walked around that one street. Anyway, we got to one shop and FINALLY AGREED on one! YEAY!!

Because some of the ones on display had some defects, we decided to check EACH and EVERY SINGLE ONE. All 800 of them. The shop assistants brought boxes of the Bunga Telur casing, we set up camp on the floor and opened each box and inspected each Bunga Telur. Wahhhh...this is us exercising caveat emptor!

 *I blur-ed out the pictures of the Bunga Telur - kena lah surprise sikit :)*

So, after 1 hour I think, they packed all the ones that we did not reject and put them in the car. My parents want the doorgifts to be the Telur itself, so someone will be put in charge to prepare the eggs to be placed in the Bunga Telur casings. I'll also get some net material to wrap the eggs. 

So Bunga Telur, CHECKED! Big relief! 

Wedding Progress - 2 Months to The Date

Woohooooo....

2 MONTHS?

I don't have a lot of time to talk about each one, maybe this weekend, if I can find the time.

But as a summary of my progress, I have FINALLY booked and finalised

the Videographer, the Pelamin and Hall Decorator and the Canopy for Nikah.

and ,after numerous emailing back and forth, I have also finalised the Invitation Card  for printing.

It will be ready by the end of this month.

eeeeeeeekkkkss excited + risau. HOPEFULLY, no spelling mistakes and the design turns out alright.

Fitting for my Bridal Wears has been postponed, AGAIN. Haih. It's this Friday night. HOPEFULLY no more postponements. Excited + RISAU jugak for that. PRAYING HARD it'll turn out as I have been imagining it.

Fitting for Groom Wears were also postponed a few times, but that is because of Aliff, the tailors were ready for him, but Mr.Busy Bee was busy this last couple of weeks. Maybe we'll do it this weekend?

Last week was definitely a STRESSFULL week. 

I tend to feel really stressed-out when it's almost that time of the month. I blame it on the PMS. So, I was very sensitive and easily broke down.

Anyway, after such a bad week, I have settled the final BIG things for the wedding.

This week I'm trying to be as POSITIVE as I can and regain all my wedding energy and excitement back.

Update on Wedding Diet: OMG. Susahnyaaaa nak kurangkan makan di kala stressssss. And I realised that, the same as when I was dieting for the engagement, the closer the date, the harder it is to restrain myself from eating like a cow. BUT, on the upside, I've actually received quite a number of comments telling me I've looked slimmer...I must be doing something right then? or is it the stress? Entahlahh...But I'm planning to go vegetarian in May....possible? We'll see.

NEXT:

Pengesahan and Kebenaran Berkahwin from JAIS, Catering for Nikah, Doorgifts for Reception Dinner, Bunga Pahar, Hantaran, Distribution of Bridesmaids Materials, Entertainment for both events, GUESTLIST!!

All these are actually on-going, hopefully it will all be settled by this month.

All my DIY projects are also on-going. 

MAY is reserved for everything last minute.

.... and JUNE is reserved for self-pampering and getting married.

HUGE SMILES :)

HIV Test Part II

Ok, so remember this post on the HIV Test that me and Aliff took the other day?

Remember I said that after they took our blood they gave us a yellow slip which states that the named officer has examined the named person for HIV, and that the yellow slip did not state the result of the test?

And just to make sure, we asked the nurse that day and she said that after receiving the yellow slip we can go home?

Ok, so I was not satisfied that the yellow slip did not state the result of the test and was worried that JAIS will have a problem with that.

So, I googled and read some other people's blogs and I found that some clinics will stamp "Reactive/Non-Reactive" on the yellow slip. For those who are negative with HIV, they will strike off the word "Reactive". I also read from some random blog that she went to the same clinic as I did and that her yellow slip also did not state the result of the test.

I also asked my sister and a colleague who just got married, and they said their yellow slip states the test result, but they did not take the test at the same clinic me and Aliff did.

So, ok, maybe different clinics have different procedures.

So, being my paranoid self, I decided to just call up the clinic to verify. I didn't call them sooner cause I've had bad experiences dealing with nurses (especially government clinics) who tend to be annoyed with trivial queries.

So, to put my paranoia to rest I called them up. To my surprise the lady on the other line was reallly nice. I told her of my query and concern and she just laughed and said nicely;

"Takpe tak ada result. Kalau awak ada HIV, kita akan tahan awak hari tu. Awak dapat borang kuning tu kan? Kalau dapat, maknanya tak ada apa-apa lah. HIV negative lah."

Ahhhhh....relieved! So, I have confirmed again that me and Aliff are HIV negative!

Will have to settle all the other procedures by this month because Bapak has made noooooisssse cause we haven't settled them yet. OK father-of-the-bride-zilla.

Oh, and I'm confirming the Videographer for both events, the Pelamin and Hall Decorator for the Reception and the Canopy for the Nikah at home by end of this week. My first fitting for both Bridal Attires have been postponed to 5th April. Will blog an all that later.

BIG sigh for relief. Hopefully by next weekend I would have settled the big things and can start on the small things.

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.

The Luckiest Girl In The World

Although for me the most anticipated wedding of this year would, ofcourse be mine, for the rest of the world it would be Prince William and Kate Middleton's. Was browsing through the net during lunch and saw this picture of them and suddenly I got so excited about their wedding.

Prince William proposed to her in Kenya somehwre in October 2010 with Princess D's diamond and sapphire engagement ring. ahhh B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.

The wedding will take place on the 29th of April 2011 at Westminster Abbey, the church where Princess Diana's funeral was held. And it has been announced that their marriage will be marked with an official public holiday across the UK. Wahhhhh....the whole country celebrates their marriage...bestnyaaaaaaaaa..commonwealth countries tak cuti jugak ke?

What I am especially MOST excited to see is the Bride's dress. There appears to be so many speculations on who landed the royal duty, but I guess the palace is still being tight lipped about it. From what I read, *in search of finding information on her dress - very stalk-ish of me*, is that the wedding dress is now a work in progress, and is being created inside Buckingham Palace. Oh well...can't wait to see it!

I did some research on the transformation of royal wedding gowns -

Lets start from the very beginning - the lady who introduced white as the bridal color; Queen Victoria when she married her cousin Albert of Saxe-Coburg in London, 1840. She wore a white silk dress with Honiton lace. This is what I learned - She revolutionised bridal gowns by going against the tradition at that time when she opted for a white dress instead of a colored dress. During her days, the concept of a bridal gown is not a symbolic-one time wear-dress, instead the dress chosen was to be the bestest dress that the lady would own, whatever color that might be. Queen Victoria was also the first royal bride to have bridesmaids carry her train, which also became a wedding trend which lasts until today.

Queen Elizabeth I a.k.a The Queen Mother married in 1923;

Then we have the Queen herself; Queen Elizabeth II when she married Prince Philip in 1947;

The beautiful Grace Kelly becoming Princess of Monaco in 1956;

Princess Margaret, the Queen's sister married in 1960;

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark in 1967; 

  

Then in 1981, the world watched as Diana became a princess when she married Prince Charles;

Followed by the marriage of Prince Charles's brother Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson aka Fergie in 1986;

The demure Queen Rania in 1993;

The Queen's youngest son, Prince Andrew's marriage to Sophie Rhys - now Countess of Wessex in 1999;

Then we have the millenium royal brides -

Princess Mette Marrit of Norway in 2001;

Princess Letizia of Spain  in 2003;

Mary Donaldson now Crown Princess of Denmark in 2004;

who can forget Camilla Parker Bowles now Duchess of Cornwall in 2005;

Swedish Crown Princess Victoria in 2010;

You can see there is a shift from big puffy gowns to a more sheath silhouette. The patterns became more simpler but the long train remains to be the signature of royal brides. Laced veils are also an important component of a royal wedding ensemble. You always read of 200 maids hand sewing the lace veils of princesses for weeks. Royal wedding gowns are usually made exclusively for the brides to the extent that the pattern of Queen Victoria's 1840 dress was later destroyed so that it wouldn't be used again.

Of all the dresses, I absolutely love Queen Margharete II of Denmark's dress - its just timeless. Didn't actually knew of her, so the first time I saw the picture I thought it was fairly recent. Wouldn't have guessed it to be over 40 years ago. And ofcourse Princess Grace Kelly's, she's just a goddess in her own right - anything she wears would look absolutely stunning. I also like the Queen Mother's veil which is definitely the style in the 1920's and the grecian-like tiara that she wore.

I hope Kate won't feel pressured to live up to Princess Diana's big dress and the reaalllyyyyyy long train. Don't get me wrong, Princess D's dress remains an icon, much because it was hers - it wouldn't be what it is if it was worn by anyone else, I would think - case in point; Mariah Carey's wedding to Tommy Mottola in 1993 where Mariah tried to channel the princess in her;

Princess D's dress is too dated (anyone in the world, even if they didn't know about the wedding would know that the year is somewhere in the 80's) and I would hope that Kate's dress will, while retaining the classic look, have a modern twist which encompasses the regality befitting of a modern day princess.

Being Prince William's girlfriend has made her a paparazzi target, and over the years you can see that this girl has simple, sleek and elegant style. She's also very modern and quite sexy...so I have high hopes that her dress would be a stunner!

I found an article wrote by the designer of Princess D's wedding dress; Elizabeth Emanuel. This is how she envisioned Kate's dress and I absolutely concur! Breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL. I am not sure tho whether she will be allowed to look as sexy as the royal brides tend to be quite modest and conservative.

source

A more conservative modern look, while retaining the princess-like structure, that would look beautiful on her would be something like these;

Pronovias

 

Monique Lhuillier 

 Oscar De La Renta

Elie Saab

Rosa Clara

I've not seen a royal bridal gown without sleeves yet, the closest would be Princess Victoria's off-shoulder sleeve. Anyway, she'll be wearing a tiara rightfully as a real princess...unlike us commoners who wears tiara as "Raja Sehari" ... let me emphasize the word "Sehari"... We only get to wear a tiara for one day, but she'll be a princess forever. Every girl's dream, came true for her...

Anyway, Prince William is reported to be wearing military uniform. One sentence is enough. Boring. Ahaha.

Details of the wedding that I managed to get;

(all these are reported in the internet so accuracy is not confirmed)

• Miss Middleton will travel to Westminster Abbey by car via The Mall, Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and Parliament Square (the decision to travel to the ceremony by car rather than glass carriage is a break with tradition. This was the bride-to-be's idea, as she wanted to arrive at Westminster Abbey in a more low-key way)
• The ceremony will begin at 1100 BST
• The Dean of Westminster will conduct the service, the Archbishop of Canterbury will marry William and Kate and the Bishop of London will give the address
• After the service, the couple will travel in a carriage procession to Buckingham Palace along the same route taken earlier
• There will then be a reception, hosted by the Queen, for guests from the congregation, "representing the couple's official and private lives"
• In the evening, the Prince of Wales will host a private dinner at Buckingham Palace, followed by dancing, for the couple plus close friends and family.

The Invitation

Cards have been issued and about 1900 people is expected to attend. The royal invitation comes in a pale brown envelope with a white card gilded with gold.The Queen's initials are die-stamped in gold on the card below a crown. The card reads:

 "The Lord Chamberlain is commanded by the Queen to invite [name] to the marriage of his Royal Highness Prince William of Wales KG with Miss Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on Friday 29 April 2011 at 11.00am."

I found a picture of the invitation;



Been checking my mails everyday, I guess my invitation got lost. You dont get to marry the second-in-line to the throne, but getting to witness it wouldn't be so bad...a girl can dream.

Anyway, I'm sure it will be televised. Can't wait for what is dubbed as the Wedding of the Century!

Yours truly, 

Wedding Fan.