Registration of marriage - 08.12.13

Ah... How time flies...

Finally, we have reach this important moment 

~~ our registration of marriage on 08.12.2013 ~~

It was a simple ceremony with our parents and friends to witness the signing.

It only took us 5 minutes to sign the papers.. 

no exchange of vows or rings yet as these will only be done 

on our actual wedding day in the church. 

We are half way to become husband & wife...woohoo! :P 

so happy to be called his wife. ;D

Although legally married, marriage without exchanging vows & rings 

and witnessing by our family & friends, it seems incomplete. 

Never the less, it's an important day to remember. 

Counting the days till we exchange our vows. >>>>> 11days

Our Pre-Wedding Photos

May I now present you my best friend, my lover, my soul mate...my fiance and husband-to-be, Andrew. *grin* I'm counting the days! It's going to be in 32 days time. Exciting and yet nervous at the same time. Wooh! ;D 

Before I go into details about the wedding preparation..let me first show you our pre-wedding photos. Photographer was Sam from France Taipei Ipoh. I would say he is a professional. Worked as a wedding photographer for the past 10 years plus. The photos proved to be good quality, perfect moments captured.. we like our photos very much. 

I have chosen 6 gowns - 1 outdoor and 5 indoors. I was skeptical to the dark brown gown at first but it really looked good on me. It bring out my fair skin. *wink*. The below white gown was the front part of the the gown with the sexy see-through lace at the back. You can check the gown from my previous post. I especially like this hairstyle with tiny braid at the top. 

Outdoor shoot was actually mostly done indoor. hahahaha..because we are afraid of the sun and hate sweating. :P We did it at his uncle's house, on a hill but most of our photos were actually photographed in the house. And most of our photos are not really for the scenery but mainly to capture our faces and the feel. 

I love these pictures! Love the hairstyle..love the poses...especially love the moments with my fiance. :)

Pre-Wedding Photoshoot at France Taipei Ipoh

My fiance and I had our pre-wedding photoshoot last Friday, 23.8.13. I was excited the whole week and couldn't wait to take the shoot with my fiance. I did my manicure & pedicure at La Zen the day before the shoot. Took 1.5 days off just for this special day. I feel that it's really a milestone in my life and an important day to remember. Even though it's not the actual wedding day, but the closeness during the photoshoot seems like we are already married. Lol... :P I don't mean the physical closeness, but the feeling and how we have enjoyed the shooting together. 

Our appointment was at 10:00am. I was nervous what will my make-up artist do to my hair and eyes. But my doubt was washed away when I was ready for my outdoor shoot. :D My fiance was all smile and his eyes were literally glittering in awe. hahaha.. ok, ok.. i'm a bit exaggerating here but he did look very happy when I stepped out from the makeup room. :D

Mandy was my MUA. Yuki, the famous MUA from France Taipei that many brides had talked about in the bridal forum, was there to help around too when her client had gone for photoshoot. They are both very professional and precise in their work.

Our photographer was Sam. I'll have to see the actual photos before I can comment on his skill. 

Here's a preview of some of the gowns that I've chosen for the photoshoot. I still prefer white gown to the others. The actual photos have to wait for the photographer's photos as these were taken using mobile phone. (updated here)

I've enjoyed the shooting very much especially because my fiance enjoyed it too. We had fun trying out different poses. Some easy and some really difficult. But overall.. it's a once in a lifetime event that I will never forget. :D

Manicure & Pedicure at La Zen

Bought this groupon deal for RM60 for 2 sessions of manicure & pedicure. 2 sessions because I brought my mother along for the manicure & pedicure. It was for my pre-wedding photo shoot. I thought I found a super great deal just on time to prep myself for the photo shoot. But it was just a so-so service. 

The deal said that I'll get 74% off from normal price. Well..maybe it's cheaper than market price for manicure & pedicure at just RM30. Usually, it will cost me RM70 just for a normal nail painting. But this RM70 also include hand scrub, massage, callus removal etc. Which means that La Zen is over charging at RM115 for normal price. 

My nail color was nice..I like the light pink but it was only because the color was painted in 2 thin layers. My mom did the same color on her toes and we noticed that the color was darker and looked thicker on her. Inconsistent nail colour application from two different manicurist I guess... 

My manicurist (i think it's the boss) did the nail art on my fingers. I told her I just need simple design and it's for pre-wedding photo shoot. She drew flowers and put some glitters on my nails. The design looked alright at first but with the added crooked lines, it looked a bit too congested. And the flower petals on my thumb and little finger looked like I touched some liquid paper. (>.<) But then, I couldn't say much as I let her do the design freely. Well..she should at least showed me some designs and let me choose upfront. 

Mom had to change her nail colors and paid an extra RM12.00 because her manicurist didn't test the color on one finger nail first. After applying all her 10 fingers, she thought the color doesn't suit her and have to reapply a new color. Hmm...So in the end, we paid an extra RM27.00..RM15.00 was for my nail art. I wonder if i'll return to this shop again in the future. Well, maybe with groupon deal cuz i'm not going to pay the normal price of RM100 over which I can get at RM70 for the same kind of service.

Pre-Wedding Photoshoot Package

This is one of the most important part of a wedding - to choose the pre-wedding photoshoot package. Most people will survey a few bridal studios to compare prices, gowns and services included in the package. But my fiance and I did not take that option. At first, we wanted to check out Bridal Collection as his sister just signed the package with them and highly recommended this place. On our way to the shop, we passed by France Taipei Ipoh and the displayed gowns caught my attention. We went in to have a look at their gowns and what they could offer us. We didn't think twice and straight away, we signed with them. The package is reasonable and affordable to our expectations. Our package price is RM2,388 and include:-

• 6 gowns for photoshoot (5 indoor and 1 outdoor)
• 2 gowns for actual day wedding (include 1 designer gown)
• 35 chosen and edited photos
• 10pgs of 10x30' album 
• 10pgs of 12x16' album 
• 2 x 12x16' photo frame
• 1 x photo frame with 1x5R photos and 2x6R photos
• 1 x family portrait with photo frame
• 1 x 26x48' poster
• 1 x guest signing scroll
• 1 x DVD with 2 songs
• Car decoration, 1 corsage, 1x bridal flower bouquet
• Include eyelashes for make-up except ampoules 
• Outdoor photoshoot only Ipoh area
• Extra photo at RM30.00/pc. Soft copies of only the chosen 35 poses are given, otherwise, they are sold at RM7.50 - 15.00/pc depending on how many you buy.

I think the package is quite a good price. We do not want to hang the big photo frame in our bedroom, so we removed that. We also did not want the 'ji mui' photos. (but later on found out a lot of people want our photo to keep as memory) We replaced them with 5 more poses, a bigger album for the 2nd photo album, family portrait and 1 designer gown which we think are what we want and like to pay for.

Christy is the sales exec who serves us. I'd like to praise her for her professionalism. Her explanation is clear and she did not push us to take up the package. We feel very comfortable talking with her. Yesterday, I had my wedding gown trial. I chose my 6 gowns within an hr and 15mins. That's super fast in my opinion. But the credits go to Christy who know what I like, what will look good on me and she helped me dress up and undress in split seconds. My fiance and my best friend were very helpful. They gave the thumbs up when the gown look good on me and no-no look the moment I stepped out with a gown they don't like. So, in a short time, we have chosen all the gowns.. which include 3 white gowns, 1 light blue, 1 red cheongsam and 1 brown princess gown. 

No photograph is allowed. But my fiance managed to take one from behind.. :P but only a blur one. The nice photos will have to wait until after we have our photo shoot. ;)

This will be my outdoor gown. :D We chose a slightly different style with frills halter neck and some buttons at the front. Hope the photos will come out great with this gown.

I had a splendid time trying wedding gowns at France Taipei Ipoh. Will update more on my photo shoot experience in my coming blog post. ;D

MaDly in LovE . . . . . .

I'm engaged. Yes.. you heard me right, I'm not joking! :D 

God is gracious to me. I didn't do enough to deserve all the blessings He has showered upon me. But His grace is ever loving and ever flowing in my life. He loves me and I know it, He understands and knows my heart's deepest desire. 

Each time I look at this wonderful man that God has put in my life, I can't stop smiling and give thanks to God. I said to my Lord, "If You are willing, I'd love to serve You and worship You with the man of my life... I'd love to build a family with him" and by God's grace, my prayer is answered, well..partly, because there's no children yet. On that part, I'll have to pray much harder! hahahaha...

At His appointed timing, I met the love of my life... in church. :P And I know instantly that he's the man whom God has prepared for me. Someone asked me "Are you sure he's the one? Are you certain to marry this man?" I said, "Yes, I'm very sure!" I don't know how to explain it, but I just know it. God's peace is with me.

By now.. You'll be asking who's this wonderful guy? :-)
I'll introduce him when the time comes. For now, I'll call him A. *wink*

My cousin's wedding

23/6 was my cousin's wedding and we had a big family reunion. :DDD

Almost everyone was back for the big event. I took 4 days leave, just to hang out with family and relatives. Hehehe..

We had manicure and pedicure at home on 21/6. A relaxing day, chatting while choosing the nail polish.  

Bride had French manicure. Beautiful fingers.. :D

The night before the wedding, as usual, we had a pre-celebration with friends and family. Celebrating the bride last night of singlehood. ;p 


Two roast pig were served (sorry pigs..), as well as Rojak, Chendol, Laksa and Fried Hor Fun. All freshly prepared. Not the usual buffet style, but with different stalls serving different food. 

And of course, never to forget to do "Yuuuuummmmm Siiinnnnngggg!" with each other. :D

The wedding was held at St John Anglican Church. The church was awesome. Look at the architecture! After the church reception, dinner was held at Tropicana Ballroom, Ipoh. 

Braided Updo Hairstyle

Saw this hairstyle on YouTube and love it so much! :DDD 

It look quite doable and not very complicated. So I had a try on my own but it's not as easy as it looks. My fingers couldn't hold my hair properly and the hair tangled up. I had to redo it a few times before I get the feel of it. My hands were quite tired by then. But finally, I got it!! 

It still look a bit messy but at least it got the shape and style. If my hair colour is slightly lighter, it will look better. Now, it's too dark to see the texture and the braid. Maybe I can try this in the upcoming wedding dinner! ;D

Hairdo

My first experience to set my hair before a dinner.. recommended by my colleague, June, we went to Jazmon hair salon. Coco tagged along too..haha..i was the one who dragged her there actually. But she didn't resist my persuasion. :p We had fun.. watching June doing touch-up for her hair. She was there earlier than both of us but our hair were done faster. :p And here are my hair after wash and blow-dry.

I just want to look natural, so my hairstylist did a few big curls only. I was quite satisfied with the service cuz the price is quite reasonable..RM16.00 only. :) I also bought a nice pair of black heels to compliment with my black dress. Searched at Vincci but couldn't find one which I feel comfortable with. Didn't expect to get this nice pair of shoes from Orioli (kinta city) at RM47.90 only. Got 20% discount, hehe....

wedding Gowns

wedding gowns that I like....

i have yet to see such beautiful designs in my little hometown..

Rose gold wedding bands (part2)

hehe...these are some of the rose gold wedding bands that I found on the web. Nice huh? :D

Rose Gold as Wedding bands (part 1)

I'm fascinated with this new type of gold in the jewellery industry. The rose colour is romantic and very suitable to both my fiancé and my skin tone. We have chosen a combination of rose gold and white gold for our wedding bands. We do not have much knowledge on this type of gold. So, i decided to press some buttons and google it. And i found this :-

Rose Gold Jewelry is usually a mixture of pure yellow gold with a high percentage of copper. The colour of rose gold jewelry may intensify with age due to a slight tarnishing of the copper. With 18 karat rose gold jewelry the ratio of gold is 75% to 9% silver and 16% copper to produce a rose gold and 75% gold, 4.5% silver and 20.5% copper to produce a rich red gold.

We did not do much survey and I hope we made the right decision at Lorenzo Jewellery. The designs are beautiful. Mine was crafted with a row of diamonds (0.24ct). Slightly off our budget..but his was cheaper than our budget. So..the total price is still alright. However, we passed by Diamond & Platinum and saw their range of wedding bands, and I was slightly disappointed that we did not do our homework properly. The price is also more competitive. Lorenzo displayed a rather too high price and gave us 60% + 20% discount which we were really happy to have. But after paying, we think they marked up the price too much.

Anyhow, we have bought our wedding bands and shall be happy about it. After looking at the bands and trying on a few more times, I fall in love with them again. :)

Special Valentine's Day

It was a special Valentines this year for me. Alas! I get my dream diamond ring! :D It wasn't a preplan proposal..it just happened that I was looking in the compartments of my darling's car. He said he's just waiting for the right moment..and tada! I found a little black box hidden underneath his sunglasses box. Put it back..thought i'm not supposed to see that. But he said..take it out..open it.. :D

it's a ring! And he proposed..guess what I answered? :P YES!

I couldn't wear it everyday though..as work does not allowed us to. Wish to wear it until our wedding day. It's a happy thing to share right? :D

Note: This post was left here as I thought it's still part of my life and would like to have it in my life journal. Things weren't going well..for more details, please go to this post! >>>> 2011 New Year Resolution