Overwhelmed

hmmmm... where do i start?

I'm pretty much overwhelmed right now... Too many thoughts going through my head. Although watching the whole Season 1 of Gossip Girls is making it slightly more tolerable. (p/s the first episode of Season 2 is up here!)

This entry on weddingbee pretty much sums up my feelings right now.. glad i'm not the only one feeling this way about wedding planning. And we've been engaged for only 5 months..LOL...

Oh well, here's something really beautifully written, for the next time when i ask why i am doing this again...


Why Marriage?
Mari Nichols-Haining

Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person,
With all my heart, my soul, my mind, my body…
Because I need a forever friend to trust with the intimacies of me,
Who won’t hold them against me,
Who loves me when I’m unlikable,
Who sees the small child in me, and
Who looks for the divine potential of me…

Because I need to cuddle in the warmth of the night
With someone who thanks God for me,
With someone I feel blessed to hold…

Because marriage means opportunity
To grow in love in friendship…

Because marriage is a discipline
To be added to a list of achievements…

Because marriages do not fail, people fail
When they enter into marriage
Expecting another to make them whole…

Because, knowing this,
I promise myself to take full responsibility
For my spiritual, mental and physical wholeness
I create me, I take half of the responsibility for my marriage
Together we create our marriage…
Because of this understanding
The possibilities are limitless


To more happier entries ahead...if we don't elope and get married that is!

We've made progress!

So its been about two weeks since the last post, and i'm really happy to say we have made progress!!!

Hurhur... In this short time, we have debated / argued / rationalised and change our minds on the reception venue like a grand total of 4 times. We settled on the Community Centre option, then couldn't let go of Fort Canning Gallery still, then thought of doing it separately to cut down on the headache of housing 2000 guests and then, we were back at square one.

I'm glad to announce that we have not killed each other (brain-juices) in the process and we are still finding that thin line of compromise of having what we want in our wedding, together with what our parents want. I guess a wedding is a family occasion and well, we just want everyone to be happy and enjoy our day, at the end of it all...

One venue that's 98% finalised (have yet to book!) is our location for the solemnisation. We had decided to have our solemnisation on our 4th anniversary and we knew we didn't want it at home. So after searching for restaurants and country clubs, our 'wedding planner' (more on her below) suggested having it at a mosque.

Have to say i was not fully convinced of the idea at first. But after some discussing with the parental units- who gave their complete blessings, i started my search for a suitable location. And i found the perfect venue lar! Nestled in between Sembawang and Admiralty ie. minutes from home and fantastic architecture. What's not to love...

I present you one of the most beautiful mosques in Singapore...

Assyafaah Mosque

images from here

Modern, beautiful and so serene. I was awed when i saw these images... One venue down! yeahhh!

The wedding planner mentioned above is actually the mister's sis-in-law. She has courageously volunteered to be the wedding planner to this super indecisive and 'kan-cheong' couple. And she's been fabulous, sometimes getting even more excited than us! She loves weddings, the details, the planning, and she has the same taste as me, so that's really great. Now i have someone, other than the mister to do my non-stop wedding chatter with... heeeee...

Talking bout the mister, we are taking this whole planning thing pretty well...thus far. It has kinda brought us together, closer than before in some ways. It is still fuzzy, this whole idea of being married by this time next year. So surreal, yet we are definitely looking forward to the next chapter of our relationship. Right dear?

Till the next post, happy 080808 and happy 43rd birthday Singapore!!

I'm back...tanned and refreshed

*dust away the cobwebs*

I feel truly horrible for neglecting my blog. Its been a pretty looooong while since anything wedding related has been published BUT i promise that I'm back, refreshed and recharged from my beach getaway. It was indeed time well spent with the bestie...

taken from my deckchair, Koh phi phi

the hotel didn't disappoint

happy faces

Aaaaand back to wedding talk...

Since the past month, aside from celebrating our 3rd year together, me and the mister have been contemplating our wedding dates (after much pestering from the parental units). Hmmm... To have it in 2010 or 2009. To have it all on 1 day or to have it on 2 separate days. To keep it at one location or two. Decisions, decisions... And talking about decisions & locations, we are really stumped out. Is there any decent community centre/halls or club hall/any other venue that we should be considering?

We are going to have a combined function, so we need a space big enough to accommodate our pretty huge guest list (i do not have exact figures, but i am very sure his guest list will be extensive. No more smallish wedding for me!). From our current plans, we will be having the nikah (solemnisation) in the evening followed by dinner and the sanding (lunch reception) the next day at the same location. This is also to divide the guests into more manageable group and save on the hassle of decorating 2 separate locations. Sounds like an idea... Only thing is we still don't have a clue where to do it. Anyone with their 2 cents is welcome to make suggestions, coz at the rate we are going, we'll prolly get married in 2020!!!

It has been tough trying to get started and it seems there's so much to be done. We do not have any vendors in mind for anything yet and truth be told, we are kinda lost where to get started. Well, we did went to the last wedding expo, but not many of them left much of an impression. Or perhaps, at that point we weren't really keeping a lookout for potential vendors.

My dear fiance has been interviewing his colleagues that has just gotten married and he actually forwarded me an excel sheet he downloaded from windows for wedding planning. So cute lar... he seems to be very excited, which is great after hearing from friends how their hubby-to-be weren't too keen to be involved in the wedding planning. Let's keep my fingers crossed..

Then whilst browsing through weddingbee today, i saw this post. Yipeeeeeeee!! any sort of wedding planning tool is heaven sent for me, given our current situation. I just signed up and got started. How simple, and its totally free too! It automatically generate a to-do list for you from now till your wedding day and after. So if i refer to the checklist, first and foremost we need to set a budget. We do have a figure that we are working with, so that's errm.. done.

Great! One done and 115 more tasks to go. *gulp*

Next is to start on the guest list. This will be a surmountable task given the expected amount of guests. But i do have my guest list from my engagement party to start with, so that's a good start i suppose...

And then, its to start searching for a reception & ceremony venue! Uh huhhh.. this one will keep us busy for the next few weeks.

Some google searching gave me these to ponder;

http://www.cateringonline.sg/event/

http://www.singaporebrides.com/venue/the_legends/index.htm

http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com/topics/Wedding-Venues/Q195.html

http://www.galleysgourmet.com/photo_gallery.php

If any of you reading have any suggestions, pls leave me a comment or drop me a mail at cna_moon{at}hotmail.com. Till the next post, have a great weekend!

anticipating july

Its been like a really reaaally long while since i blogged! well, whats been up wedding wise? nothing much i'm afraid, i pretty much have been slogging away at work and coming home at unearthly hours.

Happenings wise - other than the Kartell opening, my first appraisal since 2yrs in the company, hitting 600k worth of sales for the month of May(weeeeee!!!) and the start of our mid-year sale (7 days of working straight=no joke), i also have been planning a trip with the bestie for july. And i can't wait...

We will be gallivanting away on a island getaway to Phuket & Phi Phi island!!! I have been waiting to go for a holiday since like forever. No, my trip to Bangkok & KL do not count coz they are either too short or for work! Some teaser pictures of the place we'll be staying.

can just about imagine me there now

no, we are not getting this room but its so pretty!

Tickets, checked. Hotel, checked. Just need to book the one day trip to Phi Phi and we're good to go. 9th july, i can't wait!!

maya bay, phi phi island

deja-vu

Love is a temporary madness; it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.
And when it subsides you have to make a decision.
You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is
inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because this is what love is.
Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement,
it is not the promulgation of eternal passion.
That is just being in love, which any fool can do.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has
burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.
Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground,
and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches,
they find that they are one tree and not two.


From "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" by Louis de Bernieres

Ngage or Dis-ngage Part o2

With the date set, it was pure madness planning & searching for vendors!!

What started out to be a smallish event at home soon turns to a void-deck reception. I still remembered me being so against the voideck reception idea. First and foremost, my voideck is dirrrrrty and not in the best condition. Second, we weren't going to have that many guest that will fill the space out. Third, the lift upgrading works has just started, so there's ugly hoarding everywhere. So odd right! Alas, the equation still stand as

number of people from the guys side + my guests = not able to fit in my living room :(

The next was trying to finalise the vendors. Since my mom & aunt decided to cook for the event, i had to focus on finding an outfit, make-up artist & photographer. For my outfit, what i had in mind was more the hindustani lehenga/ghangra. Since we both are of Indian descent and have no Malay blood, i thought it would be only fitting. So i searched and searched and searched...in vain.

can't remember where i got this image from but look at the gorgeous outfits!

I ended up with a Malay kebaya! hurhur... fell in love with the french lace and the simple yet elegant detailing.

I actually got my make-up artist through the net. No joke. I found her link on some website and was pretty impressed when i saw her portfolio. And she was the only vendor (apart from my photographer) that was prompt in her reply to my enquiries. I mean like seriously i had to email some of the others 3-4 times before they would even reply with a quote. But not for kak yatee, i felt like we were almost msn-ing. Instant replies! Definitely a reassurance of her service. And her style is more modern - playing up your natural beauty and features rather than just slapping inch-thick make up on your face. She is fantastic with hair too! I had requested for nude make-up and wanted a simple elegant look. She did a superb job, judging from all the compliments that came my way. If any of you like what she did for me, kak yatee is contactable at her online portfolio.

kak yatee & me

Next up was the photographer. This was a tough decision, as i couldn't decide whether to engage one or leave the duty to a friend/family member/willing party. LOL. Both my mom & the mister was saying not to waste money in engaging one. But me being someone who appreciates photography, was pretty dead set in having one. I do not want to look back few years from now and only have badly taken pictures to remind me of my engagement. As luck would have it, my bro-in-law said he knows of someone who's good and charges reasonably. Jackpot!

Enters Herry, the photographer! He is super funny and full of antics. Hurhur... if you thought i was a perfectionist, then u have not met Herry. He was extremely careful about my make-up. Yes, of all things - my make up. He said if there was no touch up done, there will fine cracks/lines that will show up in the photos due to smiling and all. So he will signal me to touch up when he sees lines appearing. So cute lar! We had a lot of fun esp when we were doing the solo shots of me. I am not a photogenic person by nature. Like seriously. Nodee will know... So i crack up everytime he asks me to pose a certain way. Esp when he said "give me that sexy eyes" That line + Nodee looking at me, set me off. He sort of gave up after, trying to get me to pose. Good times, good times...

us & herry

And the photos didn't disappoint at all. He did a great job capturing my day. He even delivered the album & frame to my workplace one week after my engagement. So efficient right? I loved what he did for the front cover...

So that's part 02 and part of my vendors review. Next i will share all the crazy DIY stuff that i did. And rest assure there are many... Till then, have a great weekend everyone!

Ngage or Dis-ngage Part o1

Tomorrow would mark one month since we got officially engaged.

As Sha mentioned, i had stamped o5 may instead of 05 April on my scrapbook page in the previous entry.LOL. 5Th April is the date we got engage not may!! Oh well, here's part o1 of the Ngagement story...

it started innocently enough, wanting to errm go on to the next level in our relationship. so after sounding it off to both our parents, we planned for it to happen sometime in second half of 2008. yeap. second half would equates to june-dec, no? And that will give me sufficient time to plan...

then came the shocker. his parents want it to be MARCH or APRIL!! it was sometime mid-jan when this happen-ed and i was for-the-lack-of words, shelled shocked. Like seriously, i have not previously thought of how i wanted my engagement to be and all...and now i have 2 months to prepare? accckkk...

image from getty images

So it was then decided. Early April, that was to be our engagement date.

ok, at this point, i would like to give a proper explanation of the Malay/Muslim engagement and what it entails. Most of my non-Malay friends had no idea what an engagement was, they thought it was a ROM!

I've managed to googled this from here, some of the extracts below;

First stage - Merisik
""Merisik" in Malay actually means spying (but in this context, it's not the James Bond type though). It means to learn more of something through informal enquiries, and in this particular case, of the feelings of the intended spouse and her parents.
Merisik is carried out by the young man’s parents or relatives to informally enquire on the girl’s agreement to the intended marriage and more importantly, to seek the consent of the girl’s parents. Marriage is a serious institution and both families must feel secure, happy and comfortable with the proposed union. "

followed by the Engagement
"The Pertunangan (betrothal) or Malay traditional engagement ceremony actually crystallizes the verbal agreement made during the previous Merisik process. The highlight of this traditional engagement ceremony will be the putting of the engagement ring on the fiance’s finger by the future mother-in law, or, if the groom’s mother is deceased or unable to make the trip, his sister or nearest auntie. "

Day of Engagement
"On the appointed date and time, a delegation from the groom led by his close family members and relatives will arrive at the bride’s home. "

"As are usual for traditional engagement ceremonies of Malays, they will bring with them either seven or nine items of gifts(they are usually in odd numbers), carried in a decorated tray or dulang, and includes the most important item -- the engagement ring, which is normally a diamond ring.

When everyone has been seated on the floor of the house in a sort of a circle, with the hantaran items in the middle, then the session starts with preliminary speeches of welcome and introductions – of course in a jovial and friendly manner.
With both sides alternately addressing each other about the coming union, reference is frequently made on the agreements reached during the Merisik session previously, but mainly to restate and reaffirm what were agreed then. "

pics from my engagement / click to view

"After discussion and agreements have been achieved, then, as is the Malay custom, the highlight of the traditional engagement ceremony or Pertunangan is the putting of the engagement ring on the would-be bride by the future mother–in-law.

The future mother-in-law, followed by other female members, will enter the girl’s gaily decorated room, where she had been waiting apprehensively all the time, and with the ring put on the finger of her future daughter-in law, hugs and kisses her cheeks. Likewise the girl will kiss the woman’s hands and hug her tightly.

During a traditional engagement ceremony, it is the Malay custom that the young man is not to attend the ceremony. He would be at home or away somewhere (perhaps fervently praying that the engagement would be accepted by the bride’s family).
However, if he is nearby, (which is normally the case as he has to show the way to his fiancé’s house) he will be invited for the meal or feast, but only after the ceremony has ended. "

And that is how a Malay/Muslim engagement goes... it can vary a little from the different countries and states but the essential idea is as above.

Part Deux to follow!

scrapbook-ing

and soooo..i've been kinda quiet this past week as work has been crazy busy!

Anyways, i went for a scrapbooking class last Tuesday at made with love at PS. first time i saw the store, i couldn't figure out where/what the store name was, and was kinda curious why it was full with people. So i wandered in. The shop concept is pretty fun - there's a cafe that serves hot chocolates and cupcakes amongst other things (1 brownie pt.), they have all these insanely pretty papers and bits (another brownie pt), they also stock pretty ribbons and showcases scrapbooking works all over the store! I was sold. However, the store gets kinda crowded at times so be ready to jostle and get jostled.

So about the class, it was great fun!! Me being a lil over-adventurous - decided to skip the basic class and jump straight into the 'beyond basics' class. Since i am a pretty crafty bunny, i don't really need to go for a basic lesson raaaaaaaite?

WRONG! hurhur... the lesson was divided into 2 portion. First being a straight forward cutting, distressing and pasting. Only challenging bit was the eyelet punching bit, where you use a mini hammer and just hammer out a nice clean hole to string the ribbon through. Since all the ladies went through the basic class except yours truly, they were nice enough to guide me through. And i was the first few to finish! Not bad for a beginner i thought to myself....

Self praising came a bit too fast as the next portion came, where we are allowed to choose 3 patterned paper from the store (hurrayyy!!) and 2 cardstock. So i chose my papers, not an easy task seeing how beautiful all the papers are. Then i showed the instructor and she gave the go ahead. In the midst of planning the layout and cutting my bits of paper, it didn't strike my mind that my background was too dark for the title. Title was supposed to be ink-stamped. So there i was pretty satisfied with all my cutting and pasting when it dawned on me. Alamak, how like tt?! hurhur...drama. Lucky, the instructor came to the rescue and allowed me to changed my cardstock to another color. But b'coz i was already running behind time at this point, i panic. People were already done with their page and i'm still struggling...so much for being a crafty bunny.LOL. The instructor was nice enough to give me some more time to finish up before the next class. Although i wasn't completely satisfied with the end product, i knew i could always continue at home.

So today after work, i went back to the store to get more papers, some ink and transparencies. This could be a real expensive hobby! Most of the items cost an arm and leg..hurhur..so i decided to pop by Spotlight as well. At least the items there (although not so chic) are easier on the wallet...heeee..

Ok, after all that talk, below is the end product of my first scrapbooking page. I finally finished it. yes, there will be more to come - now that i have stocked up the supplies and gotten an album to store all these pages in, be prepared for more...

like it?

paper love!

poppy punch

Quick update to share one of my fave SG floral designer! Poppy flora studio proves to excite and tickle you silly with their awesome creations. I almost peed in my pants looking at their creations... so pretty can?

this is what i mean by awesome-ness

and it seems they're throwing a party this weekend! anyone interested? can i shamelessly ask for an invitation??

when boy meets girl

and it seems only right that a wedding blog starts with the story of boy meets girl

boy meets girl

we met in the month of May 2005. and get this, we were set up on a blind date! hurhur..i still laugh every time i think of it. We were both so against being set up but hey, our good frens will not have it any other way. Meet good frens below, on their engagement day

photo stolen from her

i still remembered that i went like whatttttttt? blind date? NEVER!!! just that 2 words alone, never fails to make you feel so undesirable and unwanted. Anyways, good frens managed to cajoled the both of us - (back story) me and her goes back since primary school days whereas the boys were army buddies. So with no expectations whatsoever, we (individually) agreed. Date was set. Like good fren mentioned, no harm trying! No one asking you to marry him what. (oooopps, never say never!)

Fast forward to said day, we met and instantly hit it off. Like seriously, god knows what got into me and i actually intro myself to him! And we were talking and cracking jokes like we were old frens ..that was pretty much hilarious. We went for dinner at Al-majlis and had a pretty good time. And the rest as they say is pretty much history...

We got engaged on the 5th of this month and are looking at getting married in 2010. somehow, it still feels so surreal...to have found your soulmate at the most unlikely place and time. More on our engagement next...

the ring

the most coveted item pre-engagement and most talked about post-e. i have found myself staring at unsuspecting fingers, ogling if i may say at all the rocks in the days leading to purchasing my engagement ring! hurhur...i guess there is just something about us ladies and those diamonds...

and yes, i was very much involved in the whole selection coz well, i can be very a-n-a-l about this sorta thing, so says the mister. So he would rather get me to choose something he knows i will wear for life (!) rather than complain at his ermmm..discerning taste. What can i say, he knows me well!

so about this blog - i'm starting fancyletters - the wedding blog to capture and share my journey through my wedding planning right here in SG! here's to a great journey ahead, cheers!