Taipei: Day 3

Day 3:

.: Packed breakfast at hotel

.: Makeup and hairstyling at Judy Wedding

.: Outdoor photoshoot

.: Indoor photoshoot

.: Dinner at a 夜市 near the hotel

.: Photo selection at Judy Wedding

We crawled out of bed at 7am to get ready and have a quick breakfast than headed down to the BS. Nico 老师 was my MUA and I loved  the different styles that she did for my different gowns. We had  ah 伦 as our photographer and 巧兒 was his assistant. We forgot to bring our camera along so these photos were taken by ah 伦 and 巧兒.

That's Nico 老师 helping J to wipe his perspiration. It was freaking hot that morning.

Nico 老师, me, J and ah 伦. The guys look so gay.

That's 巧兒 helping me to hold the flowers while my hands are full with the gown.

Yeap. The 2 of us were exhausted. Could not slp well the night before and had to wake up freaking early.

The guys were trying to act cool.

Nico 老师 helping J with his hair

Caught in the act. They look so beng. Like 古惑仔s.

巧兒  and Nico 老师. They were helping me with my dress and making sure that I was comfortable along the way and when I had to go into the water for some shoots they were so afraid that I would slip and fall. They really took great care of me.

I love this picture.

Love this pic too.

On the way to the next location shoot. I love this style best.

Thanks guys for the wonderful memories.

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

Taipei: Day 2

Day 2:

.: Breakfast at Hotel

.: Breakfast at 阜杭豆漿‎

.: Shopping for Gundam Model Kits at 西门町

.: Gown fitting at Judy Wedding

.: Dinner and shopping at 士林夜市

.: Back to hotel

We took our own sweet time getting ready on day 2. I wanted to go out and have 阜杭豆漿 for breakie but the hotel provides breakfast for our stay there so we thought we should have a look at what they have to offer. That day was the first and last time we went down to their cafe for breakfast. They only had the usual taiwanese porridge with some side dishes and some toast. Since J have nv been a fan of taiwanese porridge we ‎had a cup of tea with some toast and took the MRT which was a 10 mins walk from our hotel to Shandao station for 豆漿‎. I tried this once 2 yrs back when I was there and have been craving for it ever since. They only open in the mornings and there's always a very long queue. I love their cold 豆漿‎ which they serve in a bowl. Smooth and chilled. Just the thing to start a wonderful day.

Me in the queuing up with all the uncles and aunties.

J happy with his 博饼夹蛋

That's my yummy 冰豆漿. Yums!‎

We made our way down to 西门町 after breakfast to buy some gundam kits before heading down to the bridal shop in the afternoon to select my gowns and J's suit for the photoshoot the next day. It was still very early when we reached and most of the shops were still closed so we just wandered around taking some pictures and enjoying the relative quiet of 西门町 on a Wednesday morning.

西门红楼

We spent the most here on Gundam Model Kits. Prices are very much cheaper compared to those in Singapore especially for the bigger models.

Headed down to 士林夜市 for dinner after more than 5 hours of gown fitting before going back to the hotel to rest in preparation for the long day the next day. We have to get up real early because we will be having our photoshoot.

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

Taipei: Day 1

I'm finally starting on my Taipei post. :P

We signed up for a bridal package with Judy Wedding Taipei when they were in Singapore for a wedding show sometime back in August 2009. It was more an impulse purchase on both our parts as we liked the style of photography and the scenerys and they promised us some stuffs which led us to sign up with them on the spot. We also took a AD package with them but forgot to factor in the freight charges and gown alterations and also the communication problems.. Come to think of it, we were too impulsive and we now have to bear the responsibility of our moment of folly. On hindsight, we should have just taken up the PS package with them. But as the saying goes, "Hindsight is 20/20" or something to that effect. We just have to bite the bullet now and go ahead and utilise what have been promised to us. Albeit with alot of inconvenience.

Anyway, we thouroughly enjoyed ourself during our short trip and the PS and gown selections went relatively smoothly. J fell sick towards the last few days of our trip and thus not much photos towards the end and we mainly ventured out when he felt better but only for short periods of time, mainly to find food.

Day 1:

.: Depart Singapore for Taipei

.: Pickup by BS at Taipei airport for hotel

.: Check-in hotel then headed straight to Shilin Night Market for dinner

.: Back to hotel and rest

Hao Da Da Ji Pa. A must try in Shilin Night Market

Streets of Taipei

We tried this Cong You Bing and J loved it. He's usually very picky about his food so I was super impress with his willingness to try new food on this trip.

Freshly made Cong You Bing. Nice!

We found a branch for Ah Zhong Mian Xian in Shilin. The original branch is at Xi Men Ding. Instead of oyster, they have pigs intestine in the rice flour vemicelli. Even J who doesn't like mian xian loves this. I told you I was super impressed with him this trip.

Piping hot Ah Zhong Mian Xian. Yums!

What better to end a night of feasting with other than dessert?

We had Fresh Strawberries on Finely shaved milk ice. Yums! My fav.

See all the fresh fruits that they have. My fav is the strawberries. It was still cold when we were there so strawberries were still in season.

After the long flight and with our stomachs happily filled, we made our way back to the hotel to rest our old bones in preparation for the gown selections for the PS the next day.

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

Site visit - Intercontinental Hotel

Back in May, I signed us up for a wedding show at Intercontinental Singapore. That was when we were still looking at hotels and before my parents started to make noise. I attended a wedding there after they refurbished their ballroom last year and was quite taken by their pretty pillarless ballroom with high ceilings and hanging chandeliers. J could not make it for wedding show but when I brought him back later to view the ballroom, he feel in love with it too. But the coordinator was a quite anal. She was not willing to throw in much on top of the package.

I love the Timeless Classic theme with the Tiffany Blue and Ivory colour scheme. They also had a similar Sweet Pink and Ivory theme, Magical Dream but the pink blended into the ivory so it looked more plain than magical IMHO.

Ballroom setup for the wedding show

Timeless Classic: VIP table setup

Timeless Classic: Guest table setup

Mystique Allure: VIP table setup

Mystique Allure: Guest table setup.

For those whose elders are not superstitious

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

Site Visits - Pioneer Springs @ Safra Mount Faber

During our search for a venue for our ROM, one of the recommendations that came up was Pioneer Springs @ Mount Faber. We requested for a quotation from them, found that it fit into our budget and made an appointment with them for a site visit one fine Saturday morning.

The rain just stopped when we arrived so we were able to make our way to the outdoor area just outside the restaurant. The area was just above the swimming pool overlooking the greenary. The pictures turned out quite well but I did not quite like the "feel" at the actual site.

This is where the solemnisation table will be. The guest will have the view of the greenery and the swimming pool. Photos with the front view of the JP and back view of the couple will be very nice with the greenery in the backdrop.

Chairs for the guests will be placed here. We did not quite like the idea of this as the backdrop for the front view pictures of the guests and the couple.

If it happens to be raining that day, the setup would be moved indoors to the restaurant. The indoor area would be along the glass windows at the far end of the restaurant. They will partition of this area so that the wedding party can have some privacy.

The solemnisation table will replace this table for the indoor solemnisation. Same as the outdoor setup, the couple will be facing the greenery. As it is indoor, it would be a more comfortable arrangement for the couple and their guests. However, we were concerned about the non-removable hanging television which spoils the whole setup.

Another view of the indoor solemnisation area. The area can be partioned into 4 individual private rooms.

My parents were suggesting that we hold our AD here. The setup that day was in preparation for a corporate function that night and the restaurant has a high ceiling and its squarish with just a couple of pillars at the side. But J did not quite like the location so it was off our list.

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

Filial Piety

If you have been watching the 9pm show on Channel 8, you would have noticed the short clip that they broadcast after the show and just before the news.

The first time I watched it, I teared. It really amazes me how such a short 3 mins clip can trigger so much emotions in me. This clip though short, really brings home the point of you reap what you sow. So many people are putting their parents in Nursing homes or Old folk homes always with the same excuse. Have to work. No time to take care of them. These people are placing money and their jobs above and beyond their own parents. I say, don't blame anyone but yourself if your child puts you in these homes when you are old and useless.

Kudos to MCYS Singapore on a job well done..

Your parents have loved you unconditionally.Now show them how much you care.

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

AD Venue - Peach Garden @ OCC

*Edited with pictures*

Before I start blogging on the other sites, let me first do a post on our chosen venue for our AD. Blogger has some problem with uploading of photos so I'll post up photos of the venue later.  

We were initially planning on holding our AD in one of the hotels and have ald shortlisted a couple. However, my parents wants it to be done in a restaurant so we had to source all over again for a suitable restaurant. It was a big headache for the both of us and it was also one of the reason that led to a number of our recent heated quarrels. I'm so glad that all that is all over now. There's a saying that goes something to the effect of  "Quarrels makes a couple closer." I agree with that saying, but I really hate quarreling with J. In fact, I hate having confrontations with anyone.

One of the reasons that we chose PG was the friendly and affable coordinator, Rose. We both feel very comfortable liasing with her. She even gave us templates for the Programme and Emcee Speech.

We have also heard raving reviews of the food at PG from friends and from forums so we decided to give it a try. Although there are 2 pillars in the middle of the restaurant, we are prepared to overlook that for the fact that the food is good. Moreover, the decor is not those very chinese type of decor where you will feel like you are walking into a restaurant 20 years ago. I know that there are some restaurants that still have that type of decor.

The cocktail area is quite small but guest can move into the restaurant area to chit chat and take their seats first unlike ballrooms where the doors will be closed and guests can only be seated when the doors are open. Taking into account my Grandma will be inviting quite a number of her elderly relatives, I think it will be a good idea for them to be able to take their seats in the restaurants first rather than stand around the reception area. I forgot to take pictures of the restaurant area as the coordinator came then and we were busy ironing out the contract terms.

Reception area

Reception and coctail area

View from inside of restaurant

Where the photo albums will be placed

Anyway, we have confirmed our booking so we have one less thing to worry. We can now concentrate on our ROM preparations wholeheartedly..

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

Site visits - Furama Riverfront

This post on our visits to the various hotel ballrooms and restaurants have been long overdued.

First up is Furama Riverfront,

Furama Riverfront Ballroom

They have a pillarless ballroom with relatively high ceiling. They were preparing for a company function which explains the not so impressive setting. They have another venue near the swimming pool but the ceiling is very much lower. We were actually looking for a ROM venue then and were considering the waterfall lounge so we took the opportunity to also have a look at their ballroom while we were there. This venue did not make the cut for us as the planner was quite rigid and we did not feel like they could offer us much extras.

Next up, we have Pioneer Spring @ Mount Faber.

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

14 May 2011 is The Day

We got our date for the AD on Saturday after a long delay. Blame it on me and my carelessness. I gave them this year's date instead of next year's one. Blur me did not realise it until the date have been chosen and I wanted to note it down and then realised the error. J took the blame for me and got a scolding from his mum. Feel so guilty.

We initially wanted to hold our AD end of next year but seeing that my contract will be up in Sept 2011 and I might be starting a new job then, we decided to do it mid 2011 although his mum keep suggesting that we do it in Dec 2011. Feel happy that he stood up against his mum and told her to let us make the decisions. At least I know that he will stand by me if ever we have 婆媳关系in future.

Well, we have less than 1 year to prepare for our wedding but I'm sure we can manage. Will not be doing much DIY for the AD though. Good thing is that we have already taken our photos in taiwan and the editing is almost done. So 1 less thing to worry about. The venue have been confirmed more or less. Have to give the restaurant a call to check if the date is availability and pay the deposit. I also have to come up with a checklist for the AD and things to buy for the 过大礼soon. I am not going to wait until the last minute than start to panic.

I am on track for my list of things to do for the ROM. Invitations are almost done and can be sent out soon. Wendy and Ian are gonna be my PG. Going to borrow a DSLR from my uncle. So things are more or less settled on that end. Have to start googling for the a list of things to photograph so we dun leave even the smallest details out. As for the shoes, I have already bought a pair of diamante studded heels for the PS which I did not get to wear at all so I thought I could use it for the ROM but now J has refused to get a pair of shoes with built in heels for the ROM. So I can't wear heels for the ROM :( Super sad. But I can't force him to do things that he don't want to do. And although he says that he does not mind me wearing heels, I do not want to tower over him during the ceremony and add on to that I am already bigger sized than him. If I wear heels and he don't, I will be like a giant. Oh well, I just have to look for a pair of nice white flats that I can wear for the ceremony.

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

Our Story: Chapter 3

The Proposal

We were together for slightly more than 6 months and it was Christmas Eve 2008. It was our first Christmas Eve together. We had a cozy dinner at Coffee Club at Harbourfront where we both ordered his favorite Garlic Prawn pasta. After that, we caught Twilight at Vivocity although he wasn’t very keen on watching it. Throughout the show, he seemed very uncomfortable as if his pants were too tight, but I did not suspect anything and just continued watching the show. Usually, I am quite sharp but that day, I was slightly drunk from the drinks I had with my colleagues before I met him. I wanted very much to go back and rest after the show but he insisted that we head on down to East Coast Park for a while. So being the sweet girlfriend I was and also because it was our first xmas eve together and I did not want it to end so soon, I let him have his way.

We could not find any empty seats along the beach that night and we were just walking along the track when suddenly a blue box (not Tiff n Co. though) appeared in front of me. At first I thought it was my xmas present until I heard the words “Will you marry me?” It was totally unexpected and as I said I was abit slow to catch on that day because I still had alcohol in my system. I thought I heard wrongly until I asked him to repeat what he had said and while looking into my eyes, he repeated his question. I said "Yes" and now here we are .. Starting on a new journey together ..

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

Our Story: Chapter 2

This is a continuation to my previous entry on Our Story. To read Chapter 1, click here.

The Continuation

After the movie, J sent me home because I had to take the car from my sis to pick up my parents who were coming back from China that evening. When we reached my place, my sis was not back yet and I had forgotten to bring my keys out with me. Although he had to rush to his colleagues wedding dinner that night, he accompanied me till my sis came back.

We went out quite frequently after that and after getting to know each other more, I started looking forward to seeing his messages and hearing his voice. Gradually, I realized that his height was not that big an issue to me anymore.

One day, we met up for dinner at Suntec after work. We were strolling along when he suddenly tried to hold my hand. The funny thing was I was holding a tissue paper in my hand there and we were both so embarrassed after that. That night, he called me after sending me back home to tell me how he felt about me. I was abit hesistant to start a new relationship as i had just broken up with my ex not that long ago and i was afraid that this would be a rebound r/s. I asked him for more time to reconsider and during this time, he did some things that really touched me and made me realise that he was really sincere in being with me and that he was really different from the guys that i have been with previously. A few days later, he brought me out for dinner at Bedok and he asked me to be his girlfriend again .. I said yes and that marked the beginning of out parthology .. 

This time its different
Its all because of you
It's better than its ever been 'Cause we can talk it through Oh, my favourite line was "Can I call you sometime?" Its all you had to say to take my breath away

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

Wedding Monogram

I've completed our wedding monogram which follows our wedding theme colours using Microsoft Words. I am a photoshop idiot and have not had the time to play around with the software yet so I used the simplest software that i could find and here is my end product. Another item off my list!! Yay!! Gonna start on my invitation card next.

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

eFiling done and customised vows

We eFiled for our solemnisation on ROMs website this afternoon. The process was pretty straightforward and it was all done in 5 mins. All we needed was the JPs license number, IC number of the Bride and Groom and the 2 witnesses (in our case it was his mom and my dad's), venue and time (if doing it outside of ROM) and most importantly my credit card for payment and we were good to go.

I have also drafted out the wordings and layout of the invitation cards today. Will print it out on plain paper and see how it looks like. If everything is fine, I can go ahead and buy the actual paper for printing and start doing up the invitation cards.

We might also be preparing our own vows to be used during the ceremony. This would make it more meaningful . Since I can't have my dinner at the location that I want and have to cater to my parents wishes, I want to make this solemnisation extra special.

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

Our Story: Chapter One

I met J online thru one of the then-popular social networking site Frienster and the rest is history ..

The Message

It all started one Sunday afternoon in May 2008 when I received an email notification that I had a message in Friendster. I logged in and saw this fella with a picture of his side profile telling me that he wanted to be friends and that i could easily block him if i decided not to talk to him. I remember thinking that his side profile look cute and there was no harm making more friends. So i replied him and added him on MSN and we started chatting from there. Gradually, we exchanged phone numbers and started SMS-ing which led to phone calls that lasted a few hours.

Fate at Play

I don't know if it was fate or just pure coincidence but there were a couple of times after we started chatting when we happened to be in the same area at the same time. We would be SMSing each other throughout the day and he would ask me where am I and I would tell him and he would tell me that he was at the particular place awhile ago. He suggested a couple of times to meet up but being the shy me, I gave him lots of excuses to not meet him.

There was once i was playing mahjong at my cousins place at Sembawang and he also happened to be at Sun Plaza. That was when i had a feeling that it could be more than just coincidence.

The Meeting

It so happened that J was taking a short break before starting work at a new company and Kungfu Panda was on the screens. Being the big kid that he is, he wanted to watch it but all his friends were like "What?? You want to watch cartoon?? Don't want lah!" So he ended up watching the show himself during his break. When I told him that I also wanted to watch the show but had no one to accompany me to watch, he offered to watch it with me again.

That Saturday, my parents were out of town and were due back in the evening and my sis had taken the car so after helping my Grandma wrap dumplings, I walked down to AMK Hub to meet him. It was raining heavily then and he offered to pick me up from my Grandma's place. But being the considerate me, I told him that I would meet him there. When I reached, he told me to look out for a wearing a black polo t-shirt and holding a blue umbrella. He had already went down in the morning to get the tickets for the show so we went to Nebo for drinks since we were still early.

My first impression of him was normal and there were no sparks. I had already decided that we would remain friends and nothing more. Mainly because he was the same height as me although he likes to think that he is taller than me. I have always liked my guys to be taller than me cos i love my high heels. But all these were set to change .. Stay tuned for the next instalment of Our Story: Chapter Two ..

It started over coffee.
We started out as friends.
Its funny how from simple things, the best things begin.

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

ROM hairstyle

I am thinking of using this hairstyle for my ROM. Its just a simple side ponytail with the ends curled. Going to practice with my curling iron so that I can DIY and save up on a having a hairstylist.

These curls were from the mini makeover on Sunday. I just tied my hair into a side ponytail to get the style.

Simple and nice.

Front view

Side View

~~Looking forward to being Mrs Tan~~

Guess what??

The moment i posted the previous entry, I got a reply to my email from Dr Phua to officiate at our ceremony. Yay!!

AND J just found a hotel which is cheap so that we can marry all our expectations. Double YAY!!

Keeping my fingers crossed that the information that he dug out is up to date and not eons ago. Now i can go to sleep with 2 things off my mind. Whew!!

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

I feel like ..

.. I am planning a wedding for 5 ppl rather than for just the 2 of us. I have got to manage the expectation of my parents (mainly my dad's), J's mum, J's and mine. Recently I have been feeling like I am doing all these for other ppl and not for myself and J. It is just so hard to manage everyones expectations. Take for example, J's side is inviting 10 tables of his relatives and friends, my parents are asking for 20 tables so I'm being asked to reduce my guestlist from 10 tables to about 5. WTH??!!?? I want to hold my wedding in a hotel ballroom and my dad wants us to do it in a restaurant!!?! Being the stubborn daughter that I am (I also have a quick temper), I started arguing with my dad. Now J is caught between us. He have to make sure that he fulfil his future father in law's wishes and appease his fiancee. I almost wanted to call off the whole wedding.

To add on to our problems, we are having problems getting a JP to officiate at our ceremony. I think its because our ROM falls on a weekday and it so happens that there is a long weekend that week and many ppl are on leave. Haiz. I guess i just have to keep on calling and emailing JPs tomorrow.

I feel so lousy now that i totally have no mood to update on the photoshoot yest. Maybe tomorrow evening ..

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

Parent Meeting Session

I am soo not ready for the parents meeting session tomorrow morning!! Everything happened so fast. J was just telling me this morning that his mom would like to meet up with my parents before our ROM and then suddenly the have decided to meet tomorrow morning!! Hope everything turns out well ..

Anyway, I have something else to look forward to tomorrow evening. I have signed up for the mini makeover organised by Big and Beautiful. Their new stocks will also be on sale tomorrow .. Siao liao .. The hole in my pocket is going to get bigger and bigger .. .. ...

I realise that my writing style is very weird .. My topics are all over the place and they don't seem to flow too well .. Haha.. I guess this is what happens when you haven't been using your writing skills for more than 2 years .. But .. I WILL work hard to improve my writing .. If you are interested you can have a look at my previous blog here.  

Oh well, I haven't had the time to start on the Taiwan entry what with the site visits, work and chalet over the long holida last weekend. And I am also planning to write an entry on how J and I met. I'll probably start on them pretty soon .. Hopefully i'll somehow, miraculously get back my writing inspirations and am able to put my thoughts into words much better.. 

I was very pissed off yesterday. We have already visited a number of hotels to look at their ballrooms and discuss the package and we have decided on a venue for our AD ald just that we have not booked the place yet but seems that we might have to visit some more restaurants instead as the parents seem to prefer restaurants to hotels .. WTH!! Restaurants are cheaper than hotels but not by much. And personally i prefer the ambiance of holding the dinner in a hotel ballroom. But what choice do i have now?? As i posted in my previous post "Marriage is not between two persons but is between two families", I just have to pander to the elders wishes. Haiz. I'll just 走一步看一步了. What to do??

On a side note, I have received the 2nd edit of the PS photos. Everything looks great except for minor changes in 4 pics. Hopefully we can look at the album layout soon ..

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

Obstacles in our path that we have no control over ..

A marriage is not between two persons but is between two families ..

How apt this phrase is. And we have only just started preparing for our wedding .. How do you ask your parent to be more understanding???

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~

Preview of Pre-wedding photoshoot in Taiwan

Here's a preview of our pre-wedding photoshoot with Judy Wedding in Taipei. It was both J and my second time there. I enjoyed myself loads there especially during the photoshoot. The taiwanese ppl were very friendly and fun. A proper post on our time in Taiwan will be up in the next few days but photos are limited because J was the photographer and he likes to take pictures of the streets and food. And we also did not bring along our camera during the photoshoot. These pictures you are seeing now are from the photographer's camera.

~~ Looking forward to being Mrs Tan ~~