our wedding video

wedding video ATWOSLU

done by: Why Keen of Ichiro Films

Why Keen was warm, friendly and a very nice guy to work with. the morning i saw him, he shared that he was not able to sleep the night before as he was trying to visualise what he could do for us - speak about perfectionist! as he shared what he envisioned, i started having doubts and i was not sure if what he talked about could really be achieved. but it was! waaaay beyond our expectations :) :) see the video and know for yourself  :)

bridal studio

 

in singapore, most brides will prefer to sign a package with a bridal studio so that (almost) everything can be catered for, fuss-free. on our second day of scouting around, we made a rather quick decision and signed a contract with Bridal De Couture, on the spot without going home to deliberate (this is very unlike us, i think). Agnes's persuasion skills were excellent and BDC gave us a very good deal, because we were friends with elvin and lixin. (check out the cute couple here - they were our super Em-cees for the night and everyone loved them!) however, when PP and I were still preparing for our marriage, our wedding date had to be pushed back due to unforeseen (but ordained by God) circumstances. Alas! we had already signed our wedding package.

Fortunately, our dear coordinator Agnes, told us that we could put our package on hold for 5 years (!!!).

 

Bridal De Couture

45, Tras Street, Singapore 078984

email: bridal.de.couture@hotmail.com

tel: 6223 0638

 

Agnes was our overall coordinator. Looking back, if there is any reason why I would go back to BDC again, it would have to be for Agnes. She has a motherly touch to her, and is very patient and professional. i have learnt over the months that no matter which bridal studio i go to, it matters very much to:

1) Be very clear in my mind what i want

2) Be very clear in expressing what i want and help the other party, as far as possible, to understand my needs.

Although i was quite fussy and hesitant in expressing myself (in chinese!), Agnes would always do her best to cater to my demands. thank YOU, agnes!

 

there were two main things that PP and i were looking out for in a package. firstly, the made-to- measure gowns, and secondly, the photos. it was important to us that the photos and the gowns turn out well, but of course, we also had a budget constraint. Thank God! looking back, it all worked out well and fell into place. the gowns were ideal, and we really love the photos taken by Calvin (Xiao-Hu), the photographer :)

Calvin was a great wedding photographer. I say so because a good photographer would not just capture the shot, but be able to create the positive atmosphere for the couple and he did it excellently! a very funny person! it was raining on that day (spot the plastic bag in the photo -__-) but we had a great great time :) see our recounts here and here.

Calvin was quick - he seldom needed us to stay in one pose for a long time. he was also very flexible, because we showed him the "feel" of the kind of pictures we wanted and he caught on almost immediately. This was what made him professional. It was not just about himself and the pictures he wanted to take...

 

 

:) :) they look nice, but more importantly, the pictures captured our story (think i uploaded the entire album on facebook). it was tough though. PP and i had to go through quite a few barriers, trying to get them to understand the idea of what we wanted. as it was quite unconventional, it was very hard for them to visualise.

It helped greatly that PP and i had a story formulated before our photo-taking session. this helped us decide the poses we want, and the process of choosing pictures also became alot easier!

 

catering food

since a relationship is never just about two people, it was really nice that the people in our community project could come together and get to know each other. we held a helper's prayer and gather time shortly before our BIG day. of course, when there are people, there HAS to be food right?

here's a catering service that i would strongly recommend!

YEEP Food Restaurant and Cafe

Toa Payoh West Community Club

200 Tao Payoh Lorong 2, #01-07

Singapore 319642

Tel: 62590283

PP and I coordinated with Mdm Wong (h/p: 96635832), who is really helpful. This catering service is efficient, fuss-free, and the food is very very good :) For $10 a person, you can order 7 dishes (think sotong, fish, ma poh tau foo...) and a beverage. I strongly recommend the pineapple fried rice and the prawn paste chicken wing - yummy!

Note: there is a $50 surcharge for transportation and handling :)

our wedding card printer

 

im going to start a series of posts detailing our wedding journey, mostly to share the contacts and the excellent service that we have received from some of the places we patronised. im sure this information will come in useful for many brides-to-be :)

 

the very first place that i must share is our cards printer :) PP and I journeyed all the way to JB to get our cards printed! i must say it was quite daunting because we hardly traveled to JB, but truly, thank God for safety and a very good time!

 

This is where we went:

T&T INSTANT PRINT SERVICES SDN BHD

Jalan Kuning,

Lot 425 Level 4 Plaza Pelangi 80400, Johor

p: 07-3348862 f: 07-3331862

 

it is about 15 min drive from the causeway and quite easy to find. there is another outlet at city square mall in JB, which is just across the causeway. however, it is quieter at plaza pelangi and the lady who worked with us was very very nice! we liased with her over email first (tty1862@yahoo.com)

 

the quality of our cards was excellent. full colour printing for both sides, at a charge of slightly less than S$1 a card. they showed us a sample before proceeding with the printing, and they had a variety of paper which we could choose from (we paid extra for thicker paper). they did the folding, the cutting, and the counting of cards... but we had to purchase our envelopes from Jasvy (our dinner card printer), and the rounded corners of the card were the labour of love of many loved ones who stayed back after our helper's gathering to really...help.

 

we also printed round stickers to paste on the little containers of candy which my sis-in-law partially sponsered :) We printed 600 of these at slightly less than S$100 and they gave us extras too :)

 

 

if you have a car, and the time to travel, i would strongly recommend going to JB to get your cards printed. you are sure to get your money's worth and the quality is not wanting at all :)

the only picture we have of the candy! :/

 

why I say all the way our Saviour leads us

I guess the title says it all. since it is our wedding theme and our heart's song, I thought it is good to re-cap, and re-count once again, the blessings that God has given me in this journey with emerson.

we go a long way back. and when I say long way, I do mean loooooong way! so long, that some years just seem to go by in a blurr!

emerson and I first met each other in kindergarten. he was short and cute. I was short and cute. all kids are short and cute, right? :) ok, honestly, I can't remember the details, other than (I think) we would take the same school bus to school. and we (probably) played with each other.

time flew by and year after year, we grew older (and taller!). we became more familiar with each other because we would see each other every sat and sun in church.

ah ha. it got to the year when sparks started to fly. 姐, now that I think back, I seriously think u have a part to play in this, although I can't place my finger at exactly why! I liked him, and I think he liked me, but I was never too sure. I mean, u probably would like someone if you greeted her good morning and goodnight with an sms everyday, right? yet, nothing was ever said. at that time, I just knew that I enjoyed his company. he was funny, sporty, he loved his brother (who was soooo cute THEN), he loved God and he seemed to be a disciplined student, talented in many ways. we studied, we sent sms-es to each other… we played with ahjijan (who was only 5-6 years old)…and we grew older, yet again.

then, in JC1, he took part in a series of judo competitions that required him to fly overseas to quite a lot of places (korea, vietnam, etc..). absence made the heart grow fonder! just before he left, we celebrated my birthday and that was when my heart really melted! he gave me an sms book, recording all our exchange of sms-es for the past year! I was deeply touched and at that point, I knew with a certainty that I meant something to him. we kept in touch through emails, he wrote me a postcard for the first time and he shared more about himself through his emails.

when he came back, he asked me out on a date! on the bus, on 7th november 2003, he told me that he was fond of me. I blushed and I kept quiet for a very long time. and then I said, lets take things slow.

10 August 2004 - we held hands. :) :) so this is the "electric shock" that rev quek was talking about :)

2005-2006 2 years of pain, heartbreaks and tears because God sent Army and Sandhurst to teach us. to help us to be sure, to mould our perspectives, and recognise each others' weaknesses, and to see how we simply could not do without Him.

7 Nov 2008 - the day he proposed to me. many have asked: what makes you so sure that God wants you to get married now? it is clear because God sent a blessing so emerson could provide for the family while he is studying. this means that we can afford to take care of ourselves. to us, this was very clear sign. however, we felt young, unprepared, unsure. after speaking to rev koshy, we were comforted by his advice and we felt sure that it was God's will to take the path towards marriage.

who would have known? man proposes, God disposes. in the span of a few months, a few hiccups were sent our way. one major hiccup sent forced us to rethink the time of our marriage, for the sake of our loved ones and being a good testimony. it felt so painful at that time! I could not bear the thought of waiting an extra 2 years to get married after being engaged.

now, looking back, what can I say? it is God's perfect plan and timing! through this two years, we have matured, grown, learnt to understand and accommodate each other and learnt to work through our problems in a wiser way. im not saying that we are perfect or fully equipped for marriage as we are far from that! nonetheless, we have been taught precious lessons from God through these two years of preparation.

through these 7-8 years of Ups and Downs, we testify that it is entirely by His keeping and His enabling that we are still together, and that we still love each other (more and more by His grace!). He has taught us what love is, and by Him, and what He has done for us, we recognise how He desires for us to love each other too.

therefore, as we approach the wedding day, I am so excited. I am not excited about the decorations, the cards, the bouquets, the photographer or the dinner. these are not things that matter. yes, these bits and pieces make the day memorable and we do like to make things look nice/meaningful. but what makes me so glad in the heart is the fact that after these 7-8 years of seeking and courting, it has cumulated to a day where we are more eager than ever to do God's will and make this promise to keep loving each other, just like we have been learning to do so for the past years. it has taught me that when we seek to do His will, we do not go wrong. and much as there are a lot of uncertainty and fears, I find courage in the fact that our Lord will continue to lead us, just like He has done so, simply because we are doing what He wants us to do!

it is such a joy as a child of God to rest in this simple assurance: the Lord will lead you all the way. in this truth, I find comfort, peace, joy. when tough times come our way, we know that behind it all, God has a perfect plan for us. dear friends, are u a child of God? the years of courtship are nothing to do with coincidences. all these circumstances sent our way have a higher purpose to shape and mould us into who He wants us to do, to bring us to where we are today. there is a great God in this world! but is He your God? we pray and hope that through our holy matrimony, you may come to know this God of ours, who has led us all the way…

see u in…. SIX DAYS!!!! :) :) :)