From my posts, I am sure its not hard to realize that I am a budget bride-to-be.
Why did I choose to start this blog?
I started prepping for my wedding 11 months before my AD as such I have A LOT of time to do research for every big and small details of my wedding. Penning down all these details for other BTBs would ensure that my research would not go to waste and that every budget/ala-carte brides like me will realize that planning for the big day is an enjoyable and easy thing to do.
I want to note down all these small details so that in many years to come, I can look back and laugh with my hubby on all the funny things that we have done through the major milestones of our life.
Why did I choose to be a budget bride?
It's my personal choice.
1) I always believe that wedding is just a day in my life. Yes, its a once-in-a-lifetime thing but it would be over in just 1 day. I don't see why I should be spending $50k on a single day of my life when I can better use this money for other things like renovation, holidays and my future kids etc.
2) Learning to spend within my means. I have only started working for less than 2 years and I do not have much savings to splurge. I have a BTO coming next year and i foresee finance to be tight for the next few years hence I would think its essential to spend within my means.
3) With the gloomy economic outlook due to fall in oil prices, the whole employment market is very versatile. Being in a profession/industry where oil prices do impact the company, I would think that no one's employment is completely risk-free. To prevent being caught off guard, I would think that saving money during this period of time is the right thing to do.
4) The whole bridal/wedding market in Singapore is CRAZY. Everything is overpriced and hence I would think that learning how to find/grab a good deal and counter these crazy prices is a challenging yet fulfilling thing to do!
What's my wedding plan?
Bee and I would not be having a wedding lunch/dinner at a hotel or restaurant.
We will not be signing up for a bridal package.
We will most likely not be getting a professional videographer/photographer for our wedding day.
But…
We will be going ala-carte for most/all things.
We will be having a church wedding with proper lunch reception.
We will be going overseas for a pre-wedding shoot.
Its going to be a budget wedding planning but not a cheapo wedding.
Bee and I are both comfortable and happy with our plans to date.
We once joked about this…
Whats the theme of our wedding?
价廉物美？
No I would call it 简约时尚 LOL!
Stay tune as I update my blog through this journey (:
Showing posts with label #sg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #sg. Show all posts
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Wedding bedsheet set for our BIG BIG DAY!
As some of you may know, wedding bedsheets is one of the things the female side needs to buy for 回礼 during 过大礼. The wedding bedsheets is to be laid out on the wedding day on the couple's new bed.
When I was shopping in jurong point, i saw this set of red fitted sheets which i thought is very suitable for our wedding because Bee and i love this kind of simple single colored bedsheets and its really affordable at the price of $19.90!
BUT when i brought the fitted sheet set home, my mum was VERY unsatisfied. HAHAHAS
There she goes again..
这么简单的床单哪里可以？去买别的！多少钱都不用紧！
My goodness.. even bedsheets she also can make a big hoo-ha hahahahas!
My mum wanted me to buy those wedding series of bedsheets with cartoon on it.
My aunt told her my cousin bought a very nice fitted sheets at OG for her wedding.
Please make a guess how much this set of fitted sheets cost?
$100!
So expensive!
I remember that Aussino used to have this kind of wedding bedsheets.
However, after researching i realize that Aussino is closing down most/all of their stores in Singapore. Even though they are supposed to have a store in clementi mall, i went and couldn't find the store at all -.-
The other brand that i think would have this kind of bedsheets would be Akemi.
I specially called the Akemi shop and the sales person told me that this series of Akemi bedsheets is not sold in Singapore. You can only find it in malaysia.. so if you want you will have to go to JB and buy /: Mafan o!
Of course as per my usual practice, i went to my favorite sites Taobao and Carousell!
For this kind of 1 time use bedsheets, i would think its ok to go for cheap bed sheet set.
This is why i shortlisted a few value for money brand new wedding bedsheets (:
Gonna share with you guys the stuffs i sourced and shortlisted!
Singapore bed sizing:
Queen-> 1.5m by 1.9m
King-> 1.8m by 1.9m
Taobao
Please note that taobao bedsheets are 10cm longer in length (1.5/1.8m by 2m) so if you mind, do not purchase. But then again i feel that 10cm doesn't make much difference, you can still tuck it properly under the mattress (:
Cost: 68-99RMB = approx. $18-23SGD
Just saw that shuangxile is setting the set at $139.00! my goodness!
You can purchase here and here
Hello kitty series:
Cost: 99RMB = approx. $23
You can purchase here
Carousell
I specially chose those that are still in original packaging as they are more presentable during GDL.
During Guo Da Li, all items are to be packed nicely and presented to the other half as 回礼.
This is why I did not shortlist those that are not in original packaging as it is more troublesome for me and price wise there's not much difference. On top of that, the brands of the shortlisted bed sheet set are typically Akemi or Aussino, so it should be pretty good.
King Fitted Sheet
(1 fitted sheet, 2 pillow case & 1 bolster case)
Cost: $20-35sgd
For the first set, it is a cutesy couple design which i feel is more modern and up to my liking (but rejected by my mum AGAIN hahahas)
You can purchase here, here and here
Queen Quilt Cover Set
(1 quilt cover and 2 pillow case)
Cost: $20-45sgd
You can purchase here and here
So here is what i have purchased for myself from carousell!!
Akemi King comforter set for $50 which includes comforter, fitted sheet, 2 pillow case and 1 bolster case!
Its a really good deal! Very cute and sweet!
Mum and Bee are both happy with it!
I'm a happy bride-to-be!
When I was shopping in jurong point, i saw this set of red fitted sheets which i thought is very suitable for our wedding because Bee and i love this kind of simple single colored bedsheets and its really affordable at the price of $19.90!
BUT when i brought the fitted sheet set home, my mum was VERY unsatisfied. HAHAHAS
There she goes again..
这么简单的床单哪里可以？去买别的！多少钱都不用紧！
My goodness.. even bedsheets she also can make a big hoo-ha hahahahas!
My aunt told her my cousin bought a very nice fitted sheets at OG for her wedding.
$100!
So expensive!
I remember that Aussino used to have this kind of wedding bedsheets.
The other brand that i think would have this kind of bedsheets would be Akemi.
I specially called the Akemi shop and the sales person told me that this series of Akemi bedsheets is not sold in Singapore. You can only find it in malaysia.. so if you want you will have to go to JB and buy /: Mafan o!
Of course as per my usual practice, i went to my favorite sites Taobao and Carousell!
For this kind of 1 time use bedsheets, i would think its ok to go for cheap bed sheet set.
This is why i shortlisted a few value for money brand new wedding bedsheets (:
Gonna share with you guys the stuffs i sourced and shortlisted!
Singapore bed sizing:
Queen-> 1.5m by 1.9m
King-> 1.8m by 1.9m
Taobao
Please note that taobao bedsheets are 10cm longer in length (1.5/1.8m by 2m) so if you mind, do not purchase. But then again i feel that 10cm doesn't make much difference, you can still tuck it properly under the mattress (:
Just saw that shuangxile is setting the set at $139.00! my goodness!
You can purchase here and here
Hello kitty series:
You can purchase here
Carousell
I specially chose those that are still in original packaging as they are more presentable during GDL.
During Guo Da Li, all items are to be packed nicely and presented to the other half as 回礼.
This is why I did not shortlist those that are not in original packaging as it is more troublesome for me and price wise there's not much difference. On top of that, the brands of the shortlisted bed sheet set are typically Akemi or Aussino, so it should be pretty good.
King Fitted Sheet
(1 fitted sheet, 2 pillow case & 1 bolster case)
For the first set, it is a cutesy couple design which i feel is more modern and up to my liking (but rejected by my mum AGAIN hahahas)
You can purchase here, here and here
Queen Quilt Cover Set
(1 quilt cover and 2 pillow case)
You can purchase here and here
So here is what i have purchased for myself from carousell!!
Akemi King comforter set for $50 which includes comforter, fitted sheet, 2 pillow case and 1 bolster case!
Its a really good deal! Very cute and sweet!
Mum and Bee are both happy with it!
I'm a happy bride-to-be!
Part 1: Choosing our lunch caterer
Hi there!
Being a KIASU KIASU bride, I have decided to start sourcing for our wedding lunch caterer early even though our church wedding will only be at the end of the year.
Before I start searching, I would of course have to understand what kind of expectations/ requirements do my fiancé and me have. Here's the list that we both agreed on:
1) Food quantity must be suffice to feed our guest
2) Food must not be the typical Chinese buffet but something more modernized
3) Buffet set-up must be presentable
4) Budget of maximum $25 per pax
So with all these criteria in place, I started looking in forums for recommendations.
As I will only be having a wedding lunch reception in my church, I started looking at which caterers are more popular for church receptions. I shortlisted 2 caterers namely Purplesage and Rasel Catering.
I sent an enquiry to both and waited for their response.
Received both caterer's response on the 2 February.
Somehow Rasel's email went into my junk mail and I had to get them to resend on 4 February which they promptly did. Purplesage email attachment somehow was missing from the email and when I requested them to resend, I dont seem to have gotten the attached documents from them.
On top of that, after looking at the menu that Rasel sent me, i have decided to go ahead with Rasel Catering!
Why did I choose Rasel?
1) Rasel has a special menu for church buffet and lunch reception
2) Their menu looks pretty appetizing for us.
3) Their decorations looks pretty presentable (fresh floral centerpiece) with 3 themes to choose from
4) They have lots of experience catering for our church
5) Their sales manager Elsie is prompt to respond to my enquiries
So for less than $25, we will be getting the Church Gold Buffet Reception Package.
Not bad right? Pretty value for money :D
So as per my detail-orientated character, I have to ask, ask and ask to ensure all the details are in place LOL.
- I will have a complimentary food tasting session for 6 dishes
- 2 uniformed personnel as I will be ordering for 180 pax
(1 uniformed personnel will be allocated for every 100 pax)
- Buffet set-up split into 2 sets to ease the flow
- Able to change to dishes I don't like (Elsie will propose alternatives!)
Bee and I love spicy food (but of course we have to cater some food for our non-spicy loving guest/children). As Bee is from a peranakan background, we specially chose dishes like nonya laksa, lamb rending etc... something a little special for our special day ;p
Elsie very nicely recommend us to order for lesser pax first and add on later as our guest list is not confirmed yet. Payment is pretty fuss free but... there was a small glitch during invoicing.
We nearly got overcharged by $1000 LOL.
Luckily I checked and tallied the sums before paying.
So please please please always check your invoice!
Overall, our interaction now with Rasel is pleasant!
Will update part 2 after our food tasting ;D
Being a KIASU KIASU bride, I have decided to start sourcing for our wedding lunch caterer early even though our church wedding will only be at the end of the year.
Before I start searching, I would of course have to understand what kind of expectations/ requirements do my fiancé and me have. Here's the list that we both agreed on:
1) Food quantity must be suffice to feed our guest
2) Food must not be the typical Chinese buffet but something more modernized
3) Buffet set-up must be presentable
4) Budget of maximum $25 per pax
So with all these criteria in place, I started looking in forums for recommendations.
As I will only be having a wedding lunch reception in my church, I started looking at which caterers are more popular for church receptions. I shortlisted 2 caterers namely Purplesage and Rasel Catering.
I sent an enquiry to both and waited for their response.
Received both caterer's response on the 2 February.
Somehow Rasel's email went into my junk mail and I had to get them to resend on 4 February which they promptly did. Purplesage email attachment somehow was missing from the email and when I requested them to resend, I dont seem to have gotten the attached documents from them.
On top of that, after looking at the menu that Rasel sent me, i have decided to go ahead with Rasel Catering!
Why did I choose Rasel?
1) Rasel has a special menu for church buffet and lunch reception
2) Their menu looks pretty appetizing for us.
3) Their decorations looks pretty presentable (fresh floral centerpiece) with 3 themes to choose from
4) They have lots of experience catering for our church
5) Their sales manager Elsie is prompt to respond to my enquiries
So for less than $25, we will be getting the Church Gold Buffet Reception Package.
So as per my detail-orientated character, I have to ask, ask and ask to ensure all the details are in place LOL.
- I will have a complimentary food tasting session for 6 dishes
- 2 uniformed personnel as I will be ordering for 180 pax
(1 uniformed personnel will be allocated for every 100 pax)
- Buffet set-up split into 2 sets to ease the flow
- Able to change to dishes I don't like (Elsie will propose alternatives!)
Bee and I love spicy food (but of course we have to cater some food for our non-spicy loving guest/children). As Bee is from a peranakan background, we specially chose dishes like nonya laksa, lamb rending etc... something a little special for our special day ;p
Elsie very nicely recommend us to order for lesser pax first and add on later as our guest list is not confirmed yet. Payment is pretty fuss free but... there was a small glitch during invoicing.
Luckily I checked and tallied the sums before paying.
So please please please always check your invoice!
Overall, our interaction now with Rasel is pleasant!
Will update part 2 after our food tasting ;D
Friday, April 15, 2016
Our wedding car decoration
Hi there!
I'm back again to share on my wedding preparation and today my focus is on wedding car decoration!
Initially I was contemplating if i should go for fresh flowers car decoration or fake flowers car decoration. As my wedding is at the end of the year, i was worried that the monsoon season heavy rain would damage the fresh flower car decoration (really crazy heavy rain nowadays). On top of that, after looking through my friend's fresh flower decoration package price, i gave up on the idea of fresh flower car decoration. $270 for a fresh flower car decoration that i would only be using for 5 hours doesn't seem worth it LOL.
So i gave up on fresh flower car decoration ;x
Now that I have decided to go for fake flower decorations, the question is… do i want to get a wedding car rental? There's lots of rental companies whereby you can rent a wedding car that comes with wedding car decoration. But since Bee's BIL is offering to lend us his mercs, we can save on this too! :D
So where next should we start looking for our wedding car decoration?
Of course we started with our favorite taobao!
Taobao has lots of variety albeit some can be exaggerating and not very suitable for Singaporeans taste. If you would like something that is unique and not common in Singapore, you can try taobao and search under 婚车装饰!
This is my favorite, but Bee completely rejected this LOL.
Cute right??!? So 喜气 and unique! But this honestly isn't that cheap actually… Its approximately $52SGD excluding shipment to Singapore.
The same Taobao seller has a range of very pretty and unique designs that will surely give a WOW factor to your wedding car. Here's some of the pictures:
As usual, my conventional fiancé refuse to go for special stuff so he wanted something simple and very typical singaporean style. Boring i know… so to make him happy i bought this wedding car decoration.
LOLOLOL. frigging ugly please! It is nowhere near what was in the photo… luckily for me it only cost about $6sgd which the seller gladly refunded.
So after looking around in taobao, i have decided to start sourcing locally.
So here comes my favorite website in Singapore: CAROUSELL!
I have shortlisted a few items and here's my FINAL decision:
Hola! Pretty right! Its a very rustic unique floral car decoration that i really love and doesn't break my bank! Really thankful to the seller!
Bee was a bit hesitant initially because its a really huge floral car decoration.. but seeing how much i love it he has decided to give in! But during the day of collection from seller, we didn't know that the seller didn't prepare a plastic bag for this masterpiece (and we couldnt cab home as it was a rainy day with no cab) so we took MRT home by hand carrying the masterpiece. Bee was a little irritated initially as we were totally caught unprepared but we eventually laughed it off!
I did short list another floral car decoration which i find very nice and cheap!
First come first serve ok! Good deals must share! Guess how much it cost? $24SGD only!
You can buy it here. (updated: just saw that it has been sold)
Of course if you are worried that you don't know how to tie the wedding car decoration to the car, you can always go to youtube to look for video demos (: Remember to buy some tapes to secure your wedding car decorations (not those transparent ones but the white translucent ones that can peel off easily and not damage the paint of the car).
Hope my post can help you better make a choice on what you would like for your AD!
I'm back again to share on my wedding preparation and today my focus is on wedding car decoration!
Initially I was contemplating if i should go for fresh flowers car decoration or fake flowers car decoration. As my wedding is at the end of the year, i was worried that the monsoon season heavy rain would damage the fresh flower car decoration (really crazy heavy rain nowadays). On top of that, after looking through my friend's fresh flower decoration package price, i gave up on the idea of fresh flower car decoration. $270 for a fresh flower car decoration that i would only be using for 5 hours doesn't seem worth it LOL.
Now that I have decided to go for fake flower decorations, the question is… do i want to get a wedding car rental? There's lots of rental companies whereby you can rent a wedding car that comes with wedding car decoration. But since Bee's BIL is offering to lend us his mercs, we can save on this too! :D
So where next should we start looking for our wedding car decoration?
Of course we started with our favorite taobao!
Taobao has lots of variety albeit some can be exaggerating and not very suitable for Singaporeans taste. If you would like something that is unique and not common in Singapore, you can try taobao and search under 婚车装饰!
This is my favorite, but Bee completely rejected this LOL.
 |
| My favorite! |
The same Taobao seller has a range of very pretty and unique designs that will surely give a WOW factor to your wedding car. Here's some of the pictures:
As usual, my conventional fiancé refuse to go for special stuff so he wanted something simple and very typical singaporean style. Boring i know… so to make him happy i bought this wedding car decoration.
But when i received the item, here's what i have gotten:
So after looking around in taobao, i have decided to start sourcing locally.
So here comes my favorite website in Singapore: CAROUSELL!
I have shortlisted a few items and here's my FINAL decision:
Hola! Pretty right! Its a very rustic unique floral car decoration that i really love and doesn't break my bank! Really thankful to the seller!
Bee was a bit hesitant initially because its a really huge floral car decoration.. but seeing how much i love it he has decided to give in! But during the day of collection from seller, we didn't know that the seller didn't prepare a plastic bag for this masterpiece (and we couldnt cab home as it was a rainy day with no cab) so we took MRT home by hand carrying the masterpiece. Bee was a little irritated initially as we were totally caught unprepared but we eventually laughed it off!
I did short list another floral car decoration which i find very nice and cheap!
First come first serve ok! Good deals must share! Guess how much it cost? $24SGD only!
You can buy it here. (updated: just saw that it has been sold)
Of course if you are worried that you don't know how to tie the wedding car decoration to the car, you can always go to youtube to look for video demos (: Remember to buy some tapes to secure your wedding car decorations (not those transparent ones but the white translucent ones that can peel off easily and not damage the paint of the car).
Hope my post can help you better make a choice on what you would like for your AD!
Friday, January 29, 2016
Price list of MUAs (SG + JB)
I have been crazily looking for a good and affordable MUA for my actual day as Bee and I plan not to take up any bridal package.
Emailing, texting, whatsapping at least 20 MUAs a day!
In fact I'm going all crazy after the MUA that my colleague recommended me is not available.
Her rates are very reasonable and she is REALLY GOOD (look at her portfolio)!
Too bad I have no affinity with her /:
If you are interested to engage the services of Celest Ong, you really have to book her early!
Still mourning over the fact that I couldn't get her for my wedding... but its okay!
Here you go, the price list for MUAs in Singapore + JB:
All the information is for reference only (:
For me, I'm getting the MUAs to quote me for a morning + wedding lunch touchup together with groom's grooming + mother's makeup. I'm so desperate for a good MUA that I even went to get quotation of JB MUAs that would be willing to come to Singapore!
What I don't like about Singapore MUAs is that many of them charge the early morning surcharge. Like 包赚 one right?!? Especially because morning gatecrash is about 8am and we have to start makeup at about 6am.
For budget brides, I would recommend Joanne Ong (SG) or Felicia (JB).
Felicia's package is really affordable! Great for budget brides like me!
Joanne's package is very reasonably priced for a Singapore MUA.
Do look through the list and review the portfolio of the MUAs on their facebook/websites.
It's important to find a MUA whose makeup style you like and would think suit you best.
Take your time to find the MUA you want for your big day!
I have finally made my choice after 1 week of sourcing!
I will keep it a secret for now and reveal it at a later date :D
So so so excited!
Some may be wondering why I would want a 2nd touch up + makeup when it will cost me so much more.. especially because I am only having a church lunch. I have actually discussed my plans with my mother who insist that my MUA MUST follow me after morning makeup to my church for touch up as she is worried that I might cry during the wedding ceremony ;x So in order to satisfy her expectations, just pay a bit more so as to not let her worry.
So BTBs, please please talk with your mother before you make any decision to cut cost here and there. My mum says she is okay with anything/ everything but she has the most opinions when it comes to planning for my wedding hahas! So to prevent any surprise, do share your plans with your parents before making any decisions which may end up changing later on when they start to input their opinions (:
Emailing, texting, whatsapping at least 20 MUAs a day!
In fact I'm going all crazy after the MUA that my colleague recommended me is not available.
Her rates are very reasonable and she is REALLY GOOD (look at her portfolio)!
Too bad I have no affinity with her /:
If you are interested to engage the services of Celest Ong, you really have to book her early!
Still mourning over the fact that I couldn't get her for my wedding... but its okay!
Here you go, the price list for MUAs in Singapore + JB:
All the information is for reference only (:
For me, I'm getting the MUAs to quote me for a morning + wedding lunch touchup together with groom's grooming + mother's makeup. I'm so desperate for a good MUA that I even went to get quotation of JB MUAs that would be willing to come to Singapore!
What I don't like about Singapore MUAs is that many of them charge the early morning surcharge. Like 包赚 one right?!? Especially because morning gatecrash is about 8am and we have to start makeup at about 6am.
For budget brides, I would recommend Joanne Ong (SG) or Felicia (JB).
Felicia's package is really affordable! Great for budget brides like me!
Joanne's package is very reasonably priced for a Singapore MUA.
Do look through the list and review the portfolio of the MUAs on their facebook/websites.
It's important to find a MUA whose makeup style you like and would think suit you best.
Take your time to find the MUA you want for your big day!
I have finally made my choice after 1 week of sourcing!
I will keep it a secret for now and reveal it at a later date :D
So so so excited!
Some may be wondering why I would want a 2nd touch up + makeup when it will cost me so much more.. especially because I am only having a church lunch. I have actually discussed my plans with my mother who insist that my MUA MUST follow me after morning makeup to my church for touch up as she is worried that I might cry during the wedding ceremony ;x So in order to satisfy her expectations, just pay a bit more so as to not let her worry.
So BTBs, please please talk with your mother before you make any decision to cut cost here and there. My mum says she is okay with anything/ everything but she has the most opinions when it comes to planning for my wedding hahas! So to prevent any surprise, do share your plans with your parents before making any decisions which may end up changing later on when they start to input their opinions (:
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