Buying my dowry set from Taobao

Hey there!

I'm back again to share on my dowry set that i bought from TAOBAO!
Dowry set 嫁妆 is something that the female side would have to prepare during the 过大礼 as a 回礼.

Why did I choose to buy my dowry set from Taobao?

Dowry set in Singapore is expensive!

For those dowry set that some shops are selling, I feel that they are not comprehensive enough to cover everything that I want. If I buy ala carte, they would add up to quite a significant sum, so I would rather buy the whole set that I want from Taobao and I would be able to slowly pick the things I want from the comfort of my home (:

Of course, if you are lazy you can purchase the whole set from singapore GDL shop.
Attached is the dowry set from shuangxile that cost $169 and $189.90.

Why did I not buy a 2nd hand dowry set from Carousell?

Undeniably I did consider finding 2nd hand dowry items from Carousell.
However, my aunt advised me not to as she mentioned that 2nd hand dowry set is considered inauspicious. Better safe than sorry, so i decided to buy a new set for myself (:

What am i going to cover in this post?

I am going to do an item by item comparison for some of the things I have purchased vs prices of the items that can be found in Singapore. It may not be an apple to apple comparison but it will be a good gauge of the price difference.

Tea set + Bowl set

Shuangxile is selling these 2 at $39.90 + $25.90 = $65.80SGD

I bought this from Taobao for $95.40RMB (including china local shipping)
Conversion to SGD would be $21.70SGD

Prosperity Lamp (添丁灯）

Shuangxile is selling this at $42.90SGD
I bought this from Taobao (mid size) for $68RMB
Conversion to SGD would be $15.50SGD

Sewing Kit

 

Shuangxile is selling this at $29.90SGD
I bought this from Taobao for $29.80RMB
Conversion to SGD would be $6.80SGD

Slippers

 

Shuangxile is selling this at $13.90SGD/pair
I bought this from Taobao for $9.50RMB/pair
Conversion to SGD would be $2.20SGD/pair

Some other items i purchased from the same shop:

I would think that these few items would have been a good comparison for you to do a reference on the price difference. The only thing that I have decided to buy in Singapore is the baby bathtub (too bulky to taobao i feel) ;p

All in all, i think i only spend like $81 for all these dowry items (excluding shipping to singapore) and I managed to get all the designs I want! The quality of the items are SUPERB too! Totally love them!

So to give a summary to what I have prepared for my dowry:

Tea set x1

Prosperity Lamp set x1

子孙尺 x1

Fan x1

Spittoon x1

Face basin x1

Comb Set x1

Face towel x1

Slippers Set x2

Cup Set x1

Chopsticks x2

Sewing Kit x1

Pyjamas Set x2

Baby bath tub x 1 (buy in Singapore)

Toothbrush toothpaste (buy in Singapore)

bed sheet set x 1 (Shuangxile is selling a set at $139 whereas Taobao is selling a set for $23!)

Cute cute couple pyjamas!

节省是美德！I saved so much money for my mum and future hubby~ 

My hubby is so lucky to marry me! :D

Budget Bride-to-be

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 (:

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!

Part 1: Buying bridesmaid dress for my JIEMEIS!

Ah ha! Bridesmaids can be the most tricky link of the wedding preparation.
You have to be prepared for it!

Here's a rule of thumb for brides-to-be:

• If you do not wish to spend on bridesmaid dress, give them a choice of colour and let them prepare their own clothes. But don't expect all of them to wearing the same colour tone/design etc
• If you are very particular about what they wear and want to keep everyone sychronised, then you would have to prepare the bridesmaid dress for them

Trying to cope with the expectations of my 6 bridesmaid was no easy task.. but its GAME ON!
As usual, everyone has their own likes/dislikes... its important to make sure everyone is happy during this process and minimize the conflicts. It can be a frustrating process for the bride I know, but after all bridesmaids are your besties so bear with it yah!

To shortlist the right bridesmaid dress, here's some of the shortlisting criteria that I put in place:

1) Colour
What are the colours available?
Do they match the theme?
Do the bridesmaids like the colour chosen?
Does the colour clash with the colour of the wedding gown?

I try to avoid colours that are too dark like navy blue (though I love it) and black because for day time, these colours looks very dull on bridesmaid and don't look very nice in pictures.

I chose to go ahead with baby colours in the end as I feel that they look very soft and sweet which will match with my theme (:

Credits to www.siroccodesign.co.uk

2) Style
Shape of the dress (gown? flare? bodycon?)-> Do take note of your bridesmaid body shape. What looks good on you may not look good on them. Bodycon dress may make your bridesmaids look fat at the tummy and thighs.

Textile (lace? neoprene? cotton?)-> Depending on the environment... neoprene may be a little hot for Singapore's weather especially if your bridesmaid will be running around the whole day to help you settle the nitty gritty stuffs.

Length (Short? Long? Midi?)-> I personally feel that long dresses are more formal, elegant and suitable for my church wedding. Some of my bridesmaid are tall and some aint that tall, so a short dress may expose some of their assets ;x Most importantly they must feel comfortable with it.

I am not very particular about the length so I allow my bridesmaid to choose the length and specific design that they like. In the end 5 of them chose a long dress and 1 of them chose a short dress LOL

3) Sizing
Please make sure all your bridesmaid fall within the size range of the available sizes.
Especially if you intend to buy from blogshops like lovebonito, hollyhoque etc... their sizes may not necessary suit everyone

Example of lovebonito sizing which is TOO small for my bridesmaids /;

4) Other expectations
Do your bridesmaid have special requirements? Important to ask this right from the start!
One of my bridesmaid wanted a dress that doesn't expose her cleavage and something to cover her arms so I have to respect her and put it as my search criteria.

5) Price
Price of the bridesmaid dress is very important for me because I am on TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT budget. But I don't want to buy ugly cheapo dresses for my bridesmaids so its really about balancing my budget and finding something value for money.

I would think Zalora would be a good place to start if you would like to find something locally for lesser than $35SGD (my friend got her bridesmaid dresses during sales at less than $17 per dress). There's plenty of blogshops providing bridesmaid dresses too but they are over my budget.

So I am back on my favourite website TAOBAO to search under 伴娘礼服 and here's what I have got for my bridesmaids!

Baby blue bridesmaid dress! I let them choose between purple and blue and this is what they chose.
The reason why I like this bridesmaid dress is because it is stretchable at the back with a zip at the side. It will help to fit my bridesmaids of varying body shapes (:

We did a fitting and here's a picture of their 三八 pattern LOL. Cute please!

The dresses fit them well, looks good and quality is good!
The dresses even came with padding!
 I am very happy with my purchase and so are my bridesmaids (:

Guess how much they cost?
Long dress at $48RMB = approx. $11sgd
Short dress at $34.36RMB = approx. $7.80sgd
Shipping cost to Singapore not included (local china shipping cost is about $2SGD)
If you are interested you can purchase from the seller here.

Part 2 here where I have shared on the other value for money bridesmaid dresses that I shortlisted on Taobao (:

Hope this is a good guide to help you choose the bridesmaid dress that you want!
Good luck!

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

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.

My favorite!

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.

But when i received the item, here's what i have gotten:

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!

Soon Heng Tables & Chairs

As our church restricts our vendor for tables and chairs, we have no choice but to go ahead with Soon Heng Tables & Chairs.

Our contact person is Jenny. So far our experience is pretty good!

Here's the rates of Soon Heng Table and Chairs  (as of January 2016):
Labour charge for set up- $80
5ft round table (with full white cloth)- $15/table
Cushion chairs white seat covers- $5/chair

When we requested for a 160 pax seating, we realized that the total cost would be VERY expensive (a WHOOPING $1120) for a 1.5 hours lunch. We felt that it is totally not worth the money at all. I would rather spend this money elsewhere but I have no choice because my mum hopes that every guest would be able to have a seat for the lunch.

Being a budget bride, I went back to Jenny to ask if there's any alternatives for the chairs (the chairs is the killer pls! $800 for 160 chairs!). You are so going to thank me for this!

PVC chairs with cover- $3/chair
PVC chairs- $0.50/chair

HOHOHO! Instead of paying $1120 for a 160 pax seating, we are paying a frigging $400 because we chose PVC chairs! For a 1.5 hours lunch, I don't think my guest would have much preference for the chairs (:

For the table decorations, its DIY again (:
I bought these paper flowers (35cm) in colours that will fit my buffet wedding theme and will place them on individual tables. Each paper flower cost about $0.50 from Taobao.

Will try to take a picture of the overall effects on my wedding day! Cheers!
So excited for my wedding day! :D