Chinese Auspicious Date for Wedding Banquet

Tung shing (通胜) is a fortune telling almanac book

It consists primarily of a calendar based on the Chinese lunar year.

A free way to verify that your dates are good/bad dates. 

http://verywed.com/lunar/

Note the website is all in chinese, better to get someone who can read.

Preparation of Bridal Photoshoot Selection in JB

Why Johor Bahru? I feel that Singapore Bridal Studios are overpriced and for outdoor shoots there are a limited places that you can go. According to my research the package that they offer is close to 50-30% cheaper (with similar packages) compared to Singapore. The only things that you got to worry is make up artist(MUA), photographer(PG) and videographer(VG) on the actual day(AD). But i believe that most package in Singapore do not include the PG and VG on the AD.


Superstar Wedding @ CitySquare
Printemps Wedding @ CitySquare
http://www.printempswedding.com/
Dawn’s Wedding @ CitySquare
Mona Lisa Bridal Palace @ CitySquare
SG Bridal @ Taman Sentosa
Venus Bridal @ Taman Sentosa
http://www.venusbridal.com.my/
fables Bridal @ Taman Sentosa
http://www.fablesbridal.com/

Location of City square


If you do not drive, i will now show you how to get there.

1. Kranji mrt and take cw1 or 170. Drop at the Malaysia custom.
2. Near bugis mrt the queen street bus interchange and take either cw2 or singapore johor express. 
3. Yishun bus interchange, there is a new bus called service ac7.

After the clearing malaysia custom, you can cross the overhead bridge to Citysquare

Citysqare

View Larger Map

Taman Sentosa 


If you do not drive, you can take a taxi after clearing the custom, should cost you around 6-8RM. It is along the same turning that takes you to the famous hawker place 大马花园. some where near lucky restaurant.


View Larger Map



A) Fables and Venus Bridal (they are opposite each other)
C) SG Brides 

Price range for packages.

Prices start from RM3888 all the way RM 10k +.


Prices normally will consist of a big album, small album, Table Top Photos, 4R photos, CD, DVD montage, AD rental, PS rental, makeup, hairdo and car deco. The higher end packages will come with a made to measure grown and coat for you to keep. 


Some tips for before confirming your package.

1) make sure its is not a group photoshoot

2) includes vehicle by BS when doing outdoor photoshoot

3) number of backdrop in the store 

4) Check the payment method, some ask for upfront payment before the shoot, some is in stages. Also, remember to check the require deposit for rental of gowns, it can range from RM300 – RM500.

5) check if they use actual backdrop or super imposed

6) Ask if the shoot includes nail polish, eye lashes, hair spray n stick on bras
7) Make sure that all negotiated items are written down  in black and white.

Sample Package 1 

1. Album: 35 poses, 22 pages. My outdoor shoot is at Hutan Bandar. I like the finishing and design.
2. 2 table top photos
3. 40″ bedside photoframe
4. Poster (For use on AD). Shoulder height.
5. Rental of Actual day gown + 1 evening gown
6. Rental of Actual day suit for bridegroom and my dad
7. DVD slideshow
8. Guestbook
9. Car decor (need to buy the soft toys yourself)

Sample Package 2
- 1 main album (21 pages, one photo for the big frame), and 1 smaller album (photos exactly same as the main album)
- 6 outfits (3 wedding gowns + 3 evening gowns), you can exchange for traditional or theme outfits.
- 2 table top photos
- 1 photo frame with picture embedded in the background)
- Rental of Actual day wedding gown + 1 evening gown, accessory (we exchange the evening gown for 2 suits for the father-in-laws)
- Rental of Actual day suit
- Car decor + hand flowers (we exchange the car décor for 2 pages, hence total album has 23 pages)
- 80 pcs of free photos
- CD of the selected photos




Start tune for our selected package. 

Payment for Big Items

Marriage is a period in life that you got to spend alot and that involves payment for big items.

A recommendation is that you can apply for the Standard Chartered Manhattan Card.

How it works?

Total Spending per Month Cash Rebate in your Pocket

S$1 - S$500 0.5%

S$501 - S$1,500 1%

S$1,501 - S$3,000 2%

S$3,001 and above 5%

*Cash Rebate is awarded quarterly and reflected on your statement one month after each quarter. The rebate is capped at a maximum amount of S$300 per quarter.

Try to charge around 3k on the first month as that will allow you to enjoy the full 5% cash rebate and stop using this card once i hit 6k.

After 6k for the 3 months, i will start to use my Citi PremierMiles Card.

The key features of the card is that

1.2 Citi Miles for every S$1 spent and No expiry on Citi Miles.

Payment for the credit cards, i prefer to use Standard Chartered Bank - XtraSaver Account.

Use the AXS Machine and pay your credit card bills, you will get a additional 0.5% card rebate. The catch is that you got to have a minimum balance of 6k in the bank each month.

A example.

Charge for your banquet deposit = S$3000

XtraSaver Account 0.5% rebate = S$15

Manhattan 5% rebate = S$150

Total Savings = S$165.

Budgeting For Our Wedding

A breakdown for our wedding expenditure. We will update it as more things get paid up.

Google Doc Link For our Budget for our wedding

Google Document

大有大做 小有小做

I came across this article online and found it quite interesting. 


We says getting married is very expensive, its should be how you are going to manage your expectations. 




Quoted from weddingforum.sg

A modern wedding can be broken down into:

1) Wedding Package - this includes wedding gowns, studio and outdoor shoots, wedding albums and wedding cars.

2) Wedding Bands - rings the couple put on each others’ fingers after saying their vows.

3) Solemnization - ceremony of saying your vows, exchanging rings and being married by a Justice of the Peace.

4) Videographer & Photographer - for your special day

5) Wedding Banquet - a wedding lunch or dinner, sometimes a buffet.

6) Honeymoon - couple’s time all alone to maybe help in Singapore’s population crisis, usually overseas.

BUDGET WEDDING:
1) Wedding Package - $1,500 and below

2) Wedding Bands - $500 and below, maybe a ring with a diamond for the lady and a normal ring for the groom

3) Solemnization - Simple affair at the Registry of Marriages costs just $26.

4) Videographer & Photographer - $200 and below, get some friends to volunteer and remember the red packets

5) Wedding Banquet - $1000 and below. A lunch buffet at home or at the venue of solemnization inviting only relatives and close friends.

6) Honeymoon - $1,000, a real romantic trip to nearby island resorts like Bali, did i just recommend Bali again ha, just be safe people.

Total Costs: About $4,000
(Since we will very likely break even from the red packets, the actual costs could be much less)

DESIRABLE WEDDING:
1) Wedding Package - $3,500 and below, wedding gowns, evening gowns, an album and a big photo frame.

2) Wedding Bands - $2,000 and below

3) Solemnization - $1,500 and below, booking a beautiful little church such as theArmenian Church along Hill Street.

4) Videographer & Photographer - $3,000 and below, semi pros to pros, the photos and video should keep you happy for years to come.

5) Wedding Banquet - $500 to 1,000 a table. Weekdays are usually cheaper than Weekends, Lunches are usually cheaper than Dinners. A usual 5 Star hotel banquet will cost $900++ per table.

6) Honeymoon - $6,000, a nice trip to Japan’s most beautiful cities visiting Hello Kitty Land, Mount Fuji and Disney Sea.

Total Costs: About $16,000 excluding banquet cost
(Based on 30 tables, banquet costs will be about $35,000 and below, pray that you break even)

EXTRAVAGANT WEDDING:
1) Wedding Package - $7,000 and above, fly to Hong Kong(Package by My Dream Wedding) or Taiwan complete with a Photographer.

2) Wedding Bands - $10,000 and above, custom made wedding bands with gems from Cartier

3) Solemnization - $10,000 and above, Chijmes Hall with 150-250 of your special guests

4) Wedding Banquet - $1,688++ a table gets you St Regis on a weekend

5) Videographer & Photographer - $6,000 and above, professional videographer with express edits and professional photographer with 2 cameras for the entire day

6) Honeymoon - $20,000 and above, fly Singapore Airlines Business Class to France and hop over to Monte Carlo to roll some dice, catch F1 and take to the high seas on a private yacht

Total Costs: About $53,000 excluding banquet cost
(Based on 50 tables, banquet costs will be about $100,000 and above)

Proposal Ring

Some tips for those who are on a look out for proposal rings.

1) Make sure that the diamonds have a certificate. (GIA or AGS)
2) Check the certificate date (specially to stores that do trade-in policy)
3) Tally diamond serial number with the given certificate.
4) Try shopping around, i notice that different stores will quote slightly different prices.

5) Do you homework. Have a budget in mind and also the settings that are aiming for

( i had a budget of around 3-4k. Based on advise from friends and forums, the settings i looked for is less then 0.5c, F colour and VS 1 clarity.)

The below link explains concept of colour and clarity

Link


Destinee by Lee Hwa Jewellery

Destineé Diamonds are Hearts and Arrows diamond that are cut to the AGS Triple Ideal standard. Destineés have 57 facets. This is because they do not have a culet.

The Destineé Diamonds are slight pricey but I like the fact that the diamonds that i have seen so far are very brilliant.

Quoted 0.43 cart vs1 F colour at around 5.2k (oct 2010)

http://www.leehwajewellery.com/


Brilliant Rose by Soo Kee Jewellery

Brilliant Rose (BR) is a 66-faceted fancy cut round diamond. Belongs to the premium range from Soo Kee.

The sales lady actually took a 0.57 fuego diamond and compared with a 0.47 BR. The BR looks bigger and more brilliant. Another quite pricey candidate. The signature rings settings for BR is also quite nice.

A 0.47 cart vs1 F colour cost around 4k (nov 2010)

http://sookee.com/brilliantrose/brilliantrose.html

Fuego by Soo Kee Jewellery

Fuego Diamonds are Hearts and Arrows diamond that are cut to the AGS Triple Ideal standard.

Going down to the store during sales period, there are offers up to 50-70% on the diamonds rings. A good choice for people with a tight budget.

A 0.47 cart vvs2 E colour cost around 3k (nov 2010)


Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany & Co. employs their own diamond cutters, selects their rough with care, and cuts them to exacting standards. They are cut to AGS Triple Ideal, but they are not necessarily Hearts and Arrows.

Their little blue box with the white ribbon is signature of its brand. Ladies will be able to identify one without even opening the box.

You will be paying alot of premium for its branding and also its signature settings with is unqiue to them. If branding is important, this is the brand that you should go for.

I was quoted a 0.43 cart SI1 G colour at around SGD 6k (oct 2010)

Private Jewellery.

They can offer good specification diamonds near wholesales prices with GIA certificates and if you have a design in mind just show them.

A 0.67 cart vs1 F 3Ex colour at around SGD3.2k (nov 2010)

Am i seeing the wrong thing or typo, a 0.67 cart diamond ring for only 3.2k. Yes it is 100% correct.

The reason that why i did not choose to buy from them,
1) I am quite worried about buying a rock with a piece of laminated paper or certificate. I am not saying that AGS or GIA certs are not counterfeit, but i have no way to verify it. I would rather choose a reputable store, pay a little premium and at least i have a peace of mind. No pun intended.

2) To my naked eyes, BR and Desire looks brighted and more brilliant, i cant rules out the lighting maybe a factor.


Conclusion, at the end of the day we are not diamond experts. I recommend that you set a budget, get a targeted specification of diamond that you want. Trust your instinct on which piece looks better and go for it.

Happy Shopping!

First Post

This blog will be dedicated to all people who are planning for their perfect wedding journey

We decided to note down the small details in the midst of planning for our b.

Hope people will benefit from this.

Before signing off this post.....

The meaning "Marriage"

mar·riage [mar-ij] –noun

the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc.