long overdue wedding updates!

note: long entry ahead. 

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now that i have the time to sit down, i'm going to write a long entry on our wedding preps progress so far.

to be honest, i was a bit apprehensive on publishing about our updates lest i might jinx it, and second, malu because my wedding will be remotely far from being the grandeur of malaysian weddings. hehe. seriously, when i see other fellow brides' weddings, i couldn't help but feel so small as compared to them. on top of that, i don't have the luxury of time to update as much.

but after some deep thoughts, i decided to do so, because i feel compelled to document my wedding preps every step of the way, if possible, in hopes that one day, my kids (Amin) will get to read how their parents prepared for their wedding, no matter how small it was. plus, this blog can serve as my checklist, in such a way that it can help me to check what are other pending task i need to attend to etc etc. in addition, who knows, it might be able to help other bride-to-bes who are in the same boat with me? :) hence, in that spirit, i arrived at the decision that i will blog on my wedding updates at every chance i get.

• legal procedures - pre-marriage course (checked). 
• status: pending - 
• HIV test 
• release forms (why must getting married be so tedious?) 

• venue(s) - KL (checked).
• status: deposit paid!

• catering - went to see Suri a few weeks ago but we haven't received any quotation yet. 
• status: 
• to follow-up with Suri.
• check other caterers (any suggestions? seriously drawing a blank here)

• wedding dais/deco -  met one potential vendor 2 weeks ago, showed them what we like and how we envision the deco to be (brought along my storyboard. hahaha. see, that's just how practical i am!). still on the lookout for other vendors to do comparison.
• status: 
• pending quotation from vendor.
• google and meet other vendors.

•  photographers - ever since i came across this photographer yonks ago (let's call her P1), i knew i wanted her to cover my wedding (at that time, i was single haha). however, i chanced upon another photographer (P2), whose work i believed took precedence over P1. i contacted P2, booked him but he had to cancel on me in the 11th hour because this 1 couple who booked him earlier, decided to change the date that sadly, coincided with our initial date. Then, we changed ours, and i thought to myself, maybe, just maybe, i will get lucky. so, i emailed him and he replied that he couldn't confirm. to say i'm not upset would be an understatement but i didn't want to wait around, thus, made peace with the fact that perhaps, we're just not meant to be. come to think of it, maybe P1 is THE photographer i am fated to have all along. plus, everytime i see P1's work, i can't help but be convinced that i  am making the right decision, and it does help that we are on the same wavelength - by which i mean, we are both crazy and talkative! hehe.
• status: deposit paid! :)

•  videographer - frankly speaking, i love Shutterspeak and CST (AND in that order). Shutterspeak has just everything i wanted in a wedding video but the price is pretty detrimental to our pockets. CST was slightly cheaper but still, we really had to consider whether it was worth it for us to invest that much money on this. as lady luck would have it, CST had this promotion (RM1499 for Fresh Motion) for the first 10 clients and yours truly is one of them! Does that not give me the right to be so over the moon? I know it's not going to be shot by the senior filmmaker but i'm sure their proteges will still do justice.
• status: deposit paid!

• wedding dresses - i love Syomir Izwa. period. but as much as i love his designs, i don't think i can afford to have him do all three outfit for me. :( moving on. the other half and i went to see him a couple of weeks ago. at the moment of writing, i have not received the quotation from him just yet but i understand he's pretty tight (gotta give him the benefit of a doubt, considering it's a 1-man show). might check out Qudyn and Nurita Harith. i've been told they are great. can't wait!
• status:
• to follow-up with Syomir.
• hunt for other designers/tailors. any recommendation?

•  makeup - this is quite a long story. honestly, i don't wear makeup at all. ok, perhaps just the lipgloss but that doesn't count. but, if you ask me whose makeup i love best in malaysia, it's Khir Khalid. at the time, i assumed his price must be steep considering his incredibly credible portfolio. obviously, i'd have to strike him out. and then, thanks to the world of bride-to-bes' blogs (thank you girls!), i was introduced to a plethora of MUAs in malaysia. judging from the reviews/photos, i'd say i love Sue Cantik and Lova. called them up but Sue is booked. On the other hand, Lova is also booked but she'll be free at night. i was thrilled and was thisclose to booking her, but then, i was advised to hire someone who can do my makeup from the start to the end of the day. sigh. eventually, i gave in to this advice and checked out Najeeb. fell in love with his work there and then, called him up but he was overseas. upon his return, he called me back but i couldn't confirm due to the price. once i got the green light though, he told me he will be off to Aussie on my wedding. i was about to lose my mind but it wasn't his fault at all. i then asked him to suggest me who should i best ask to do my makeup and he suggested.. Khir Khalid. i didn't know whether to laugh or cry. nonetheless, i nervously rang Khir (starstruck a bit la, but i believe i have every right to be nervous) and asked how much he will charge. memang i patut menangis. hahaha. against my better judgment, i did the unthinkable..(to be continued)
• status: will reveal who i end up hiring right after the wedding. :D oh btw, all four of them are friendly!

• rings - (checked).

•  favours - the other half and i have a few in mind, but we're still stuck.
• status: still pending. hmm..

•  hantaran - we have decided on the relatively small numbers and that we will defy the unwritten laws of traditions to a T. the items, some purchased, some KIV. but i can tell you this much, we won't spend so much on them. in our defense, these items mostly will succumb to time, hence they will perish. if i could have it my way, i would want a Chanel but our meager salaries can only entitle me to lesser brands. maybe next time, Insha Allah :)
• status: finalise on the items and purchase them soon!

• cards - haven't finalise the concept just yet. yes i know, gila right?
• status: to finalise soon.

•  wedding cake - the best friend said he will settle this. thank you, love. :)

beautiful!

• hand bouquet - might ask our vendor (whoever they will be) to do one for reception. but for the solemnisation, i'm all for pureseed. i absolutely love this bouquet by them (refer photo on the right).

• guest list - nearly final.
• status: to finalise soon.

• entertainment - still scratching our heads on this one. can you sweethearts suggest any good bands in KL ranging around 1-2k (cheapskate much? :D)?  if possible, we'd like a 3-piece band that plays easy on the ears type of music (to respect the "senior citizens")? thanks!

• MOH(s) - i've long decided that once and when i do get married, i would like my sister to be given the honour to be my MOH. as for his reception, it'd be either one of his sisters. honestly, i've grown to love them both just like my own. not saying this to kiss ass but really, they have been nothing but wonderful, in the truest sense of the word. 
• status - to buy the material for their dresses. 

• flowergirls and boy - identified and confirmed (checked!).
• status - to find cute clothes for them.

• honeymoon - haven't reached our mutual decision yet. :D 
• status - pending but not urgent. 

• others - what else do i miss? a little help pls?