Invitation Cards

Starring: The old-fashion couple

Pan Pacific gave the couple a selection of three wedding cards: Black-red, Silver-pink, and Red-gold. Being old-fashion and traditional and not wanting to get in trouble with the elders, the couple eliminated the black-red card immediately. The silver-pink card looked too sweet and a bit non-Chinese-y, so they stuck with the typical red-gold. The cards are longish in design, not the best of size because it limits the printing space.

In their wedding package, the couple were entitled to 210 pieces of cards (70% of total number of pax). They had to source for the printers (with recommendation from the hotel). It seems that "tdragoncards" is the only invitation card printing company used by most couples who are getting married. Probably because the vendor has very good relations with hotels and/or they are smart enough to be located in City Hall (Peninsula Shopping Centre).

The couple went to TDragons on a Monday evening (TDragon is open from 11am to 8pm on Monday to Friday, and 10am to 2pm on Saturday). The shop was very crowded as it was near closing time. Nonetheless the staff were nice enough to attend to the couple even after 8pm. They had a very systematic approach which made the couple feel at ease although they were secretly blur like sotong.

Question 1: Are you looking for cards + printing or printing only?
After informing them that they are only looking for printing services for their Pan Pac red cards, Ms Nice Lady from TDragon came with a set of wording templates and samples of the templates being printed on the red cards. The templates were very useful as the couple could easily see that the red colour of the card was too dark and thus hot-stamping on the cards itself will make the words unclear.

Question 2: Hot-Stamping or Insert Printing?
The couple easily made this decision as explained in Question 1. You can find the price list here.

Question 3: What words to put in the card?
The couple did ample research on this beforehand (i.e. referred to cards from their friends). They decided to go with the traditional wordings (e.g. Parents inviting the guest to their children's wedding) vs the modern one (e.g. Together with our parents, we, the couple invite you the guest to our wedding).

Once you decide on the style, the words are quite standard.The couple tried to phrase their card as best as they could to disseminate the fact that the holy matrimony will be held during the banquet itself. As such, guests are kindly requested to be punctual!

The Chinese wordings were a breeze as Ms Nice Lady helped the couple go through the arduous task of knowing how and what to write. Some of the key questions she asked were if the grandparents (father side) were still alive and whether the couple had brother and sisters.

Author's Note: Remember to find out your parent's full name & Chinese character name before going there.

Question 4: Cartoons?
An additional non-word item on the card costs $10 regardless of number of cards you have. The couple thinks it's a very easy way of earning $10 but the graphic does make the card look less wordy. The couple wanted to pick one which was super big to make the $10 worthwhile but in the end chose something sweet-ish instead.

Question 5: How many to print?
The couple's initial reaction was huh? "Of course print the same number as the number of cards you have". Ms Nice Lady enlightened them that (a) What makes you think you have enough cards (since the hotel gave you 70% only) and (b) You sure you won't make mistake? Hmmm... The couple hasn't ordered additional cards from the hotel yet, but some guests have pre-opted for e-invitations instead to save them the hassle & cost & trees.

The meeting with TDragon lasted for about 30 minutes. They produced the first draft within 3 days of the appointment and would be ready with the inserts 10 days later! The old-fashioned couple will be collecting their cards on 10/10/11. Everyone look out for the invites in your mailboxes!

Author's Note: 
TDragon's contact information -- 

tdragoncards.com

Showroom/Customer Service Centre

No. 3 Coleman Street, Peninsula Shopping Centre #03-01
Singapore 179804

(Near City Hall MRT, Next to Funan Centre IT Mall)

Tel: 6292 8338       Fax: 6333 9279

Email : sales@tdragoncards.com

2 Months to the wedding!

It's 2 months to the wedding!!!

We started the planning way back in February last year, went full-steam ahead, got distracted a little (by the house) and now it's back to full-steam mode again!

Here's a summarised update (+ implicit table of contents) on what's done and what's not (in no particular order):

• Set the wedding date -- DONE
• Book a wedding venue -- DONE (Extra article)
• Book a bridal package -- DONE
• Select the bridal gowns and groom's suit -- DONE
• Shop for accessories (shoes, shirt) -- DONE
• Pre-wedding photoshoot (& photo selection) -- DONE 
• Buy wedding bands -- DONE
• Recruit brothers & jie meis -- DONE
• Confirm the Solemnizer -- DONE
• E-File your marriage -- DONE
• Plan/Book your honeymoon -- DONE
• Print invitation cards
• Send out invitation cards
• Confirm menu details & food-tasting
• Select wedding favours
• Final fitting of gowns
• Traditional customaries -- DONE
• Book actual day photographer/videographer
• Pick wedding music
• Plan banquet program
• Confirm guestlist

The checklist still seems daunting although it has been trimmed down for a non-picky bride.
The venue deco items (flowers, colour theme, etc) and wedding items (cake, wedding favours, invitation cards) are taken care by the hotel and there are also limited selections to choose from. The bridal package, on the other hand, takes care of matters concerning the couple (e.g. makeup, hairdo, bouquet, car deco).

With exactly 2 months left till the wedding, we will shift our focus back to the items currently marked not done to ensure that family and friends feel welcomed and blessed when they join us in our celebration.

Dressing up for the wedding++

Starring: The Practical Couple
Now that the stress of bridal gown selection is put behind, the practical couple moved on to a new stressful chapter of buying the husband's shirts, shoes, belt, tie, etc and the wife's shoes. There was urgency because (1) photoshoot is in July (2) it is the GSS now.

The wife did not want to spend more than $50 on her shoes. And would like the shoe to be re-usable on other occasions (best if can be worn to work). Comfort was also a very important criteria as the wife's feet is prone to blisters & sores.

With so many restrictions & requirements in place, shoe-hunting was certainly not an easy task as there were lots of designs to choose from. There were bling bling shoes (i.e shoes encrusted with fake diamonds), glittery shoes (the straps of these shoes look as though someone poured glitter on them), satin shoes (usually close-toed with strappy heel, a bit old fashioned), and strappy ribbon shoes (duh).


After visiting Parkway Parade, Marina Square, VivoCity, Harbourfront, and Causeway Point, the wife finally found her shoe at Robinsons @ Raffles City. Robinsons had the most variety of wedding shoes out of all the places the couple went. There was also a 15% discount on the $59.90 shoe, making it slightly above the wife's budget by 90cents.

(See pic on the left for the wife's strappy ribbon heel)

 The husband decided that he wanted only a white shirt because (1) white is versatile (i.e. can match the many colour gowns of the wife) (2) white can match the creamy suit better. He originally had qualms about the re-usability of a white shirt because according to him "it's weird to wear a plain white shirt to work", especially since the wife advised that the white should be very bright and not look like business wear.

The practical couple scoured many shops in search for the right white shirt, including Rossi (fabric is rather thin), G2000 (has pockets), T.M. Lewin (too business-like), Raoul (no bright white shirt), Robinsons (uncle shirts), Metro (uncle shirts), Gap (no white dress shirts), Zara (business-like), and Domanchi (too fancy).

They narrowed down their selections to a textured white shirt with concealed buttons from Tangs (Library brand) and a white shirt with cool buttons from AX. As the husband looked more sleek in the AX shirt and the material seemed better, the practical couple went ahead to purchase the shirt at a 30% discount. The shirt was more expensive than G2000, T.M. Lewin and Zara, but still cheaper than a custom-made shirt at Rossi.

(The AX shirt has stripy grey cuffs that can be concealed for the wedding, but exposed for work)

Now that the practical couple can check off the wife's shoes & husband's shirt from the shopping list, they can now focus on the husband's shoes. The "problem" lies in trying to find a versatile-coloured pair of shoes that can match the creamy white suit and black mandarin collar suit. The couple is looking at brown shoes, but are still undecided on which shade of brown.

The non-committal turns committal (Bridal Gown Selection - Again)

After 2 visits to Bliss Bridal without any useful outcomes, Ms Non-Committal resolved to make her 3rd visit her final visit for gown selection.

Author's Note:

If you have read our previous entry on bridal gown selection, you may be deceived into thinking that all is well in the bridal gown department, and that Ms Non-Committal has selected her wedding gown during the 1st visit This statement held true...until she decided to try on the new arrival wedding gowns. This marked the start of the battle between the wedding gowns. 

Wedding gown A (selected in visit 1): unique, oriental-like and "looks like something I would wear". 

Vs.

Wedding gown B (new selection in visit 2): cliche, princessy/classy and "certainly doesn't look like what I would wear".

In addition, all evening gown potentials (from visit 1) were veto-ed by the parents for being not grand and outstanding enough.

During the appointment, the first thing the consultant did was whip out a piece of paper and numbered them as such:

1)*
2)
3)*
4)
5)
6)
Items 1 and 3 are asterix-ed because they are the actual day gowns.

Right off the start of the appointment, Ms Non-Committal "took the plunge" and confirmed gowns 1, 2 & 5. i.e.

1)* Wedding Gown B -- This gown looks better "live" than gown A. In addition, Mandarin Collar Guy had repeatedly assured Ms Non-Committal that it is ok to be cliched on her wedding day.
2) Wedding Gown A -- Used for photoshoot, hence Ms Non-Committal would get the best of both worlds.
3)* -- Undecided --
4) -- Undecided --
5) Cheena-like Evening Gown -- This evening gown was selected way back in Visit 1 but was veto-ed in Visit 2. Both Ms Non-Committal & Mandarin Collar Guy agreed that the top part of the gown looks really good and meets Ms Non-Committal's dream of a cheena-themed wedding banquet. However, the bottom part of the gown is a bit muted. They are convinced that Se-tee-ven the photographer would able to make the dress look amazing in photos.
6) -- Undecided --

Now that the white wedding gowns are settled, the focus is now on the actual day evening gowns. Ms Non-Committal requested to try "all red gowns in the bridal shop". The big problem is....a lot of the red gowns come with black lace/trimming and Ms Non-Committal is really traditional and does not want black on her gown. Red Gown #14 seems to be the only promising red gown in the bridal shop. Incidentally, that is the last red gown in the shop. The red gown has a princess-y cut and Mandarin Collar Guy likes it a lot. Ms Non-Committal however, is concerned of its close resemblance to gown (1) and decided to put Red Gown #14 as KIV.

1)* Wedding Gown B
2) Wedding Gown A
3)* Red Gown #14 (KIV)
4) -- Undecided --
5) Cheena-like Evening Gown
6) -- Undecided --

Since the shop ran out of red gowns, Ms Non-Committal moved on to Hot Pink gowns. She was on to her 3rd hot pink gown when she chanced upon a mermaid hot pink gown (MHPG) that she liked a lot. An immediate executive decision was made:

1)* Wedding Gown B

2) Wedding Gown A

3)* MHPG

4) -- Undecided --

5) Cheena-like Evening Gown

6) -- Undecided --

Out of List: Red Gown #14

The executive decision made Mandarin Collar Guy a little sad because he preferred Red Gown #14 to MHPG. His "ke lian" face worked and Ms Non-Committal agreed to re-insert Red Gown #14 as item 4. 

1)* Wedding Gown B

2) Wedding Gown A

3)* MHPG

4) Red Gown #14

5) Cheena-like Evening Gown

6) -- Undecided --

Since the appointment was going on so smoothly Ms Non-Committal decided to try her luck and politely asked the bridal consultant if item 4 could be asterix-ed as well. Ms Non-Committal thought it'll be nice to wear Red Gown #14 back in Malaysia as it is grander than MHPG and she wouldn't need to worry about it being in the same design as Wedding Gown B. The consultant agreed to this adhoc request so Ms Non-Committal got a good deal and will now 3 different actual day gowns!

1)* Wedding Gown B

2) Wedding Gown A

3)* MHPG

4)* Red Gown #14

5) Cheena-like Evening Gown

6) -- Undecided --

Author's Note: Our original bridal package only allows us to loan the actual day evening gown (i.e. item 3) for another week so that Ms Non-Committal can wear it for the Malaysia wedding with no extra charge.

Ms Non-Committal took 3 white long gowns + 2 white shorter gowns & 1 really bad fall in the bridal shop before deciding on her outdoor photoshoot gown. She managed to convince Mandarin Collar Guy that she looks better in a long gown because of her "fat legs", much to his disappointment. Ms Non-Committal eventually chose an A-Line long white gown. And so, the list is complete!

1)* Wedding Gown B

2) Wedding Gown A

3)* MHPG

4)* Red Gown #14

5) Cheena-like Evening Gown

6) A-Line Long White Gown

Sorry! No pictures because don't want to give away the wow factor before 5th November! Anyway, we're not supposed to take photos of the gown in the bridal shop. GRINZ.

Picking the wedding gown

Choosing a Bridal Package
We booked our wedding package with Bliss Bridal (Marina Square) way back in April last year. It costs around $3K and includes 6 gowns/dresses (only 2 MTM), 2 groom suits (MTM pants), dads' suits, makeup (trial, photoshoot & actual day), studio & outdoor photography, album of 28 photos, 3 framed photos (dif sizes), bridal car + deco, bridal bouquet and corsages.

How to determine if a bridal shop is good? No idea.
It's about the "feeling" that you get when you talk to the staff in the shop. The sales rep at Bliss did try to sell us that the gowns are "Made in Singapore" and that they offer MTM pants for the groom. They assured us that they are financially stable by saying that Zhang Yaodong (Mediacorp actor) is their boss.

You might want to scrutinize their definition of "album of 28 photos" because I know of some shops that slap on additional charges if you want to digitalise your photo (e.g. photoshop the sky to pink, make the whole photo brownish/purplish, etc).

Understanding the silhouettes (photos & text referenced from Martha Stewart Weddings)
1) Ball Gown

"Introduced by Queen Victoria, reimagined by Dior in the 1950s, and never long out of fashion, this is the most romantic of all bridal silhouettes. It features a small waist (natural or dropped) and a voluminous skirt with petticoats. Most flattering to women of at least average height with hourglass or full figures, this style's skirt will overwhelm a petite or particularly buxom bride. " My interpretation: When else apart from your wedding day can you wear such a silhouette without people staring at you? If this pom-pom skirt is not really your style, you may want to try it out during your gown selection just for fun :)

2) A-Line

"This enduring style's name comes from the triangle (or "A" shape) between the narrow bodice and outer edges of the wide, ungathered skirt. Suitable for a variety of fabrics, the A-line is versatile: It may or may not have a seam at the waist, which may be higher or lower than the natural waistline; and the close-fitting bodice may be strapless or have any type of neckline." My interpretation: This silhouette is less showy than the ball gown. To avoid looking "too plain", you may want to complement this silhouette with an asymmetric-styled skirt or play with the skirt fabrics.

3) Empire

"After the French Revolution, Napoleon's wife Josephine popularized this neoclassical dress with a very high waist; the sheer materials she chose caused a sensation. The cropped bodice of the Empire style flatters the small-breasted woman but not a more buxom bride; the raised waist creates a long line, ideal for a petite bride. The skirt may be straight, slightly flared, or even as wide as an A-line." My interpretation: This is a very elegant silhouette & goddess-like; certainly not suitable for me. I've seen this silhouette in a beach shot and it looks really really good.

4) Sheath

"If you are comfortable with showing off your curves, consider the slyly constructed sheath, popularized in the 1950s by Marilyn Monroe. This body-hugging profile is artfully sculpted with darts, tucks, and seams. The effect will differ depending on the weight and drape of the fabric. A great choice for a tall, slim-hipped woman, the sheath is equally becoming to a petite, slender bride. Avoid this style if you have wide hips but narrow shoulders." My interpretation: Your body forms the silhouette :)

5) Trumpet/Mermaid

"A trumpet dress hugs the body at the top and through the hips but jets out into a fuller skirt at the bottom." My interpretation: This silhouette is commonly seen in on the red carpet as it is very elegant and is easy to walk in.

Do try out the different silhouettes to see which ones look good on you. You might be surprised!
Tip: Some silhouettes look better in white while others look better in non-white colours.

Finding your "Perfect Gown"
I am an avid fan of "Say Yes to the Dress" (showing every Saturday on Channel 425). The show reveals the inner workings of  Kleinfield Bridal, a bridal salon in New York. It also "educates" you on the different silhouette and fabrics. One thing that always amazes me is that 90% of the brides in the show will always know when the wedding gown is the one. They will try lots and lots of dresses, but when they try on the one their faces glow. 

When I tried on my the one, there was a small part of me that was still in denial because that was the 2nd dress I tried on. Nonetheless, as I tried on the other dresses, the thought of that 2nd dress still lingered in my mind. The lady attending to me was kind enough to let me try on gowns of different silhouettes, style and fabric. I spent more than 3 hours at the bridal shop, trying on almost 15 gowns.

As usual, it's all about "the feeling". Leave all your research & knowledge of wedding gowns in the door when you step in for your first appointment, and let you & and your guy's faces lead the way.