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

Appointments (in various definitions)

Starring: The "IT Geek" and "The Guy who is glad he has an iPhone" (aka "The Guy")

September was a month of appointments.

• Appointment with the wedding coordinator from the hotel to discuss banquet matters
• Appointment at the bridal studio for photo selection
• Appointment for trial makeup
• Pseudo-appointment to order print outs for the wedding invitation
• and subsequent appointment to collect them
• Appointment with friends
• Appointment of friends
• Appointment with the mattress/bed delivery guy
• Appointment with video person

The IT Geek introduced the guy to Google Calendar. They set up a calendar to mark upcoming appointments and to book cave-time slots (either alone or with friends). It took a while for The Guy to learn how to connect to the calendar and IT Geek has since moved on to Google Calendar sending alerts via SMS. Woohoo! Now she's very inspired to put an LCD screen up at home with Google Calendar on it so that they can have easy access to each other's schedules. But of course, money is always the limiting factor (and practicality as well).

Appointments are a chore, especially if the other party do not keep to the pre-agreed time. The couple are now very glad that they have chose all their wedding-related matters in the same area (i.e. Pan Pac, Bliss at Marina Square) so that they can schedule appointments on the same day. In addition, Marina Square is very accessible (except during the F1 season) and its a mere bus ride from both her Depot Road home and church. * Woodlands is far from everything so the measure of accessibility do not count

During the appointments, the guy will try his best to pay attention and match the enthusiasm of the IT Geek, who has done tonnes of research (especially on the invitation card wordings). Nonetheless there will be times when he will turn to his trusty soccer game on his iPhone. The guy also uses his iPhone extensively to appoint his brothers and other wedding-related personnel. Maybe the IT Geek should set up SMS alerts for the guy's phone as well.

E-File your Marriage

The earliest you can file your marriage is 3 months before. The latest is 21 days.

Why the restriction in timing? I guess the min days (I.e 21 days) is in place to ensure you're not marrying someone at random or at least have a decent amount of time to think through what you're doing. The 3 months max limit is probably there because by then your ROM date should be confirmed & unlikely to change.

Someone told me that if you have offended lots of ppl previously in your past relationships, it may be wiser to file later.

Make sure you have the following information ready for a smoother e-filing process
- You & your partner's ic number
- Full name of Solemnizer
- Solemnizer registration number
- 2 x Witnesses' ic number

You will receive an SMS and an email after you have successfully filed the notice of your marriage detailing some additional instructions. The instructions include date & time for Appointment for Verification & Statuatory Declaration (The date cannot be changed) and what to bring to the appointment.

Here's the link to the e-filing application: https://app.rom.gov.sg/internet/efile/file_notice_marriage_step1a.asp

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.

The Unveil of 656 Woodlands Ring Road

Starring: Mr "If you can't see it means it's clean" and Ms "You're not allowed to sit on the sofa".

After 1 month (plus) of renovation, the humble abode at Blk 656 Woodlands Ring Road was finally "ready"! The couple spent 2 days cleaning the house, during which Mr "If you can't see it means it's clean"'s philosophy was frequently applied, especially in obscure parts of the house. Nonetheless, the cleanup was still torturous; and to add to his  misery, Ms "You're not allowed to sit on the sofa" didn't allow him to sit on the sofa.

The sofa is currently covered with bedsheet and Ms "You're not allowed to sit on the sofa" insists that the sofa will only be functional when there are guests or after they move in. Otherwise it remains as an artpiece.

Cove lighting + art piece at the bottom-left corner

TV Console + Display cabinets from Mode Studio

Hock Siong coffee/end tables

View from the living room + ZX's grilles

Roller blinds for the service balcony void

Tempered glass sliding door for the kitchen

Furnishing the home

Now that the renovation is almost completed, the next step would be to furnish the home.

Due to limited budget, we obviously cannot afford furnishing the entire home and thus, would have to focus on essential items first. You may want to read this article on the 7 essential pieces of furniture for your first home. It makes sense although I must admit, I found this article randomly from Google.

1. A SOFA

Prices for an L-shaped or 3-seater sofa start from $700. The cheapest one that we've found so far (not counting those kucing kurap ones) is a 3-seater leather sofa from Ikea. It's actually quite comfy but the colour is beigy-white (quite hard to upkeep). We've also seen other decent L-shaped and 3-seater leather sofas at Sea Horse going for less than $800. Nowadays sofas have become so sophisticated that you can get sofas with slide-in/slide-out seats, put-up/put-down headrests,  recline features, or all of the above (but they obviously come with a price). 

Our story: You may have recalled our sofa story in a previous post. We are glad to inform that due to our persistent hounding, the sales manager agreed to lower the price to $850. The goods have been delivered and the sofa now lies smugly in the living room. (GRIN)

Note: Mode Studio is now having their Opening Sale at their new outlet in Marina Square Level 3. 

2. A DINING TABLE

The author aptly listed "A table that you can eat from" because nowadays we tend to have our meals in front of the TV (if at home) or outside. This is mainly due to difference in meal times, popular TV programmes at dining times, and the added convenience of dining out. 

Dining tables are, unfortunately, very expensive. They are priced as though to penalise those who really want to have proper meals (inelastic demand). In addition, some are really ugly - either too elaborated with glass designs, or too bulky.

Our story: We wanted a dining table that was value for money because we don't forsee ourselves using the table every single day except probably to put mails and keys on it. Big furniture shops like Nova, Courts etc pride themselves with Mediacorp-drama-worthy dining tables (i.e. big and elaborated). After scouring the limited dining table market, it seemed that only Ikea had slim & classy designs. However they weren't cheap either (total set around $700) because you have to pay for the chairs separately. And the material (compressed wood) was...questionable. We finally found our dining table set ($599 - 1 solid rubber wood table, 6 chairs) at a Furniture & Home Expo. It is the cheapest set we've seen and at least it's made of solid wood. We'll post a picture of it once we have it delivered.

TIP: If you're doing home reno, you can also ask your contractor/carpenter to build a dining table for you.


3. WARDROBE/CLOSET

If you are doing renovations, built-in wardrobes may be a natural and more convenient choice. They look better (i.e. you can customise the laminate and the design), fit better (i.e. full heighr & can fit the whole length of the wall) and can last longer (assumption). I know Ikea offers custom-made wardrobes, but I am not too familiar with how much they cost.

Our story: We picked D'Esprit mainly because their in-house carpenter had great workmanship based on earlier experience with him. He didn't disappoint and we're very happy with our full height 5-door wardrobe in the master bedroom. Mr Hill threw in free anti-slam door hinges as well!

4. BEDSIDE TABLE
A bedside table is good for putting your spectacles, a cup of water, storybook, alarm clock, watch, and other random stuff that you put away only when you're about to go to sleep. Prices for a bedside table start from $19 (Ikea, no frills, just 5 pieces of wood). Normal furniture stores are still selling normal-shaped bedside tables (i.e. Cuboid-ish) so you are only selecting a bedside table based on price, colour, material, drawers/no drawers.

Our story: A friend of ours introduced us to Hock Siong. The place is a hidden gem for those who don't mind quality 2nd-hand furniture from 5 star hotels and showrooms. We found a solid wood bedside table there that cost $45. The table has a drawer and a casement cabinet.

TIP: Hock Siong has a wide selection of writing tables (those you can find in hotel rooms), coffee/end tables (those you see in hotel lobby lounges) and lamps. They also sell high quality stuff like rose-wood sofa sets and dining tables. Hock Siong provides free delivery for purchases more than $300.

5. WINDOW COVERING (i.e. BLINDS/CURTAINS)

The wife initially thought that blinds/curtains were a waste of money because they will be redundant most of the time. Nonetheless the article did bring up a good point about needing some place to change. Since HDB bathrooms are really small and the floors are usually wet after shower (see Point 6), it makes it rather inconvenient to wear long pants in the bathroom. In these circumstances, blinds/curtains can help to protect your modesty.

Our story: Mr Hill brought us to a "window specialist" to select our window films and to enquire about blinds. We found the place dodgy and KTV-like, and mainly because the price wasn't cheap, we decided not to get the blinds from them. We contacted Mr Ang the blind man, who also did the blinds for the wife's existing flat. The husband was very please with Mr Ang and the quote and agreed to purchase the blinds for him. We'll be installing timber blinds for the living & master bedroom + roller blinds for the void at the service balcony. The blinds cost around $1000, not cheap because we got a lot of windows!!!! and the void is 2-storey high!!!

6. SHOWER SCREEN

Although a shower screen is technically not a furniture, the wife insists that is an essential element for the washroom. The shower screen only serves one purpose: Block water thus keep the floor dry. These screens don't come cheap. The screen is made of tempered glass and the labour cost to set up the screen is expensive too.

Our story: The wife is very happy with her shower screen in the shared bathroom although Mr Hill & the husband beg to differ. According to them, the screen was awkwardly positioned and looks really ugly, but the wife doesn't care :)

Dear Jetstar Customer Feedback Form

My flight from Singapore to AKL on 15 Nov 2011 was cancelled with NO NOTIFICATION sent out to me. I was informed about this cancellation BY MYSELF.
This is a severe inconvenience for me because
1. I have a paid, non-refundable ticket on Firefly to Singapore on 14 Nov (arriving Singapore 6.30pm)
2. I have a paid, non-refundable booking on Air NZ on 16 Nov 2011 2.15pm
3. I have booked and paid deposit for a 12-day NZ tour with Firstlight Travel starting from 16 Nov.

I am very disappointed because all I needed from your side was
1. A written letter of notification that the flight is cancelled within 1 working day
2. Refund of the full air fare within 5 working days
But I was told by the call centre agents that they are limited by the system. And the only ppl who could bypass the system were the customer svc agents who mans this feedback form.

I seek your assistance in fulfilling our requests as this trip was supposed to be our honeymoon and due to this misfortune there is added costs and alternative arrangements that need to be done.

Thank you.