Sunday, November 24, 2013

Bridezilla Attack



I'll be having 4 events from my side. Khatam Quran, Akad Nikah, Casual Reception and Formal Reception. So imagine the stress when planning everything to be perfect.. alone! I'm worried all the time. Caterers, videographers, entertainments, decorators, MCs, guest list etc etc! Sigh.. Being a perfectionist, stresses me out! Pffft. If only I can just leave and can't be bothered about everythingggg.

It's like..my mind constantly thinking about my wedding. Like I'm so worried that my wedding is going to be a big black hole. haha. It's not like it's a hugeeee wedding or anything. My wedding is just like any other weddings too..and it's not like I haven't plan and do my work, but it's just that time is my enemy..and I've got lotsa things to settle still! Like we've booked, but have yet to follow up, meeting, etc. Those kinda things made me so worried and go haywire and couldn't stop worrying whether or not I would be able to execute them during the limited time frame that I have! O___o

Yesterday, I really learn the meaning of BRIDEZILLA. And I'm finally turning into one! Like seriously, I couldn't take it anymore. I'm really stressed out. I need helpppp. Planning a wedding is so stressful, man. Oh no..I shall correct it, it's weddings. -___-


On another note, I really really really love all of my cards. Glad that I designed it! ;)

The french lace detailing really makes the whole card looks wedding-y. I love it!



:')

"Manusia Hawa dijadikan daripada tulang rusuk manusia Adam, bukan dari kepalanya untuk dijunjung, bukan dari kakinya untuk dijadikan alas, tetapi dari sisinya untuk dijadikan teman hidupnya, dekat dengan lengannya untuk dilindungi dan dekat dengan hatinya utnuk dicintai" 


Reading all the wordings in my wedding cards made me teared. It FINALLY hit me in my head, Oh my god...I'm getting married????!!!!! There's my name and his name in there! :')

So...... Hazim's MY HUSBAND? hehehe. Seven years ago, I didn't have anyyyy idea that I'm marrying that Jimbo boy! haha. God is the Best Planner, after all. Ok lah, I've got a heck of a lot of wedding works to do. Talk soon! Bye!



XOXO,
Shazzy.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Sunsilk Hijabku Gayaku Contest



Remember the Sunsilk Hijabku Gayaku contest I told you guys last time? Well now they already have the 10 lucky winners for the designers category and the 10 models! The 10 selected designers would now begin their challenge, which is to complete their designs that is in accordance with the theme given, and to also incorporate the green color into their designs, to represent the Sunsilk Clean & Fresh element into their masterpiece!

Their designs would later be presented by the 10 models during the Islamic Fashion Festival (IFF) show, end of this year! Oh, how exciting! Each of them would really need to come up with a design that is unique, creative and innovative for the runway to win this contest!!! I cannot wait to see them already! ^__^


#SunsilkHijabku

So for this challenge, Sunsilk has created a webisode of the show, for you guys to see it online and keep yourself updated of what and how the designers are doing, every week, before their big day! This programme is hosted on Sunsilk YouTube account, http://www.youtube.com/user/SunsilkMY. So you should subscribe to their channel and view all their episodes/videos there! The programme would be hosted by the beautiful Diana Amir, by the way. Since this is a "fashion" programme, I gotta say I am very excited to see what's gonna be her outfit for each episode, and be inspired! hehe. I'm Diana Amir's fan by the way! ;)

There will be 5 episodes in the programme all together, before all 10 designers would be competing during the Islamic Fashion Festival (IFF) show, in December. The judges/mentors that's gonna be in the programme would be the famous fashion designer, Hatta Dolmat and Fedrick Wong, the Head of the Fashion Department programs/courses in Raffles College. The first episode would be aired on 1st November 2013, and it will be released week by week, until the final episode, which would be on the 2nd December 2013.

If you miss out on the first episode, here it is!


#SunsilkHijabku


The live dates for each episode: 
 1st webisode: 1st November 2013 
2nd webisode: 8th November 2013  
3rd Webisode: 15th November 2013
 4th Webisode: 22nd November 2013 
5th Webisode (FINAL): 2nd December 2013


The fashion designer who won the first prize for this contest would be getting RM 5000, along with an exclusive feature in a magazine for a fashion designer and a model, and would also be getting a practical training with the famous fashion designer, Rico Rinaldi, for a month! Mmmm...I wonder, who would that be yeah?! Need to see their webisodes every week, to find out!

 So make sure you subscribe to their channel if you do not want to miss the show! ;)

Monday, November 11, 2013

The Venues


Finding venue for your wedding could be such a stressful task. I had this agitated experience about a few months ago when we decided to tie the knot. Gosh...I never knew that KL people get married every weekend! There's no "wedding season" anymore in here... Last time it used to be around early or end of the year. But today, people get married every weekend, all year long! - It's true what they said.. these days, if you wanna book a venue for your wedding in KL,  you should book at least ONE YEAR earlier, to secure your date! Otherwise, say bye-bye to the place..or try booking it for another a year if you really want the location! O___o (I heard, some people have booked it even 2 - 3 years earlier!! Oh myy.... O__o  )

Because nowadays people no longer have kenduri at their homes...as having big events like weddings could be a really really hassle and tiring job for the family that's hosting it. Nak kemas rumah before the event, nak kemas balik after the event.. Nak hire people to do this and that lagi.. Nak angkat perabot, etc etc! Too much hassle for the family! So more people opted to hosting it outside, rather than at their homes...since some of the places may be much more cost effective too...and less work to do! - But the down side of this is....there's no more gotong-royong activities in our community/neighbours though... 

Anyways... we only decided to get married in April this year. Or was it May? I forgot already. haha so unromantic of me :p So since he asked me to marry him that time, I told him yes but I wanted to get married this year, kalau boleh. Because I don't want to be engaged or being in a relationship that's not halal, for too long. He agreed too. So I told my mom that we wanted to get married this year. She was so happy when she heard the news, and asked me to begin searching for our wedding venues. - Yes, we worked backwards... Instead of searching the venue for my engagement, we started with finding venue for my wedding reception first, then my akad nikah, then only we decided on getting engaged! Because my parents didn't want me to be engaged without knowing when is the exact date of my wedding, since finding the venue in KL could be reaaaaally such a pain! Takut nanti, dah bertunang..tapi tak tahu bila kahwin sebab tak dapat-dapat secure the venue. Then the next thing we know, we've been engaged for years and yearsss already! haha. So dad didn't want that. 

Hence last April, after the Merisik was done,  I went searching high and low for my wedding venue. Initially my parents wanted to host the wedding at the same venue as my sisters', which was the Dewan Perdana Felda. Since the hall is so big and can accommodate up to 1000 people or something like that... Plus, I have paid my deposit to book the place in 2011 too (don't ask why. LOL). So, we thought of using that deposit and have the wedding there. But like I said, finding a venue for your wedding is not that simple, especially when you only have about a few months away from your initial plan date/month. In my case, another 5 months! - I wanted to get married in October or November actually, so we asked Mr. Azhari the person in charge for the Perdana Grand Ballroom if he still have available slot for us in those two months. Unfortunately, they were fully booked until February.. And no, I didn't want to accept it, and wait for almost another a year more...simply because I really wanna get married as soon as possible, because that is the right thing to do when you're in a relationship. I don't want to be in a haram relationship for far too long! For me, one year is kinda long already... I just wanna get married and be his lawfully wedded wife! Even my parents agreed on this. They always say...benda baik, jangan dilewat-lewatkan. So yes, I refused to get married next year. But... we also couldn't just decide and pick any date when to get married, as my parents have a lotttttt of guests to invite. So of course, a lot of things need to consider and to plan well. Thus, we can't just get married without planning the reception, no? So..that was why my parents asked me to search backwards in finding the venue! - This is a tip to all bride-to-be out there! 

But unfortunately...Felda's venue was fully booked for this year. In the end, we decided to start searching for other banquet halls or hotel ballrooms for the wedding, and use that deposit money for my engagement ceremony in KL Tower instead - one of Felda's venue as well. Initially I wanted to do an intimate ceremony between families only at my house. But my mom said, doing an event at home would be quite "big" as we would need to invite all the neighbours and all of her friends which would then require a lot of time and energy to plan everything perfectly. (Not that we don't want to invite them..but that was what I want - to have an intimate/small ceremony this time). If we do it at home, the guests would probably be around 200 pax or more, and ultimately, the event wouldn't be as "intimate" as I wanted it to be - I just want it to be between families only this time (about 100 pax would be enough), being a second timer that I am kan...heh. LOL ;p 

So we thought, whilst hosting it outside would be less tiring and maybe more cost effective too as compared to doing it at home, since we're not gonna have a bigger guest list, and we're also not gonna rent a canopy, or the table and chairs, hire people to handle this and that, to hias the "bilik pengantin" some more, setting up the pelamin, to buy more carpets and some other deco stuff, etc etc. - There's just so much for us to do! So after taking so much time considering whether to do it at home or outside, we decided to host the event at KL Tower. After all, we can use the deposit money from Felda there! Their other venues like Felda Villa, Bilik Perdana, etc were not available too. Luckily, we finally got a slot in KL Tower! We invited only about 120 guests this time - Strictly family and tiny bit of my friends! - So sorry for those who weren't invited! It's just a small event between my families, honey! Will definitely invite you on my wedding day, inshaallah! :)



The KL Tower Megaview banquet hall can only accommodate about 300 guests, if I'm not mistaken. At first, I wanted to have my akad nikah ceremony there instead of the engagement. But because of the limited number of guests that they can accommodate, I decided to use the deposit money, and have my engagement there instead of my akad nikah. Cuz the size of my invited guests that time was only 120 but for the akad nikah would be a lot more than that, as my mom said. 

So... on the 6th of July 2013, I was happily engaged! 



Our initial plan date was 30th June actually, which was a week before that date. But unfortunately, the date was booked too...and other dates were fully booked as well sampai hujung tahun, except for that 6th of July which was 3 days before Ramadhan! I guess nobody wants to have a ceremony before puasa kot. haha..  So we grabbed it fast...akhirnya dapat jugak date to lock! Phewww...I told you, finding venue is harddddd! But alhamdulillah, dah selamat pun bertunang. hehe. 

For more info on the KL Tower banquet hall, you can contact Ms. Azrina at 03-2020 1082. I would love to share with you all brides-to-be, on the menu, the package, the price, the pelamin vendor they used, etc etc..since I have a lot requests on that. But I guess it'll be kinda a sensitive issue to the bitter ones here, who's not interested in wedding stuff. So I suggest you just call her and ask for quotation if you're really interested in having your ceremony there. Or you can just email me if you want to know the package and all..  One thing for sure though, KL Tower Megaview banquet hall is a lovely place to host an event! Especially at night! :)



Now...moving on to the wedding reception pulak.

Gosh. Ni lagi pening kepala nak cerita. hahah. I went to several hotels and banquet halls few months ago...but NONE of them were available! Yesssss...NONE! At that point, I gave up searching for venues anymore... It's hopeless! 

These are some of the places I've been to, to ask for the available dates..like Felda (which I already mentioned above), Setia City Convention Centre (SCCC), Sime Darby Convention Centre (SDCC), Putrajaya Convention Centre (PICC), Shah Alam Convention Centre (SACC), and some other hotel ballrooms..  
Can you believe itttttt? NONE of them has available weekend dates for me to have my wedding reception this year!!! Gila stress cari tempat/date in KL....tskkk 
T__T 


Well...ada la. But WAITING LIST! Sampai 3rd waiting list lagi! (The yellow paper was from Sime Darby Convention Centre, while the white one...err I forgot! haha). It's either too early like in May to September or too late like March next year or something like that. At that time it was already May! How can we plan a wedding in 2-3 months, if we were to accept any of those dates yang dah dekat sangat, right? The perfect months would be around October till December. But none of them were available at those banquet halls and ballrooms that I went to check out..
   
Oh god... At this point, I seriously gave up searching for venues anymore... It seemed hopeless. The next available date that are available at the places I wish to have my wedding at, are in April 2014.. It was like one more year to wait. Pffft.


It was soooo stressful when your dad assigned you to find a venue ASAP, but you couldn't just find not even one! The month of May/June this year, was reaaaaaally a stressful month for me! Sampai jerawat naik teruk on my face....and my period was not stable as well. tsk. Wedding is supposed to be fun, but with everyone in KL getting married everywhere, all year long, you couldn't find a place for yourself to get married, thus...it's not fun anymore.. - It's tiring and stressful when you just couldn't lock your date..and couldn't get married! haha. - Anyone can relate with this venue-hunting stress? haha

So please take note to all brides-to-be here, if you're planning to do your wedding at hotspot places, PLEASE BOOK ONE YEAR BEFORE, AT LEAST! Don't be like me, only 4-5 months to plan a wedding! Memang la susah nak dapat tempat! haha ;p 
(Well...blame my man, who took too long to propose, but too quick to plan to get married! hahahah ;p)

So these are all my researchs by the way.. Not including the ones I've emailed though! Yang tu...tak terkira dah berapa banyak. Semuanya jawapan, "Sorry, not available...blablabla..." 
-____-




But well....after praying hard.. FINALLY!  We got a place to lock our date for the reception.. Alhamdullilah. Err...well, we kinda took someone's date actually. haha. But it was a fair trade. So it's fine. ;p

Only God knows how relieved I felt that time when the Sales Director of the hotel told me, I could have the date! Phewwww... Lega sangat-sangat. (So darling, I realllllly need and deserve to have a nice relaxing honeymoon for all the stress I've went through, ok?! heheheh.. ;p) 


Now now nowwww, most of the important things have settled... So, let's get married! Less than 30 days to go! Eeeeeeek! O__o

I'm excited but worried at the same time. haha



P/s: For future brides out there, who haven't set a date nor a place for your wedding, maybe this diagram below can help you sort it out, what type of venue you'd like to have for your wedding! It's fun..try it! It can help you to narrow down your choices.. Click to enlarge! :)

Have fun planning, sweethearts! :)



P/ss: For those who are married for years, and not interested with wedding things, so sorry if lately most of my posts in my blog are about weddings, weddings and weddings! I'm aware that this is not a Bridal Blog/Wedding Blog, but this is MY blog...and I'M the one who's getting married! hehe. I'm sure you were as happy and as excited as I am last time when it was your time, alright? So chill, no need to be so uptight and bitter about my wedding posts ok?

Have a good day everyone! May Allah bless you! ;)


XOXO,
Shazzy.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Biyan Bride!

I went to Jakarta last Monday with my fiance to do the fitting for one of our baju for the wedding. During our short trip, we managed to do a couple of things..and went to a few places. So one of the things that I love the most from our trip was visiting the Biyan Bride boutique! Yes, the international brand! - Oh..so many beautiful pieces to see and to hold! There's always something magical about being in a bridal boutique, don't you think? I could spend hours in there! hehe ^__^









This is pretty!!


Ooh la laaa...




Biyan always has such intricate designs and beautiful beading works! I loveee!









I love how elegant and exclusive their designs are! Everything is hand made and has very intricate design! I personally love the one on the left! So elegant! Too bad it's see-through! So a hijaber like me can't wear it!


All of the baju here are soooo heavy!


Pretty packaging, no?
^__^


Anyways..I made a kebaya for my first and third reception dress from a designer in Indonesia. And will be wearing a modern dress on my second reception from a designer that is half Malaysian, half Indonesian - Can you guess who? hehe. And for my akad nikah, I would be wearing a reaaaaaallly simple baju kurung from one of our awesome local designer. Oh, I'm so excited to see all of the dresses when they're ready!

According to the Indonesian designer, my kebaya would be covered with lotsa bead works! Goshh...it must be heavy, I can't imagine when he showed me the parts that would be covered with bead works!!! The designer made my dress from scratch with no beadings at all...and now, the lace will all be covered with beads, beads, and beads! Seriously I can't imagine.... O__o

I just hope I don't blink so much like a Christmas tree that day! haha. I love simple design, if you don't know it already... So the kebayas really made me feel a little worried if it turns out to be soooooo heavy! =/


P/s: Some of the pics are from google



XOXO,
Shazzy.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

The Checklist

Gosh. What a stressful week. I just realized it's November...a lot of things need to be done before the big day!! O___o  These days I'm realllllly turning into a bridezilla! I just hope my hair won't fall so much due to the stress, and I won't be a bald bride! haha.. So let's see, what are the things in my list, and what have I not covered yet.. (Text in red means they're not done yet, and in blue, means it's half checked!)

  1. Venues
  2. Decorators/Pelamin Makers
  3. Hantaran Makers
  4. Lightings
  5. Official Videographers
  6. Live Feed Videographers 
  7. Video Montage - photos and videos to be compiled
  8. Playlist 
  9. Official Photographers
  10. Photo Booth
  11. Dresses
  12. Shoes
  13. Make Up Artists
  14. Henna Artist
  15. Groom's Attires
  16. Hantaran stuff
  17. Family Attires
  18. Guest List
  19. Invitation Cards
  20. Nikah Documents
  21. Door Gift Cases/Containers
  22. Door Gifts chocolates favors 
  23. Caterers
  24. Canopy/Tents
  25. Tables & Chairs
  26. Dulang Girls Dresses & Accessories
  27. Bridesmaids / Flower Girls Dresses
  28. Pengapit Dresses
  29. MC/Officiant
  30. Entertainment/Music/DJ/Audio/PA System etc etc
  31. Wedding Cake
  32. Dessert Table
  33. Honeymoon stuff
  34. Book Hotel Rooms for the Bride and Groom and for the Families during the events
  35. Book Hotel/Bungalows/Accommodation & transportation for out-of-town guests 


Andddd...some other things that I forgot to mention it here. - My book is not here with me..so these are the things that I can think of right now. Gosh...so many things not settled yet! tskkkk. I'll make a proper list for each events soon! Now, I wanna rest my head! Let me know if I miss out on any thing! Thank youuuu! :*


XOXO,
Bridezilla.

Friday, November 1, 2013

The Bridal Bedroom

Wedding is a big event. So of course, there would be a lot of tasks associated with the ceremony. From decorations to the caterer, to the shopping, to inviting and hosting, there are so many things to be handled carefully and meticulously in order to have a smooth and perfect ceremony. So it's really important to get a great team that shares the same vision to be working with you. Well I'm lucky to have a really detailed and meticulous mom who would ensure everything is perfect for me! Alhamdullilah. :)

One of the things that I leave my mom to take care of on my big day is the decoration. My mom shares the same taste with me. So this made it a lot easier between us. No petty arguing on which curtain looks better..or which flower matches with the color of the curtain or whatever. Hence no bridezilla moments for me on this part! haha. I love her taste. It's simple, yet modern and elegant. She has a little bit background of an interior design by the way, which is perfect in executing my wedding decorations! ^___^

So anyway, while I was shopping with my fiance to buy our engagement hantaran a few months ago, I got a call from my mom who's in Takashimaya, Singapore at that time.. Excitedly she said she found yet another pretty bedding for my bridal bedroom. I can't help but to laugh at her cute, excited reactions at that time because actually she already bought two bridal beddings for me about 4 months earlier! Hahaha. She called to ask me whether I prefer to have a little bit of laces and frills at the edge of the bedding, or whether I want it to be a full lace. I just said...whatever that you wish, ma. I just follow your taste, cuz you know better..hehe. That time she already bought a silk and an embroidery with pearl detailing bed sheets earlier...but because she saw yet another perfect bedding that looks cute which she thought she need it, so she bought another one! hahah. Comel betul mak saya ni. - She's such a woman! If you know what I mean. Hehehe ;)

As of now...guess how many white beddings that she bought for the wedding??



Well...about this much!  haha


Not one..not two...not three...not four.. But FIVE! 
hahahahah. 

She said they're all very different! There's white, there's off-white, there's ivory, there's in between and etc... Heheheh. So cute of her!

She bought the duvets from Hallmark, from Oasis Beddings, Da Vinci, Ausino, and Herritage Collection

She's so funny. She'd be so excited bila tengok the word "sale!". Hahah. She said, white bedding can work with a lot of colors to be the essence that would pop the whole thing. So takpe la even if she ter-beli banyak pun, she can still use the duvet, the quilt covers, the pillow sheets, the comforter etc, for other rooms in the house. Not just for the Bridal Bedroom, but for her room, for my room, for the guest room etc. haha. Okayyyy mom. Whatever you say! Heeee xD

By the way, we're not gonna have a luxurious and an extravagant bridal bedroom with a lot of flowers and other accessories though. We're only gonna have a simple modern room. Clean and white room. All white bedding, with a bit of color essence of my choice. 

Next week we're going to see the designer for the soft finishings; the bedhead, the curtains, the headboard, the skirtings, etc! 

Oh, I'm really excited!! :)



XOXO,
Shazzy. 
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