Kate Middleton's dress

(This picture was taken off the internet therefore I do not own this picture.)

 A few months ago, HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot. I managed to watch half of the ceremony as I was out in the city with my friends (abroad). I always had a thing for Prince William eversince I was 10. My late mother loved collecting things of the British Royal Family. So when both Wills and Kate decided to get married, it was something I was looking forward to.

I love Kate's wedding dress. When I saw it on telly, in my mind, I wished that a designer in Malaysia could help design something similar to her dress for my big day. I was so relieved when both Syahrir and Hatta said they could create it. I know a lot of people said the dress looks simple but I love how the lace are patched at the bottom of the dress like the drawings below. My sister even texted me from Malaysia telling me I should wear something similar to Kate's dress. Since I'm wearing tudung (hijab), I would have to make a covered up version of the dress though. :-)

Looking forward to see the outcome.

(This picture was taken off the internet therefore I do not own this picture.)

(This picture was taken off the internet therefore I do not own this picture.)

Appointment with Syahrir Nurdin and Hatta Dolmat

Yesterday I went to see both Syahrir Nurdin and Hatta Dolmat at their boutique. Both located in Shah Alam. I've already asked for a rough quotation previously but this time, with the materials for my wedding outfit, I met them slightly longer and asked them the exact price that they would charge me if I commit to any of them. How much do they charge? I don't think it would be appropriate for me to discuss here. But I dare to say that it all depends on what type of outfit you want them to design and make for you (e.g. the usual traditional Malay outfit or modern dress) and also, whether you already have the materials or you want them to find it for you. Both involves different pricing of course. :-)

Anyhoo, they were both super friendly and helpful. They took out several pieces of A4 paper and started drawing breathtaking designs for my wedding dress and my partner's tux. Maybe for them they consider it just a rough sketch/idea of how they would design my outfit but for me, woah..! During my teen years (I'm in my mid 20s by the way), I had this gazillion ambition and one of them is to become a Fashion Designer. Used to remember buying a sketch book to sketch out my ideas. They were awful ideas by the way. Thank God I'm nowhere close to the industry otherwise my outfit will be in the fashion magazine for fashion faux pas! Ok back to Syahrir and Hatta. After they drew the whole design, they explained what materials they would use (mine and additional materials) and what the whole package consists of (e.g. veil, shoes). I got all excited when I saw the end result of the whole sketch. If I had the purchasing power (unfortunately I don't.. just graduated my Masters degree), I would definitely say 'yes' on the spot to one of them. I'll be away for approximately two weeks so I promised them I would let them know my decision after I return. It's going to be tough to decide cause they both are talented and their boutique are just a few minutes away from my house but like it or not, I have to put my foot down when I return.

Baju, baju, baju..

Alright today I want to talk about my (or your) wedding outfit. Every bride tentu nak look amazing on their big day, right? Well, there are a wide array of stunning outfits that you can rent. Too many to list out. If you flip through magazines such as Pengantin, Stailista, Ratu Sehari and Tepak Sireh, they will provide you with so many numbers of bridal stores near your housing area :) From Selangor or Kuala Lumpur to Johor and Kelantan.. There's no reason for you to be worried having to travel far just to get the perfect outfit for the special day :) Different stores will provide you with different designs and price. It's all up to you how much you are willing to spend to rent your outfit and what type of outfit you prefer.. dress ke.. baju traditional ke.. :) When is the right time to book your outfit? If it's a popular store, I reckon you should approach them at least three or four months before. But people might book things even earlier..

In my case, I have less than four months to go. So I really gotta speed things up! I'll probably have my outfit made by Hatta Dolmat / Syahrir Nurdin / Syomir Izwa / Azura couture.. They are all amazing designers and I trust that any one of them that I commit too (still deciding and weighing some other things), will create a great end-result. Again, I have to speed things up cause I need to give room at least three months for them to design my outfit. Both for nikah and bersanding. That is for my side of course. For my future husband's side of the wedding, we're thinking of renting the outfit. Mine will be modern and we've agreed that we will be wearing the traditional Malay wedding costume during his side.

I'm extremely excited and counting the days to my big day but at the same time anxious cause it's not just about tying the knot and living with your partner but there are other great responsibilities that comes along with marriage. You're not marrying just your partner you know.. you're 'marrying' his whole family as well! :) Don't worry I'm not trying to scare you off. It's something that us women should ponder and get ready before committing ourselves. InshaAllah all will be well.. :) Just pray for the best..

Soon-to-be-married x

Wedding favors

There are so many different types and shapes of wedding favors on the market. You can go for the traditional Malay wedding favors - the bunga telur and bunga rampai or, the usual favors such as chocolates, cupcakes and sweets. At first I wanted to go for chocolates and place it inside a really nice box shaped like a carriage cause I believe that my guests can just eat the chocolates and that's it. But then, when I went through house-of-favors.com, I was like... I want to give my guests this... and this... and perhaps this? Spoiled for choice. Darn! There are many other sites but so far I like that one the best. Haven't communicated with them yet but they do have a shop in Bukit Jalil so you can probably check it out :)

Ok.. Depending on what you want to give your guests, the price range per gift could probably start from RM2. If you're thinking of giving people chocolates/sweets, well, a box might cost you approximately 60 cents.. and that does not include the chocolates/sweets! So if you have about 500 guests, RM2 (more or less) times 500 = RM1000. Mine so far is about RM2.50 per item times.. probably.. 650 guests.. which means, I have to pay about RM1625. That's just a rough figure. I'll probably think about this towards the end. I've yet to design my wedding outfit, book my invitation cards, attend the marriage course (kursus kahwin).. a lot!