Vendor Review: Gamelan group

Wahey look who decided to stop procrastinating!

But really, the past few months have been really hectic; juggling work, wedding planning and squeezing my runs in between what little time I have. Glad to report that I am now a Mrs. and the past month of being a wife has been totally groovy if you know what I mean...

Since I practically stopped documenting the planning process (ugh, sorry), I'll do better with reviewing my vendors so tonight I will start with the easiest one: the Gamelan group.

But first, our walking down the aisle song of choice was Rostam Batmanglij's Wood (so last minute but thankful that I stumbled upon this track) and we cut the cake to Jessie Ware's cover of What You Won't Do For Love. The cake-cutting bit was a little awkward but I'll save that story for another time.

The 12-piece Gamelan group I hired was a recommendation from a friend who works in UKM. If you're planning a traditional wedding you should really consider hiring these guys because they really set the ambiance and give a rustic feel to the majlis. Moreover, it was raining on the night of my reception so the sound really complemented the clink-clanking of the mini gongs which was truly pleasing to the ears. They were very professional and did really good covers of old Malay and modern English songs. We're honestly really happy with the group.

If you wish to contact them, the person in charge is En Usop. Leave me a message and I will pass his details to you.

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We found our ringmakers!

Before you rush to the next Poh Kong or De Beers, I highly recommend that you send your design, or better yet, make an appointment with Kohinoor Jewellery and get a quotation for your dream wedding ring.

My close to 0.92 carat was quoted at RM2,800 without GIA certification but you can have that done by adding a few hundred Ringgit. Another company quoted RM4,200 for the exact same design and diamond specs! See what I mean? Even Redza's was much cheaper at RM1,200 as opposed to the RM2-2,500 from other jewelers.

I am incredibly stoked that the rings are below our budget. Alhamdulillah. We're just going to wait for one more quote to be absolutely sure before proceeding full force with this one!

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CST Production ni kalau hari ni tak reply jugak besok I call you terus!

... Because just look at that quality.

I actually know the bride's brother from college

And these are by Kudegraphy - the crème de la crème of videography. Nak mintak quote pun takut.

Hopefully the rest of you BTBs are doing better in this department.

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Wedding video background song

I was on some of the other BTB's blogs and noticed that alot of them had that nifty counter thing. You know, those xx days till my wedding timer countdown thingamie oh my god I really don't know what they're called but whatever I decided I wanted one for my blog too. Problem is, I don't know how to put it in here haha bangang. Nanti la ha I get my fiance to help.

Back to business. I'm still on the lookout for the perfect video background song. I know I should lock down the Videographer first but my first choice hasn't reverted back so I guess I'll have to be a little bit more patient. In the meantime, these are the shortlisted titles.

Sunny Levine - No Other Plans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5uqhQZjmJk
Vetiver - Can't You Tell http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL-gTUsrKhU
Sunny Levine - Wild Us Out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP0qm5SALtw
Ingrid Michaelson - You and I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l36CW8MUc0Y
M83 - Reunion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJQQrjVmQG0 (This one might be a tad too noisy)


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Wedding Venue

When I was surveying for venues, I realized that there aren't that many shortcut lists (I found just 1) so here is the price list of the places I inquired.

These are all in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by the way.

Venue	Per Table	Capacity
Mandarin Oriental	1988++	250min
Shangri-La	1688++	600min
Royale Chulan	1550++	800min
Grand Hyatt, KL	2388++	600min
Hilton KL, KL	2188++	600min
Corus Hotel	920++	250min
Empire Hotel Subang	988++	350max
	1088++
	1288++
Renaissance KL	1638++	600min
Intercontinental KL	2199++
KL Convention Centre	2236+
Sime Darby	989	500min
KLGCC	989++	400max
	110++
Saloma Theatre Bistro	80++	350max
Saujana Hotel	1488++	300min

Initially, I wanted an old English themed reception (hence the list of hotels). After reviewing my budget, I'd have to walk down the aisle in pajamas with no make-up to be able to afford any of the 4/5 star hotels. So I had to go back to my initial vision of having a full-on traditional Malay wedding with silat, kompang, marhaban... the whole works. 

My lovely SIL suggested Saloma Theatre Resyaurant and I thought goddamnit Alia why didn't you think of that? All fingers crossed, I gave them a call this morning and was told that there is already a confirmed event on Dec 28 but they're available Dec 29! TERUS I BOOK! It feels right so we're putting down the deposit next week :D

source: Sellaria.com

Isn't she lovely?

Now... To find a beautiful, slightly over the top authentic songket that won't cost me a limb. 

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Official Photographer

The one and only element of the wedding that I've secured is our OP and he is none other than my good friend/ex-college mate/running buddy/photographer extraordinaire.. AIE!

I didn't even bother getting quotes from anybody else because I've always kind of known that I want him to photograph my special day.

This is him - http://www.hasreezan.com

We were discussing pre-wedding photoshoot venues over lunch earlier today and he suggested one of the Sekeping Retreats. I won't say which one but the idea got me really excited and I can't wait to tell my fiance (eh, dah fiance)!

I'll probably have another post up tonight. Till then.

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My wedding planning journey begins

As you can tell from the title of this blog, I am getting hitched!

So here is my story. I was proposed to a week before puasa and did not say yes immediately. Mainly because I was in total shock and the ring wasn't my size lol. If there are men who are reading this, please make sure you ask her friends if you're unsure of your partner's ring size because jewelers won't be able to resize a 14 (what he got me) to a 9 (my ring finger size). Although the ring was absolutely gorgeous, he had to take it back and exchange it with a similar one because they don't have that design in my size anymore.

But the more important thing is, I said yes to the person I love and respect who loves and respects me equally and that's all I'll ever really need. Well, I used to have a long list of preposterous pre-requisites but let's not go there.

I have since started browsing for designers, favors, videographers and pelamins (I don't like the word 'dais' so I will only use pelamin in here) and I must say, I've done quite well. Hehe excited la katakan.

His family is coming to risik this weekend and this will be the first time our parents meet. His mom will be the one who puts the ring on me :) Very proper gitu.

We've decided not to have an engagement ceremony simply because we don't think it is necessary.

Well, that's that. I will try my best to document my journey in planning out the biggest day of my life to date on a budget without having to compromise too much. Hopefully, this blog can help you plan yours too.

Before I go, I'd like to share this piece of advice with fellow future brides out there. This is and excerpt from Anne Almasay's article on Huffington Post.

If you’re planning your wedding right now, please just close the magazine. Log out of Pinterest. And look at the person you want to grow old with. Remind yourself of why you’re doing this. And really CELEBRATE when that day comes. Don’t stress about your shoes or your cake or your flowers. Don’t stress about anything. When it’s all over, you will be married, and surrounded by the people who know you and love you most in the whole wide world.

InsyaAllah. Let's do this.

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