It's been a long while since I've written. After the nikaa', married life has taken quite the most of me and I've never had the time to write again after that. Well, if any of you have been faithful readers to the blog, you would have known that my reception was due sometime at the end of last year and that we had about a 4 month gap after the nikaa' before we officially had our reception (bersanding).
That reception happened a week back and Alhamdulillah, the ceremony progressed well. :) I cannot say thanks enough to the many family members who lent out a hand (or two!) and to all those who had prayed for our safety, our health and for the smooth progression of the ceremony. I will always cherish and value the assistance given - from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Mudahan segala usaha-usaha dan jasa baik abiskita dibalas oleh Allah s.w.t, jazakallahu khair :)
I can't possibly talk about the whole preparation process leading to the reception but I will, however, give out a summary of my most valued recommendations - hope it will be of great help to the many bride-to-bes out there! Kurang jua sakit kepala sedikit ;)
Pelaminan
For the wedding dias, I highly recommend Roz Flower Boutique in Delima and Nurhayana Enterprise in Kiulap. I have only had the opportunity to experience the services of three bridal boutiques (these two included) but these two gave me the best services and professionalism ever. Their pelaminans were in tip-top shape despite frequent usage and they were open to suggestions and changes when requested. One perk for me was that both of these boutiques used fairy lights for their pelamins, which is an absolute must-have! Why? They make the pelamin even prettier ;)
Directions for Roz Flower Boutique: Drive into the simpang into HSBC serusop, and the boutique is located at the building just behind it.
Directions for Nurhayana: Look for Express Kiulap, and follow the building in which it's located. Nurhayana is just above Guardian. Or look for Lauren boutique, it's in the exact same building then look for Guardian.
A less recommended wedding dias supplier would be RN Wedding. Despite the pretty and modern contemporary pelamins, I'd have to say that services provided by them were below par than expected. First and foremost, the pelaminan given to me was in bad shape - there were nicks and crooks here and there, and there was no attempt to even hide them! A day after the pelaminan was set up, one of the headboard designs fell off so we had to give it a quick fix - wouldn't want it to fall on my head or my husband's head during the ceremony now, would I? Getting an appointment with them was also difficult - a bride reported that she tried contacting various times and when she finally managed to get a hold of them, their PR was so rude that it turned her off. So all in all, a bit of a disappointment. :( Wouldn't exactly recommend it to people unless they're really into the contemporary theme.
Baju bersanding
As for the baju bersanding, my husband and I opted for Mutiara Ayu (or better known as Hajah Lina) at Spg 97, Ong Sum Ping. I know that there has been mixed reviews about this place - they have the most gorgeous baju for bersanding but the only problem is that they are always delayed in finishing the baju. I've heard of brides receiving their baju bersanding on the day of their bersanding just as the jemputans were walking in, eeks!
But Alhamdulillah, we didn't experience any of that, thanks to a few tricks of the trade ;) Here's what you should do (if you intend on making your baju with them) :
1) Check on very often. - I had a friend who kept on checking on the status of her baju every few days or so, and when she can't do that physically, she'll call or text them every now and then. And guess what? Her baju bersanding finished a week earlier from her wedding date!
2) A little white lie. - Assume your wedding date to be a few days earlier so they could finish the baju on the 'assumed' wedding date instead. By the time your 'real' wedding day comes, your baju will be all ready to wear! :D
Make-up Artist
My MUA for almost all of the wedding ceremonies was Naqiyah Ishaaq and I cannot speak highly enough of her. Very professional, open to opinions and suggestions (you can bring in photos of the type of make-up you would like to have and she'll try her best to create it for you) and most of all, friendly! Highly recommended. You can look her up on fb for photos of her work. :)
I think that's about it for now. If anything else pops up, I'll definitely pencil it in.
Till next time ladies!
