Registering Our Marriage with ROMM

Before our official solemnization, there are a few things we should do.

Here's a rough check list.

✔ Attend Marriage Preparation Course of your choice
(I think you may attend after registering too)
✔ Decide on time of Solemnization, Duit Hantaran, Mahar &
NIRC/ Passport info of Wali and Witnesses ready.
✔ Choose top 4 preferred Tok Kadi (optional)
✔ Take note of your earliest and latest dates to file for solemnization on ROMM's website
( 150>9 days from date of solemnization)

So today, 26th November is the official day for us to register.

Pro Tip #1: 
(but not applicable to every Tok Kadi)
.
This is usually for the 'kiasu' couples or couples who really, really, really want their preferred Tok Kadi like our case. We needed a Tok Kadi (who we had witnessed in videos) who can speak fluently in English with the same passion as in Malay. Also, a Tok Kadi Jhon would be comfortable and not intimidated with.

1 or 2 weeks before your earliest registration date, call your preferred Tok Kadi. Ask him if he is available on your solemnization date and ask if he could reserve/block the date until the date you would register.

If he says yes, on your day of registration (at any appropriate time of the day), as you are registering, you can call your Tok Kadi to open the date and you book him. End of story.

But as mentioned, this does not apply to every Tok Kadi because, after all, this is not good practice due to the loophole. Jhon did called Tok Kadi Hassan Bin Salim 2 weeks before our registration date and even though he didn't say it directly, he told Jhon to book him online for fairness. Jhon said he was very nice, kind and even explained the procedure thoroughly which makes him want Kadi Hassan even more.

That also means we had to register by having a mini 'slumber party' at my place so we can register at 12 midnight, 26th Nov 2015 on the dot to make sure we get first pickings. 'Slumber party' was optional of course, you guys can do it via phones but we just prefer this way.

Pro Tip #2:
Someone has asked this before so I'll just put this in.
Although you could go to ROMM itself and use the self-help kiosk to file your application for marriage, it's best you do it in the comfort of your own home on your laptop/ computer. There is no difference in the process except you could ask the admin there for help if needed. To be honest, the process is not complicated which leads us to the next tip.

Pro Tip #3:

Get yourself acquainted with the registration for marriage page. There are 5 steps to go through and there's plenty of reading needed in just the first step. Don't be afraid to click that Continue, Agree and Submit buttons to familiarize yourself with the process. Of course, don't push it by going through all the steps. After Step 2, everything is fairly easy.

By doing so, on the actual day, you are more likely to be confident rather being panicky unless you are always cool as cucumber then kudos to you!

Pro Tip #4:

Being a worry wart by nature, I find it helpful to have all the important info like full names, wali & witnesses' NIRC/ Passport numbers, addresses on a Microsoft Excel sheet/ Word and when it's time to register, I didn't have to type it in. Just copy and paste; confirm no typos.

Pro Tip #5:

If you don't have a printer ready to print out the receipt and acknowledgement for Marriage Application, click print but change destination as PDF and Ta Da! You've got a PDF of the document so save on your computer and available to print at any time. ROMM will send you an email anyways for the acknowledgement or you can request for your e-filing confirmation page from their site.

Because of Pro Tips #3 and #4, we managed to complete our application in about 3 minutes instead of 15 minutes as written on their site. lol Don't worry about being too 'kiasu' too because as soon as we were referred back to ROMM's main page, we saw this.

Hello fellow 'kiasu' BTB & GTB getting married on the same day. hahaha

Now just a couple a few more steps to go!

✘  Visit ROMM for verification of documents and statutory Declaration (VD/SD)/ interview, latest 5 weeks before wedding day aka The Interview.
✘ Call Kadi 1 week before wedding day to confirm booking.
✘ Official solemnization!

As always, will blog when that day comes.

***

We've done the ROMM 'interview', click here to read our experiences.




   

Certificate of No Marriage

If you are marrying someone from a different Nationality, Singapore ROMM requests a letter from the country of origin to confirm the marital status if single (not more than 3 months from date of issuance). Nobody wants to get married only to know their spouse has already wed in their country right?? The horror!

Since Jhon is a Filipino, I am going to share the process of getting the Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) in Philippines. If you want for other Nationalities, sorry ye...

There are 2 ways to get the Certificate of No Marriage.

Via Online

Proceed to https://www.ecensus.com.ph/ and click the request button.

"After you complete your online application, you will be issued a Batch Request Number and, for each request, a Request Reference Number. When paying for all requests in the batch, specify the Batch Request Number. When paying for a particular request only, specify the Request Reference Number."

Delivery within the PHILIPPINES: PHP 415.00 per copy
Delivery to OTHER COUNTRIES: USD 25.00 per copy
(Fees are inclusive of processing, delivery & government taxes)

The CENOMAR will be delivered between 3-9 days in Philippines depending the address and 6-8 WEEKS in other countries upon payment. If you require the CENOMAR within 5-8 days, you may email them for a faster delivery. All info is on their website.

Via in-person

 You may head to any Census Serbilis Centers. It's one of the reasons he went back to Philippines and he said he felt more secure requesting the certificate in person as opposed to online and wait for the document to fly into his hands.

Jhon went with his sister, Loi because she recently got married and the procedure was still fresh in her head. haha Jhon said he simply had to fill a form and queue. The procedure was relatively easy although he had to wait in line for about 1-2 hours. After paying an amount of a rough equivalent of SGD10 , he had to return to City Hall after 5 days to collect the CENOMAR.

Info that will be requested:
* Number of copies you are requesting
* Name (maiden name if married female)
* Sex
* Place of birth
* Date of birth
* Mother’s maiden name
* Father’s name
* Purpose of your request

Please take note that no matter what, for every Nationality, your certificate to prove your single status HAS to be in ENGLISH. For Philippines, it's originally written in English but there was a BTB who is marrying a Japanese guy and had the cert. written in Japanese. GTB said he could just translate for the people-in-charge during the Declaration of documents at ROMM. She had asked to clarify if it was okay.

Cannot, okay?

ROMM clearly stated on their website:
"Please note that you must produce the original documents. Documents that are not in English/Malay language must be accompanied with its certified translation in English."

Anyways, after all that process,it's just an official documentation/ declaration of Jhon's single status in Philippines. Such a simple document with such a huge importance.

   

Love & White Posies at Downtown East

When I saw Versari Ade's Facebook that they will be having a bridal runway show on November 1st, I was ecstatic! After checking with Jhon, I RSVP immediately! How can we miss out seeing Versari Ade's new collection, Embun 2 among others up close. At least, if we see any ones that we liked, we won't be so stressed on outfit choosing day.

Love & White Posies was actually hosted by SID events and had other vendors participated.
There were vendors for cards, wedding favors, photography, videography, photobooths, flower bouquets, wedding cakes, DJ, kompang, caterer, candy corner, churros corner and even meat carving station!!

Vendors not stated above are Marvelicious by MCL and Tigafolks & Co.

Jhon and I had breakfast at Downtown east and hang around for a while before heading to the pavilion. We entered about 12+pm where we had 2 bottles of water and a door gift from Fazz Urban Farm. Which by the way, I've tasted their Mocha, Cappuccino & Hot Chocolate (all in the gift box) thus far and it's yummy if you don't like the strong taste of coffee like me.

The place looked fantastic; simple yet grand. It's what SID Events do best and are known for. In terms of location, I would totally recommend this place if it fits your budget.

We checked out the area and kaypo on vendors that we haven't booked. Who knows if it goes below our budget, we can just book. hehe Anyways, we saw Kak Ida from Versari Ade or should I say, she saw us first! This lady is amazing. She not only remember us but also remember our appointments and all when we hardly could remember. To think she had to handle hundreds and thousands of clients. She was welcoming as always. We giggled here and there. I am looking forward for our fitting with her this December.

[FB: SID Events Pte Ltd]

After making our rounds, we sat to get ready for the runway. At first, we sat on the 2nd row but since the place was not packed yet, the DJ from Aidi Abas Entertainment requested us to move forward. Haiyah.. paiseh but auntie side of me wants to have great view. 

The show started with a 'bedek' bride and groom entrance wearing Versari Ade's outfits and a performance of Artiste Seni Budaya. Sighs... if not for budget, I would love to have at least dancers to lead us. 

 [lol blue spotlight make the dancers look like hantu]

Anyways, the runaway consists of 4 segments with a performance in between. 

I hope I segmented the outfits correctly. Click the picture to enlarge.

Solemnization Outfits (Embun 2)

Event Wear

After event wear, there was another performance from Artise Seni Budaya. It made me happy and look forward to my own wedding even though my wedding don't have such performances. haha I guess 'ada feeling-feeling'. Proof that we enjoyed it, forgot to take pictures. So I put picture of their performance at the beginning. =D

Evening Wear

Western Wear

Yes, there were several Jhon and I have aimed. 'Lawa!' At least in our eyes. hehe I can't wait to try them on and hopefully it fits me well. 

Sure there were hiccups such as one of dancers accidentally dropped their props, improper timing as when the models do the runaway but everything was professionally handled.

After the runway, there was food tasting. We didn't try the main food (nasi briyan and such) but only their desserts from Marvelicious by MLC. Their desserts were on point! Jhon and I tried roast beef and seafood aglio from Tigafolks. Their roast beef was perfect and delectable and I am still craving for them even until now. As for their aglio, it was delicious too but unless you love chili padi, it might be too a little spicy to some. 

Jhon and I tried churros for the first time (late bloomers lol) from Zulos and we still don't understand the hype. The taste was good but I guess we didn't expect the texture? Auntie-Uncle lah, kita.

Well, after having our late lunch, we headed home. 

I am so grateful that we went for the event. We get to see what we needed to see and we were so satisfied. So remember BTB, if your preferred or even already booked bridal has a runway show, GO ATTEND it! 

Anyways, you can check out Versari Ade's own set of photos which have back stage pictures and all.

VERSARI ADE @ runway
Posted by VERSARI ADE on Saturday, November 14, 2015

   

Caterer Booked!

If you read my post about Wedding Hurdles: Caterer Woes, you would know it's been a long wait for the official booking.

Well, guess what? We had officially booked Nurie Creations.

They have absolutely no social media whatsoever. From past experiences when they do, we were informed that other catering companies will post hate messages due to their low prices. Besides that, their main means of advertisement is through word-of-mouth or via newspapers classifieds. Even when they do advertise, they would do it sparingly because they usually do 2 weddings per weekend.

Anyways, this caterer has been around for more than 12 years and the main reason for having the business is just to have something to do (gotong-royong) with the family. She remains very low profile over these years but she said 'syukur alhamdulilah', despite it all, business is good. Her costs are low compared to others because she gauges profit within her needs; not in excess.

She does only 2 weddings per weekend and her prices are less than $10k for 1000pax and less than $7000k for 500pax depending on specific packages and all is inclusive of decor. Of course like any other packages, additional charges are available but if you want extra variety of food or request of an exclusive decor.

I can't speak for the 1000 pax pricing but it's really affordable for 500pax because if not all, most caterers has been quoting us about $10,000 to $13,000! That doesn't makes sense right? And even there are packages that they provide that is of lesser costs, the type of dishes are lesser too.

I know what are you thinking, "What's the catch?"

That's the thing. No catch. Just sincere people doing what they love. Even their deposit to officially book with invoice is not by the thousands and deposit only half of the cost 2 months before the wedding. Their food is delicious and we had tasted 3 times. We saw how they work as our appointments were at someone's weddings and would chat at the kitchen area. Everyone was working efficiently and workstations were clean.

[Our basic package - might add at least 2 more types of food like prawn & goreng pisang/keledek]

At this point, I don't want to over praise them lah. After all, despite my cousin had engaged them with no complains and our one-on-one time with the caterer has been wonderful, I will review more after my wedding just like other vendors.

Note that business is closed on Ramadhan & Shawal and packages prices are updated every mid year.

I am so glad to finally book a caterer!

Update:

Our wedding is done. 

Read their full review here!

   

Laser Tag At East Coast Park

For Shibly's birthday, Abg brought us to Tag Team at East Coast Park Parkland.

Jhon and I have went there before when they recently opened but we went to the Battle Zone with bigger guns using a military simulated gun replica weighting 2.5kg called the Cobras. The Cobras has a shooting range of 150-200m which could cover the distance of the Battle Zone from one end to the other. Minimum age allowed is about 6-7 years old but as long as the kid can carry the gun, there is no problem! The place is not air-conditioned but sheltered. Of course, I lost to Jhon but it was legit fun even it was just 15 minutes.

Since we have Syihab (5 years old) around, we had to go to the Mystery Room. It's smaller compared to the Battle Zone but it's air-conditioned. There is no need to wear a sensor vest unlike the Battle Zone. The gun used is called the Scorpion which is smaller and weigh less than 1kg. Even though this room is catered to younger kids, adults can play too!

In one glance, paying S$15 for just 15 mins may seem steep but trust me, if you really play properly, you will sweat!

For the first mission/ game, everyone had played except for Mak. She thought it would be too tiring for her even trying to coax her. We had our first round with Abg, Kak Yana, Shibly, Syihab, Syazan, Jhon and I. Abg, Jhon and I had sweat like crazy because we were really into it. lol

Red Team consists of Abg, Kak Yana and the 2 kids while Blue Team was Syazan, Jhon and I. Of course, we won lol.

The kids wanted to play some more so Abg requested another round but this time all of us kept insisitng that Mak join us. She was apprehensive when she saw us covered in sweat but I just told her, she could be a 'camper' lol. You know, just hide but only shoot when someone appears in front of her. In the end, she joined us.

She had a great time! If you watch my vlog below, you could see her scurrying here and there chasing her grandchildren. haha We did fell but it was a slow motion fall so it was okay.
So Blue team won again and you could see how 'unhappy' Kak Yana was. It was so funny.

Here's the laser tag vlog. Sorry for the shakiness and grainy video. It's hard to concentrate to record properly when I am also trying to enjoy the fun, you know. Plus, I don't have any gimbal or any sort. Mystery room was not brightly lit because mystery mah... lol


We headed to CentrePoint and had lunch at Desa Kartika. It's the first time Jhon and I went there and it's good to see the place in person since we did knew that weddings can be held there. Actually, the ambiance was pretty nice and cozy. It's the place was not that big but definitely not cramp. As for the food that day, errm... not that awesome though. Although Abg and Kak Yana did mention it was good quite some time ago when they had eaten here.

Abg and Mak 'sleeping' lol

Afterwards, we headed to Toys R Us express. Yet again, first time there and for an express store, it's humongous! I also appreciate that there were not many people there. Of course the kids got their toys galore that day. 

I just bought Jhon a dancing skeleton. He was laughing hysterically whenever he saw it danced so I decided to buy for him. He can put it on his work desk and whenever he is stressed, he can just wind it up. I find the skeleton hilarious too but it's actually overpriced leh.

We later then went to Swenson's nearby to buy an ice-cream cake and celebrated at our place. 

Mak's eyes are always caught close on camera.

Thank you Abg for having us!

   

Wedding Hurdle 3: Caterer Woes Overcame

If you missed my earlier Wedding Hurdle Series, click below.
Wedding Hurdle 1: Location, Overcame
Wedding Hurdle 2: Future Home, Overcame
Wedding Hurdle 3: Caterer Woes

Please read the Caterer Woes story first before proceeding to know the entire story.

Basically,  Jhon and I have aiming this specific caterer for it's delicious food but most importantly for prices that are amazing. The problem is, it took very long to secure them for whatever circumstances.

Long story short and continuing from the Caterer Woes post, it turned out that our patience was superbly optimistic with strong endurance because we finally OFFICIALLY (with invoice) booked them!!! 6 months before our wedding!

Actually, it was not booked on the appointment mentioned in the old post. That time, she wanted us to have a formal taste testing with her. But after meeting her and her team, we felt rest assured that we were dealing with good people. No 'bedek-bedek' so we knew we were on a good path. It was only after 1 month when Jhon called again for a meet up for actual business talk.

I am sorry for being mysterious but I promise I will share who is my caterer within a week. Not purposely to drag the info but I actually have a schedule for my blog posts.
Also, this is not mean to taint this caterer as in saying 'susah nak book' or 'susah to book appointment'. I swear I am just sharing our experiences when it comes to booking a caterer.

I am also pretty sure what we experiencing were just pure bad timing (we inquired when 2016 quotes were not available, Ramadhan, Hari Raya, she went Haj) but perseverance worked for us.

Whatever it is, so far, it was worth the wait.
I, therefore declared, hurdle crossed

I don't want any more hurdles please. hurhur

   

ArtScience Museum: The Deep

A while back, Jhon and I visited Singapore's ArtScience Museum for The Deep exhibition. I have been wanted to visit it ever since it was announced. Since I was young, I have always been greatly interested in deep sea creatures. I even had made a school report and presentation about it.

Unfortunately, as you are reading this, the exhibition has long ended

 “More men have walked on the moon than have dived to the deepest part of our oceans.” – Dr. Cindy Lee Van Dover

 "The deep sea is Earth’s largest reservoir of life but has remained largely uncharted by Man, with only 10 percent of the seafloor mapped so far. The Deep reveals the mysteries lurking in the deep through the display of perfectly preserved and extremely rare animals in crystalline details, accompanied by mesmeric images of captivating sea fauna and ethereal bioluminescent creatures, some photographed for the very first time. The Deep brings together the largest collection of deep-sea creatures ever displayed in South East Asia. Providing a unique opportunity to encounter the reality of the deep first-hand and to raise public awareness about the fragility of the deep sea ecosystem.

The Deep is presented in a unique, pitch–black environment, virtually immersing you onto the realm of the deep sea. It will unfold to reveal the different depths of the sea, such as life in the mid-water and life on the ocean floor through different themed zones."
[source from ArtScience Museum's website)

Some of the fishes I noticed were small than I remembered. I had pictured them bigger but it turned out to be really small creatures.

The fish which tried to attract and attack Nemo and Dory in Finding Nemo.

Fierce.

I have also vlogged about our visit there.



In case you didn't know, I've been slowly trying to vlog here and there; nothing fancy lah. You can subscribe to my channel if you find my videos interesting and tolerable to watch. haha Similar reason why I started blogging, it's to document whatever I deem interesting/informative in my life but in video format.

I am so grateful that ArtScience Museum had The Deep exhibition. I want more!