Wedding Review: Invogue Photography

It's hard to find affordable photographers with decent skills. The ones we truly like are always over budget. We only came across Mr Lim from Invogue Photography through Versari Ade since he is their in-house photographer.

Yes, we got the unconventional Chinese photographer but he had years of experience and we had looked at his portfolio of Malay weddings at VA's office.

Our first encounter with Mr Lim was during our pre-wedding photoshoot. As mentioned on a separate post review on the studio shoot, he was silly in our eyes and we love silly.

Personality wise, definitely no complains that goes with his work. We get what we paid for so that's nothing much we could comment. His photos are clear, he got all the important shots and even the snap shots. The only thing I could really comment was I wished he had more effort in arranging my family portrait.

To give him credit, I did told him before hand that my family ni ada tension, mostly between my parents. I had told him not make or encourage them to sit together as it was a no go. I guess with that, he was just being cautious and let everyone stand where ever they want therefore the mess. BUT with that said, it makes the scene more natural and he DOES advice and arrange the other guests.

My siblings pun satu, tak tahu stand with their respective partner. Step single-mingle, diri jauh2. haha

I won't be posting most of his photos here. I will post them as I write about my wedding.

Here's just a glance through.

He likes to say "Count her/his black heads" for this shots. haha

Just like my family, it's imperfect but it's rare to have a complete picture of my family like this.
Especially with Jhon's family, only God knows when this will happen again. The people not here on Jhon's side is his brother, Paul and Loi's husband.







So happy to have a nice photo of arwah Auntie Tipah.



I love this picture because I look like a mannequin and Jhon is looking at me so lovingly. Snap shots can be the best kind of photos.



Dah, enough. See more photos when I write about our actual solemnisation and wedding event.



 Invogue Photography
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Wedding Review: Versari Ade

As mentioned many-many times before, when I saw Abg Hadi's work and outfits from Versari Ade many many years ago, I knew I wanted VA too even though marriage was never near my mind.

Not only their make up is the kind that enhances your natural beauty, their wedding style is mostly traditional with a modern touch. Being an old bride, I was never into those hipster weddings which has nothing wrong with it, it's just not my preference.

Unfortunately, even if I wanted Abg Hadi to do my make-up, he was unavailable for my wedding for his other work commitments. We had his sister instead, Kak Dee which I had no problem since I noticed everyone's style was similar.

Read about the day we booked Versari Ade and the subsequent appointments with them here:
The Booking, The Outfit Choosing and The Final Fitting.

I've never met Kak Dee before so I was a little nervous because she will be spending the whole day with me; seeing me half naked, sweaty and be up real close to my face. She ran a tad late but it was okay lah. It didn't effect much time on my itinerary. Remember BTB, you got to loosen up the reins a little.

Kak Dee was a sweet lady. The more I talked and get to know her, the more she has a few traits similar like mine. Abit awkward but obviously more open to meeting people because of her job scope.

I am never particular about make up. I appreciate thick make up that accentuates more of natural beauty but not over board that it hides it. I just told Kak Dee what I told Abg Hadi, do whatever you think is best. Enhance my natural beauty (if have lol) and don't be shy with those double eyelid tapes.

I won't go in such detail but everyone loved our outfits. There were plenty of oooh and aahhs which of course I appreciate. Nasib tak kembang sampai baju koyak.

Make up wise, I am happy but the problem was, my wedding was an emotional roller coaster ride. Plenty of crying and crazy laughter. So imagine that tears and sweat on my make up. Those fake eyelashes unfortunately didn't stay fresh as long as it should. haha

I decided to let my hair down for my nikah since the next 2 hairstyles will be up in a bun.







For our main outfit for the wedding ceremony, since it was purple, Kak Dee brought purple orchids to match which was a delightful surprise. The make up on this was was definitely my favorite. It was darker and deeper which suits our outfit.





Lastly, my gown to match Jhon's Barong. Just a disclaimer for new readers, we had to buy our own barong. You may read here on how. Since traditional Barong are cream in color, we chose a gown to fit. I love it that we could incorporate Filipino's styling even for a little bit. I could see the sense of pride of Jhon's family and his peers.





Now, my review on Kak Dee herself.
(ahh... stress tak Kak Dee and team if you are reading this? lol)

I don't have bridesmaids or groomsmen. I only have orang kuat. So help is welcomed by anyone who is available to. Technically, yes, my sis and Fizah, my best buddy should be my first people to rely on but both of them had babies! Understandably so, they weren't available to for me every minute or hour.

This is I commanded Kak Dee and her dedicated Mak Andam duties. Yes, she did what a Mak Andam traditionally should do; not just doll you up and maybe a little touch ups here and there. She made sure we were hydrated, food is ready for us, followed the itinerary as close as possible, made sure we were posed properly, she even held my house keys to go in and out of the house and many more.

I didn't expect such traditional practice which made me appreciate her even more. For some of you who always rant about duit mak andam that it's not deserving since their services are expected from the bridal package, if you have such service, you won't complain at all. Ikhlas, I kasi.

No regrets in choosing Versari Ade. Their dedication towards us was above and beyond.

Versari Ade
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Hari Raya 2016 - 1st Shawal

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, maaf zahir & batin to all my fellow readers!
[sorry for the delay, busy-busy-busy]

As usual like the previous years, our hari raya has always been unconventional. Mak would head down to Abg Jamil's house for the whole day and all the children will be there for visiting. Since I live with Abg Jamil now, technically, everyone will be coming over to my house.

This year is a special year too. Jhon went to a mosque to solat for the first time with the company of Abg Jamil. Listening to a Mualaf's first time spiritual experiences is always interesting. He was never that happy and calm at the same time.

After the men did their solat at Masjid Sultan and we had breakfast, Jhon and I went to Tenaga to visit Ayah. Surprisingly, Mak was home too but they were just minding their own business. I did as much quality time I could with Ayah and showed him our wedding photo album.

Who has a parent who hardly smiles for the camera? I do.

After a while, with Mak tagging along, we went back home to our place.

We didn't nothing much the entire day. Just ate, bersalam-salaman, watched TV and even napped. My siblings only came by after 9pm which was a bore because we were already restless. haha

Kakak and family came by first.

And Abg and family next.
(see how the photo quality changed because main cameraman was asleep lol)

Everyone had supper.
Unfortunately, we didn't have our big family portrait. It's always been like this but it's okay. It's always delayed to the next available weekend.

I hope everyone have a wonderful Hari Raya among family and friends in their own special and unique way.


   

Playbrush: Playing while Brushing your Teeth! (Giveaway)

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Some of you may know that although I am not working, I spend most of my time help Mak take care of my 4 little nephews and niece ages 9, 6, 5 years old and one at only 5 months old. Believe me when I say I have more than a taste of what a mother experienced. I bathe them, feed them and even help them with school work. I don't want a medal or anything, I do this to help my mom.

I digress...

My point of sharing this is to tell you that one of the many challenging things to do is have the boys to brush their teeth properly.

I even resulted to singing 'This is the way we brush our teeth' where every repeat represents 1 area of the mouth. So imagine me singing that tune 8 times (front, sides, top, bottom and tongue) until my throat goes dry just to make sure that they brush properly.

Do you know that...

😀 More than half of all children in Singapore have one or more rotten teeth by the time they start primary school? - straitstimes.com
😀 Many dentists agree that proper brushing takes at least 2 minutes & some even suggests 3 minutes?
😀 Proper brushing technique is probably more important than timing?
😀 If teeth are not brushed at an adequate time & with proper technique, it will lead to heavy plaque build up on teeth & eventually lead to plaque on the arteries?

See?
I am not being an obsessive teeth cleaning aunt, my concerns are real.

So when I received an email to have a chance to try Playbrush (which honestly I've never heard of), I was ecstatic. Not only because it's cool but also useful.

What's so special about Playbrush?

It encourages users, especially kids to brush their teeth for at least 2 minutes properly. You know how kids of this generation are so in tuned with games from all kinds of consoles. By linking teeth brushing and game playing, everyone wins! 

In the box, you will receive the Playbrush, charger, instructional & safety manual, a raffle card and a storybook titled 'The story of Utoothia'.

The story book is rather cute and engaging as it gives a story line to the actual game. The clean and colorful characters add charisma and imagination. Since the book serves as a separate entity, who's to say you can't use as a for daily story book time too?

Playbrush comes with a charger that can be easily connected to any USB adapter and the Bluetooth connection after downloading the game app Utoothia (Android/iOS) was fairly easy. Switch the Bluetooth on your handphone and shake Playbrush. As soon as it blinks, you are good to go. 

As mentioned before, you can attach any sized manual toothbrush and believe me, I've tried. Which means 1 Playbrush is enough for the entire family. I love it that it's lightweight and not bulky which is perfect for travel too. It also comes in pink.

I know I have 3 nephews but I let Syihab try it first. He was apprehensive at first because this is the first time I use have him to try and review something for me let alone make a video out of it. Thanks to his exposure to YouTube channels like Evantube, I managed to convince him. hahaha

Despite being camera shy, after telling him the product he was going to try and review, he was excited. Who wouldn't be? It's a new toy & game for him which encourages him to brush his teeth properly although the latter serves as an achievement for the parents (and aunts).

Here's the setup. I placed a handphone holder (meant for cars lol) on the sink and it's a perfect stand and height for him. You can just lean the handphone against the tap or wall too. Of course, before putting the handphone, I downloaded Utoothia, chose & name the character before letting him connect and play.

Serious Syihab is serious.

 

I did gave him a trial run and had to warn him not to be so aggressive with this teeth brushing. It's bound to happen you know, sometimes when you play a game you get 'geram'.

Utoothia encourages the player to brush properly by having the sensor follow the direction of his brushing. For example, if he brushes left, the character shoots left. If he brushes his bottom teeth, the character shoots down. The game also encourages proper speed of teeth brushing. Each level lasts for 2 minutes. (familiar time frame?)

It has point system and achievement rewards to ensure constant interest. 

As soon as he got the hang of it, he couldn't get enough and we might have another problem.

Over brushing. haha

So what does Syihab thinks of Playbrush? Watch this video to find out.



Want to get your hands on one for your kid/nephews/niece/yourself?

You can try you luck to WIN your own set by heading to Sample Store’s Facebook page to participate in the contest giveaway that ends on 24th July 2016. If you’re one of the lucky 20 who win, they can then participate in the Playbrush Utoothia high score contest here.

Out of luck? Then you can purchase their own set at http://www.playbrush.com for a $20 discount off their retail price of SGD $89! Simply use promo code: PBSG2016

And guess what?
Playbrush is on the search for a kid Ambassador from 18th July 2016.
Stay tuned to Sample Store Facebook page for more details.

If I don't get to convince you enough 😢 and need more reviews, head down to Samplestore webpage on Playbrush for more bloggers' reviews.

   

Wedding Review: Dann's Entertainment

DJ/ Emcee was one of those components in our wedding that we wanted that is simple. When I say simple, I mean, no need of some celebrity Emcee/ host or need to have some games/ questionnaire with the guests. Not that there's anything wrong with it, it's just we don't want lah. lol

We wanted a DJ/Emcee who can interact well, acknowledge the guests Malay & non-Malay, make the necessary announcements on the dot and obviously follow our preferred music preferences.

To be honest, since we engaged Dann's Entertainment, we didn't expect much only because our criteria was simple. But we were so grateful and appreciated that they gave their all to our wedding. Abg Handan & Fauzan had great chemistry so their banter didn't sound fake or forced. Sometimes, my guests does reciprocate but when they don't, the partners recover fast.

Knowing that Jhon is a Filipino, they made an effort to acknowledge and touch base a little on Philippines by saying Mabuhay and such. You know, it's about the little things I take note. =)

I did gave Abg Hamdan a song list of my own via Dropbox. Songs such as Bob Marley - Is this Love, Gwen Stefani - Make Me Like You, Bette Midler - Be My Baby, Coldplay - Lovers in japan and much more awesome songs. I told him to play along with his own song list and requested him to refrain from playing sad & sappy Malay songs. Unless it's requested by guests who wants to karaoke, then never mind, no choice. haha

We had Paroyka Ni Edgar - Minamahal kita as our 2nd outfit entrance with Jhon's Barong and Alanis Morissette - Head Over Feet (starting from Chorus) for our cake cutting. They had a cake popper too. I initially didn't want it because I melatah but I went for it anyways because macam fun. When the moment came, I just braced myself so externally, I looked cool je but inside, "Janganterperanjat, Janganterperanjat, Janganterperanjat" lol

Besides handing Abg Handan the wedding card, I also gave him list of contacts, itinerary and the names of our immediate families. So that they can call efficiently for family photo taking or for whatever reason. I can confidently say, that Abg Hamdan and Fauzan had greatly used all the information I gave to them.

During our special 2nd entrance, they had guided us to ensure a proper entrance and made the necessary announcements so that all eyes were on us.

After our thank you speeches, they also asked us a couple of questions which we didn't expect. Abg Hamdan and Fauzan asked Jhon on how we met and the moment he first saw me. He said we met at work and that he knew that something was special about me.

They then asked me what was I doing and if I knew about the moment and I said, yes and it was my first day at work and I was given a tour of the office! The place was kecoh sekejap especially when I said I had no mutual feeling. hahaha

My other favorite moment was after the mega family photo taking and the standard "SELAMAT PENGANTIN BARU!!" and such. Dann's Entertainment randomly played a Hindustan song,Tukur Tukur from the movie Dilwale

And this broke out.



Mind you, my family is hardly ever the spontaneous and sporting time. This is the first time within our family affair it happens. Kecoh tahap maxima!

Yeah, I have no sense of rhythm and kinda mimicked Pak & Mak Hitam. I have those moves when you just move to the groove as it feels good but it looks freaking awkward. But it doesn't matter especially for moments that never happened before. Mind you, we were surprised Pak Hitam danced on stage with us, ESPECIALLY Mak Hitam the cool and chill makcik. They danced for so long, I was laughing to Jhon asking are we done yet?

And yes, I breathed a big sigh of relief as Uncle insisted that we stand up and dance (you think me dancing while sitting down look bad? Think again) and as we stood up, the music stopped. Alhamdulillah.

Abg was joking asking what drugs we put in the food. haha
Ask Cik Normie from Nurie Creations lah.

I didn't know everyone was having so much fun and at an absolutely high (pun not intented) and that song apparent brought it out. I can't wait for our official wedding video to be ready. These are the moments we are glad we hired a videographer.

Anyways, Dann's Entertainment is a prime example of great professionalism at an affordable cost. Check them out!
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Wedding Review: Tok Kadi Hassan

Eh? Tok Kadi pun kena review? lol

Yea, I initially didn't intend to until I received an email from ROMM to give feedback on our tok kadi. Not only that, the topic of tok kadi is also one of the top searched posts on my blog. So I figured, I share my hands on experience with Kadi Hassan.

I came across Kadi Hassan after intense researching of tok kadi speaking in English videos among others. I listed him among 4 others and showed all the videos to Jhon. Since he is the one who will face him especially at a pivotal moment, I let him choose according to preference.

Kadi Hassan was his first choice.

I didn't knew much of him but judging by his age, I could tell, he might be long winded. Biasalah kan? Older folks has more stories to tell. hehe I noticed that he also does minor physical touches. For me, if a stranger touch me especially when stressed, I get more stressed. lol But Jhon didn't mind at all. He said he reminds him of his grandpa and the touching would comfort him.

So okay lor!

We were so lucky to able to choose him while registering.
No issues there.

Fast forward to 1 week before our wedding, Jhon made a call to Kadi Hassan because we were advised to to double confirm the arrangements. Apparently, he didn't have the papers in hand and said will call us ASAP when he got our complete details.

2 days passed and Jhon started to get nervous. Silly man. Eventually, Kadi Hassan called me. The reason being, he said it's easier to explain to me (since as a Malay/ Muslim, I already roughly know the procedure) and I can explain to Jhon better.

He double checked with our details and shared a list of facts we should know.

❣ He is a 75 years old freelance Kadi. He has no office in ROMM, therefore the slight delay in paperwork to receive in his hands. He only goes out when a couple requests for him.

❣ Someone has to pick him up near his house to your wedding location. I see no problem in this because of his age AND I love it that we can control his arrival to avoid late/ lost tok kadi. Don't worry, he will give specific road directions.

❣ He didn't specify but on my wedding day, my bro had to send him back to his house only because he has no appointment until 4pm. So after makan, they went.

❣ He explains in complete detail on what is going to happen during the solemnization.
- Marriage declaration
- Recite Syahadah
- Kadi's Khutbah
- Istigfar
- Recite Al-Fatihah
- Recite Taqlik

❣ He ensures greatly that he will never ask Jhon religious questions but Jhon can ask him.

❣ He ensures that he will never shame Jhon or put him in a spot in any way.

❣ Being a freelance Kadi, he does indirectly request to give more than the standard S$100; how much extra is up to you.

❣ He said if Jhon requires, he can write down the nikah declaration and even prayers just in case he forgets. It would considered as acceptable.

He is a friendly, nice and a warm person. Yes, sometimes ter-off course in the conversation but tolerable.

On THE day.

Again, I try not to share so much story on a personal level but I tell you, it's story worthy.
So what ah... haha

Kadi Hassan was calm and confident. Even when Jhon was emotionally scattered, he tried to calm Jhon down. Before the proceedings started, he gave advises and mini lessons. He advised everyone to never question and shame Jhon directly or indirectly. Nobody is perfect and instead do self-reflections first.

I tell you, majority and if not all of his advises were on the ringer. All the trials and tribulations of certain people commenting about our relationship and religion strength was all mentioned. Best of all, those people were present. So it's almost Godsend when he said all those things. Maybe he is long winded to other people but I don't mind. What he said are vital not only to us as a couple but to also other people. Plus, he didn't exceed my itinerary time.

Being a tok kadi for so many decades, he also knows the standard procedures in photo taking and such. So he was also the guide to help pose, vital moments and such which was nice.

Majority liked Kadi Hassan, especially my mom. She knew about people's comments about Jhon too so she had felt very happy that someone wise had declared what's truly right and wrong.

We have the utmost respect for him and glad he was the one who married us off.

For those who are wondering, the marriage declaration in English is

"I accept the hand of, [bride's full name] in marriage, with the said mahar."

Will consider to post a video of him in action when we have our wedding video.

   

Wedding Review: Gubahan Cinta

Initially, Jhon and I decided to DIY our wedding trays. We had brainstormed so many ideas but as months passed by, that idea dwindled down. I knew for sure I wanted to book sireh dara but at the same time, I was looking at potential wedding tray designs too. Just in case we decided to rent them, we can use the same vendor.

That's when Gubahan Cinta came along.

In my opinion, her costs and style are in middle ground for me; nice works with affordable prices which is hard to come by. (cheap = low quality, high class work = expensive)

In slightly less than a month, we met up with Kak Wannie to pass our stuff  (except for money and jewelry) and finalized our chosen designs. Even on that day, I was still unsure should I go for my favorite red colored flower bouquet because my sanding outfit was royal purple.

We also had issues with Jhon's cycling sunglasses. We had bought it but the company had to order it overseas and was supposed to arrive weeks before meeting Kak Wannie. Some how, it was delayed to a few days before the meet up. In the end, we only got it 2 weeks before the wedding. We just took pictures of what will be showcased to her and eventually, she arranged everything on pick up day (night before the wedding).

Besides the late sunglasses, Kak Wannie also did on the spot set up of the duit hantaran, rings and bracelet. Abg, Kak Yana and Jhon had picked all the 8 trays, 1 flower bouquet and 1 sireh dara.

The wedding tray theme was gold & silver.

Hers

His

I know to most, it's really simple and actually doable for a DIY. I agree but since Jhon and I had to plan our wedding from beginning to end and with lack of help, we didn't think we can do it ourselves especially at crunch time. So yeah, for this case, we did sacrifice money for time.

I know what you're thinking too, if we were paying for it, why not choose a 'worthy' design? Well, since day 1, I wanted this concept lah. We wanted my trays to be simple, humble, classic and traditional and we got exactly what we wanted.

Since our wedding decor was gold, it was obvious that the color accents I choose is red. My first initial thought was having a full blown red roses but I appreciate this version has it has different textures with some dimensions. Sireh dara design was chosen by Mak. She wanted a super traditional one and she said this design was the closest to it.

I don't have any proper pictures of the hantaran together from guests and this is the best version. I like it that they match when they sit together.

If you like simple & affordable wedding trays, sireh dara/ junjung with not overpriced flower bouquets (fresh or satin), Gubahan Cinta is good for you.

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