Updates on our Happy Future Planning

I just wished my hubby a Happy 3 months to our marriage today. :D

It has been three months since the day we solemnised and this is the first time I remember our 3rd month of marriage on the exact day. I always remembered it either a few days before the 10th or after that. Since I can't remember myself, I can't blame hubby too. But of course, come the next 10 Oct, we certainty won't forget. :)

Some people have been asking me how's marriage life but I told them I couldn't feel much difference because we are still living apart with our own parents, besides the calling of each other "laogong" and "laopo" occassionally. But I do feel a sense of a status change especially now that I know I'm no longer single, with that wedding band on my finger that I faithfully wear 24 hours a day (except when I'm baking / washing up) until it already gets scratches in just 3 months... *heart pain* LOL

For the past few months we've been busy planning for our new home renovation, sourcing for banquet locations and choosing of a date for our customary wedding. I'm so happy that we have finally fixed our customary in Jan 2012, and we have booked the banquet location at Orchard Hotel at the Wedding Fair last Saturday. It will be an 8-course Chinese sit-down lunch. Reviews from the Chinese Hua Ting Restaurant in Orchard Hotel has been good so far and hopefully they'd remain the standard and we love the ballrooms! :)

Yeah... finally one item settled and we are on our way to concentrate on our renovation planning, before the keys come in March.

Exactly one more year to go... though I can forsee it wouldn't feel that long cos' this year's gonna be a really busy year for both of us but we are enjoying every moment of it. I'm looking forward to building our nest and the bridal photoshots a few months later. :D :D Will try to update as much as I can. ;)

Sneak Preview on 10.10.10

I am married, to Mr Fong on 10 Oct 2010 or 10.10.10, the perfect 10 ( 十全十美 which stands for perfectness) :P

Together with 118 couples or perhaps even more who didn't sign up for the event, we exchange our vows before 5pm in the beautiful Palawan Beach at Sentosa. Heaven's on our side, as the weather was really good; though hot and sunny, the sky was clear blue with beautiful clouds, perfect for beach photos. we were glad it didn't rain and everything went smoothly. Before our photographer is ready with the photos, I'd just upload a few photos taken by my dear friends to have a glimpse of my solemnisation at Sentosa. :D

I didn't take a break the next day as I'm tied down with work. But I'm taking a day off today and wanna spend a day with dd as a different status (hubby and wifey) hehe *shy*

Wedding contest

Two more days, and our marital status will be different. :) I'd definitely not be used to becoming a Mrs or Mdm. so I'll still remain my salutation as a Ms. :P Friends and colleagues have been asking whether I'm excited or anxious or not... Hehe... to be frank, I'm still not too anxious yet, but I don't know what will be on that day. :P

My team of colleagues gave me a card and gift vouchers to congratulate me on my wedding. Really appreciate their thoughtfulness, especially my boss, who has been very nice and concerned about my preparations for my ROM, and even helped me find out how to apply for marriage leave and get the vouchers for newly weds from the HR department, which i wasn't aware of she had not told me. Her gestures allow me to see another side of her, a good boss who not only leads the team well, but also cares about the welfare of her subordinates. Whenever she asked me about my wedding, she would be reminiscing about the days when she got married...:D

As you know all, I'm taking part in the "I do" wedding at Sentosa and they actually came out with a contest - "The Most Celebrated Couple" Contest! Prizes include:

Champion: 3D2N stay at Resort World Sentosa & Universal Studios tickets
1st Runner-up: 2 pairs of Universal Studio tickets
2nd Runner-up: 1 pair of Universal Studio tickets

My eyes blinked when I saw the prizes. But to be the most celebrated couple that's prominent enough to stand out, we need to create an identity, through:
Team members (i.e our family or friends) need to have a cheer or jingle for us;

Create a strong couple identity with unique attire and dress code; Haha that's definitely out for us. I'm not the adventurous one and would want just to wear my traditional white wedding dress. In fact there was this option of opting to have an underwater solemnisation but we opted out of it. :D

Props such as banners or ply-cards.

Looks like we'll have to give the contest a miss because what we wanted is to have a relax, outdoor wedding with our family and close friends (although there'll be more than a hundred couples!) If only the contest is opened for voting online, I'll definitely ask all my friends, family and readers to vote for me. ;)

One month Countdown

In exactly one months time, dd and I will be saying our vows in the presence of the Justice of Peace and our parents as the witnesses and be declared husband and wife lawfully. :) When we met our solemnizer last week as he briefed us about what is going to happen on that day and as he mentioned the word 'husband and wife', I still can't believe this is true. These two words may sound so significant but I guess to us as a Chinese who still have to follow the Chinese traditions of going through customary rituals such as choosing an auspicious date and paying respect to our ancestor, we would feel that we are married only when we have gone through the Chinese customary wedding. I wonder whether I should introduce him as my hubby or.... I seriously don't know cos' it feels weird! Haha... I think same goes for him.. well we shall see ;)

Not sure if anyone of you had came across the above advertisement about this "I do" Wedding at Sentosa on 10.10.2010. This is an event collaborated by People's Association, Singapore Press Holdings and Sentosa whereby they organised a mass wedding solemnisation for couples on the 10 Oct 2010. Last year, they raganised a similar mass wedding event at Singapore Botanic Gardens on the 29 Sep 2009 (20092009) - "I do" garden wedding at Botanic Garden.

Yeah, we are one of the participants this year, with about 100 other couples at Sentosa! Some of you may be thinking what actually made us want to sign up for this event, to be getting married with other couples, all around Sentosa. Well for us, we felt it was special, because 10.10.10 is a perfect, memorable date for us.

It was one of our initial plans to get married on a special date like this, or we have also considered 20 Oct 2010 (20102010), but we kind of just pushed that plan aside cos' we thought it's a little to soon for us *lol* but when this advertisement came out, dd immediately called me and we discussed about it, and decided to sign up for it. I had always wanted to have an outdoor wedding, such as a garden or beach wedding, however dd and I decided to do away with this plan as we were worried about the unforseen weather conditions in Singapore. Now, I'm so happy that I'm able to fulfil my outdoor dream wedding planned for us :D Let's just keep our fingers crossed that it will be a good weather on that day. Anyhow, the event would still go ahead, be it rain or shine. :) Don't be surprised if you happened to see us on TV. *lol*

Last Sunday (5 Sep 2010), we went for a marriage preparation seminar which was included in the package. It covered basic essential elements on starting a marriage life comprising communication, fertility and financial planning. It was interesting and I'm surprised that the speakers were so forthcoming in sharing their tips and those embarrassing stories on couple intimacy and arguments with us.

After the talk, we went to shop for my heels. I finally found the pair of heels that I like. I love it so much because of the ribbons that can be tied around the ankle in two different ways. I'd wanted to buy a 3.5 inch but decided to just go for a 2.5 inch cos' I knew I would not be used to it and I wouldn't want to carry myself badly just because of a pretty looking heels that do not suit me.

This pair cost me a damage of S$88 but I think it's all worth it. :)

Yesterday (10.9.10) was a well-spent day as dd had a shirt tailor-made, ready for collection next week and we also confirmed our reservation for Ban Heng Pavillion Restaurant on 10 Oct 2010. We would be inviting our family and close friends for a dinner after our solemnisation. Although the wedding package includes a high-tea buffet, we did not opt for that as that buffet is mass catered for every couples and guests on that day and we are expecting the place to be crowded without a personal space for our guests.

Today, I'm putting off my work and doing what I've not done for ages on a Saturday - Baking Bread. I'd just give myself a long weekend break this week and work hard on Monday. :) It's the first time I'm trying out a Tangzhong method. Hope to share with all soon!

ROM Dress/Suit fitting

If you notice, I had added a page on 'Happy Future Planning', with sub-pages about my wedding planning. I've decided to delete the wedding blog that I've created at www.mywedding.com because I find that it wasn't very user-friendly and reader-friendly. I was comtemplating whether to create a new wedding blog using blogspot but I do not wish to see it being a white elephant or looking so plain and empty since I know I'd be quite busy to update it. I'm So, here I am, integrating my wedding preparation to my baking cottage. I'd update my wedding preparation whenever I can so that my friends and readers can have a 'one-stop' update of what I'd been doing / baking. :D Meanwhile, I had posted my previous wedding updates in this blog and back-dated to when I'd posted it. :)

I had my ROM dress fitting on a Monday (16 Aug 2010). I was rather disappointed because there weren't many varieties. I thought I could choose one that matches a beach wedding theme, something flowy and light but most were more suited for indoor/ballroom. Some were too simple while some were more elaborate but somehow I just don't look nice wearing those cos' I'm more petite and wearing those longer dresses that falls below the knee just makes my legs appear short, haha. Finally, I shortlisted the above. It's a simple short dress in pure white. As I'm more tanned, off-white or ivory white don't suit me. I've also requested them to add a flower corsage at the waist and some sequins on the bottom of the dress. I do hope they fulfill the promise and I'm gonna check on them again. I'm a picky customer. :P

I'm not allowed to take photos so I begged them to allow me to capture a section of the dress so I could post it online! :P

Alright, I still need to shop for a pair of shoes, and perhaps some accessories, while dd needs to buy a shirt and probably pants and shoes. I'll update let in more details of my solemnisation which falls in Oct 2010 when date draw nearer... ;)

To disagree lovingly

Yesterday (14 Aug to be exact), dd and I had a little disagreement with regards to money matters. In his opinion, my way of looking at the issue was totally illogical but in my opinion, I think it was perfectly reasonable. The stubborness in me would usually not agree with him in the first instance but this time, I learnt how to disagree with him but not being too emotional that may ended up in an argument like what had happened in the past.

I thought over the matter later on and thought maybe he had a point too. However, I still believe most, if not all women will think the same way as I do. Probably men and women will never agree on things to the same level. :)

Anyhow, his perspective let me see another side of him, and that has allowed me to see things and situations in another perspective. That's why I love him, :P He is not only a partner or a fiance to me. He is also like a mentor to me, he guides me along and helps me become a better person. haha....

I'm not sure if this happens in other couples. But for us, we are willing to listen, discuss and compromise, all thanks to dd who had been very patient. :)

Tomorrow we are going to try our ROM dresses and suits. *excited*!

ROM photography confirmed

Today we met with Henry, a freelance photographer who had been doing freelance photography services for ROM or wedding couples. He was introduced by my colleague and we have seen his works posted on flickr.

After seeing his works, we were quite happy with his style of photography and his price was quite reasonable. So we decided to engage him. :) Hopefully the photos will turn out nice at Sentosa. By the way, we have participated in the "I do" wedding at Sentosa on 10 Oct 2010 (10.10.10), if you had seen the advertisement on the papers. It's a collaboration between SPH and Sentosa. We thought it would be memorable and the timing fits in nicely within our planned date. When dd first saw the advertisement, he immediately told me about it cos' I had always wanted an outdoor wedding, but had decided to give up on the idea as we felt that planning for an outdoor wedding is not so feasible in Singapore due to the weather (too sunny or rainy will not work) condition. This event will plan the outdoor locations with the solemniser for us, we just have to get ourselves dolled up and prepared. We just pray that it won't rain on that day. :) Don't be surprised if you happen to see us on TV. *LOL* :P

Yeah so one more thing settled. We'll be chossing our ROM dress and suit this month. *excited*

We also went to Spotlight at Plaza Singapura today. I was looking for materials to make my own wedding ring pillow. To my disappointment, the silk cloth and organza material has to sold a minimum of 1 metre, which we won't need that much. If it is gonna be so cost ineffective, I guess I'll just stick to the wedding bear that Soo Kee is providing. Maybe I'll see how I can DIY to personalise the pair of wedding bears. :)

On our way home, dd and I chatted and somehow came to this topic of being happy in life. I would say I'm not a person who is optimistic person and who is always happy with life. I can be easily unhappy when things don't go the way I'd wish it would be or doesn't turn out the way I expected. dd of course knew this character of mine and often sited examples to show how a person should be contented, optimistic most importantly to let go. It doesn't mean we should be contented easily and don't work hard. Rather is to let go when certain unhappy things have already happened. Probably I am the youngest in the family, I am a little too pampered since young. But after knowing dd, I have learnt to be a better and happier person. There is of course still room for improvement. :P I am just so glad that I met him cos' he complements on my flaws, and is always there to provide a listening ear for me. I am jotting this down as I'll be able to remember what we had chatted today. :)

Tomorrow is Monday! Jia you to a busy week! :)