#joncynbigday: June 2015

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Bridal Shop: Overview

Lets go to Bridal Shop now, am afraid I didnt go to the usual tanjong pagar stretch of shops, because I have heard they would like you to sign their package with the pre wedding photographer, floral and everything, so having gowns alone is quite pricey, because they cant earn anything. \

My criteria is simple, 2 rental gowns for photoshoot in Sydney and 2 MTM gowns for the actual day. With the MTM, the price will sky rocket if I take from the tanjong pagar stretch, since 1 average looking rental gown cost about $2k. And in my case, they will usually ask me to keep the 2 rental gowns to wear on the actual day, if not, the dreaded T word, topup la! So no go for me for an average gown.

Oh ya! Criteria number 1, have friends that can spy cam for you, considering I have poor visualization skills, the photos are good reference. So thankful for that!

Yish, I will bring the photos down if any shops are unhappy ya (:

I didnt ask if photos can be taken, so I am in the unknown zone. If they said no photo taking allowed, I will just stop taking, but the previous photos are still in my phone.

Off I went gown shopping at various shops listed above:

#5 The Gown Warehouse

#6 Amanda Lee Weddings

#7 The Prelude

#8 The Proposal Bridal

So in general, here is my go to list for other brides:

Rental Only (Taobao Gown): Beyoutiful Bridal, The Gown Warehouse

Rental Only (Designer Gown): Blessed Brides, Tiara Bridal, The Proposal Bridal

Purchase(Designer Gown): The Prelude

Tanjong Pagar Stretch: Z Wedding, La Belle Couture, Rico A Mona

Bespoke (Mid Range) : Blessed Brides, Tiara Bridal

Bespoke (High Range) : Time Taken To Make A Dress, Caramel & Co, Olive Suite Bridal

Bespoke (Higher Range): Jessica Cindy

Saturday, June 27, 2015

The Proposal Bridal

Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles Boulevard, #01-83, Singapore 039596

Tel: +65 9106 1286

They carry: Galia Lahav, Ines Di Santo, Peter Langner and David Fielden. Most of the gowns are for sale but there are some for rental. Brenna, the owner, was really friendly and easy to talk to! Her husband was having a chat with J and they were like instant buddies, omgoodness. She took the time to introduce the different designers and their style, which no other bridal shop had done so far. It gives you a good guide to which designer will be suitable for you. I still do wish I have the $ to get 2 gowns from that shop because it is really really pretty! Sigh. Still dreaming of it..

Please please do drop by ya!

Both gowns are from Ines Di Santo:

Mega love <3

The Prelude

#7: The Prelude

8 Mohamed Sultan Road #03-01

Tel: 6221 4982

They carry the following brands: Amanda Wakeley, Temperley, David Fielden, La Sposa, Nicole Miller, Kelly Faetanini, Christos, Monique Lhuillier, Badgley Mischka, Love Yu, Hayley Paige, Jim Hjelm. What an extensive collection! Their gowns are all for sale, no rental. Went there to get my Hayley Paige gown and here is 1 which I tried, Nina Gown:

I really really like the Khalessi Gown, but it was sold already...

But fret not, I am happy with my Guindon! The staff agreed that this fits me the best and after she put a veil on, I knew I had to get it....

Amanda Lee Weddings

#6: Amanda Lee Weddings

Delfi Orchard, #05-05

Tel: 6333 6678

They work slightly different from the Tanjong Pagar stretch. They will design the gowns each collection and if you select that 1 gown, it will be tailored to your size and worn by you only, so its definitely more exclusive. They do bespoke gowns too, but the prices are quite high. So if you fall in love with their gowns on the rack, you can consider getting them!

As usual in 1 hour, you can try as many as you want. I tried about 5 gowns, served by a very accommodating staff, Pearlyn!

No photos are allowed. Heres one which I kinda like, but seems rather normal in photos.

Another pretty one was this! The color is amazing!

The promotion while I was looking:

The Gown Warehouse

#5: The Gown Warehouse

11 Woodlands Close, #06-38 Singapore 737853

Tel : +65 6734 3998

Email : contact@thegownwarehouse.com

Since my sister's friend got her gown from TGW and while browsing through their facebook, they have quite a lot of designs, I made an appointment. Tried about 6 to 8 gowns, but I cant find 1 which I like or has the WOW factor. Their place is the most spacious I have been to and theres a sofa in front of the huge changing room, so its the perfect scene for the "Say yes to the dress" moment, hahah!

Most of their dresses are for rental and they are from the rack, so if you cant find any on the rack, try again when their new collection comes in. The price is very very affordable for rental. It fits all sizes too because it comes with the corset ribbon tie back thingy, which is a no go for me.

What I was confused about was how they know if the gown are of a premium range and the different price, seems like they are quoting based on memory. You are allocated 1 hour to try as many as you want so make it fast!

No photos are allowed but my sisters manage to take, showing 1..

Jessica Cindy

#4: Jessica Cindy

8 Mohamed Sultan Road #02-01 Singapore 238958

Tel : +65 66987156

Email : Enquiry@jessicacindy.com

Have been following Jessica Cindy for a really long time, ever since they started. It was almost the same time as TTMD. I got to meet the owners through my previous job, hence I know I must check them out. Since their focus is primarily on bespoke gowns which I really like, so off I went. But the price points are quite high for rental or customizing. The gowns are really really amazing, but I wish I was marrying a millionaire or something. My budget is mainly spent on the banquet, so if your budget is catered for gowns, you should consider! Or if you dont mind having 1 gown for the whole wedding, the price will be worth it too.

Exactly what I was looking for, sweetheart, beige base and mermaid....

The horse hair trimming on this is good! plus its very long, perfect for church weddings.

Lace details! Thanks for giving me a waist instantly!

Hahhahs!

Tiara Bridal

#3 Tiara Bridal

Delfi Orchard #03-26
Tel: 9841 4147

Back when I started looking, they just opened, hence their gowns are all spanking clean and not too worn out. So what led me them was their range, they stocked Vera Wang, White by Vera Wang, Monique Lhuillier and Zac Posen. So many high end labels which you can only get at The Atelier or Trinity. So seeing that they rent the gowns was also a plus point!

And so I went to try the gowns which made me understand why Vera Wang is worth that price. It is so airy, material is superb and so easy to walk.

They do MTM evening gowns or wedding gowns too, they were my 2nd choice! Very friendly and hospitable owners.

I would highly recommend anyone looking for classic gowns to go to Tiara Bridal!

Monique Lhuillier Lyric Dress, so close to confirming it for my photoshoot!

Illusion back with side lace, so preetttty! And the thai silk is so comfy!

An example of their MTM evening gown!

Vera Wang!

White by Vera Wang, with their signature belt.

This mermaid is gorgeous, what a classic!

And thats Ling, the owner!

The back..

Photos below, credits to: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tiara-Bridal/725075454212838

MTM evening gown, so pretty right?

This multi looks, convertible gown is amazing too!

Another which I really like is the above, MTM wedding gown!

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Why Jenny Sun?

How?

I had been following Jayesslee when they first started out and saw their wedding snaps by Jenny Sun, which totally stole my heart from that moment. And to make sure their prices do not burn a hole in my pocket, I asked them for a quotation in 2014, before I was even engaged, thats how sure I am. *fingers crossed*

Why?

Before we settled on Jenny Sun, we did explore the other avenues, Korea, Paris, Greece, Bali and Singapore. But no other photographers, yes in Singapore, were able to recreate the same photos without editing. We do not like over saturated or contrasted photos, and some look just fake like they were photoshop in, I want to show you examples, but am afraid I will be slammed by them. ;/ I just saw a classic example.........so tempted to show. Haha! And I have seen so many colourisation of photos, its just bad.. Like how grass in Singapore is green (other than during the dry spell) and never brown/yellow/gold, so why do I see the later set of colours??

What had my heart were all the sunflares and sunrays that was captured. with no photoshopping by Jenny Sun. They did mention it was up to chance whether the sun is corporating with them, so its not 100% guaranteed.

And the photoshoot is 3 hours, they do not do the 1 day, 3 day, studio thingy that many are practicing, because they are confident that they are able to get enough shots during that time frame. Plus, it is tiring to smile and stay blissfully in love for that long right? Anymore than that, will look quite fake.

Best part, it was really cooling! No sticky, icky, sweaty feeling.

Same place but without sun and with sun, which caused the sun flare.

When?

Then, fast forward to engagement over, finally broke the news to them after we selected the wedding date. We thought of going in October 2015 as an anniversary trip, plus its spring, so there will be tons of flowers and sunlight, but with the 3 months processing, it is cutting too close to incorporating the photos into our invitations. So, we took the earlier date in March 2015 and never regret ever since.

Where?

Not only does the price not break the bank, since its an overseas photoshoot, the experience and places were simply irreplaceable. We threw them all the links and photos and styles we like, which led them to suggesting it to be at the Southern Highlands, specifically at Summerlees Estate. Thank you for the recommendation, it is really a spectacular and charming venue with tons of land and tons of animals. Very country and so much sunlight and greenery! Patty, the owner, was really friendly too. At night, with no light around, the stars are magical!

Summerlees, as it is today (70 acres), is part of an original land grant (1822) in the Sutton Forest area of the Southern Highlands. This historic property, on a rise, stands to the east of the old South Road (today the Illawarra Highway) just a kilometre or so from the village, and a short distance from Moss Vale. At the rear the land falls away with spectacular views over the valley towards Exeter.

Credits: http://www.houzz.com/summerlees

Friday, June 5, 2015

Sneak Peek: Pre Wedding Photoshoot

Best perk me up for today/this week/this month!

The photos are ready!

Love it so much!

So much sun flare shots, yay!

And this is the most unconventional style from our photographer, but i love it so much.

Stay tuned for more preview!

Shared by the man.

Shared by Jenny!
Everyone loves the horse series alot! Hahaaa.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

If I was my own videographer...

Taken from:https://dayre.me/cynsummur/nR1QS34P93

Source and source.
Look and look.
Still unfruitful.
Videos are the worst...too time consuming

Throw me some videographer names if you have ya.

So far i have went through the following:
Alvin and adeline
Ark moments
Beyond
Fresh from kenneth
Ichiro
Substance
Rekordhaus
Istudio
Unique colors
Super panda present
The next chapter
Mambostevie
Vocare
Mooworks
Wedding paparazzi
Android in boots
Lightsauce
Mister JL
Redsheep
EW studioz

My benchmark is the following video: https://vimeo.com/41519885 from jenny sun, shot 3 years ago...Cant believe i have been following them for so long.

What i like..only the essential and impt parts are there, the sunlight, the voice over, the song and the different angles, not closeup!!!

Not too much of the panning, panning and circling. And i dont like the happy parts in front, and sad parts behind, just follow the sequence of the day la.

If i was my own videographer, i will show
45sec of vows
15sec of parents
15sec of us
15sec of venue
15sec of first look

Unimportant parts
5 sec of tea ceremony
5 sec of veiling
15 sec of gatecrash
10 sec of entourage

Eliminate all this
Makeup before and after: omg, u see all the rollers, look like alien!
Car shots and horning: car is not important like i said, u drive porshe or maserati symbolise? nowadays its all rented...anyhow, will be using my dad's car which is very meaningful!
Throw fan: dont get this..but i reckon i should throw, so i wont bring my bad temper along, haha!
Shelter w umbrella: dont get this also...but better to be safe la, less vitamin E for me.
Boy opening door: ???
Haggling of money: Its our money, haggle what...
Eating meesua and tangyuan: This I need to highlight, you saw how UNGLAM it is to pop the WHOLE tangyuan inside your mouth with the spoon?!?!?!? I already requested for prawns with chilli with my noodles, my favourite!
Kid jumping on bed: Wash their feet first ah!
Taking out veil: Its just taking off accessories..
All the kissing and hugging: I feel so embarrassed watching them kissing, fake kissing actually, let alone the relatives or older folks. Who kisses and hold it there for 5 seconds irl??

Blessed Brides

#2 Blessed Brides ***

11 Mohamed Sultan Rd, 239010
6735 6334

This is the shop that I end up signing with. They carry the Pronovias and Rosa Clara range which means quality and variety, no tacky designs. With their normal package, it comes with a MTM evening gown, so it ringed 1 of my bells already. I fell in love with this mermaid gown during the 1st appointment. Based on their photos, i really like their evening gown designs! The designer proceeded to give a detailed sketch of the design I made reference to. Basically, my reference is very cut and paste, I like this front, this back, this detail, this lace, so the sketch sums it up nicely.

And I would like to highlight the MTM evening gown is done from scratch, choose material, choose lace, choose color, do fitting, take measurements. Some shops I went to, their term of MTM is................the sample gown will be made to your size, like what??? But you will be the only 1 wearing that design. So does it count, kinda? But so many people would have tried it on.. It does help with the visualizing but wont you prefer your own design?