Wedding - #2 Tag them!

Ever wondered where it all starts?
Yah...Marriage is truly a mind boggling experience for me! Because firstly I have never done it. Secondly, I only get to do it once, and i want it to be right and beautiful. I want all my guests to remember that ours was the most memorable, the prettiest, the food was great, the venue was perfect, the service was impeccable, everything perfect, down to the nitty gritty details. I think every bride deserves that because she only gets married once [hopefully every after that is].

The married ones told me. "OMG, it was so tiring, every weekend just flew pass. And all for just a day. The money we spend just for that single day!!!" But, you could tell it in their eyes that it was a day to remember, a day that they will never forget their entire lives. Because it was that day that changed everything.

So after Mr Goh proposed, immediately the next day i went to arm myself with wedding magazines from Borders!!! And OMG, wedding magazines are like double the price of a normal one! Well, understandably after reading the covers, these magazines are like quarterly issues and most of them are doubly thick with loads of information for us newbies to read.

here's a collection of all my wedding magazines to date. Not many cos it only gets me more confused as to what i eventually want! Yes yes, i even bought the 8 days issue with Michelle chia and Sean on the front cover to spy on what they were planning for their wedding! And i learnt so much from their wedding preparations too!If i get the time, i might scan the pages and show what they have been up to and all the traditions that they are following. Cos it happened to the both of us too, clueless as to what traditions to follow. It was all very mind-boggling.


Tag them!!! Look at the number of tags i have on all my magazines!! Yes you can say that I'm very "yaogui"!!! I wanted a bit of this, a bit of that, EVERYTHING!


Finally, flipping through all the magazines were really tiring just to look for that item which i tagged before so i decided to start my own scrapbook which only has the most important item which i have finally decided on and paste it in. This is very effective too, because this little book shows my photographer, my gown designer and even my wedding coordinator [flowers, decor, wedding favours, hand bouquet etc etc] what i really want immediately rather than bringing all my magazines down and flipping it infront of them. The down side is, it just takes a bit more effort to tear that page out, stick it down to the book. All-in-all, the magazines are very useful for a newbie, it lists down a checklist of the THINGS-TO-DO [from a year down to last few weeks], wedding venues, bridal studios and photography studios with all their addresses, although no maps! etc etc. Plus i really enjoyed reading all the scoops and highlights of other people's wedding too. Then I can also apply for mine as well!

Wedding - #1 The Proposal

How did HE do it?
I have finally decided to blog about my wedding preparations. Actually I thought of keeping everything mum. But now i have decided to spill the beans. Let everything out. So that others can learn from my mistakes and of cos hopefully those not-yet-married ones can benefit from what I've encountered.
Everything has its beginnings...so this is how it went.The story began soon after Mr Goh proposed on Valentine's day. ok. Now everyone will ask: where! where! He proposed in a very hush-hush manner, in a room, no XX at the Ritz Carlton hotel.
Next everyone will ask: how! how!
Well, it was our time to exchange presents like we usually do on Vday. So he took out a Tiffany bag. Nothing suspicious cos he knows that I really like their stuff. And I took out my little gift too. and voila! a Turqoise looking bag. Yah...same brand again.

And I gave him a rose too! heeheee...yup he was quite shocked. usually gals get all the flowers rite? *smirk* anyway he opened his first and it was a ring. Yup it's the Coin-edge ring in Titanum. It is a Black thick and solid band, cost me hmm...i think it was $600 SGD. The first ring I ever bought for anyone. Next it's my turn. I opened my little box and there was a locket for my charm bracelet. And on top of the locket, it wrote..."Marry Me". At that point of time, my heart stopped. Literally. I think i didnt even have the time to think "er..." And he was THERE! beside me, bended on one knee with a tiffany black box, opened. There lying inside that velvety box. LAID THE RING.
okay, next few events going to sound really terrible.

scene 1:I grabbed the ring from the box and stared at it really hard!!!! and OMG! it was so pretty!!! and HUGE of cos. hee hee...almost grinning from east coast to west coast now.

scene 2: Then someone went "eh-hem...you haven't answered my question yet."
oh dear, mr goh was still on bended knee beside me while i was oohing and aahing at the ring. hmm the stone probably. anyway time flew very fast then. You only get this kind of moment like a few seconds or so.REALLY.

scene 3: i went"ohh!! sorry sorry!!!" and i put the ring back to the box. Composed myself and smiled my most radiant smile ever and my face turned to him, looking ever lovingly to his eyes, although my heart yearns for the ring. [i interpret: I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!!]
"Can you repeat your question again?" I cooed.
" Will you marry me?" he repeated again.
"Yes!!!"

scene4: he puts the ring on my 4th finger and the ring rolled to the sides cos it was too big! muahahahaha. After that, I could only see the ring and not the proposer. And i held it up above my head and kept smiling and smiling to myself.


Description from Tiffanys: An Engine-turned engraving creates a masculine motif. [i interpret: for men ONLY] Ring in sterling silver and titanium, midnight.





For more related info:
http://www.tiffany.com/Engagement/GroomsGuide/


The Ring: A Round Brillance solitaire with 6 prongs, set in a Tiffany setting.


The ring that Mr Goh proposed to me was the Tiffany Setting.

First created in 1886, these prong settings quickly became the signature design of Tiffany &Co. , the noted jewelry design company that focuses on the stunning clarity and precision of beautiful gems rather than overwhelming the eye with elaborate styles and settings.

The Tiffany mount is simple: four or six prongs securely hold the diamond around its girdle(the thickest portion of the stone), elevating it above a plain metal band. The prongs are spaced equally around the circumference of the stone, mimicking the symmetry of the diamond’s cut.

Today, Tiffany-style settings are the most popular option for brides-to-be, particularly for solitaire rings.Tiffany settings are the best option to highlight a stunning diamond, which is why the famed designer first created the open setting. Because Tiffany & Co. uses only the most perfect gems in their designs, simple, open settings are useful to highlight the startling beauty of those gems. The openness of the setting can also create the illusion of a larger carat size, giving couples the option of choosing a higher quality though smaller stone without losing the appeal of an immaculate ring.

For more info on the Tiffany Setting:

http://engagementrings.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Tiffany_Settings

Searching for a new home

Last saturday was a very drive-y day. We drove everywhere except town, anywhere that doesn't have an ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) over the roads.
WJ always wanted to bring me to Rail Mall. *huh* where is that Mall?!
When I got there...i saw only a row of shops. Not the aircon box with shops on all sides of the walls. No lifts, No toilets, no escalators. All smacked side by side like little terrace houses.

I was hoping for a good variety of foodstores at a foodcourt *think singaporean* but there was only CoffeeBean ...a beer cum burgers cafe...not my type of a weekend lunch, coffee maybe, then there was Denise wineshop. Did i mention that it was 12noon?Tsk tsk...No wine on an empty stomach. We walked the whole stretch and the last 2 stores were Cold storage and 7-11. Hmm...shall i buy instant noodles back and cook? Gosh i was starving!

Finally we decided either the AhMei cafe which sells indian food (Was the owner chinese or Indian? I'm so confused now, ain't indians suppose to have names like Mustafah or Rajah?? AhMei is indian?) or the Eat cafe which sells noodles. Think WJ was quite interested in eating nasi briyani but it's so unhealthy. So i didnt feel like having curry. SO this is the time where i use my authority as gf position to push for noodles *yeah yeah*

After the noodles, i shan't say much as there's nothing much to talk about. We drove to HollandV as i was thinking of visiting Lim's arts and craft. Used to like walking at that place. And i get all my bedroom slippers from there too! very comfy and cheap! $5 only.
Woah...it's been a long time since i last visited that place. So many nail bars across the 3 floors, seems like they have sprouted overnite like mushrooms! So everyone is doing their manis and pedis nowadays. Must be good and competitive business. Anyway as i was walking back to the car, we chanced upon a flyer and there was this little hdb that was having a open house! And so we went. It was along Stirling road, quite near to my parents' place and so we drove there.

What a quiet sleepy town. WJ said that it was like sleepyhollow. It was quite a contrast to next door neighbour Dawson's place which was new, vibrant and everything shiny! This town was just the opposite. Finally we got to the place. It was love at first sight for WJ. i thot it was quite a good spot. Although i was hesitant on the security, the direct facing MRT track, west facing sun coming into the living room. And of cos the cash over valuation was $30k. We stayed for a while. checking out the place and the neighbourhood. Finally we drove back home and told our parents about it.
"hey your sis's boss stays at stirling.."
"oh this owner owns a few eateries, has a koi pond and 3 dogs..."
"my boss has 3 dogs and a koi pond and they own eateries..."
Everyone stared at each other. bewildered.
Suddenly, everyone became very excited. So coincidental!

The next day, WJ brought his parents over. This time the agent quoted him $5k lesser. But still we are talking about a near $600k here. It's not buying pancakes. I couldn't sleep that night. WJ keeps telling me that he wants to put the $1k deposit, i keep telling him that we should talk to my sis boss first. Come monday afternoon, after my sis sounded her boss that we were coming to have a chat with her that day, someone paid the $1k deposit. And tuesday came, the agent said that the hdb was sold.

*sigh*

if it's yours, it's yours.

opps!

AHREN IN THE DUSTBIN?!
poor fella! I hug him to sleep every night and this is the first time that he has landed himself in the dustbin!!! And to prove that he was there, Mr Goh quietly snapped this picture of him before returning him back to me and waking me up at the same time before going to work.

Now ahren is going to blackmail me with this photo of his for a tuxedo! Gosh! does he know how much it will cost!!! That stupid bear.

Talking about our soft pets. Just the other day, I was chatting with my friend about the origins of ahren. And of cos ahren was very upset when he found out that he was "Made In China". Yah which stuff toy nowadays is not made in china? Although he did feel like a true blue singaporean bear. Anyway, my friend affirms with me that her pet KK was also from China and KK even knows which province she is from!!!! Apparently KK was fro Shandong because of her heavy weight size!!!! hahahahha!!! That's so incredible!

now i wonder which part of china ahren is from??? hmmm...

Wedding - #3 The Wedding Band

Yes. Finally after searching for months. (From Tiffanys to Cartier to Piaget to custom-made Fairy's Inc) Mr goh and myself have settled for our wedding bands. After careful consideration and many months of deliberations, we have bought it or them to be exact.
Introducing...our....Bulgari's B zero1 white gold 1 band ring with pave diamonds (totaling to a small amount of 0.5ct)....well i'm wearing the B zero 1 with pave diamonds and not mr goh. *smirk*
His is a plain B zero1 white gold 1-band ring, not that he is complaining. Actually he's quite or shall i say very much in love with his new found ring.

Bulgari does engravings for free on purchase of your rings within 60 days. However only the Bzero without diamonds can be engraved as the Bzero with pave diamonds have "holes" on the inner sides, therefore zeros any chances of engravings.
Sizes can be exchange within 3 days if you feel uncomfortable as your finger size actually do vary throughout the day. Most people experience water retention in the mornings, hence the finger is slightly larger and smaller in the evenings.
And of cos, all rings comes with their certificates.

When we were browsing around, we came across this "pave" description to some rings. Not wanting to act like a 'suaku' and continue to pretend that I do know what they are raving about....I decided to do some googling on this pave word.

Pave
A pave (pronounced pah-vay) setting is one where the ring’s band is literally paved with diamonds.Small stones encrusted along the ring’s surface give the illusion of a solid diamond surface rather than a metal band. Unlike channel or bezel settings, a pave setting uses only tiny beads or minute prongs to hold each stone, minimizing the appearance of the metal while maximizing the illusion of free-standing diamonds. Most pave settings are constructed from white gold or platuinum in order to further minimize the metal, though yellow gold can add a measure of traditional elegance.


CLEANING
As with any diamond engagement ring, it is not recommended to wear the ring during heavy physical activity or while using harsh chemicals or cleaners. Pave settings naturally have more crevices and nooks than smooth settings, and will therefore require more frequent cleanings. Soaking can help dissolve dirt and dust deep within the setting, but never use a harsh brush to scrub the ring; it could inadvertently scratch the metal or loosen the gems.

WHY CHOOSE A PAVE SETTING RING
Pave setting engagement rings, with their glittering surface of diamonds, are an enchanting choice for couples. Though these rings require some specialized care and may be more expensive, they are yet another unique choice for couples who seek to symbolise their love in ways that a single diamond simply cannot capture.

Lastly, i think when it comes to choosing a wedding band, it's very much a personally preference which you and partner want. Some couples might want to have similar rings (like us); some couples do not mind buying different rings; some couples want to go dutch (like us again) while some leave it to their husbands-to-be to buy.



above: B zero1 white gold 1-band ring

happy shopping to all those marrying-to-be!

zoom-zoom

Mazda3 sp

I think the designer of Mazda3 takes design, refinement and driving enjoyment to a whole other level. It’s a small car (less surface area to wash on sunday mornings! Good for a petite gal like myself), but nonetheless, it's a perfect for those on a budget; wants a sporty look ie somewhat looks like a volkswagon golf (yes yes too ex...i can hear myself speak); so instead going for continental cars, here's one Japanese car which wouldn't go wrong!

The exhilaration of "Zoom-Zoom" handling and performance in a sporty hatch body style. (the boot is spacious!!!) And in CHILLI red. yup i can live with this car for the moment.

Wedding - #15 Props for photoshoot!

cutting the stickers...

stickers all cut up now.

wondering what we are up to? stay tune!