Things You Should Know ...

Yes, I duly apologize for my lack of updates. Firstly, I had been extremely busy with work (despite the year-end festive season and holidays). Secondly, there was nothing much to update about as the bulk of my wedding preparations has already been done or prepared in advance. Next year (i.e. next week) is when we will go into finalizing and detailing of our wedding plans. Oddly, despite planning almost 2 years ahead, it seems like there are still so much of nitty-gritty stuff to be done or if not still pending !!! I am getting quite 'kan cheong' AND excited! We have not even put in a date for our ROM (tentative date would be on 1st February 2010 and we don't plan to do it on a large scale - just gonna go to the JPN in PJ State, sign the contract with our parents and immediate relatives as witness and possibly some really close friends, picture taking with the ugly backdrop behind us using a point-and-shoot Olympus camera, followed by a simple lunch, and voila we are legally married!).

On Christmas, I decided that it was time to visit Red Bliss, Bear our chosen bridal boutique. We didn't go back to iron out all of our queries since the last time when we paid our deposit in Mid Valley Exhibition Hall back in January of this year. For those who don't know, for each new customer, the bridal house will assign one Sales Assistant ("SA") who will walk you through the entire process from day one until after the actual wedding day ("AD") when you return your gown. My SA is Jojo. So far, she seemed pretty nice and accommodating.

Now, it is very important to have a good SA because she will be your point of reference and negotiations. She is to follow-up on all of your requests and queries and to make sure that everything follows in accordance to the dateline. She will be the one suggesting which gown best suits you. She will be the one helping you dressed when you go for gown fitting. She will be the one throwing in ideas and suggestions on the bridal bouquets and car decorations and selection of photos.

I have personally categorized SAs into these few segments:

The $--$ type:

These are the ones who will catch you as the 'sui yu' (aka water fish). She will ask you to top-up this and that, add poses etc etc just to earn more from your existing package. Say if you are only entitled to choose 55 poses (out of 500+ poses - yes usually the photographer will take that much of shots), she will pester you to add another 10 more poses for a sum of RM1,100 (or something like that). Tip: State your budget upfront and when you go for photo selections, do not carry any credit cards or extra cash! YOU DO NOT NEED EXTRA PHOTOS EVEN IF THE PHOTOS ARE DARN NICE OK!! (repeat the sentence 58x and it will sink it eventually).

The Don't Give a Damn type:

These are the ones whom you expect them to return call or to follow-up on a certain issue and it is not done - until the very last minute. Tip: Don't rely on anyone but yourself! Be proactive and follow-up yourself whenever necessary.

The Dr. Jekyll type:

These are the ones who will promise you everything under the moon and when the full payment is made. Bam! Everything-also-can will suddenly become everything also cannot - unless if you top-up extra money. Tip: Whatever that was promised to you, please please MAKE SURE that it is written in black & white on your invoice to avoid any disputes.

The Rude type:

This is the one I paling 'beh tahan'. First of all, we paid close to RM5K for your services. Hence, I would expect at least some respect or courtesy from your end. After all, we are paying customers!! Tip: Do not let them bully you! You have the right to vent out your frustrations (and create a scene if you must) as you have already paid for their services, which by the way don't come cheap ok! If all else fails, bring them to the Tribunal Court.

The Genuine type:

Consider yourself lucky blessed if your SA is this type. Then your wedding will be smooth-sailing with no hiccups. I hope mine will fall into this category - or else my pre-wedding photos will end up with me looking like a sour prune. *fingers cross*

Back to our meeting with Jojo. It was really fruitful and I was soooo tempted to take our pre-wedding photos in Malacca. It looks so vintage, classic, and authentic. We would have to top-up RM500 if we opt to do the shoot in Malacca. Alas, I think we will give that up la. No point also. *shrug*. I think we will mostly stick to FRIM because we wanted loads of greenery and water and be surrounded by nature. (FYI, we would need to pay RM80 for the entrance fee to FRIM for photoshoot)

So, we I bombarded Jojo with questions on certain things which we weren't sure off. She was honest enough to advise me not to choose my gown for my AD yet as it was still far off and they may be bringing in new gowns. Remember to go for gown fitting during off-peak seasons such as end of March, April, June, July & August because there won't be many people getting married on those months and the full range of gowns will be in.

Due to shortage of time (we had to rush down to Seremban for Christmas dinner with my Grandpa), we quickly finalize the time and date for the photoshoot. My second gown fitting will be scheduled in August (Hungry Ghost Month). Date to be decided later as Jojo wants to check the Chinese calender to make sure that we don't clash with any auspicious dates in case if all the gowns are taken out.

23 March 2010 = First Gown Fitting for photoshoot

9 April 2010 = Photoshoot in FRIM

17 April 2010 = Photo Selection

August 2010 = Second Gown Fitting for AD

Ok girls ... here are some information which I hope will be useful for your future reference:

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW :-

The simplified process works like this :-
(1) gown fitting for photoshoot
(2) photoshoot
(3) select photos/poses
(4) view demo (e-design)
(5) view MTV video (if it is in your package)
(6) gown fitting AD/accessories
(7) choose bridal bouquet/groom corsage and car decor

Things you must remember to bring for your photoshoot :-
(1) Nu-Bra
(2) Heels (2-inch heels for outdoor / 3-inch heels for indoor)
(3) Money
(4) Sun block
(5) Groom shirt/slacks/shoes/ties etc
(6) Lots of water!!
(7) Umbrella
(8) Props
(9) Wedding bands
(10) Slippers
(11) Towels/Tissues
(12) Magazine/Book in case if the groom gets bored
*The process starts at 6:30am until 3:00pm

• Payment is paid first as a deposit to secure the package that you have negotiated. Second payment will be when you go for your first gown fitting. And the final payment is on the photo shoot day. All is to be paid by cash or cheque. Hence, I advise to retain RM200 until you see the final product of the album.

• You can't choose your preferential photographer/MUA/videographer for the pre-wedding photoshoot. It will be assigned to you and is entirely up to the discretion of your SA. You can however state your preference but what you want need not be given to you.

• You have the right to tell your MUA what style you want.

• You are to drive the team to the outdoor destination. There won't be time for lunch so please pack something light to eat.

• Always follow-up with your SA when a certain dateline is approaching. Don't assume that everything will be in order.

• Please wear a nu-bra when you go for gown-fitting so that the measurement that is taken for you is accurate. Wear a nu-bra also for the photoshoot so you won't 'chau kong' i.e. show the whole world your assets (ahem!) as the outdoor ("OD") photoshoot will have lots of movements.

• Always remember what pose you choose and COUNT them! Don't be surprise that they will 'miss out' some poses in the album. If that happens, you have the right to ask them to insert in back again.

• Check that your package includes albums with e-design or else your album will be very plain. Addition of e-design will mean additional costs.

• You can provide them your own songs if you want for the pre-wedding slideshow / MTV video. Please do so earlier so that they are able to incorporate it.

• Plan early so that you can make any changes to the demo if you are not satisfied.

• Make sure the poses that is given to you is enough to fill up the albums that is provided for you in the package. Additional poses will mean additional costs.

• Check whether if the softcopies are returned to you. Some bridal shop charge for the return of softcopies.
  

• You would need to pay a refundable deposit of RM800 when you have chosen the AD gowns and will be returned to you when the gowns are returned in good condition. So please do ensure that there are no non-removable stains on the gown or they may retain your deposit.

• Check that the final albums are of good quality. Do your own QC.
  

So far that is all that I know. When the time comes and I have more queries, I will definitely raise it up to my SA.

Yup.. that's it from the bridal house. And I am getting darn excited ok!!

Love;
The Bride-To-Be