THE Wedding
⚠️Lengthy post up ahead⚠️
Honestly not sure if I should even call what I had a wedding or just a solemnization , but let's just go with wedding .
Why I choose to write this , is because I wanna commemorate the whole wedding process here and also I am 19 and honestly the first to go through this new phrase compared to all my friends ; also came across a Zula post on why people regretted spending large sums of money on the wedding and felt that I could relate alot to it .
I hope this serves as good advice for those who are contemplating to have an extravagant wedding or a small scale one . I will also be sharing some sensitive details as to WHY our wedding was planned as it is but I will not go too deep into details .
To begin with
My story goes slightly different because when my husband and I were planning this , I was already (still am) pregnant . We are also still considered studying as I was doing traineeship and he just started his part time diploma too so you can roughly tell our income level isn't sufficient for a large scale wedding .
Moving on , marriage and a wedding is a once in a lifetime thing for every couple and brides-to-be definitely would have the tendency to want to have a really fairytale-like day/night of their lives . I completely understand .
However , this was our easy part . My husband and I are both really simple minded people and only wanted a simple wedding while I wanted a meaningful one . On the other hand , when we found out about our baby , our thoughts naturally just went to : providing everything within our means for the child . That includes saving up whatever money we can for the baby's necessities , delivery and my confinement . This was exceptionally hard because I had to drop out of my traineeship and it would mean I would be out of a job (I tried job hunting but it doesn't pay to be honest) .
Our initial plan : Sign the papers at ROM and that's all .
Since we honestly only needed the certificate for the benefits , our lifestyle was already like a married couple (whoopsie) .
ROM
ROM is a very long process for us as to get married (I'm 19 so above 18 but under 21) , we would need to go through a mandatory marriage programme of 4 lessons and 2 counselling sessions . We managed to complete it in October which was super last min , just to get married in December . However , those younger than 18 would need to apply for a Special Marriage License which to my understanding , can cost up to $200 over bucks .
We got the certificate of attendance and went for VDSD the following week !
Solemniser
We found our solemniser on the ROM website as you need to engage a different solemniser yourself if you are holding the solemnization outside of ROM .
We found him on the Justice of Peace list and he was the first that responded .
There wasn't a place where you can find reviews on these solemniser and we didn't have time to be picky since we needed to VDSD asap .
He didn't do a very good job on the day itself so a huge tip is to FIND A GOOD SOLEMNISER or solemnise at ROM itself .
I won't go in depth as to what happened as it would make the post even longer than it already is , but he messed up the procedure by not briefing us on what to say AND forgetting the ring exchange . So ya , imagine how pissed my husband and I were since we had to remind him about the things .
Also , it is a FREE service provided since they are volunteers for the ROM . People give red packets to these solemniser as a token of appreciation . I really have to emphasis that it is NOT A MUST .
If you feel like the job isn't well done , you have EVERY RIGHT not to give the red packet !!!
This was something I found out only after the wedding and receiving a hell load of feedback (clearly negative) about the solemniser .
Venue
How we ended up having a little wedding and choosing Boufè Tanglin as our wedding venue was because he was the only son in his family and they wanted minimally a restaurant . My mother has and have always been supportive of my idea of a small meaningful wedding , sounds ridiculous but that was MY dream wedding since age 16 .
I also don't see a point in wasting money to entertain or give face to people that don't give a fuck when the money could be saved for the upcoming baby .
Boufè Tanglin is not a restaurant though ?
Yes , it's a local borned cafe . Why we chose them was because we wanted it small scaled AND meaningful which meant close friend and families , so there weren't many . Our pax amounted only slightly less than 50 and harsh truth be told , it's gonna be really difficult for us to find a restaurant that would allow us to book their venue for just 5 tables and half a day .
Honestly , even fulfilling a full 50 pax was difficult because we simply just didn't have that much friends and usually , a wedding invitation has to be sent out 4-6 weeks in ADVANCE but we only could do it 3 weeks before . Also , December is a holiday season so we expect many people to be on vacation .
Boufè Tanglin event packages also harbour floral decorations already so it helped saved cost on the decor for us . I personally love the idea of nature and flowers so honestly the venue was just perfect for me , HOWEVER , the downside of it was that it was pretty inaccessible unless you're driving .
Unless you an afford it, I don't see a point in spending tens of thousand on decorations for those few hours .
Photographer
Before I begin this section, I just want to say a huge thank you to @pixelmarvel (on IG) for shooting my wedding . This company was started up by a friend of mine and I did a couple of shoot with him before .
Why I chose to engage them was not only because he was my friend and the comfort and trust was there , but in fact the quality of work . I have shot with other photographers before and have always thought the work produced by them was the best .
Even though on the day itself , my friend , himself had something on , he still made the effort to bring his crew down early and briefed them thoroughly before leaving . Even after the wedding , he would constantly update me about the progress of the photos and videos .
I also knew that there would be alot of work to edit my photos as tight after the signing of papers , there was fogging of the area and some photos ended up being very foggy but after receiving the photos , I can't tell which photos were taken during the fog !
He was also very patient with me when I asked for some photos of my guests that didn't include my husband and I , and provided them when he can (some photos they aren't able to edit due to reason like movements during the shot etc so nothing much we could do about that) .
Nevertheless , I loved my wedding photos and videos so much and of course , the service . I've already booked my maternity shoot and baby shower (clearly this one hasn't been confirmed but roughly) shoot with them and I am VERY excited .
Linking back to my post , cost saving . None of the photos are printed . Not yet at least . I didn't feel like there was a need to get a package or whatever , as I saw on the Zula post , photo package with album and outfits (?) Perhaps some boutiques where you can purchase or rent your gown at , does services like these but what we wanted was just having photos taken and deciding later if we wanted the photos printed or not .
So now , my husband and I are cool with just printing a small album of it for keepsake because who know right , someday technology might crash on us , and being very sentimental people (I keep movie tickets , receipts and have a wall of photos) , I would love to have a hard copy .
Makeup , hair , nails and outfits
Let's start with make up . We didn't hire a make up artist , I did my make up myself . I wouldn't say it could compare to a good make up done by a certified artist , but I did get a hell load of compliments for it . Best part ? FREE !!
My husband wanted to give me the best and hire one but I didn't want to spend the extra cost when I could just do it myself and boy I had no idea what to do till I sat infront of the mirror and searched on my phone .
It was just my regular make up and as for eyeshadow , I wanted something pink instead of nude to match with my bouquet !
What I felt made the whole look pop was my lenses from @misseyx ! I was wearing the Milkyway Orange lenses I got from them and it helped brighten my eyes so much ! She did mention that not many people can pull off the lenses as it was bright and pretty unique but I just have to say , ya girl wants to look extra so might as well have some stars in my eyes on my big day AM I RIGHT ?
I've been wearing lenses from her . The lenses have been very comfortable and for the price point , I would definitely keep buying . This is coming from someone with extremely DRY eyes from 7 years of constant long hours of contact lenses wearing .
Nevertheless , practice good hygiene with your lenses and I still use Acuvue dailies from time to time as they contain more moisture .
Next up , HAIR .
My hair is 9 hours of hard work by @minhoyahair !!
No hairdresser will take such last minute slots for MY length of hair and take such good care of me because I'm pregnant okay !
Finding a good and affordable hairdresser is difficult and clearly time wasn't on our end so I didn't bother to source , I'm also someone who really doesn't like to step out of her comfort zone .
I've been going to Minhoya since I started dying my hair PROFESSIONALLY 3 years ago . I don't do my hair alot due to work commitments but Eason's handiwork never fails to leave me in awe everytime I'm done !
My hair was only done at 12.30am on my wedding day because , as I said , last minute slot :") so now yall know why I'm so thankful for my hairdresser .
I did my hairstyle myself and attempted to curl it but it clearly didn't last .
NAILS !!
My nails are beautifully done by Nicole !
Lastly , OUTFITS
My dress was not a gown and it cost less than a $100 from TAOBAO !
Superstition reason , my mother said it was inauspicious to be wearing wedding gowns more than once as my husband and I have already purchased a wedding shoot package earlier the year and will only be shooting it in 2 to 3 years time .
I also do not feel a need to rent or purchase an expensive gown that I would only be wearing for half a day .
Despite saying that , I don't deny that I did source for boutiques where I could rent a gown for as I was worried my dress would not arrive in time or fit my growing belly . I purchased the dress at 20 weeks pregnant and I was 24 weeks on my big day . That's a whopping 1 month for my boy to grow and people have been telling me that my belly would pop in December but till now it doesn't seem to be that big .
The cheapest I saw was still $250+ for a day's rental and it wasn't even something I liked .
I wanted something bareback and my husband preferred me in off shoulder dresses so my taobao dress was honestly just PERFECT .
It also rained that day and we did a cinematic shot which I completely just gave my dragging dress to the road , rain and dirt since it was MINE .
However . The downside of this is that , I got it in the largest size and it means I wouldn't be able to wear it POST pregnancy (clearly gonna work hard to lose the mumtum) unless I get it altered .
My heels which have been invisible are from Charles and Keith on taobao which I bought awhile back .
And that pretty much sums up my whole outfit for that day .
My husband got his blazer and red shirt from G2000 sale which we chanced upon while we were at EXPO for the baby fair ! They were under $150 so imagine how much we saved already .
Miscellaneous
Rings - our rings are white gold so they aren't crazily expensive and I'm not into the idea of designer rings and diamond . My husband and I also thought that pure gold seems rather old looking and we liked the designs of the rings we have now !
As long as you like the rings and they are within your budget , just get them . Doesn't matter what the world says .
Bouquet - bouquet and boutonniere are from @theflowerpractice , my husband engaged them hence I know nothing but he has gotten me several bouquets from them already and I love every single one of them ! My proposal bouquet has withered but I still can't bear to toss it alright .
Invitations - we sent out e-invites as this whole thing was planned really last minute, there was barely any time at all to meet up each and every guest to invite them . On the other hand, save money !!
To end off this really lengthy post which turned out to be more of an appreciative post , what I'm trying to say is that as much as a wedding is only a once in a lifetime thing , there is no need to spend out of your means . Don't spend the first 10 years of your married life stressing over money .
Something to take away from this post :" The real act of marriage take place in the heart , not in the ballroom or church ."
Zula post as mentioned: https://zula.sg/wedding-cost-singapore/
Honestly not sure if I should even call what I had a wedding or just a solemnization , but let's just go with wedding .
Why I choose to write this , is because I wanna commemorate the whole wedding process here and also I am 19 and honestly the first to go through this new phrase compared to all my friends ; also came across a Zula post on why people regretted spending large sums of money on the wedding and felt that I could relate alot to it .
I hope this serves as good advice for those who are contemplating to have an extravagant wedding or a small scale one . I will also be sharing some sensitive details as to WHY our wedding was planned as it is but I will not go too deep into details .
To begin with
My story goes slightly different because when my husband and I were planning this , I was already (still am) pregnant . We are also still considered studying as I was doing traineeship and he just started his part time diploma too so you can roughly tell our income level isn't sufficient for a large scale wedding .
Moving on , marriage and a wedding is a once in a lifetime thing for every couple and brides-to-be definitely would have the tendency to want to have a really fairytale-like day/night of their lives . I completely understand .
However , this was our easy part . My husband and I are both really simple minded people and only wanted a simple wedding while I wanted a meaningful one . On the other hand , when we found out about our baby , our thoughts naturally just went to : providing everything within our means for the child . That includes saving up whatever money we can for the baby's necessities , delivery and my confinement . This was exceptionally hard because I had to drop out of my traineeship and it would mean I would be out of a job (I tried job hunting but it doesn't pay to be honest) .
Our initial plan : Sign the papers at ROM and that's all .
Since we honestly only needed the certificate for the benefits , our lifestyle was already like a married couple (whoopsie) .
ROM
ROM is a very long process for us as to get married (I'm 19 so above 18 but under 21) , we would need to go through a mandatory marriage programme of 4 lessons and 2 counselling sessions . We managed to complete it in October which was super last min , just to get married in December . However , those younger than 18 would need to apply for a Special Marriage License which to my understanding , can cost up to $200 over bucks .
We got the certificate of attendance and went for VDSD the following week !
Solemniser
We found our solemniser on the ROM website as you need to engage a different solemniser yourself if you are holding the solemnization outside of ROM .
We found him on the Justice of Peace list and he was the first that responded .
There wasn't a place where you can find reviews on these solemniser and we didn't have time to be picky since we needed to VDSD asap .
He didn't do a very good job on the day itself so a huge tip is to FIND A GOOD SOLEMNISER or solemnise at ROM itself .
I won't go in depth as to what happened as it would make the post even longer than it already is , but he messed up the procedure by not briefing us on what to say AND forgetting the ring exchange . So ya , imagine how pissed my husband and I were since we had to remind him about the things .
Also , it is a FREE service provided since they are volunteers for the ROM . People give red packets to these solemniser as a token of appreciation . I really have to emphasis that it is NOT A MUST .
If you feel like the job isn't well done , you have EVERY RIGHT not to give the red packet !!!
This was something I found out only after the wedding and receiving a hell load of feedback (clearly negative) about the solemniser .
Venue
How we ended up having a little wedding and choosing Boufè Tanglin as our wedding venue was because he was the only son in his family and they wanted minimally a restaurant . My mother has and have always been supportive of my idea of a small meaningful wedding , sounds ridiculous but that was MY dream wedding since age 16 .
I also don't see a point in wasting money to entertain or give face to people that don't give a fuck when the money could be saved for the upcoming baby .
Boufè Tanglin is not a restaurant though ?
Yes , it's a local borned cafe . Why we chose them was because we wanted it small scaled AND meaningful which meant close friend and families , so there weren't many . Our pax amounted only slightly less than 50 and harsh truth be told , it's gonna be really difficult for us to find a restaurant that would allow us to book their venue for just 5 tables and half a day .
Honestly , even fulfilling a full 50 pax was difficult because we simply just didn't have that much friends and usually , a wedding invitation has to be sent out 4-6 weeks in ADVANCE but we only could do it 3 weeks before . Also , December is a holiday season so we expect many people to be on vacation .
Boufè Tanglin event packages also harbour floral decorations already so it helped saved cost on the decor for us . I personally love the idea of nature and flowers so honestly the venue was just perfect for me , HOWEVER , the downside of it was that it was pretty inaccessible unless you're driving .
Unless you an afford it, I don't see a point in spending tens of thousand on decorations for those few hours .
Photographer
Before I begin this section, I just want to say a huge thank you to @pixelmarvel (on IG) for shooting my wedding . This company was started up by a friend of mine and I did a couple of shoot with him before .
Why I chose to engage them was not only because he was my friend and the comfort and trust was there , but in fact the quality of work . I have shot with other photographers before and have always thought the work produced by them was the best .
Even though on the day itself , my friend , himself had something on , he still made the effort to bring his crew down early and briefed them thoroughly before leaving . Even after the wedding , he would constantly update me about the progress of the photos and videos .
I also knew that there would be alot of work to edit my photos as tight after the signing of papers , there was fogging of the area and some photos ended up being very foggy but after receiving the photos , I can't tell which photos were taken during the fog !
He was also very patient with me when I asked for some photos of my guests that didn't include my husband and I , and provided them when he can (some photos they aren't able to edit due to reason like movements during the shot etc so nothing much we could do about that) .
Nevertheless , I loved my wedding photos and videos so much and of course , the service . I've already booked my maternity shoot and baby shower (clearly this one hasn't been confirmed but roughly) shoot with them and I am VERY excited .
Linking back to my post , cost saving . None of the photos are printed . Not yet at least . I didn't feel like there was a need to get a package or whatever , as I saw on the Zula post , photo package with album and outfits (?) Perhaps some boutiques where you can purchase or rent your gown at , does services like these but what we wanted was just having photos taken and deciding later if we wanted the photos printed or not .
So now , my husband and I are cool with just printing a small album of it for keepsake because who know right , someday technology might crash on us , and being very sentimental people (I keep movie tickets , receipts and have a wall of photos) , I would love to have a hard copy .
Makeup , hair , nails and outfits
Let's start with make up . We didn't hire a make up artist , I did my make up myself . I wouldn't say it could compare to a good make up done by a certified artist , but I did get a hell load of compliments for it . Best part ? FREE !!
My husband wanted to give me the best and hire one but I didn't want to spend the extra cost when I could just do it myself and boy I had no idea what to do till I sat infront of the mirror and searched on my phone .
It was just my regular make up and as for eyeshadow , I wanted something pink instead of nude to match with my bouquet !
What I felt made the whole look pop was my lenses from @misseyx ! I was wearing the Milkyway Orange lenses I got from them and it helped brighten my eyes so much ! She did mention that not many people can pull off the lenses as it was bright and pretty unique but I just have to say , ya girl wants to look extra so might as well have some stars in my eyes on my big day AM I RIGHT ?
I've been wearing lenses from her . The lenses have been very comfortable and for the price point , I would definitely keep buying . This is coming from someone with extremely DRY eyes from 7 years of constant long hours of contact lenses wearing .
Nevertheless , practice good hygiene with your lenses and I still use Acuvue dailies from time to time as they contain more moisture .
Next up , HAIR .
My hair is 9 hours of hard work by @minhoyahair !!
No hairdresser will take such last minute slots for MY length of hair and take such good care of me because I'm pregnant okay !
Finding a good and affordable hairdresser is difficult and clearly time wasn't on our end so I didn't bother to source , I'm also someone who really doesn't like to step out of her comfort zone .
I've been going to Minhoya since I started dying my hair PROFESSIONALLY 3 years ago . I don't do my hair alot due to work commitments but Eason's handiwork never fails to leave me in awe everytime I'm done !
My hair was only done at 12.30am on my wedding day because , as I said , last minute slot :") so now yall know why I'm so thankful for my hairdresser .
I did my hairstyle myself and attempted to curl it but it clearly didn't last .
NAILS !!
My nails are beautifully done by Nicole !
Lastly , OUTFITS
My dress was not a gown and it cost less than a $100 from TAOBAO !
Superstition reason , my mother said it was inauspicious to be wearing wedding gowns more than once as my husband and I have already purchased a wedding shoot package earlier the year and will only be shooting it in 2 to 3 years time .
I also do not feel a need to rent or purchase an expensive gown that I would only be wearing for half a day .
Despite saying that , I don't deny that I did source for boutiques where I could rent a gown for as I was worried my dress would not arrive in time or fit my growing belly . I purchased the dress at 20 weeks pregnant and I was 24 weeks on my big day . That's a whopping 1 month for my boy to grow and people have been telling me that my belly would pop in December but till now it doesn't seem to be that big .
The cheapest I saw was still $250+ for a day's rental and it wasn't even something I liked .
I wanted something bareback and my husband preferred me in off shoulder dresses so my taobao dress was honestly just PERFECT .
It also rained that day and we did a cinematic shot which I completely just gave my dragging dress to the road , rain and dirt since it was MINE .
However . The downside of this is that , I got it in the largest size and it means I wouldn't be able to wear it POST pregnancy (clearly gonna work hard to lose the mumtum) unless I get it altered .
My heels which have been invisible are from Charles and Keith on taobao which I bought awhile back .
And that pretty much sums up my whole outfit for that day .
My husband got his blazer and red shirt from G2000 sale which we chanced upon while we were at EXPO for the baby fair ! They were under $150 so imagine how much we saved already .
Miscellaneous
Rings - our rings are white gold so they aren't crazily expensive and I'm not into the idea of designer rings and diamond . My husband and I also thought that pure gold seems rather old looking and we liked the designs of the rings we have now !
As long as you like the rings and they are within your budget , just get them . Doesn't matter what the world says .
Bouquet - bouquet and boutonniere are from @theflowerpractice , my husband engaged them hence I know nothing but he has gotten me several bouquets from them already and I love every single one of them ! My proposal bouquet has withered but I still can't bear to toss it alright .
Invitations - we sent out e-invites as this whole thing was planned really last minute, there was barely any time at all to meet up each and every guest to invite them . On the other hand, save money !!
To end off this really lengthy post which turned out to be more of an appreciative post , what I'm trying to say is that as much as a wedding is only a once in a lifetime thing , there is no need to spend out of your means . Don't spend the first 10 years of your married life stressing over money .
Something to take away from this post :" The real act of marriage take place in the heart , not in the ballroom or church ."
Zula post as mentioned: https://zula.sg/wedding-cost-singapore/
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