e-makeup

i haven't blogged about my makeup artist yet.
and i was actually waiting for her to upload my pics in either her website or her facebook fanpage.

finally, the pics are up.
so i guess it's time for the review!

the makeup artist for my engagement was Zila Ziman.
i once wrote about her in this entry.
i think i don't have to introduce her since i tau semua orang dah kenal dia, especially bloggers.
she's a freelance makeup artist cum a famous wedding blogger.
her wedding blog is sayamaukawen.blogspot.com.
b2b, you might want to sneak into her blog which is so much informative and organize.

in sum, my verdict on zila ziman's touch:
-i love, love and love the lipcolor that she put on me.
-i like how she did my eyebrows. actually, i am a fan of zila's makeup for eyebrows. which i dah perasan yang dia memang pandai makeup kening dari dulu lagi.
-i opted for silver-black eyeshadows, but it looked kind of blue-ish. it could have been better if i asked for plum-black eyeshadows, no?
-i was the one asking for smokey eyes makeup, but i found out that my eyes are not suitable enough for this kind of eye makeup. not suitable because of the gap between my eyes and my eyebrows is quite small. plus i was not (and will not) do any threading or eyebrows shaping. so smokey eyes are actually not for me. but no harm trying pun kan.
-nose shading was a bit too much but it wasnt zila's fault. mari kita salahkan hidung kembang saya. but i think for the wedding i'll go for less shading. i redha berhidung kembang hihiks.

overall, i am a satisfied happy customer.

well, how about letting the pictures to do the reviews.

ah, tak suka bergambar dengan zila sebab i akan nampak hodoh sebab dia cantik sangat :(

searching for the perfect palette

for the past few weeks, i've been thinking about colors, color and colors.
it's about searching for the perfect palette for my wedding.

i was having issues on deciding on color combination until i ran into this very nice and helpful website for reference, theperfectpalette.blogspot.com.
thank goodness we've internet!
it's a lot easier for me to plan and decide on the wedding theme palette.
tak dapat bayangkan macammana mak2 nenek2 kita pilih warna tema dulu hihiks!

actually i've already decided on the main colors for both solemnization and at-myhome reception.
it is GOLD for the solemnization and MAUVE for at-myhome reception.
bride and groom will be wearing whites, of course.
families will be wearing those main colors.
and as i'll be using the same pelamin for both events, the pelamin must match with both theme colors.
same goes to the room decorations, canopy, and other decorations.

so this is the chosen so called perfect palette for my solemnization.
gold, light brown, light pink, and off-white.

and this is for at-myhome reception.
it's the combination of mauve, light  pink, pink, cranberry red, gold, and off-white.

ada yang cakap dengan i - purple?again?
yes, i am a purple (and pink) freak.
so what? it's my wedding, thank you.

hey, lagipun haritu tunang more to plum and magenta lah.
and these palettes for wedding are much softer than the engagement, no?
ohh tapi i cinta jugak plum, magenta,fuchsia pink, dark purple, deep pink and all those dramatic vibrant colors.
might have been using hint of those type of colors, maybe for the bridesmaids?

diamonds are women's BFF

lately, i've been seeing many of marrying couples giving a bangle or bracelet for post-akad ceremony as substitute for a wedding band.
and since i've already got 3 rings from my sayang - cincin anniversary, cincin risik and cincin tunang - i was also thinking about doing the same thing too.

but i have to admit that i am quite traditional in this matter.
which i strongly think that rings are considered as a symbol of love and a promise of unity.
so, wedding ring it is.

it is quite challenging (and exciting!) to choose and decide on my wedding ring.
i have to consider many aspects before i can truly decide on which kind of ring that i really want and what is the best type of ring for me.

there are two things that are really bothering me.
#1: i'll be wearing my wedding ring for a very long time.
#2: my wedding ring will be my new BFF.

which kind of ring that i really want?
so.. since we all know that "diamonds are women's best friend", i personally think that there is no better option than to have a diamond ring for my wedding.
i know that traditionally diamond rings are more popular for engagement and wedding bands are for wedding.
but for reasons stated above, i opted to have a diamond wedding ring.
so let me rephrase the statement above - "diamonds are women's best friend forever".

what is the best type of ring for me?
there are lots of variety of shapes and cuts of diamonds e.g. princess cut, emerald cut, marquise cut, round cut, pear cut, etc.
and i chose to have a round one.
reasons?
round cut diamonds have a charm that other cuts didn't have.
round cut diamonds are the simplest cut among all which perfectly define "less is more".
please mind that reasons are based on my personal preference, so don't get offended if you are more into other types of diamonds.

final decision is to have a round diamond solitaire ring.

so yesterday, me and my sayang went to midvalley to buy the wedding ring.
and i've got myself into new puzzle - nak batu tenggelam ke timbul.

sudah! i tak buat research camne ni. cemas cemas.

so i asked the sales assistant, which one does he prefer? - dia suka yang timbul.
i asked him "why?" - dia cakap kalau diamond timbul, dari tepi pun boleh nampak shining shining ma. lagipun kalau ini solitaire ring memang sesuai dengan bentuk timbul. lebih klasik. kalau yang tenggelam ni moden sikit lah.

i asked my sayang, which one? - dia suka yang timbul.
"why?" - sebab yang timbul tu lagi murah 90 hengget dari yang tenggelam :|

since both of them chose the same one, it is easier for me to make decision.
i like the reasons that the sales assistant gave to me.
i can see the shining diamond even from the side view, just like he said.
and i just love when he said that the design is classic.

back to the reason that i'll be wearing it for a long time, i desperately need something evergreen.
yes, i really need a classic one.

and yes, i chose that one!

and i am a happy lady now.

gambar hiasan: my cincin risik and cincin tunang

e-favor

remember this entry on wedding favor?

i've stated in the post that i prefer something simple and lovely for the favors.
just a small gift for the attendances.

at first, i decided not to give any favors for my e-day's attendances.
because i tried to minimize the budget as minimal as i can.

but a week before my engagement day, i had my lunch at a restaurant named "taste" at seksyen 9, bandar baru bangi.
near to the restaurant is a shop which i don't remember the name but with the banner of "premium gifts" hanging in front of the shop.
so i just thought of paying a visit since i never came into that gift shop before.

the owner is a friendly chinese lady.

i didn't plan to buy anything from that shop until i saw this favor box which i really like.
i like the abstract purple pattern on that box.
plus the price is only 30cents per box.
so i made some quick calculations in my head - if i buy 300pcs, it will cost me rm90 only.

i smsed my brother's girlfriend who's doing a cupcake business - how much it will cost for 300pcs of small sized muffins.
she replied with a figure that i think reasonable enough.

so, i bought the box!

cikpuancuppies delivered the ordered muffins a day before my engagement day.
my sisters were helping me putting in the muffin into the box.
anyway, we put 2pcs of an extra small sized muffins into each box.
and the muffins fit in the box nicely.

and that's it!
the story of my engagement favor.

lurvyu

she dropped by my blog yesterday and dropped some comments.
after i submit my reply for her comments, i clicked on her name because i simply love the picture of the red roses hand bouquet that she put as her profile picture.

know what, i stuck in her blog for hours and i'm hooked!

http://lurvyu.blogspot.com/

and i'm sharing the link with you, so that you can read it too :)

happy DIY-ing!

mama & adek

my mama and my youngest sister will be going to holland for a holiday cum visiting my sister's family (sister, BIL, niece).
2 bags weigh 21kg each are packed and they are ready to go.
they will be staying there for about a month (minus a week in UK).

let's pray for them for a smooth journey and staying.
and wish that they will come back home in optimal health condition, with mental and physical condition being at 100%.

i'll miss both of them so much!

e-room decorations

as you know, the upacara sarung cincin wasn't held in my room which i decided to do it at the living hall so everybody can see and doesn't have to squeeze into my room.
still, i made some room decorations so that my photographers don't have to struggle themselves to find the right (and decent) angles for in-room photo shootings.

the concept is space and simplicity where i put all unnecessary things out and leave only the furnitures.
thanks to my sister for allowing me to put my things in her room which until today haven't been taken out yet :P

i didn't buy any new bedsheets and quilt cover and didn't change the curtains.
and of course didn't buy new furnitures.
i just bought some fake flowers and white vases from romantika, metro point, kajang and fresh flowers from pasar kajang as my room decorations.
and i made sure that i had enough of my favorite fragrant oils and candles.
plus i got myself a purple oil burner to complement the theme.

anyway, my favorite fragrant oil is teddy's dream from lovely lace which is highly recommended.
i use the same fragrant for my spa too, anyway.
if you are searching for a fresh and invigorating scent, you might want to try this teddy's dream.

sekarang tengah cari ilham untuk wedding room decorations pulak.

e-hand bouquet

imho, hand bouquet is one of special attractions for a wedding or anything related to it.
it is a "must" and at the same level of importance of a wedding dress.

every time i went to a wedding, other than struggling to have a full view of the wedding dress (jebon sangat kan), i will surely pay attention to the hand bouquet.
pay attention means i looked at it from many aspects.

what flowers are used? are they pure roses? or maybe lillies? orchids? tulips? daisies? carnations? or combination of types of flowers?
how small or big it is? is it too small? or is it too big and cover the bride's figure?
what type of flowers? fresh? or plastic?
is the hand bouquet match with the color of the wedding theme?
how is it decorated? does it come with ribbons? is there any lace or silk materials or additional accessories used?
how about the arrangements? is it in round form? or in a descending form? or no geometric form at all?

for my engagement, i chose to d.i.y. my hand bouquet using non-real flowers.
reason to d.i.y. - to save budget
reason for not using fresh flowers - to make sure that i can keep it forever.
because if i used fresh flowers, the most i can keep it is one week (or maybe less) before it safely stays in my bin.

in fact, i think i might be using fake flowers for my wedding hand bouquets too.
kalau dah tak nak simpan pun, i boleh buat perhiasan bilik haha.

so here are pictures of lovely hand bouquet which i really really like.
actually there are lots more tapi takkan nak letak semua pulak kan.
so these are among the top of my favorite list.

and this was mine.

nothing special about it.
but i think it is sweet and humble enough for an engagement, no?

i personally love the round form bouquet but didn't make it round because i want to save it for my wedding.
for my engagement, i decided to have a small bouquet but not that small because i have a large frame, so a small bouquet is a no-no for me - so i settled for this small small.
and to make it unique and different from normals, i made the handle longer than the usual hand bouquet we've always seen.
and i think it looks weird haha padan muka nak unik sangat.

anyways, flowers and organza ribbons bought from SSF, jalan tar, kuala lumpur.
and silk materials are balance from my wedding dress.
okay so now you know the color of my wedding dress, potong betul.

me with my hand bouquet and my best babe

e-mini dais

i like to read other people blogs especially b2b blogs.
which some i think are very much informative and helpful.
it really helps me in doing my preparation and i know most of the b2b are doing the same thing too - to find reviews, to do survey, to get ideas, to just read about other b2b preparations, etc.

so i would like to share details on my engagement with my dear readers.
good things are to be shared, no?
and "sharing is caring", right?

if you find this blog not as informative as you expected or if it happens that you don't like to read my writings, please don't get boring or offended.
like i mentioned on the sidebar - "this blog is created because i just want my own place over the internet. a place where i can share thoughts, experiences and facts with others".

well, actually i don't know where to start with.
randomly picked, i think i'll start with my engagement mini dais.

in sum, i was and am really happy with my mini dais.
but it turned out to be controversial as some people said that it is too much to have a pelamin for engagement.
me myself, i don't think it is.
and lately, i've seen number of people doing it.

frankly, i did not make the pelamin for the purpose of bersanding ke apa.
in fact i don't have pictures with my fiance (oh my (",)) on the pelamin pun.
yes, standing in front of the pelamin ada, but not on the pelamin.

honestly, the pelamin was solely made for acara sarung cincin.
and i want it because my house theme and style is way different with my engagement theme.
come on, everybody have their own dream wedding, don't tell me you don't.
so let mine be like i wanted or dreamed it to be.

but knowing me, besides the fact that i'm very much into details, i'm also not sensitive to what others might think or said about me.
i just think that it is a waste of time to think too much of other people perceptions and sayings.

but unfortunately, my mama is not like that.
as a human, she's a very sensitive type of person.
she's warm-hearted and tends to put the needs of others over her own needs.
she really cares about what others might think about her.
so, the controversy sedikit sebanyak buat mama sedih.

jauh sekali mama nak menunjuk-nunjuk, the idea of the mini dais is COMPLETELY my idea.
in fact there's nothing to be showed off pun sebab that mini dais is totally made by me and it is just a simple one je.
it maybe looks nice and grand (it is?) but that is because of my creativity (masukkan elemen perasan sikit) and it doesn't mean that i spent too much and membazir on it.

sometimes i don't understand why some people really like to busy themselves with other people's matters.
in a good way, yes i understand.
but in a negative way?

please please please (guna nada aliff satar), the minute you feel yourself about to say something negative, stop for a moment and say nothing and let go of those thoughts without reacting, judging or identifying.
get busy thinking about your own needs, day-to-day commitments and goals which are more more important.
stop being too judgemental like i said once, stop making assumptions about others.
it will and surely will makes your life less complicated.

okay enough of the controversial stories, let's get back to the ultimate objective - to share about my mini dais.

i was actually trying to copy one of zaifie zainal's creation.
i really like their work.
and i did email them to ask for quotation actually - but no reply until today.

so i can say that more or less i immitate their work.
but i changed the design a bit depending on the ready resources and the space i have.

anyway, here is zaifie's mini pelamin which i like to death.

it is simple but really really nice, no?

and this is my d.i.y mini pelamin.

background railing was from kamdar, prima saujana, kajang and installed by my uncle.
background materials were bought from kamdar, presint diplomatik, putrajaya.
white bycast leather seat was bought from wescourt, selaman, bangi.
flowers and vase from romantika, metro point, kajang.
carpet from kajang carpet centre, kompleks diamond, bandar baru bangi.
stands and lamps borrowed from my best friend (thanks, saz!).

see?
i didn't really splurge on the pelamin.
i know the limit and still know the concept of membazir.

hellooo, it was one of my lifetime special moments.
just let me have what i want, okay?

because i dreamt a dream...
...and in my dream, i dreamt of my beautiful wedding.

i'm now engaged!

it's finally happened!
i'm now officially engaged to my sayang.
i was so excited to tell the story and post about it yesterday but i was busy with facebook.
i got a lot of wishes from friends after i changed my relationship status from in a relationship to engaged and put up some pictures which i feel very pleased.
it's the same feeling like when i was getting birthday wishes from friends through facebook.

alhamdulillah, i can say that everything run smoothly as planned.
except for the horror cendol (plus the fat me), the rest was okay.

the most thing that i like was to have so many photographers during my engagement.
i think there were like 10 of them.
if you ever read my blog post on "where to splurge?", you can understand why there were so many photographers on my engagement.
easily said, i don't want to miss any moment of it.
i want everything to be captured and recorded.
i just realized that i forgot to ask them to take pictures of my shoes, ohh and my book rack which was decorated into a flower rack!
yes, when i said everything it means EVERY thing.
now, let's just pray that the photographers did well with their job *pray*.
ohh can't wait to have the pictures with me.

for now, let's have a look at some pictures captured by my lovely sister.

thanks God for making it real.
plus for those who helped in make it happen and also for all who came, thank you so much.

e-invitation cards

i really think that it's not necessary to have invitation cards for my e-day.
me myself, i invited my friends through facebook by creating private event and also through sms-es.
plus last two weeks, when me and my ayah was making a guests list for my e-day, he said that he will do the invitation by phone.
so, that's the deal.
but last friday, he said that he needs some invitation notes to be distributed to the neighbours, a very simple one.

akan tetapi, selain cerewet...
...saya juga adalah agak kreatif (perahsan).
so at last, that 'very simple invitation notes' came out to be not very simple for my ayah, but simple and sweet for me i think.

the invitation is made up of a plain 210grams white paper, with a picture of a stalk of rose and is complemented with a purple ribbon at the very left side of it.
and it took only an hour for me to finish it up, from scratch.

saya berpegang kepada prinsip buat sehabis baik ala-ala pengakap juga.
atau secara tepatnya, do my best or don't do at all.

be grateful!

life maybe has not turned out the way you expected or planned.
but no matter how difficult or bad things are or may be, there are still many reasons to be grateful for.

what is there to be grateful for?
as for me..
- i am grateful to have such a wonderful family.
- i am grateful for my health and vitality.
- i am grateful to wake each day, and know that i am still alive for another day of life.
- i am grateful of having amazing friends around me.
- i am grateful that i live a colorful life.
- i am grateful for a nice living environment.
- i am grateful for everything i have, will have and have had.

and there are still loads of reasons to be grateful for.

you have those people in your life who care about you, you have your loved ones, you have chance to do what you've done and to see what you've seen, you have things that others don't have or might not have, you have opportunities to grow, you have chance to learn, you have many kids, you have a good look, you are good in your studies, you are cancer-free, you will be married soon, you live in a harmony environment, you don't have skin problems, you have a car, you can drive, you sing well, you are a good cook.. bla bla bla.

there are many things, maybe little things, that you should be grateful for but you've been taking for granted.

you are very selfish to accept what life dishes out for you and what God had planned for you.

being grateful can make you feel happier.
trust me, it works.

so be grateful for what you have.
because somewhere in the world, someone is praying for it.

e-theme color

do you remember my entry on pink + gold, sophisticated feminity?
dated 26th of october 2009, i wrote that we've decided pink + gold as our engagement theme.

at that time we were still waiting for the "green light".
but now after more than a year, many things have changed.
which include our e-theme color (other than weighing scale reading)!

so the new color palette for our engagement day is going to be pink + purple.
or to be specific, blush pink + family of purples (magenta, mauve, violet, grape, lavender).

blush pink: romance, love, friendship, femininity, truth, passivity, good will, emotional healing, peace, calming, affection, emotional maturity, caring, nurturing, sweet tasting, sweet smelling, ethereal, delicacy, sweetness of youth, fragility.

family of purples: influence, dignity, high aspirations, royalty, mystery, enlightenment, sophistication, dreams, wealth, extravagance, independence, fame, luxury, richness, sensuality, elegance, malleability, romance, nostalgia, feminity, beauty, enchantment, love at first sight, quietness, inspiration, artistry, ethereal, sensuality.

so what does the combination of blush pink & family of purples mean actually?

haishh..
tak dapat nak jadi sophisticated feminine..