3 Importance of the CAMERA(s) in your wedding!

I personally feel that photography/videography is one of the most essential part of a wedding. Why do I feel so?

1. Photo/Videography is the only way to keep our memories alive. Yes yes I know..many people say, "memories are kept in the heart". For those who say that, I do agree with you as well.. but there is also another way I look at things..Photographs helps me remember exact details of an important event happened in the past...There was never a dull moment whenever I go through old photographs.. Refreshes memories of the beautiful moments in life...

2. Its is your wedding! You can only be in 1 place at 1 time...but that doesnt mean there is nothing happening in other place in hall/temple during your wedding. Dont you want to capture all the expressions, emotions, actions from your family and friends? I remember going through a few wedding videos/photos and asking " Wow..when did this happened?", "What were there laughing about?"...

3. It will be the most important treasure! :) A story that would last more than a lifetime... 20, 40, 60 years...

So do tell me...and leave your comments about photography & videography! Waiting to hear from all of you. And if you a photographer...Do send me your views from behind the lens... :)

Big Fat Indian Weddings

A V-vaah (wedding) is an union of two families. There is happiness, parties, singing, dancing, drinking and functions to celebrate these union. But everyone is curious to know who is in the guest list and who is not?

Why does the guest list of weddings keeps growing as each year passes by? These days, you will hardly witness an Indian wedding with a mere 200 pax guest list. It has become so extensive and elaborate that weddings in Indian are having guest list counting in thousands.

There are a few things that makes me curious. These guest are invited to celebrate with the 2 families that are getting united, my question is.. How many are actually there to participate in their happiness? From my experience, loads are there because of good food & drinks, gossips, and some are there feeling envy of the happy faces. Yes this sounds too bitter but be honest, ask yourself how many weddings have you attended because you really want to be part of their happiness or because you are left with no choice but to fulfill social obligations?

And let's look at it from a different angle.. From the side of the families whom are actually sending out the invitations. How many percentage of the people being invited does actually know the couple getting married? Ok maybe that's too far.. Do they actually knew they existed before the received the wedding invitations? Like there are many attending because of social obligations, there are also the people inviting them because of social obligations.

So what does all these mean to the couple for whom all the functions are taking place? Just assume for a few minutes that your are the bride/groom..

1. Do you want to have a function and celebrations around your loved one and people who are actually part of your happiness? OR
2. Do you want a extensive guest list so that you can stay in the social circle?

1. Do you want a function to be catered around your happiness, needs and wants? OR
2. Do you want a function catered to please everyone else who are attending?

1. Do you want to be the VVIP and the center of attention of the night? OR
2. Do you want the limelight to be on someone else?

There is no right or wrong answer. Each answer defines the uniqueness of each individuals which makes their wedding an unique one as well. So 200 pax or 2000pax...the most important thing the bride and the bride groom and their families is happy. The parties and celebrations must go on... :)

Be your own boss!

Link in THE STAR newspaper dated 24th July 2011.

I am reproducing the article above, just incase THESTAR removes the article from their database in the future. Stephanie Chai from Wedding Guide Asia has done a very good job on the article. Its something all Brides-To-Be MUST consider before proceeding with the planning of her unforgettable wedding.

To DIY

The job of a wedding planner may seem glamorous, thanks to movies like The Wedding Planner which starred Jennifer Lopez. (Incidentally, JLo and Marc Anthony are getting divorced in real life.)

It is important to remember that wedding planning is much more than choosing a fab dress and dinner menu. In reality, it’s all about scheduling and management of vendors and guests.

Though that might not sound too fun, know that the best thing about planning your own wedding is you get to be your own boss! This means you’re in control of your schedule and the number of hours you work (or don’t work for that matter). Moreover, if you have a passion for weddings, being a DIY bride might just be the thing for you.

With all the resources available today, online and in print, finding the right tools to stay on track and organised has never been easier. Plus, should you get stuck in a rut, simply delegate some responsibilities to your bridal party or to that particularly eager aunt for the inordinate tasks.

However, fun as it sounds, don’t forget that wedding planning means ticking off a long checklist! 

These include:

> Hiring and overseeing wedding vendors.

> Inviting guests and handling the RSVP.

> Choosing a theme and décor.

> DIY projects such as creating wedding favours.

> Making sure everything runs smoothly on the big day.

The bottom line is simple – as your own wedding planner, your job is to do whatever it takes to ensure your special day goes exactly as planned. Being a DIY bride is a good idea if you’re someone who’s throwing a small wedding, enjoys being organised and has spare time on her hands.

I have a friend who planned her own wedding attended by 200 guests. And she said “Never again!” after spending days calling up friends for the RSVP. Rule of thumb: Always be realistic with your time and capabilities.

Not to DIY 

After days of gallivanting across town and hours of e-mailing to get matters sorted, reality does kick in.Most DIY brides begin to see that DIY weddings may “appear” to be cheaper, but are tremendously time-consuming.Without a wedding coordinator, it’s up to the DIY Bride to ensure things don’t crumble and fall apart. One thing to consider is, it’s not worth being a DIY Bride if you end up in tears on your wedding day. So should you take the risk?

Here are our top reasons to hire a coordinator:

> Your planner liaises with all the wedding vendors.

From the get-go, your wedding planner can help you choose vendors and coordinate with them. Wedding planner Eileen Lui of Nupts & Such says: “Rather than dealing with 10 different vendors, a bride only needs to deal with one planner. We look over the smaller details such as contracts with vendors. This saves you a lot of time, hassle and of course, stress!”

> Actual day management.

On the big day itself, a wedding planner is usually there from the beginning to the end. So rather than worrying about the little things like “Has the wedding cake arrived?”, you can sit back, relax and enjoy yourself (as you should).

> Design

Let’s face it. They’ve planned many weddings whereas this is likely your first. Planners can help you decide on a theme, décor, favours, the works. Ultimately, they also offer design advice that will make your wedding appear sophisticated and elegant.

> Saving costs.

If you’re on a budget, your planner can help you reduce expenses with a bit of creativity. “For our clients who are on a tight budget, we help them make their wedding look like a million dollars at a fraction of the cost,” says Lui.

At the end of the day, no matter what you decide, relish the day, as it’s your time to sparkle!

Personally, will I DIY my own wedding? Chances are, probably not, because I am busy as it is, running a wedding portal (haha).

Remember to shop around as wedding planners offer different rates and packages, which can be affordable.

Inflammatory display of Wealth or Welcome expenses?

Just a few months back I was surfing through some websites from India on wedding planning and other services offered by event companies in India. I was curious to know about the India market on weddings. From what I have heard, its massive. Especially on the northern part of India. People are spending millions of dollars to have the most memorable and outstanding wedding ever. Not sure if it has become some sort of competition to show of the family wealth, or is it just the "cool" thing to do. Banks in India even offer Wedding Loans!! Surprised?? So was I when I heard about it. I am not really sure if that's possible here in Malaysia...maybe under the category of Personal Loans. Hmmm..... Do you happen to know anyone who has taken loan for a wedding? I really would like to interview them to understand more about this concept. Please do help me out friends.

Anyways, going back to India for their wedding market. We all know very well that India is a land of people with great talent. Especially in the field of ARTS & CRAFTS. Being creative just comes to them naturally... I envy them at times. This creativeness has helped them to plan, organize and execute some of the most exclusive and extraordinary weddings from a small to a major scale.

India's most expensive wedding was cost at around USD 55 million with more than 15,000 guest. It was the wedding of Delhi's businessman and Congress MP Kanwar Singh Tanwar's son, Lalit Tanwar to Yogita Jaunapuria. The bride’s family gave the groom a Bell 429 helicopter. More than 100 different kinds of food were served, including Thai, Chinese and Indian dishes. It also featured a Domino’s pizza stand. The huge wedding tent took a month to build and featured Roman pillars, Venetian props and Chinese furnishings. The site was created on a sugarcane field outside Delhi. It is definitely more expensive than the most talked about wedding of Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal's daughter Vanisha, at the Palace of Versailles which cost about USD 50 million. These are just 2 famous wedding that was given great publicity. However, there are many many more that have had great big fat indian weddings. :) If you are interested to know more about these weddings...go to youtube and search for big fat indian wedding or just google their name.

Yup, so last monday, by God's grace, I got an opportunity to have dinner with some wedding planners (ShaadiOnline, Mapsor Events, Q Events, Red Events, Rachnoutsav from India, together with an editorial assistant from Wedding Affair Magazine and a journalist from India's leading newspaper,Hindustan Times. I got some time to spend with a few of them who gave me more insight to the wedding scene there. Was a great night. Law of attraction really do work. Months back I was looking through the website of this same companies and dreaming on how and when can I have a chat with them. GOD brought all of them right here in Kuala Lumpur. Hoping to keep in touch with them and keeping learning more and more about weddings.

For me, its gone be a ever living passion in me. But if I would like to carry it out as a profession, hmmm... its still a question mark. But first, I would like to make the society understand the importance and the role of a wedding planner. Trust me, its more than eyes can see. A simple wedding can be made to look elegant and classy if its organized and executed efficiently. And this is where the planner comes in...Do read my previous post on Why Wedding Planner to understand more on the role and responsibility of a Wedding Planner. If you are getting married, or happen to know anyone getting married soon, try asking if a wedding planner is necessary. Also ask around to hear from the experience of others on wedding planners. I am not saying everyone would have a great one because choosing a wedding planner is a difficult task itself. It must be someone whom the couple are comfortable to work with.

Wedding dinner at Renaissance Hotel

I am at a wedding dinner at Renaissance Hotel KL pool side. I have to say, it's a great venue so a nice small intimate dinner with close family and friends.

A nice raised platform is decorated to be the stage and DJ console. Excellent food as well.

However, as it's open air, I am watching everyone trying to fan themselves as it's pretty warm.

Overall, I would rate it 8/10 for a small crowd dinner. Do check out this place if this is something you are looking for.

Congrats to Dr.Mohandas and Veena!!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Jalan Persekutuan,Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia

Indian Wedding Expo April 2011

I was looking forward to the wedding expo this year, but guess what? I nearly missed. Last Sunday when I woke up, I saw a brochure in the living hall and realised it was going on from 7th - 10th April. As usual, called up my partner in crime, Dinisha and managed to get her to fetch me.

We reached Mid Valley Exhibition Center, (MVEC) about 3pm. First 2 thing that attracted my eyes was the S shaped decor & the beautiful Ganesha kolam.

 
<--"Latest design by D'Wedding Dream"

<-- Ganesh Kolam also by D'Wedding Dreams










The indian Wedding expo was in Hall 1 & 2 while the Hall 3 was hosting the Malay Wedding Expo.