Posing in the Park

In a previous post, I mentioned our wedding photographer, Kelvin Koh, an award-winning photographer and owner of Lightedpixels Photography http://www.lightedpixels.com/

Kel & his wife Beth are close friends from NUS, and frankly, we heart them and their daughters Kyra and Nessya, very much. Beth is like the big sister I never had, and I've turned to her many many times for advice and support, which she never fails to give. Kel has a very artistic eye & great taste - it was apparent all the way from the engagement ring he picked out for Beth and other stuff down the road - and he is the nicest warmest person ever. He's also incredibly easy to work with.

So, naturally, we went to them for our wedding photography. Kel did the pre-wedding shoot for us & his colleague Alwin will do the photography on what is commonly known as the "actual day" as Kel won't be in town.

The pre-wedding shoot took place in late Feb, after the rush of Chinese New Year. Before that, we had met up with Kel to discuss the concept of the shoot becos neither of us wanted something too lovey-dovey or romantic - it just isn't very us. Big also had this idea of doing some Americana-themed and pose with his father's 3-metre long vintage Cadillac. I like cars so I had no problems with that.

Pre-wedding Shoot: Behind-the-Scenes

What most people admire are the end products of photoshoots - all touched-up and looking really good - the couple, I mean. What they don't see is the sweat that goes on behind-the-scenes.

We were to meet Kel at East Coast Park (ECP) at 3.30pm on the hottest day of the month. So, Joanne came into the flat at 1pm to do my make-up. She laid on a good double-layer of false eyelashes, painstakingly sticking the individual lashes on one by one, while I tried evry hard not to squirm. She also found power sockets in the flat which I didn't even know about...

That's me trying to look pitiful cos I wanted an airconditioned full bodysuit to wear. Check out the glossy lips - I don't usually wear lip gloss cos I tend to eat it all up.

Joanne actually did a little of make-up for Big as well. And when she said it seems he knew more about make-up than I did, he happily agreed.

< - On the left - Big trying in vain to style his hair.

That's the end product on the right ->

We spent 2 hours having a picnic & table-top dancing at ECP with Kel clicking away. He tried to make me climb a tree (in my dress!), but I protested too loudly. From ECP, we went back to Big's home to pick up the Cadillac - Kel was very excited by it - and drove to Changi Coastal Road where Kel found a rather nice spot next to the airfield.

Here's Mr Americana in his aviator shades driving the Caddy on the ECP to Changi.

The Real Pictures

Kel uploaded a couple of pictures on the Lightedpixels Facebook page and, as always, got much positive feedback. I'm happy to say we got great comments all the way from friends in Germany and Australia. You can see the Real Pictures here http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/album.php?aid=151405&id=26767572920

Contact: Lightedpixels Photography info@lightedpixels.com

International clutter

Small bits of clutter are slowly finding their way into the Patch. Amongst the first were the rubebr duckies in the toilet and the windchimes in my room - they are in an earlier post. In this post, I'll talk about bits of clutter which actually have international origins.

Swiss birds

Over Chinese New Year, the Ecosystem came by to visit. Our friend Pius, who won't be coming for the wedding dinner, brought us an early wedding gift - hand-made and carried all the way from Zurich.
Pius is a lovely person who very enthusiastically played tour guide on the two occasions we visited him in Zurich, and with whom I keep a regular email correspondence, even if itz just to complain about the weather here. He's also very good at remembering birthdays and we always get parcels from overseas for those. We're all looking forward to attending HIS wedding to Gwen in Switzerland soon.

Fairies from Hong Kong

Big & I are huge fans of Disney. I prefer the old school Disney style - think Snow White & Sleeping Beauty - and am not all that keen on the recent ones e.g Tarzan and The Little Mermaid. Big, on the other hand, likes them all.

One of our favourites is Tinkerbell - the fairy from Peter Pan. In J.M Barrie's original story, she is what most fairies and sprites are - mischievous and not very nice. In the Disney version, she was superbly cute. In the latest Disney expansion, she's simply amazing... you get the idea.

Here are Tink & her friends (not J.M Barrie creations) who came home with us from Hong Kong last year. Spot the odd one out.

A happy place

I like to think that most of us have our own happy places. For some of us, it is a deliberate effort to create & maintain one. For others, it's as natural as sliding into base.

Sometimes, happy places established at a young age cannot survive the onslaught of growing up pains. Sometimes, one has no time, energy or motivation to create another happy place.

Here is my newest happy place:

I was warned not to buy a Billy bookcase from Ikea becos the shelves tend to sag in the middle after some time. We bought it all the same. Becos it was the only reasonable priced bookcase, with shelves that stretched from end to end, and could be fitted with glass doors. Others we saw were separated down the middle (where the doors meet) by a shelf. I prefer to open the glass doors and see a full unbroken shelf of books. We're still not sure if it will hold all my books though.

The chaise lounge was bought after much consideration. I had fallen in love with it when I first saw it in the Ikea showroom which had two chaise lounges arranged foot-to-foot, next to a picture window, with two white shelves running next to them on the wall, just wide enough for a mug of tea, a book and a favourite plush. But I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend on a chaise or just get a simple armchair. The deciding factor was its discounted price on the day we went to Ikea. And this was the 8th piece left in the warehouse... I'm not exactly fully sure about the white cover. But let's just say, this place has made me very happy, and I'm quite sure, will make me even happier when all my books are in.

Putting on a new face

I am not outgoing by nature. But after 6 years in a comms job, I've learnt how to appear sociable even if I feel like smacking you silly. And I've found that putting on make-up and certain clothes are a big help here. Itz like creating a different character. Kinda like a clown.

So, for the biggest ever PR event in our lives, Big & I decided we had to go put on our clown make-up.

THE haircut

Big is one of those boys who have always had their hair cut at an old-school Malay barber shop. Unfortunately that also means he is always amazed at the amount of money I spend on my hair and the time I spend in the saloon. So, it was my turn to be amazed when he said he wanted to get his hair done at the saloon I go to, and by my stylist (who also happens to be my nephew, twice removed). A mere (discounted) $35 later, this unfamiliar fellow strode out with me.

Big bought a tub of the strongest hair wax he could find, in attempts to style his very stubborn hair after the inital cut & style. Success has been kinda elusive. It seems the wax is not strong enough to straighten out his curls (or ducktails).

Trial bridal make-up session

The trial bridal make-up session was just that, a trial. I wear make-up 5 days a week for work, and on occasion, on weekends as well, but I still think itz a bloody botheration.

We've all seen people getting seriously transformed after a professional make-up session, and sometimes itz not for the better, speaking from a personal experience here, by the way. Yes, I know bridal make-up needs to be more elaborate than your everyday look, but I also don't want to look at my wedding pictures 5 years down the road and wonder who the girl in the gown was.

Anyway the make-up artist that Blu Mesh works with is Joanne Lau, who also works with Silhouette. Our photographer Kelvin has also worked with her. Which says a lot for her credibility since Kel's clients are all pretty put-together.

I think Joanne was pretty amused by the way I was perched very gingerly and upright on the chair. Here's how it went:

Joanne doing up my eyes. I had never worn eye make-up til about maybe 4 years ago AFTER I got rid of the specs. Altho I wear very basic eye make-up daily now, I'm not good at application. I really liked what Joanne did though. She promised no blues or greens - that is such a dated look =S

The other thing I was seriously worried about was the hairdo. Most brides wear theirs up. But I have a smaller-than-average face, which is why my stylist always makes sure I have some bangs. Joanne styled it such that I could wear my hair up, but still have some framing my face. The other thing we agreed on was NO tiaras. Joanne suggested flowers instead, and that's fine.

Here's me with make-up and hair done. Of cos this is just an idea of how the actual thing would go. But Joanne did assure me she wasn't about to do a wayang or drama-mama look. And looking her own make-up, she's definitely got good taste. PHEW.

Contacts:

Ivan Lim, Supercuts, Far East Plaza

Joanne Lau, make-up artist

Pumpkin Patch kids

Other than the Transformers who moved into their new home even before we did, there are a couple of other "babies" who have made a permanent home at the Pumpkin Patch.

Transformers

Sometimes, the 'bots get friends visiting them. Do note that these are a mere fraction of Big's (ever growing)collection.

Big-Mo

Domo, also known as Big-Mo or E-Mo (becos he watched Star Wars and thought he was an Ewok) was one of the 1st to move in permanently. On weekends when we are around, he can be found on the couch or sometimes waiting for food at the dining table. On weekdays, he lives in Big's cupboard. Big-Mo's a favourite becos he's so huggable.

The other Domo-Kuns

Big-Mo's smaller counterparts are Halloween exclusives from Target, specially shipped in to Singapore. They are Dracu-Mo, Pumpkin-Mo and Frank-Mo. Frank-Mo is mine. The pretty little black-haired girl next to the assorted Domos is Amy. She was an unexpected find in Wanchai, Hong Kong. Amy's pet Spooky is to her right.

Elvis

This baby snow leopard was adopted on 2 Jan 2o10. He is named for the King becos he's horribly vain, and loves to preen. Elvis is best friends with Big-Mo whom he uses as a perch most times. When he's not looking out of the window or chewing on Big-Mo's head, he likes to chew on his other best friend Mew.

Big's harem of Japanese girls

The 'weekend' girls cos he only sees them when we stay over at the Patch. The rest of the harem are still in his own room at home.

Tiny's Zoo

This is my tiny zoo. I am trying NOT to start another collection. But this is what happens when the zoo is too far off to work or volunteer at, and when you're deprived of a pet for the last 30 years... There are a couple more pets at home which I haven't brought over, like my 3 geckos...

"Opposite Hoover Cinema"

It does seem that furnishing the Patch has taken a step back to preparing for the customary wedding and dinner.

And trust me, there are a LOT of things to prep for one silly day of costuming up, running around, and grinning yourself silly, all for the sake of your parents' collective face.

It doesn't really help when said parents suddenly try to offer well-meaning advice such as:

1. Learning a simple waltz to lead the dancing during the dinner
(I didn't even know there was going to be dancing...)

2. Big serenading me with Elvis Preseley's Hawaiian Wedding Song at the dinner becos that was what his dad did (if Big is singing Elvis, *I* am choosing the song!)

3. Tailoring a suit at some shop "opposite Hoover Cinema" (where?!) instead of buying a cheap one from "Oriental Emporium" (um, didn't that kinda close down years ago?)

4. Me wearing a rather thick head band with an accessory that is way too large for my head but is "cute" (cute on other occasions perhaps, but not at my wedding!)

5. Big wearing a cream suit in the day, and changing to a dark one at night (yep, here comes the white elephant! oh wait, it's the groom...)

6. Me having to buy & carry a little bag on *MY* wedding day to hold cosmetics for touching up my make-up (huh??!!)

7. Wearing as high heels as possible and piled up hair so our discrepancy in height won't be so obvious (I am so looking forward to tottering around on over-high heels, and looking like Marge Simpson)

Any other sound advice?

Swathes of cloth

With the flat almost ready to move into, we have progressed to preparation for the customary wedding in April. Now, this was supposed to be my project, as the flat was Big's. Itz starting to look like a more thankless project than his really...

I started looking out for gown designs online sometime last year. It proved a good break from frustrating work in the office =P But even before I started surfing randomly, I had already decided I didn't want the following:

• a tube top gown (too common & generic)
  
• a fluffy skirt with cancan underneath (can't walk with the cancan)
  
• anything too lacey or poufy (don't want to look like a cupcake or too girly)
  

The keywords were - simple & elegant - and the result was a Grecian gown. These gowns feature a sleeker silhouette and the skirt usually either lightly skims the body or flares in a slightly A-line from an empire-cut bodice. The overall look is clean, simple and elegant.

Our gown designer, Debbie from Blu Mesh (contact courtesy of Yen Ling), did a couple of sketches of variations from a picture that I had sent to her from online research. One of them was a very simple gown - the bodice is a cross-over both front and back, with a sash knotted off to one side, overlay of silk organza (or chiffon) for bodice, opening up in the front of the skirt, and lace and beading details on shoulders, front of bodice and skirt. We jumped on it immediately.

Hunting for material

We spent the whole afternoon of 2 Jan trailing Debbie around Arab Street while she draped duchess satin over me, showed us bits of lace, and hunted for other materials. For someone who already doesn't enjoy dressing up, this experience was quite a chore. But this highly personal service is actually very good becos it inovlves the bride-to-be from the very beginning, and you get to choose the fabrics, and get an idea how they would drape on your body even before the gown is made. I know I can't wear stiff material and was initially quite worried becos gowns tend to be made of duchess satin which is rather stiff. But we found a softer duchess satin and this draped nicely.

1st gown fitting
The 1st fitting took place some 2 weeks after we had gotten the material, and just like the Arab Street hunt, was quite an experience.

1st, I hadn't expected the boning in the bodice or at the waist, obviously I wasn't used to it and felt like I was in a corset.

2nd, I seldom wear full white or off-white, so the result was a bit disconcerting.

3rd, when Debbie tied the sash on, it was all I could do not to fall to the floor in a dead faint (ok it wasn't all that tight but it sure felt like I was being squeezed in the middle...).

4th, the damn hem kept getting in the way. And when I hitched it up to walk, I was greeted by gales of laughter from my (unsympathetic) audience. Especially Val, who obviously delighted in telling me to "glide" becos that was exactly what I told her when she got married last year...

I'm not sure how I'm gonna avoid toppling over or tripping on my skirt, especially in my 3.5" heels...

Contact: Debbie from Blu Mesh at debbling@gmail.com or 9459 4995. http://www.blumesh.com/