Thursday, April 6, 2017

Getting married, and THANK YOU.

Hello everyone! How have all of you been? I hope you're well. 

If you've been patiently waiting for my updates, I sincerely thank you for your immense patience. I just went back to check my last blog entry (which was on 6 April 2016), and coincidentally, it's been almost a full year ago! 

There has been so much which happened in between, and so many stories to fill you in. Today, I would like to talk about something more personal. I got married 3 months ago, to my partner of 10 years! 



While planning my wedding, I always hear horror stories of how mild-tempered ladies evolve into crazy bridezillas with every day nearer to the wedding day. Thankfully, it didn't happen in my case haha. I would like to attribute this to my zen personality but really, it's because I had a lot of help along the way and generous people taking care of many aspects for the wedding.



I reached out for help via my Dayre entry some time back (rather shamelessly I might add) on account that I was dedicating a huge portion of my income every month to support my studio rental and had not much wedding budget left. Amazingly, these lovely people below actually responded and generously sponsored their services/products. Below is my honest review of their offerings.

This is going to be a long post, so grab some snacks and read on! Especially for those of you who are also about to embark on the whole wedding-planning journey, I hope the following information would be useful to you. 

Do note that I won't be able to name everyone involved in the journey, so I'm sorry if I've left you out, but do know that I would still like to thank you sincerely. :) 


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[  A U T E L I E R  M A K E U P  ]

 Before the wedding, Autelier Makeup arranged for a trial session with me to check on the exact look and hairstyle I wanted for the actual day. Tip for all brides to be, always request for a makeup and hair trial! 

Especially if you have sensitive skin and you need to see if you'll be allergic to the make up products. Nobody wants to be having an allergic reaction on their wedding day! 😨 Also, at the trial, Jenny (my MUA) and I explored the different options I had and we experimented with some on that day. 

Google images can only do so much, nothing beats seeing the actual hairstyle/makeup style on yourself! We all have different skin tones and facial shapes, so that catalogue model pulling off the sideswept braid doesn't mean it's the most flattering on you! 

Autelier Makeup has a gorgeous loft studio , with a photo studio at the bottom and a cozy makeup room right above! During the trial, you'll be all snug and comfortable in this huge chair, while enjoying tea haha. 

Here are some photos of my trial experience!







On the wedding day itself.

Jenny arrived bright and early with all her tools and makeup, and I felt confident in her ability to make me look my best that day from morning till night! 


Like, my eyes get itchy and red easily so she made sure all fake lashes were secured on comfortably. I requested for some last minute changes to my hairstyling and she was more than happy to listen to my suggestions. 

Her hands were gentle yet firm with her brushes and it felt more like a pampering session every time I sat down in the chair! 😍 My skin condition is not that great but her superb concealing skills allowed me to leave the chair feeling like a million bucks every time.


A little break with Taro, while waiting for the groom and his entourage to arrive. 


Having a good MUA is pretty crucial for a wedding, as a bride has got to feel and look beautiful! 

You'll be surprised but the amount of time brides spend with the MUA at the wedding, is probably matched only by time spent with the groom. Jenny was constantly checking if I was ok after each makeup step, from the pre-wedding trial to my actual day. 🌷



It has been a great blessing that I was taken care by Jenny and Autelier Makeup for the entire wedding day and night. 

Thank you love, your work is exquisite and you were a great joy and comfort to be with. Highest recommendations to any brides-to-be for and ask for Jenny! (Though I'm sure the rest of the team is just as brilliant 😄)

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[  W E D D I N G  C R A F T E R S  ]

Another great blessing during this wedding journey, is the discovery of this wonderful homegrown brand, Wedding Crafters and the lovely lady behind it all, Cheryl.

This is her cozy bridal studio just a stone's throw from Tai Seng MRT, where I spent many hours trying on gown after gown. Cheryl was amazingly patient at all of my requests, and helped give me good advice on what was advisable for my build, and recommended me gowns for the styles I was looking for.


Awesome service aside, her hand-designed gowns were what I was hoping to walk down the aisle in. They were classic and not over the top, while being uniquely pretty on their own. 

Cheryl also provided for my prewedding shoot, and I chose a gorgeously-made gown in a flattering shade of midnight blue. This also doubled up for the later part of my wedding, where I delivered my speech in, and took the table-to-table photos in. It was the easiest to walk around in, as the bottom part of the gown parted ways in the middle and allowed for me to navigate around without fear of tripping over my gown.



The gowns at WC are all handcrafted, with delicate hand sewn lace and intricate details. New batches of gowns come in every 6-8 weeks, so please head to http://weddingcrafters.com.sg for the newest updates in their gown collection. You can also make an appointment to view the gowns in person. 





At this instant, the champagne cork flew off the minute JY held the bottle. And that was my reaction haha.



Here are some of the highlights from their collection! Photos taken from WeddingCrafters website.



Cheryl has come up with really awesome promotional packages to help all of you brides-to-be get the most out of your bucks!




1. Gown, Makeup & Photography Package 
(Androidsinboots x WeddingCrafters x Autelier Makeup Collaboration)
  • ELEGANCE | $2,740 
    • 1 x Gown Rental 
    • 1 x Suit Rental 
    • 1 x Traditional Kua Rental 
    • 1 x Fresh Make Up & Hair 
    • 6-hr AD Photography by AIB Associate Team (min. 100 photos)
  • EXQUISITE | $3,990 
    • 2 x Gown Rental 
    • 1 x Suit Rental 
    • 1 x Traditional Kua Rental 
    • 2 x Fresh Make Up & Hair 
    • 10-hr AD Photography by AIB Associate Team (min. 250 photos)
  • LUXE | $4,690 
    • 3 x Gown Rental Rental 
    • 2 x Suits Rental 
    • 1 x Traditional Kua Rental 
    • 2 x Fresh Make Up & Hair 
    • 1 x Make Up Touch Up 
    • 10-hr AD Photography by AIB Associate Team (min. 250 photos)

For the LUXE Package in particular, you'll enjoy cost savings of $850 if you were to ala-carte the items from the individual vendor. 

If you decide to get a package, you'll also enjoy special top up rates for the local pre-wedding photography and for videography portion as well! :)





2. Gown & Makeup Package 
(WeddingCrafters x Autelier Makeup Collaboration)
  • ELEMENTS $1,240 
    • 1 x Wedding Gown 
    • 1 x Groom's Suit 
    • 1 x Traditional Kua 
    • 1 x Fresh Make Up 
    • 1 x Fresh Hair Style
  • ESSENTIALS $2,090 
    • 2 x Wedding Gowns 
    • 1 x Groom's Suit 
    • 1 x Traditional Kua 
    • 2 x Fresh Make Up 
    • 2 x Fresh Hair Style
  • SPLENDOR $2,690 
    • 3 x Wedding Gowns 
    • 2 x Groom's Suits 
    • 1 x Traditional Kua 
    • 2 x Fresh Make Up 
    • 2 x Fresh Hair Style 
    • 1 x Touch-up
If you have any more questions, do pop over here or send your questions over to enquiry@weddingcrafters.com.sg or you can write your queries here

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[  T H E  B M D  S H O P  ]

Yan Xia, owner of thebmdshop.com, was very kind to reach out to me a few months ago and offered me dresses for my entire bridal party. When we finally met, she told me it was because she understood how hard it was to be an entrepreneur, and she wanted to help.

It was very sweet of her, and I definitely appreciated saving some dollars from the wedding budget.

The pretty Tiffany dresses were from the BMD collection. 


TheBMDShop showroom is located in Kallang, but do note it's by appointment only.

Please head first to the website (thebmdshop.com) to browse through the wide range of dresses they have, before emailing Yan Xia for an appointment if you would like to view them in person. Or for fittings with your bridesmaids, as most of the dresses come with sizes.

Even the Pocket Kitchen set (that JY is holding) was in tiffany! Haha.


The maroon bow ties and skinny ties were also from them.



Thank you Yan Xia, I'm sure TheBMDShop will grow bigger every year with your hard work.


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[  J A S L E E N  .  X I N N A  ]

I also had the opportunity to work with Jasleen and Xinna, who helped to doll up my bridesmaids  (my bridesmaids only asked for hairstyling) and both mothers! 


While I unfortunately don't have photos of both of them in action, but here are photos of their 'works' after their magic hands and styling. :) You can also head to their respective social media platforms for more photos of their portfolio!



Thank you Jasleen and Xinna, it was my blessing that you both came to my aid for my loved ones. 





Jasleen: 
FB: https://www.facebook.com/jasleen.chan
Instagram: jasleen_chan

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Inna: 
+65 8650 9930 / WeChat xinna_tan 

Instagram: Xinnatan_mua 

This is Xinna's personal message. "Hello, I am Xinna, a makeup artist! I'm certified from 3 different styles of guru! Just choose which style suits you, and I'll travel to your place. Affordable price. "



A photo of Xinna's works.



 

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Lastly, the one that has walked closest to me in this journey (and we're nowhere near the end of the journey I'm hopeful). Jiayang, my partner for 10 years. 


To be honest, he's the one making most of the decisions for the wedding. Can you believe I never went through the arduous journey of searching for the right banquet venue? JY found Joyden Hall which was near his office, and we basically went to see once and decided OKAY let's go with this. Same goes for the photography/videography team, we decided to just go with our gut feel instead of researching and going through lots of headache in the search.

All the small details, he was also taking care of and coordinating while I was happily chatting to the MUA in the makeup room during the actual wedding. Thank you Jiayang, I guess I need to refer to you as my hubby now! :) After calling him my boyfriend for a decade, the change of name is still going to take a bit of getting used to haha. 


Thank you for reading till the end. If you're about to get married soon, there will be lots of decisions to make and many details to cover, but don't forget to smile, and have fun! :) 
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Wednesday, April 6, 2016

First ever tea party in AiClay's studio!

Hello lovelies.

So much has happened since the last time I wrote in here. But that is a story for another day, because I have a lot of photos to share for a special day in AiClay history. ;)

Some pictures here are taken by my assistant Xinman. :)

I held my first ever tea party at AiClay's studio on 12 March 2016.




I made a collaboration request for bakers on my Instagram, and a few bakers responded generously! :) So I had the pleasure of working with Chu Sin of Chucakes and Kristal of Nest Bakery.

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N E S T .  B A K E R Y


Kristal whipped up a whole table of petit bakes for the tea party! Thank you also for staying to hang out throughout the party as well. :)


The party attendees were really impressed with her bakes, and my personal favourite was the berry tart and choux pastry. YUMS.


Kristal will bring her tableware (with her tasty bakes of course!) and set up an entire dessert feast for your events and celebrations!

Snapped away randomly while Kristal was packing her plates and display wares at the end of the party.



Contact Kristal for her dessert tables by whatsapping her at 90258560, or email to nest.bakery.enquiries@gmail.com 

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C H U C A K E S

Chu Sin created this lovely red velvet fondant cake, customised specially for AiClay! AWWW.

I told Chu Sin that I was going to wear a pink top and denim overalls, which is why she created the girl in the outfit to resemble me. But whoops I had a last minute change of mind and didn't wear the pink top. But just to let you guys know that you can request for details like these for your own cake!



A close up of the little fondant art she created. It was me sitting at a table laid out with some of my AiClay signature works, I'm impressed by her attention to detail!

I was really taken by the little apple with the heart bite, because that is really how my apple jewellery looks! Haha.



It was a challenge to cut the fondant cake though I must say! So what you need to do is to carefully remove each fondant piece (especially if you're planning to keep them for display), before cutting into the base cake.

I chose RED VELVET for the cake, but there are several mouthwatering flavours to choose from like Moist dark chocolate, Nutella, Bailey's irish cream, Salted caramel etc.



The figurine is so cute. ;)


Look, a tiny Pocket Kitchen! Now THIS can really fit into your pocket haha.


I saved the Ai one for myself heh heh.


Urhmmmmm. She's missing her feet after I detached the fondant from the cake. :(


The unavoidable carnage before cutting the cake. Those 'pocky sticks' are the table legs!


Chucakes' cakes start from $100 for a 7 inch one, very reasonable for the amount of work which is put into them, especially the sugarart detail!

Contact Chu Sin by whatsapping her at 90031050, or emailing her at hello@chucakes.com 

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Cakes and bakes are a vital part of celebrations, brighten up yours with lovely offerings by these two talented bakers - Chucakes / Nest Bakery 

Thank you both Chu Sin and Kristal for delivering your beautiful and tasty bakes at such a short notice!

If you're a baker or owns a bakery/cakery/F&B and would like to collaborate with AiClay, I'll love to hear it! Email me at buzz@aiclay.com with your ideas!