Wedding Breeze

On the day you solemnise your marriage, you will have to say your wedding vows. If you are doing it at the Registry of Marriage, you have a set of fixed vows to read out. For those who solemnise their marriage at religious venues, the vows may be slightly different.

When I was saying my vows, I simply recited what the Justice of Peace said and did not think much of the meaning. It was only after looking at the video did I pay attention to the words I had said, and the true meaning came across strongly.

For those who are more creative, you should take your time when deciding on your wedding vows and personalise them to suit you and your partner and don’t be influenced by what other people expect you to do. This is one of the most important parts of the wedding because it is after the recital of your vows that you will be officially married.

More and more people are becoming very creative with their wedding vows and this adds a personal touch that represents what you and your partner believe your marriage means to the both of you.

It is a chance for you to both express your true thoughts on why you are getting married and what it will mean for you in the future.

Here are the typical wedding vows?
??I [your name] take you [your partner's name] for my lawful [wife/husband] to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part?

Using these traditional vows as the foundation, it will be easier to modify the phrases to suit their needs by adding personalised touches to the speech.

Some people find the traditional vows a bit too formal and the wording no longer appropriate to get the true meaning of their care for one another across. If that?s the way you feel then changing them is the right solution for you.

These words are more important than all the wedding speeches combined so it is well worth spending as much time as necessary to come up with something that is really special.

Quotations from books, poetry and songs may be useful. Bounce ideas off one another and you will soon know when you have hit the perfect combination that will lead you into your married life. The vows should be something that both you and your partner are comfortable with because they are meant to be believed and followed.

Just remember to never stop having fun because that?s what it?s all about ? getting the most happiness in your life by sharing it with someone you love.

I so love Dempsey Hill. I think it would be great for wedding receptions or wedding photography! My husband took me there for a dinner over the weekend, and the colonial buildings at the former army camp made me feel as if I was overseas. If the weather had been a little cooler, it would really have been great as we strolled around the place!

We wandered into Margarita, a Mexican restaurant. The ambience was fantastic! The strong colours of red and blue were used on the unfinished cemented walls, with lots of colourful tapestry hanging on the walls. There were also a lot of still life paintings. The lighting was dim and romantic, and the vibrant colours simply looked great.

Service was great. We did not have a reservation, so we had to finish our dinner before 8pm, which was alright with us since we were there early. We both ordered margaritas, and I think it pretty knocked me out after dinner for I couldn?t walk in a straight line and simply wanted to sleep.

The nachos as appetisers were a little too huge a serving. It reminded me of the first time I had nachos at a Mexican restaurant somewhere near Las Vegas, and my family did not enjoy it except for me. Mexican food is slightly similar to North Indian food, except that the spices used were different. They liked to have a lot of flour items, mixed with other crops such as corn or wheat, and then wrap the meat using the tortillas for Mexican food, and naan for North Indian food. We had some pork item and chicken items, but I couldn?t remember the names. There were salsa and some other flavourings and the vegetables were fresh. I usually don?t like to eat raw vegetables, but those served here were ok. They were colourful and not spicy, so I think I prefer Mexican food to North Indian food, which tended to have various shades of yellow only. I wanted to have dessert, but I was simply too full from the main course.

Now, getting to the topic of weddings, the huge area inside the restaurant looked great. I could have a more relaxed wedding lunch here if they offer booking of the entire restaurant. People could mingle around and it would be a happy occasion. The only problem is I am not sure how many people eat Mexican food. I know our extended families have very Chinese tastebuds, so I think we can?t run away from Chinese food. However, if this is meant for friends and colleagues, I think it could work. I do need to get a Halal caterer as well.

I think I?m going to try the other restaurants at Dempsey Hill to see whether there are better alternatives available for wedding receptions. Parking wasn?t an issue for us, but there were really many cars. Valet parking is available, and they have free shuttle service from town to Dempsey Hill, which is just opposite Botanical Gardens.

After dinner, we went to check out paintings at a gallery nearby, and the paintings were really great, though some were really expensive. One ink and pencil drawing of the padi field with ducks and farmers by an Indonesian artist who nearly became a taxi driver cost $13500! It was really nice though. I liked a Danish artist who drew cute animals on the ark and cars, and one painting had a penguin crossing instead of a zebra crossing. Maybe these paintings could go into the children?s room. I guess when our house is ready, we can pick up some of the more affordable paintings.

Dempsey Hill is definitely a place we will go again soon.

I?ve performed at Victoria Concert Hall before, but I?ve never thought of holding my wedding there. It?s probably good as a solemnisation venue, since people will be sitting in their seats and can?t really move. If I do hold my wedding there, I?ll be tempted to sing.

The couple who held their wedding there liked the grand organ that had pipes the reach the ceiling. I guess if the organs could be used, the wedding march would sound really great.

For reception, it took place at the lawns outside. I think this is probably a good way to have backup plans just in case it rains. They can just have their wedding reception at the entrance instead.

I think if I do use this place, most likely I?ll use it as a backdrop for outdoor wedding photos.

I went for a facial few days ago, and upon finding out that I was going to take my wedding photos in December, the beauticians worked out a skincare regime for me. I had totally forgotten about starting my facials at least 3 months before the photoshoot. I had to go for facial fortnightly to get my skin in good condition.

They wanted me to lighten my freckles, and reduce the blackheads that had congregated on my nose and chin. I also had some dark eye rings, so I had to do something about that too. All these require me to get new skincare products. In addition, I must make sure I put on a facial mask at least once a week, and twice a week if my skin is reddish from the home treatment.

Assuming my sessions cost about $150 each time, 4 times would mean $600. In addition, I had paid for new skincare products that I had to use every day and diligently which cost about $400. This would add up to $1000 just on beauty regime alone. This is even before my wedding.

I am someone who is quite lazy when it comes to having facials. I would only go once every three months when I have time away from work. It?s just photo-taking, but I had to do so much work. When it comes to my actual wedding, I think I have to go on this strict regime at least 3 months ahead. Perhaps I may even consider getting a chemical facial peel for that just to make sure my skin is in tip-top condition.

Oh well, I hope that the dry Australian weather will not dry my skin when I go there in December.

I?ve received two invitations to weddings in November and I am a little hurt that I am not invited to the wedding dinner of one of them, but my husband is! I love attending weddings and love it when I receive wedding invitations, especially from people I know for a long time, even if we had not met in recent years.

I was only invited to the church wedding. This is not the first time it happened. The previous one was my husband?s ex-girlfriend?s wedding, so I can understand why she did not invite me. We were not close at all, and she did not invite everyone. Do you think you will invite your previous boyfriends or girlfriends? I guess if we are still in touch as friends, I would love to.

In this case, would your partner still go for the wedding? My friends told me there was no way he should go since I was snubbed. I seriously did not mind if my husband went for the wedding dinner. My reasoning was that if he did not go, it meant that he could not let go of any emotional baggage. I let him decide, but in the end he decided not to go due to work commitments.

As for yet another one, I guess she was on a tight budget, so she only invited people who were the closest to her, which included my husband. Another one invited people to her daughter?s ROM but did not invite me, but she kept telling me about it, so I just smiled when she talked about it.

Understandably, inviting people to your wedding is an intimate affair, and you would like to share it with people who matter the most to you. When the budget is taken into consideration, people who are not ranked in the first tier will have to be back-ups.

So how do we tread carefully and not make anyone take offence at being omitted? To ensure that your guests do not bring their partners, the invitations should state very clearly who you are inviting. Usually guests would understand that you are inviting them only and not their partners. If they insist on bringing their partners, just explain that due to a tight budget, you can only invite them.

Most probably if you do not interact with their partners at all, the partners would not want to come for the wedding as well, so this is not a major problem. However, I do interact with those people who had failed to invite me, just that I am not that close to them. Perhaps I should examine the way I behave. Maybe I have been too anti-social! I shrug off this non-invitation as a snub, but I am someone with an elephant?s memory.

However, this means that I also have to tread carefully when it is my turn to hold my wedding dinner. I cannot afford to leave anyone out. Since I am going to a new workplace next year, the pool of people I have to invite will double, so I have to closely consider my budget and decide whether I really need to invite everyone.

A few years ago, one colleague got a friend to ask everyone of us whether we would like to go for her wedding. I think this is a great idea, since you get to choose your response, and people won?t feel miffed that they are not invited, and people don?t have to feel compelled that they must go. It makes people happier and easier for the bride. In addition,?learn to stretch your dollar?so that you won’t feel restricted by tight budgets. So I guess, just ask!

I found a wedding video of this guy, Sean, who got married recently. I think the song, She,?made the wedding video even more interesting. She I?m not sure whether the singer is Elvis Costello or Charles Aznavour, but the song is extremely romantic.

I think choosing appropriate songs to match the wedding videos and photo montages is quite important. I heard the song by Jolin Chua and David Tao sometime back at my friend?s wedding, and it was quite cute, but I would prefer to use a more romantic English oldie. The lyrics are below.

She
May be the face I can’t forget
The trace of pleasure or regret
May be my treasure or the price I have to pay
She
May be the song that summer sings
May be the chill that autumn brings
May be a hundred different things
Within the measure of a day

She
May be the beauty or the beast
May be the famine or the feast
May turn each day into a heaven or a hell
She may be the mirror of my dreams
The smile reflected in a stream
She may not be what she may seem
Inside her shell

She
Who always seems so happy in a crowd
Whose eyes can be so private and so proud
No one’s allowed to see them when they cry
She
May be the love that cannot hope to last
May come to me from shadows of the past
That I’ll remember till the day I die

She
May be the reason I survive
The why and wherefore I’m alive
The one I’ll care for through the rough in ready years
Me
I’ll take her laughter and her tears
And make them all my souvenirs
For where she goes I’ve got to be
The meaning of my life is

She
She, oh she

Get an instant photo album on your wedding night. Instead of waiting for a few days after your wedding dinner, you could have a wedding album of the dinner right away. What you could do is to get a friend who is good at photography to take Polaroids of all the wedding guests.

While waiting for the dinner to start, which can be a big problem in Singapore, you can use this time to occupy their time. Once the Polaroids are taken, get someone else to place them into an album, and get the guests to write their greetings on nice coloured paper. This will be a change from the traditional guestbook, where it?s hard to remember who had signed the book especially with some of them having squiggly handwriting.

The photo album could be further decorated with materials you buy from scrapbooking shops. This idea could be further developed for those who are more creative.

With this, you have an instant photobook. Those who come a little later can get to see all the photos and the greetings. It is also a good reminder on who had attended your special occasion. For those who prefer digital cameras, you can get a portable photo printer to print out.

How do we choose the right wedding gowns for our body shapes? Since I am going to take my?overseas outdoor wedding photographs soon and probably have to choose my gowns soon, I?went to do some research and this is what I found. There are a few body shapes: Hourglass Figure, ?Pear Shape, Thin, Full Figure, and Petite. It doesn’t matter whether you plan to lose weight, because our body shapes stay the same.

Hourglass Figure: You have a big chest, big hips, and a thin waist (that is, curves in all the right places).

An A-line dress or a gown with a dropped waist will show off your figure; Neckline: Strapless, Off-the-shoulder, Sweetheart, Scoop, Queen Anne to show off your chest

Empire, Mermaid, Sheath You may look disproportioned in an empire wedding gown. The other two emphasise the wrong areas.

Pear Shape:? small on top and heavy on the bottom. We have to try to balance the two, so that the bride will look proportionate.
A-line, Ball Gown A basque waist or strapless ball gown will cover your bottom half and focus on your better half;
Possible necklines include Strapless, Off-the-Shoulder, Scoop.

Sheath, Mermaid, Empire draw attention to your body shape, so we should avoid these designs. V-neck, especially those with plunging necklines only draw attention to the small chest and big hips.

Thin: It doesn?t matter whether you are tall or short. You have a skinny frame and you either have little or no curves. Not much meat on your frame.
If you are tall, you may consider the ball gown. If you are on the shorter side, you can wear Sheath, Mermaid, or A-line wedding dress. You have many choices available.
For your neckline, V-Neck, Sweetheart, Scoop, Jewel, Halter (for tall people). Strapless neckline or off-the shoulder could be considered.

Only stay away from Portrait and halter neck if you are too bony.

Full Figure: Full breasts, a bit of a tummy, no waistline, round and large hips and butt

Ball gown will be able to hide your tummy and hips, and A-line dress will be flattering. Basque waistline can be considered. V-neck, Scoop, Queen Anne, Jewel and bateau necklines are worth checking out.

Wearing a sheath means letting everybody see all the curves, even those we want to hide. Mermaid and Empire should be avoided. Spaghetti straps and off-the-shoulder necklines aren?t suitable.

Petite: Short and small-sized.
Uncomplicated?gowns such as?a sheath or A-line will work well. Almost all gowns will flatter your figure.

A big elaborate ball gown may threaten to make you disappear.

Outdoor Locations in Singapore for Wedding Photoshoot
1.?Changi Broadwalk
2.?Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
3.?Tanjong PagarTrain Station
4.?Chinese Temple
5.?National Museum
6.?Botanic Garden Waterfall
7.?Punggol Lalang Field
8.?Sentosa Beach
9.?Labrador Park
10.?Villa Bali
11.?Fullerton Hotel
12.?Boat Quay
13.?Kent Ridge
14.?Fort Canning
15.?Central Fire Station
16.?Changi Yacht Club
17.?Jalan Sultan shophouses
18.?Portsdown Area for colonial houses
19.?Lower Pierce Reservoir
20.?Spottiswoode Park is
21.?Pulau Ubin
22.?Singapore Art Museum
23.?Millenia Walk
24.?Stadium Waterfront
25.?Mount Sophia

While waiting for the wedding dinner to start, guests can play around with the disposable cameras. It can act as an ice-breaker. If your guests know each other well, then they will have a lot of fun with the cameras. Ask them to things that are interesting. You may be surprised by what they take. You get to see more candid shots and also how the wedding ceremony progresses.

You could also get them to do somewhat of a scavenger hunt, by getting them to take photos of different things, such as the wedding cake, the wedding dress, the wedding favours, different types of guests, lockets, shoes, and people in certain coloured dresses.

Since Chinese wedding dinners are such that there is only one minute to take pictures at a table with the couple, the guests are always rushed to take a good shot. With disposable cameras, you can take more of their shots, and then you can develop and send it to them as a gift for their presence.

I would definitely love to have this as a guest because I?ve taken so many photos with the brides and grooms, but I never received any photo in return. This is especially so because I put in a lot of effort to dress up for wedding dinners.

The only problem I see with using disposable cameras is the cost of developing. But I guess this is one of the cheapest alternatives to getting more photographers to take candid photos of the guests.

There are polariod cameras for rental, so that could be another alternative.