GnM

hmm... you seem to have in mind some good songs... any to recommend?

actually you can try my BS. They have some very good packages that can be customed to suit your needs. I know, cos I sort of negotiated mine to get more than what the original package offered. PM me if you are interested.

erm... what is FTW?

those are really nice! I was thinking of songs like I find it really nice. Butterfly kisses is about a father's love to his daughter... not very appropriate leh.

not possible. That kitchen lay out could only be in the 300-303 area, if not, it is the former pink cluster opposite compass point. the 29x area. My kitchen dun have a service area. he he... so, wtg54, got your renovation id/contractor yet?

yah... I know what you mean. Unless you regularly read their papers, very difficult to know for sure when they are going to hold another show.

yes... that is why you must do all the necessary research with them first, then go to the show and find out wat are the additional perks. Then you can negotiate for a better deal. Sometimes, it will also help if you approach them a day or two after the show and negotiate for a deal that was offered during the show as well. Like I say, it all boils down to how good your bargaining skills are when it comes to getting the deal you want.

It is not that bad. I have seen some of the BS at JB, from city square all the way to some of the inner tahmans and I find them to be quite good. Their photography works are also very nice. And the digital designs are really interesting! The gowns... erm... well, my wife finds them so so. And I agree with her. The gowns here are better in terms of design and quality when it comes to handiwork. If you are really curious about what I mean, you can check out the famous Venus at DA MA HUA YUAN. Cab fare to there is about RM 7-8 and you will know what I mean. I know it is quite a lot to remember, but once you see a few, you will know that the 9 tips explained above are really what you HAVE to do to get a good deal for what you want on your AD. These BS have sales people who are really pushy! And I really don't give a hoot if they are irritated by my many visits before I sign with them. If the BS has no patience with me, they are as good as struck off my short list. We are paying a few thousand dollars of our hard-earned money here... no a few dollars... due diligence is really required. Once a lifetime thing, don't want to let a BS coordinator spoil the whole thing!

Oh yah... I forgot to add this point as well So TIP 9... Do not be pressured into signing the contract. If they can offer you the perks today, they can do it again tomorrow or next week or next month for that matter. They are always trying to hardsell you their packages. In singapore, there are 365 days of sale, so there is no worry about not getting a good deal. Listen to what they have to day, jot it down as mentioned in my earlier post. Then go back and further discuss with your spouse. Once you more or less have an idea of what you want from which BS, then go down and do fresh negotiations. If you cannot get what you want, then go to the next one on your short list. REMEMBER, the money is still in your pocket. You are still the boss... so dun be signing on the dot cos you feel that you are going to lose a deal. Deals are always made at BS. Your package is never the same as the other couple before or after you. Is it up to your bargaining skills that makes the difference what you get in your package. My wife and I actually went to the BS a few times, and the one we are using now, we actually visited them around 4 times before we signed on the dot to seal the deal. And we got a better package than when we first walked into the studio when we first started hunting. !!

That is one of the way to go... selecting the theme that the BS is offering. But here in singapore, there is not much themes to choose from. The BS here is totally not imaginative at all. Those BS across the causeway offer so much more in terms of indoor shoot! Their indoor props are so interesting, and the themes are so varied between studios, you are spoilt for choices when it comes to shortlisting! If I had a car, I would definately go there for my PS instead. For the same cost, dollar for dollar comparison, I get so much more than what the packages in singapore has to offer. anyways... I am extremely happy, thus far, with my current studio. The coordinator is extremely helpful and the gowns my wife selected are gorgeous. The suits that they selected for me, together with the shirts and other accessories also make me look so much more elegant than what I imagine them to be! anyways... here is the rest of what I wanted to say in response to gingar ******************************************************** ... con't Photographs... does the photographer do justice to you and your spouse when taking the pictures? Some photographers can take really good shots. Shots that dun look that what you can easily emulate on your point-n-shoot digital camera. I dunno how to explain to you... But when you seen enough BS, you will know what I mean. Some of the photographs I have seen, the shots are not very clear as well. Others, the photographs in every album looks almost the same. As in, every couple in the different albums are asked to posed in the same way. Ended up looking like a album that is produced in a factory. Different people, similar clothes, same poses... duh!!! Then there are those horror stories that I have read from the forums where the photos was totally not satisfactory at all and the studio will not arrange for another one to do a re-shoot. And there are also stories where too many pictures are over exposed and not many pictures are left over for a good album of design, so ended up got to go with the misty kind of look to compensate for the over-exposed pictures... So it is important that you like the work of the photographer of the studio you have shortlisted. Also, look at the different locations that is used in the shoot. Do you prefer outdoor or indoor shoot? what kind of indoor background does the BS have? Are the outdoor shots good? Did he manage to get the essence of the love between you and your spouse during the shoot? So TIP 7... be sure you like the work of the photographer that you see in the various albums. Best if you can ask them for last year's work or the year before. This is so that you know that this photographer's work is consistent! Package... how flexible is your package? In the event you cannot find your gown, can you MTM? How many photos do you get? Digital design? Hot press? Whole page? Album size? Any table top? Post cards? Small album? How much are the additional photo going to cost? How many pose to a page? How many pages in your album in the package? How many locations do you get to go for out door? If you are to do the indoor and outdoor on separate days, how much do you have to top up? How bout additional make up item like ampule? Eyelashes? For additional change of clothes during the shoot, any charges? If change to own casual clothes, does it count towards the no of sets of clothes for the shoot? what happens if it rains on the day you are suppose to go for your outdoor shoot? Is transport provided? How bout accessories? Ties, costume jewelery...etc... are they provided? during the shoot? during the AD? What is the payment mode like? So TIP 8... Always remember to get the coordinator to write down explicitly what is promised to you. Whether you can get more after you sign on the dot is another story. But what you negotiated for on the day you sign, must be written down explicitly. This is because the person selling you the package may not necessarily be the one who will be coordinating your wedding needs. It has happened before, where the coordinator will not do anymore than what is written in the contract cos she is not aware of the extras promised to you by the sales person. So beware! After going thru Tanjong Pagar studios twice, the above posts are all from our experiences. Hope it helps.

...con't Other things you will have to look out for would be additional stuff that you can use aside from your AD. Like your ROM, your tea ceremony....etc etc... Do you require a KUA from them? How is the condition of their KUAs? Do you require to get a ROM gown from them? Do you like their selections of ROM/Tea dress gowns? How bout make up and hair do? Do they cover for ROM as well? How bout accessories? Some BS do not have any accessories included in their packages. So ensure that you have all these written down explicitly in your contract. So TIP 4... Always ensure that all the extras you are thinking of is written down in the package when you are enquiring. This draft piece of paper is the first cut mutual agreement between you and the BS. Most of the time they will not allow you to bring it home. So take out your note book and start writing down notes. Better yet, try to memorize the list when in the shop then jot it down later when you leave. Cos some coordinators at Tanjong Pagar will sort of clam up when they know you are just doing a survey. When you don't take notes in front of them, there is a chance you will sign with them there and then cos you cannot compare your notes when you are "not" taking any. In the event you rather do a MTM gown than to get OTR, then you have to have a good mental picture of what you want! Don't bother with showing them designs torn off pages of the magazine. They can NEVER replicate the design. This is simply because, when a BS post a gown on the magazine, they will usually use their best gowns, in terms of design, material and workmanship. When you do an MTM, reducing cost is the utmost importance to these BS, so they will just try to emulate the superficial design without any of the details. A good analogy is like many bread shops trying to emulate the successful chicken floss buns of breadtalk. They look the same, but the texture of the bread is like water and oil when you do a comparison. So TIP 5... Come up with a design of your own. Don't let the BS do a copy of what you see on the magazine. Make-up artists... What sort of make up do you like? Natural? Neutral? Bold? Strong? Explicit? Go thru all their photo albums. Especially those that are taken of their customers. Do you like what you see in the photo? Is the make up of the ladies to your liking? So TIP 6... Always try to find out who is doing which girl's make up. Lots of happy brides are so proud of their PS that they actually post their pictures on the various forums for you to see. PM them to ask who did their make up. Do like what my wife did... ask lots of questions on the web. There will be plenty of people who are willing to help. to be con't....

Okay, for ger ger, there are quite a few things you may want to consider... It is very important for you to sit down and think about what you want for your wedding. Close your eyes and try to imagine yourself staring at the mirror on your wedding day. Do you picture yourself in a really elaborate dress with lots of details like lace and embroidery? Or do you picture yourself in a simple gown with soft satin? Or you picture a organsa with lots of folds in the design?... etc etc To give you an idea of what you like and dislike, going thru bridal magazine is the best! My wife and I bought like so many magazines in the past two years, I have sort of lost count of the number already This is really important, cos the kind of mental picture you have in mind will ultimately help you in your choice of BS. Along Tanjong Pagar, at a glance, you will think that all of them are similar. That is far from the truth. Some BS specializes in colored AD gowns. Some specializes in laces. Others specializes in embroidery. Yet others are just doing simple gum and paste designs for their laces and embroidery. There are also some with larger selections of evening gowns as compared to AD gowns... so the choices are aplenty for you to pick something you like. So TIP no 1, remember to check out their selections for all the different packages they have on offer before you decide if that BS is the one for you or not. to be con't.... If details and embroidery is of utmost importance, then going for OFF-THE-RACK (OTR) will give you more selections, as these are usually the ones that they will use as their shop specialties. The designs are usually very intricate and the lace and embroidery used is generous. You can never... NEVER get that kind of details if you MTM. Unless you are willing to pay a fortune for it, then maybe you can get one extremely detailed and intricate in terms of handiwork. Advantages of getting off the rack: 1) you are sure of what you are getting, cos you can see and touch the gown. You can even try to see if it looks good on you or not. 2) in the event you see something better before you confirm your gown, you still have the option to change. 3) if you still cannot find something you like by the time you need to confirm your gown, you still have the option to go for MTM. So TIP 2... always negotiate your package to leave the option of MTM or OTR open! The next thing you would want to consider is the selection of evening gowns. Does the BS have a wide choice of selection? What would you get if you were to sign a package with them, what is the range of gowns you can choose from? Most BS will have a few categories of gowns that goes with the different kind of packages offered. The more expensive the package, the better the selection categories of gowns offered. This is especially apparent in BS like Sophia and Milan. So TIP 3... ensure that when you are viewing them, you are looking at the actual gowns that you can choose from. Make sure that you view all the different categories so that you have an idea of what is on offer to you when you shortlist them for your BS. to be con't...

ok... I need to plan this reply... gimme a few hours... when my kopi break comes, I will post something

that really depends on whether you are boi boi or ger ger... and your preference? Clothes vs photographs? Price vs package? service vs everything else?

ha ha... i know where you are at... the cluster near to compass point! you got the exact same layout as mine

ha ha ha ha... that is an interesting suggestion. I have seen landed properties doing that... for HDB, that would really be a first!

it is good that you are able to make good use of the information here to save you money and trouble during your reno. so, moving in soon eh? Must be **** busy packing rite now... heh heh heh...

is he floor highly polished?

moved in last year. Going to Fernvale eh? To be near your mum?

oh? you staying at 308? new friend leh... so near me somemore. Heh heh... looks like we got another new neighbour!

it is about there. Blk 308 is near to Odie's place. There is only one coffee shop at anchorvale. hey, you have taken pictures of fernvale, it is along that road. Any bus stop along that road leading to anchorvale has 163. if it is nearer for you to walk to the interchange, then go there easier.

really? what is the straight bus to tampines ikea? Take from where? advise leh

bus service is 163. Nearest bus stop from your place is the bus stop opposite the coffeeshop at blk 308. Ride from Anchorvale Road is roughly 45 mins.

wah... your choice of flooring is very daring! hmm... what kind of theme are you having in mind? There are so many color combination that can go really well with your dark floor. Think about the kind of theme you want, then it is easier to discuss with you the different color combi for your home. Modern? Comtemporary? Retro? Neutral? etc...etc...

those are already ready made... not customized the way I want it to. The only customization you get to do is dress up the bear the way you want it and you get to determine how much wool go into the bear for a harder or softer feel to the finished product. What I am looking for is a shop that can translate my designs to reality.