Friday, June 4, 2010

My kind of local honeymoon destinations

Every couple feels almost obliged to go on a honeymoon after the wedding right? So I've been told anyway. Flipping through a travel magazine recently (I think it was Kunang2, Fireflyz's inflight magazine), I came across an article on a wee place in the hills of Negeri Sembilan called The Dusun. The photos were absolutely gorgeous and the layout of the chalets allowed for a lot of privacy while being at one with nature. Some chalets even have their own pools (based on the photos I saw). Convenient!

Berembun House @ The Dusun
(Photography: Jason Tan
© 2010 The Dusun)

I told HB about it and he loved the idea. The location is not too far and it seems quite suitable for a weekend getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. I mentioned it to my colleagues and they suggested some similar places where couples could go for their honeymoon or for friends to get away together for a weekend. Check out The Dusun's website for more information, as well as photos of the place.

Jojo mentioned that there was a place near Rawang called Serendah so Google was employed to enlighten us on the mystery that is Sekeping Serendah Retreat. They have 5 'sheds' or 'glorified tents' (their words, not mine), all equipped with a kitchen, queen sized beds with mosquito nets and outdoor showers.

Glass Shed @ Sekeping Serendah Retreat
(Photograph © 2010 Sekeping Serendah)

Meggie also mentioned a place in Penang where her cousin had been to called Jerejak and what we found online was the Jerejak Rainforest Resort and Spa. They have quaint-looking chalets while offering services such as spa packages and team-building programmes as well as providing banquet and conference halls for various events. It's more for families who want to go away for a holiday as it has everything for everyone. I think I did also see an article on Jerejak in the same issue of Kunang2 as the The Dusun article. The night photography was absolutely breathtaking. Gotta love beautiful photos.

I still like The Dusun the best as it is still far away from everything as far as the eye can see and the layout as well as the concept doesn't seem too contrived. I'm constantly on the lookout for inspiration and ideas so feel free to let me know of some secret places you know of.


Thursday, June 3, 2010

Making your own wedding outfits

I love to crochet and when I came across this book on Interweave Press's website, I fell in love with the top on the front cover. I thought that the design was gorgeous and could be used as part of a bridal outfit. It would be a refreshing change from the lace normally seen at weddings. Plus, having something handmade will certainly make your day that much more special.

 

I also found free patterns online for a knitted wedding dress, a crocheted organdy ribbon dress and a crocheted chenille shrug suitable for weddings. For the more adventurous, BurdaStyle has some ideas and inspiration for the sewing machine-inclined. Of course, the bride doesn't necessarily have to do it herself; she can always hire someone to do the grunt work for her. Either way, planning ahead is essential and regular fittings a must. That is the luxury of having something crafted just for you.

Flex your crafty bone and see what you can come up with. You may surprise yourself. Good luck!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

How to plan a wedding (even without a potential husband in tow... yet)

It has always been a dream of mine to plan my own wedding. I don't know if everyone understands this but traditional Malay weddings are almost never planned by the bride. I realise that no bride should be stressed out by the time the wedding date rolls by but wouldn't it be nice to pretty things up the way she wants to?

So far, I've been trawling the Internet for ideas. Style Me Pretty is a wedding blog by Abby Larson that highlights gorgeous weddings, ethereal photography as well as some DIY projects. I've always wanted to be a hands-on, crafty kind of girl but I tend to procrastinate a lot so it takes me forever to complete a craft project (re: Cubist Asymmetrical Cardigan by Megan Granholm - 98% completed after 1 year and a bit) but my wedding will have lots of lovingly hand-made goodies for all in attendance.

So, I decided I'd plan my wedding now, slowly so as not to stress myself out when the time does come. HB and I have already discussed marriage for a while now but neither of us are quite equipped (financially) to set up a household yet so why not plan for something that will happen eventually, right? Advantage: Malay weddings are easier to plan for because the girl's side and the boy's side are done separately. :)

STEP 1: Merisik
Traditionally, only close family members should be in attendance and a family spokesperson for each side. I have decided that my grandparents, my parents, their siblings and respective spouses, my siblings and the spokesperson and his spouse will be there from my side. No cousins, no photographers, no big announcement. It's not meant to be a huge thing. It's just a discusssion between two families on how and when their children are to wed. Luckily, my mother agrees with me on keeping it small. I hate fussy events especially when they aren't meant to be fussy.

I will probably just wear a normal baju kurung and a shawl draped loosely over my head and be relatively make-up free except for powder, blusher and lip balm. I just need to be around for them to put the ring on my finger anyway. He doesn't even need to be in attendance, just his family and spokesperson.

STEP 2: Meminang and Pertunangan
Again, there will not be anyone outside the family invited as this is meant to be a small affair. Although many people nowadays make a grand old event out of an engagement, I don't think it appropriate as so many things could happen between the engagement and the wedding so, the more discreet the event the better. No official photographers or "photo shoots", no future groom present. This time, however, all adult cousins will be allowed to attend. Hurray!

HB and I discussed possible hantaran ideas and agreed that all items given should be used in preparation for the wedding and married life. No exchanging iPhones (material, unnecessary) or tacky cakes ("Me 4 U"). We were thinking we might give each other things like some fabric to make the wedding outfit plus the songkok and kain songket, some toiletries to spruce ourselves up with and as per tradition, some fruits, a simple cake and potpourri. I was also thinking that we could exchange the al-Quran and I could give him a prayer mat too. These are all just preliminary plans, of course... always flexible. :)

I probably won't spend too much on an outfit for it. Just dress it up a bit with some beading and a new shawl. No point in trying to look fabulous or glamorous for an engagement if you're trying to look demure at the same time. One exception though; the ring has to be uber-fabulous. No concessions there... lol!

That's as far as I've gotten. As you can probably tell, I like everything to be quite simple and non-extravagant. I find that the "me, me, me" attitude doesn't quite work when planning events like this. You'd probably suffer more than you should be enjoying. I will post my nikah ideas later when I've actually thought about it. Till then, toodles!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Last year's anniversary

We're a mad pair, we are. I don't know what we look like through other people's eyes but we have our 'special' moments... no, not that kind. See below for examples:


Yes, these are the kind of 'special' moments that sometimes get captured on camera. We don't like to take ourselves seriously all the time. There is always a time and place for everything and this outing has inspired me to plan a photoshoot (one day) for the both of us to fully explore our inner child. I'm thinking carousels, tricycles and bubbles.

We can even roll down a hill like Jack and Jill... we can act out nursery rhymes! Alright, getting ahead of myself here. Something that doesn't look too 'posed' works for me. Something that still looks like we're genuinely smiling cos in real life, we do... all the time. We're a mad, but happy, pair and we'd like it to stay that way for a long, long while. :)

Sabrina's Wedding

Oh, how I loved the decor for the wedding... it was absolutely beautiful and not typical of the Malay weddings I've been to. This was where the entire ceremony was held, under a canopy of flowers illuminated by chandeliers. Love it!

Little details like the flower petals, casually tossed cushions and the lantern (I want one!) helped create a cozy, intimate atmosphere in the community hall.

Reunion of SSP '96 (from left): Faliq, Amril, Adrina, Sabrina, my cousin Balqies, Marissa, my cousin Kyun

I loved her dress... it fitted her well and was well complemented by her choice of bouquet flowers and various shades of pink around the room. Say Sab, who's your tailor?

Nik's Wedding

Nikster and Yazman at the cake-cutting ceremony... followed by cake eating. :)

Me and the bride... and the sleeping groom. Lol! Poor Yazman... caught him at the wrong moment.

Reunion of UNSW FY 0402 (from left): Hikma, Aida, Nazli and Khairul (Abe)