La Vie Bridal it is!

We went with La Vie Bridal in the end, for our gown/suit package. Signed the agreement just this evening =D

After quite a bit of deliberating, here's why we chose La Vie:
1) They have quite a lot of unique gowns, designed in-house by Jeff. And if you can't find something off-the-rack, we have the made-to-measure option too! Also, most studios only focus on the ladies, giving men a pretty standard (read boring) suit. At La Vie, their suits are not run-of-the-mill at all, they're very eye-catching with a whole list of styles to choose from (and its tailored made-to-measure too, though I only get to keep the pants)!

2) Service is excellent! With Jolene, Lewis and Jeff on hand most days to guide us through, assuring us that they'll be doing their best to make Sherm look great, providing advice on weight management, hair-styling and even giving suggestions for our upcoming Bali photoshoot. He even offered to show us the photos that Lewis took there recently. Its nice to have such a warm and friendly team that we can count on.

3) All-in package consists of: rental of the bridal gown & evening gown (we have a made-to-measure option for either of these), suits, 6 corsages, 2 hand bouquets, trial make-up session, actual day make-up, accessories, selection and multiple alteration sessions, multiple car decorations, and we can swap our photoshoot make-up session for either mom's or a friend's AD make-up. On top of this, La Vie is allowing us to take the outfits with us to Bali at no cost! But we have to be extra careful not to get any oil stains etc (they even suggested possible danger areas we may not have been aware of).

4) Assurances that there will be no further charges (apart frm what is already stated in the contract, and unless we damage the outfits), that they will still be around 1 year later. For La Vie, they WANT you to make a jaw-dropping impression with their gowns. Because they know that when they have made a great impression, they will win more customers through word-of-mouth recommendations.


Even though our wedding is 12 months away now, it seems we were quite early in choosing a wedding gown. But amazingly, our impeccably good timing struck again! We'll be heading to La Vie come mid-January for the gown selection. This is so we have ample time (including the 1-month Chinese New Year break that the gown-maker takes) for the gown/suits to be ready in time for our 17 May Bali photoshoot.

Looking forward to our next meeting with La Vie already!

WOW Manhattan Credit Card - best for high expenses?

I found out about this credit card while surfing on those SG wedding forums. Apparently, you get 5% cashback on expenses above $3001, but the rebate is capped at $300 (ie. for a $6k expenditure). And this is only limited per quarter (ie. Jan - Mar). Just to note, expenses per quarter below that $3001 mark get a lower rebate percentage.

This is better than the Citibank Dividend card, which overtly excludes wedding/hotel expenditure from their rebate scheme. The Manhattan card does not care what you spend on, it just looks at your total expenditure (but excludes expenses incurred through late charges, interest payments etc). Another plus point - the copy in the letters you receive and all that is really fun. Take a look at the website's terms and conditions to get an idea. Oh, and a current offer is that you get free $50 to offset your first bill.

But is it the best offer out there? Anyone know of a better credit card scheme to make your high wedding expenses help in cost-savings? How about point redemptions on other cards?

Find out more about the Manhattan Card here, by Standard Chartered Bank.


P.S. I am not comparing how competitive the interest rates are on any of these cards.

Two-Horse Race!

We're down to a 2-horse race in our search for the perfect (for us) bridal studio!

It's a final showdown between...

(a) Flamingo Bridal
Great service, lovely classy gowns in duchess satin (personal preference), comfortable environment in the shop, easy-going owner

vs

(b) Lavie Bridal
Good service, quirky/unique/can be OTT gown options, very enthusiastic staff, nicer outfit choices for the males, many good reviews from friends

Who will prevail!?

Stay tuned...

Countdown: 365 Days to 4 Dec 2011!

It's 4th Dec 2010, exactly one year till our wedding day on 4th Dec 2011~!

Our wedding date turned out to be surprisingly popular, with one friend getting married on the same day this year, and one of Dax's cousins on exactly the same date next year (clash!!)... Another of Dax's childhood friends is marrying on 24 Sep 2011, which would have been our first choice date if we went for Swissotel Merchant Court. So many coincidences, it's unbelievable! 2011 is totally going to be a bumper year for weddings, even the newspapers predict it so!

Counting down the days, so many things to do and prepare before then... gown, photographer, room renovations, general tidying up of house, thinking about themes etc... phew!

GO! GO! GO!