Day 11: Last birthday as a single girl

I am happy today because it's my birthday and I'm spending it with R. He bought me a big bunch of flowers and gave me a card which on "For my Fiancee" on the front. He said from next year on he'll be buying cards which read "To my Wife". I think that's kinda sweet. 

And today we finally ordered all the accessories R needs. A nice white cotton shirt, tie and his ring. I hope they will be OK and arrive by the end of the week. 

My bridesmaids' hair accessories arrived from Arizona on Monday and they aren't really what I expected but I'm hoping the girls will look nice with them in their hair. 

So far, I know three people who have donated to the charities, so thank you once again Ms Wong, Ms Tong and Ms Low! 

I'm starting to feel very nervous as the day creeps closer! 

Day 12: Gymming

We joined the gym a few months back. We both needed to lose some weight to look good on our big day, so we've been regularly hitting the gym together. It's not my favourite activity and sometimes I feel so lazy I really don't want to work out. But it definitely helps that we are doing it together so we can spur each other on. I haven't seen the weight shedding dramatically but I am more toned and R can now fit into his old size 31 Levis. No pain no gain?

Day 13: Lifting

These few nights R has been practising lifting heavy me, just in case he is made to do it on the wedding day and finds he can't! Poor R. 

Day 14: To be PR or not to be PR

I have to apply for my spousal visa. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to continue working and living legally in the UK.

For the moment, R doesn't need to apply for Singapore Permanent Residency since we have no plans to move back to Singapore, but we thought he may as well just do it. The form is only a few pages long and the instructions seem fairly simple.

And do you know what's the best thing of all? It only costs S$100. Only 10 times cheaper than how much my UK visa fee is going to cost me.

This is so unfair!

Day 15: Paperwork

I've been finding I have little time to do the things I need to before the wedding. You see, it's not just about the luncheon. It's also about sorting a whole load of paperwork, and it's been difficult tracking if I've got every single thing covered.

For example, I need to prepare a list of documents we need at ROM in order for them to process our marriage certificate. I also need to put together a big folder of passport photos, bank statements, pay slips, evidence of correspondence, mortgage statements, and get them all photocopied in order for the British High Commission to process my spousal visa.

Then I need to get ready all our travel documents, R's Vietnam visa etc. And I need to go to the bank to withdraw all the moola we need to pay people for the wedding, and then get them converted to Singapore dollars when we get back. Then I need to send emails around to remind the contracted suppliers on what they've agreed to provide.

It's getter more and more intense as each day draws closer and I'm just so worried I might forget or lose something important.

Look at all the trouble I have to go through because I didn't choose to marry a Singaporean.

Phfffff....

Day 16: Didn't like the suit

R's mail order suit, shirt, tie arrived in the post today but despite how much they cost, we both didn't like the fabric or the fit at all. The jacket's supposed to be wool but it feel so rough and the fabric is so stiff and drapes so poorly. 

In the end we think he's better off wearing a new suit he has in the cupboard which he's never worn before. We'll return the purchase and go in search for a nice shirt, tie and shoes sometime this week. 

Grooms can be troublesome too. 

Day 17: I donated!

Woke up this morning to find that W sent me an email saying she has donated to LEPRA, one of our preferred charities, instead of buying us the Wedgwood giftware she initially wanted to get. 

She told me she felt very happy for being able to do something nice for the less fortunate and at the same time making our day by doing so. 

I'm really grateful that W took our wishes into consideration even though she could have gone ahead with her original idea. But the feeling of knowing that someone needy benefitted as a result of our special occasion really makes me so much happier than personally receiving a gift.

Today I came across another charity whose work I'd like to support after I saw this video. It's only 4 minutes so watch it and if you would like to help, please go to Save The Children UK to make a donation. Any amount will do, it doesn't need to be equivalent to the cost of a present or a cash gift to us. 

Or, you can also check out LEPRA and Somaly Foundation. 

To us, spreading the love is the most meaningful way of celebrating our love. 

Thank you! 

Day 18: The Wedding Planner

I started out with a great wedding planner at the hotel. She was very friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and accommodating. You know, almost like Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner. So organised and on top of things. 

But she also worked too hard and got burnt out so she quit before she had the chance to finish planning my wedding. We sat around the restaurant at our last meeting to have a cuppa and chatted like friends even though we had a purely business relationship. I was sad to see her go. 

And then I could have cried when her successor screwed up. I just didn't have good vibes about her in the beginning and then when she couldn't even get the measurements of the dining table right so I could buy some tablecloths, I had to seek help from someone high above. Enter her boss, who thankfully managed to redeem the reputation of the hotel through her excellent service and organisational skills. 

Because I have so many little DIY projects to do, I think I have a lot more requests than other brides. I needed to know the dimensions of railings, of tables, of table stands etc. And because I am not physically in Singapore I needed her to send me photos of everything. 

But she's always responded so promptly and positively, never grudgingly doing her job or answering my ton of questions, and that really makes me feel valued as a customer. There were things which I thought I'd have to do myself - such as decorating the napkins, preparing the tea set and tea leaves, bringing my own bowls for little snacks, but each time she'd tell me her staff will help out with these. 

My event generates only a small income for the hotel when you compare it with the traditional 20-table banquets but I have never been made to feel shortchanged just because I am not a big spender. 

It's always so satisfying and enjoyable when I get to work with people who do their best to ensure the job gets done, and properly too.  She's really making me enjoy the process of planning for my wedding rather than have to fret and freak out about things. 

Now I just have to hope she doesn't run off with my husband. 

Day 19: It fits!

The registered parcel from Singapore reached H in London last week and she sent me a photo this morning of her wearing her bridesmaid dress, looking very pleased. Despite the fact that things could have gone horribly wrong in this whole process - wrong fabric used, poor tailoring, wrong length, parcel lost or delayed, I'm amazed we had a happy ending. Thank goodness I didn't insist on all of them wearing the same shoes! It'd have turned into another saga. 

Day 20: Mother of the Bride Dress

My mother finally found some time during the week-long school holiday to look for her MOTB dress. To reflect her Chinese heritage, she wanted to wear a qipao, so I pointed her to Madame Butterfly at Takashimaya as I knew they had nice oriental designs.

Today she sent me a photo of what she bought there. I was unsure of the colour though the cut and design looked very elegant. I much prefer the creamy pink qipao she had made in Shanghai last year but I suppose it's going to depend which she'd feel the most comfortable in.

And I'm glad she has decided to go for a qipao, because not many women of my mother's age would have figures which look good in this body-hugging outfit and I just can't wait for her to flaunt what she's got.

Day 21: Bridemaids' gifts

After a 4 month search for bridemaids' gifts, I finally got everything I needed yesterday and put them all nicely in pretty boxes. It was difficult because again I took the effort to ensure every item is a British product. Though it took a little bit of time, I quite enjoyed scouring for the little bits and pieces to create their unique stash of goodies.

Day 22: Hair flowers

I wanted to get some lovely hair accessories for my bridesmaids but once again everything in the British high street shops were ridiculously expensive, so I decided to check out Etsy again. 

I got in touch with a fantastic lady who lives in Arizona and made her own hair accessories. She didn't have enough flowers in stock but she made the extra effort to visit different florists over several days to help me source for what I wanted. 

The best thing is her charges are very decent and she does not mark up on postage. I had such a enjoyable experience working with her on these hair flowers. 

Can't wait to get them in the post now.