1st October 2011 was the BIG event I organized since before Ramadhan. I orhanized almost everything including caterer selection, hall, decorations of the hall as well as hantaran and other tiny stuff except for the appointment of a so called 'Wedding Planner'.
I think as a sister to their customer, I have the right to at least give a sincere opinion to the team from Rias Chanteq Bridal Gallery on their job performance during the wedding especially on the 2 most critical days 30th September and 1st October 2011.
Before I elaborate further, I must say that their 'Pelamin' was impressive. Looks really romantic and sweet and it suits the color selection tht we have decided - Pink + Blue.
I am however, unhappy for the fact that the Bride (my sister in law) had to buy her own pair of shoes to suit the blue songket which was supposedly a new sewn pair of attire as per the package they have paid for. "New sewn attire comes with a standard size 6 shoes' is really not a good idea for an excuse. My brother (groom) had to buy his own shirt and tie to match with the white suit they are preparing and it was not CLEAN white.. there were smudged here and there! I have my good reasons to be cross and I shall give you my reasons for that later.
On 30th September 2011, we were at the hall cleaning, preparing and doing what's necessary. After the team finished putting up the 'pelamin' we were told that there will be someone coming tomorrow morning at 10am to decorate the main dining table for bride and groom and putting up the arch which both were also included in the package. Later in the afternoon, after calling the team we were told that WE will have to prepare the 'ingredients' for 'tepung tawar' ceremony ourselves.. I was like WHAT??!
1st October 2011 - The Big day.. this was what happened..
1. The team who came to the hall supposedly to decorate the main table only put 2 'bird cage' on the dining table and left with nothing else done to decorate the table. We did most of it.. I was puzzled!
2. The team who were up to makeup the bride did not bring enough hair pins for the hairdo
3. The hand bouquet for the Bride looks horrible! I have never came across hand bouquet with 'chrysanthemum'! So not my taste! and to make the matter worse, red roses paired with blue chrysanthemum + PURPLE tiny flower.. wonder where they get those hand bouquet??
4. The arch was not put up. We requested it 3 times. 1st time, I called, my brother told them and and ask us to PUT IT UP OURSELVES! Who are the clients here??! We reach home to change, again, asked them to put up the arch, they kept quiet. 3rd time being the last time, the bride asked them to do it they just easily said, not to worry its easy anyone can do it.. I think they are missing out the point here.. how easy it was it was suppose to be THEIR JOB!
5. Remember I said one of the team member of the so called 'Wedding Planner' came to the hall later to just leave 2 bird cage. She did not even check if there was any ingredient in the container for the 'Tepung Tawar' ceremony.. we only realize it when the family members went up to the stage for the ceremony. Lucky enough, we put some spare 'bunga rampai' the day before if not all of the container would have been EMPTY and our family would have been wondering what to do!
I am not saying this to make them look bad but I think as a client, We have the right. As a so called wedding planner, YOU should Buck-up Man! Big time! coz u know what.. U are not talking to a person who have not been married.. These are my points!
My Wedding Planner was a MALE and he work ALONE but my wedding was tip top.
It was 10 years ago, I paid 3k but u know what I get?
1. 6 pairs of numerous kind of traditional attire
2. A NEWLY SEWN TO FIT SONGKET (I choose the fabric) WITH MATCHING SHOES MY SIZE 9!
3. A wedding gown and a matching suit for my husband (no need to even buy his own shirt nor tie!)
4. Fully FRESH FLOWER Pelamin with a hand bouquet white ROSES nicely done.
I think if the price were to go up they can still get goos service and the same fresh flowers pelamin why not? The bride n groom paid RM4300.00 for this package
1. Artificial flowers Pelamin
2. Songket (Store bought coz it was not their size) with NO shoes
3. A pair of Pink n White lace attire. was told this was tailor made.
4. A wedding gown with matching suit BUT need to buy the shirt n tie
5.Decoration for main dining table consist of 2 bird cage and later I saw some white artificial roses on some pink satin fabric.
6. An arch they never bothered to put up at all!
Ya, I think that about it.
To make the matter worse, the service was not up to our expectation and it certainly not worth the price we paid for.
My Male wedding planner, not only did my makeup, upon finishing that went to the pelamin to check all the containers, went up to my mother's place, 4th floor on a walk-up apartment, to prepare the ingredients i.e some rice with turmeric powder and water mix with talcum to substitute rose water.
I wonder how this wedding planner of my brother, who worked in a team of at least 2 person or more at one time could not even ensure that all are in order?!
At the end of the event, one of our guests broke thier spotlight and I was told by my brother that the wedding planner is charging them RM15.00 for the broken spotlight.
Dear Rias Chanteq Bridal Gallery, do you know that if we were to FACTOR IN the price we paid for the pair of shoes which was supposed to be provided by you + the Shirt and the Tie for the white suit, It is only JUST that we BREAK ALL OF YOUR SPOTLIGHT..
My sincere 2 cents worth, If you guys plan to be in this biz long enough and to prosper, You should BUCK UP BIG TIME!
And if you asked me am I gonna recommend them to my friends, the sincere answer is 'NO'
Monday, October 3, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
I Kept My Promise
I was so quiet lately.. even during the month of Ramadhan as well as Syawal. I hardly post anything here about my fasting and my Aidilfitri celebration. Alhamdulillah, all was well and I was given the opportunity to once again celebrate Hari Raya as well as my 32nd birthday! Most of the time my facebook will be most active. I was kept busy.. busy with all the preparations for my brother's wedding on the 1st of October, insya-allah.
Yasmeen wasn't my first 'baby'. I have another 'baby' whom I cared for since he was a few months old. At an age where mother could not bear to stay even a few hours apart from her child, this mother left her son to the babysitter. Following her disappearance, many other things have happened.
When his mother left, this 'baby' cried almost every night. He cling on her mother's 'sarong' and cried to sleep. Soon he was attached to me. I carried him everywhere I go. I was then 9 years or so.. I feed him, bathe him, care for him, did everything a mother should do for a child.
When my late father brought us to Melaka, we go through many other tough times together. This little boy was almost 'sold' to a Singaporean parent. I was against the idea and was hugging him every night from the day I was told he was to be 'sent off' to Singapore.. I beg and beg and beg and finally, my father changed his mind and he too could not bear sending his child off to a foreign country.
When we were staying temporarily at a double storey home belonged to the Welfare Department, my father was then a security guard and he works on shifts. When he was on his night shift, he will only be back at home after I left for school. So, this little baby, then 1+, sleeping soundly was left at home with a bottle of milk by his side. There was once when we (myself and another brother going kindy) came home from school and our father was working overtime, the baby was not in the living room. I found him standing outside at the balcony hands holding on the big black tank of water coz his diapers was all soiled. God knows how long he had been standing there under the hot sun.
I remember on my 12th birthday, my father bought me a cake and after I cut the cake he lying on his back predicting what will be 20 years later. He said that 'baby' will be pampered and well taken care of as myself and our brother will be working already. He made me promised I will take care of 'baby' and never send him away no matter what. In his letter to my mother, in the same year, he asked for the same promise. We never knew why..
Though he was a very very well behaved 'baby', no one really hold him, cuddle him as we normally see people would do to babies. He was most of the time alone.. playing on his own. When I went to school, he will sit still and play on his own at my grandparent's house and I will settle him when I come home. He will be all happy and cheery when he's with me. And since I stay with my mother, I will send him back to my grandparent's home at night.
When my father passed away, (Al-fatihah to him) my 'baby' has no one else left for him except me. At that point of time there weren't much I can do except hoping that he could stay with me. My mother was asked, who would take care of 'baby' from now on?? My mother took up the responsibility. Why? maybe she remembered the content of the letter and maybe she silently promised my father. She feed him, schooled him, gave him clothes, home and love he never gets from his own mother.For a Woman to take in the son of another woman who came between her husband and herself to me is not easy and yet, My mother did it with her own free will.
I remember one of our relative tried to take 'baby' to be their adopted son and my mother came and took us all home! My mother knows how much I love the little boy and for that she said that I should care for him.
Now, today, as the wedding date approach and I have much to do, I found joy in doing each and every bit of it knowing that someday, when my then 'baby' now handsome young brother look at his wedding album, he will tell his children that I did all of it..
More than that I always keep in mind, close at heart, the hope, the promise, the vision my later father once told me over and over again.. To take good care of 'baby', don't let anyone harm him and make sure he is not sent off..
I pray for your happiness as I have always did my 'baby'. May your life be filled with love, joy, may you find peace and content in your other half and share a lovely life together.. to my ever loved brother Khairil Adnan Ibrahim.. you are my brother, my son, my baby and I love you!
Yasmeen wasn't my first 'baby'. I have another 'baby' whom I cared for since he was a few months old. At an age where mother could not bear to stay even a few hours apart from her child, this mother left her son to the babysitter. Following her disappearance, many other things have happened.
When his mother left, this 'baby' cried almost every night. He cling on her mother's 'sarong' and cried to sleep. Soon he was attached to me. I carried him everywhere I go. I was then 9 years or so.. I feed him, bathe him, care for him, did everything a mother should do for a child.
When my late father brought us to Melaka, we go through many other tough times together. This little boy was almost 'sold' to a Singaporean parent. I was against the idea and was hugging him every night from the day I was told he was to be 'sent off' to Singapore.. I beg and beg and beg and finally, my father changed his mind and he too could not bear sending his child off to a foreign country.
When we were staying temporarily at a double storey home belonged to the Welfare Department, my father was then a security guard and he works on shifts. When he was on his night shift, he will only be back at home after I left for school. So, this little baby, then 1+, sleeping soundly was left at home with a bottle of milk by his side. There was once when we (myself and another brother going kindy) came home from school and our father was working overtime, the baby was not in the living room. I found him standing outside at the balcony hands holding on the big black tank of water coz his diapers was all soiled. God knows how long he had been standing there under the hot sun.
I remember on my 12th birthday, my father bought me a cake and after I cut the cake he lying on his back predicting what will be 20 years later. He said that 'baby' will be pampered and well taken care of as myself and our brother will be working already. He made me promised I will take care of 'baby' and never send him away no matter what. In his letter to my mother, in the same year, he asked for the same promise. We never knew why..
Though he was a very very well behaved 'baby', no one really hold him, cuddle him as we normally see people would do to babies. He was most of the time alone.. playing on his own. When I went to school, he will sit still and play on his own at my grandparent's house and I will settle him when I come home. He will be all happy and cheery when he's with me. And since I stay with my mother, I will send him back to my grandparent's home at night.
When my father passed away, (Al-fatihah to him) my 'baby' has no one else left for him except me. At that point of time there weren't much I can do except hoping that he could stay with me. My mother was asked, who would take care of 'baby' from now on?? My mother took up the responsibility. Why? maybe she remembered the content of the letter and maybe she silently promised my father. She feed him, schooled him, gave him clothes, home and love he never gets from his own mother.For a Woman to take in the son of another woman who came between her husband and herself to me is not easy and yet, My mother did it with her own free will.
I remember one of our relative tried to take 'baby' to be their adopted son and my mother came and took us all home! My mother knows how much I love the little boy and for that she said that I should care for him.
Now, today, as the wedding date approach and I have much to do, I found joy in doing each and every bit of it knowing that someday, when my then 'baby' now handsome young brother look at his wedding album, he will tell his children that I did all of it..
More than that I always keep in mind, close at heart, the hope, the promise, the vision my later father once told me over and over again.. To take good care of 'baby', don't let anyone harm him and make sure he is not sent off..
I pray for your happiness as I have always did my 'baby'. May your life be filled with love, joy, may you find peace and content in your other half and share a lovely life together.. to my ever loved brother Khairil Adnan Ibrahim.. you are my brother, my son, my baby and I love you!
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