Inspiration

My wedding planner is just about 75% confirmed. Yay! Lega... because then I know I don't have to worry so much when I have a much experienced person backing me up. But Mummy still 'membebel'. Let's just say that we're not talking to each other at the moment. I know that sounds bad, but I think it's best that I allow some time to pass for both of us to cool down a bit. On the other hand, I find talking to my dad about the wedding plans much easier and effective. Go Daddy!

Anyways, I was up the whole of last night looking up for more inspirations for colour schemes for my W-Day concept. Since what I have in mind is an outdoor garden wedding, I like there to be bright, cheery colours that can give that intimate and 'meriah' ambiance. So, went online, googled and the more pictures I see, the more undecided I become. But I do see a pattern for the ones that especially caught my eyes:

Light blue & Pink

I'm not a pastel colour kind of girl, but somehow this combination endears to me for its whimsical and fun effect. I esp love the picture of the girl with the balloons. Now that's more like it.

Light blue & Peach

Another interesting combination: fresh end-of-summer colours. But can I pull it off in a malay-wedding set-up?

Red & Aqua

Totally love the bold contrast of bright red against the cool blue. It's cheerful and elegant at the same time.

(Another) Red & Aqua

You'd know how much I love the combination when I'm repeating it twice.

But... for your viewing pleasure.

Teal & Cherry red

I'm aware this has very little difference to previous colour scheme, but it's a slightly darker hue perhaps giving it a bit more 'serious' tone?

Light blue & Apple Green

Another combination that I adore.

Both colours compliment beautifully, and gives off that pure and serene quality to a wedding.

(Source: The Perfect Palette )

Well, at least I know which base colour I've decided on (although I'm aware that it is way overplayed in the wedding circuit this year). I was actually looking for some wedding pictures with Aqua & Coral colour scheme, but apparently that is one palette that is not very popular in the wedding circuit.

Possible Wedding Venues?

Yesterday, The Parents and I finally made some time to check out a few possible venues for the wedding reception and our criterias are simple:

• Outdoor / garden setting
• Within / near KL
• Ample parking spaces
• Easily identifiable for those not familiar with the area
• Can fit approx 300 - 400 pax at a time

So, based on a few suggestions from friends and family, we hunt down these places:

1. Kelab Golf Titiwangsa

The place is nearest to our home, so it'll be convenient. However, the golf club building, halls and facilities are quite poorly maintained and old looking. We thought that there would be ample outdoor space - it being a golf club after all - but when we asked the management, the spaces available are only the parking lot and this tiny narrow 'field' next to the hall.  Maximum capacity for the hall is 200pax, and another 200pax if it were extended to outdoor space. In-house catering is available and all other wedding arrangements will be provided by the caterer as well.  We checked out the surrounding area and it looked rather... iffy and kinda dirty.

Verdict: 1/10

2. Kelab Golf Perkhidmatan Awam (KGPA)

My mum's friend's daughter just got married here 2 weeks ago, and after being involved in the preparation of that wedding, mum was quite keen on this place. In fact, our benchmark was done based on this place.

It is easily accessible from LDP (or is it NKVE?) Highway with that huge big-ass board that screams ala 'Hollywood'. The parking is definitely ample. The place is huge and clean and well-maintained. There's a nice sizeable area at the back of the club building, where the canopies are usually set-up (although I was expecting a somewhat bigger). You can comfortably sit 700pax at a time, and from the pictures I've seen on the web, it looks really nice at night.

But that's the thing. It looks nice at night, but with bare decorations and gloomy grey skies, it looked just okay. The area opens up to the golf course, so you can see a few people going back and forth with their buggies and golfclubs - which spoils the ideals of privacy. The 'dais' area is set up on the staircase landing, and there's a sizeable covered area at the bottom of the stairs for the main dining table and VVIPs.

Catering is in-house and from the few reviews I've heard, the food isn't that great. The club also have a list of wedding planners and other vendors you can use for the wedding reception but it is limited to whoever on the list only - which sucks, because it limits your choices and you tend to be more susceptible to higher prices since you are not in the power to bargain.

But overall it's alright. Maybe it's because I couldn't imagine what the place would look like during the day with a full blown-out decorations up and around so I am not entirely convinced.

Verdict: 7/10

3. Kampung Pengantin

We hunted down this place based on a wedding invitation that my mum received for next week. The area is somewhere between Sentul and Wangsa Maju, and embedded within a factory area. But to be honest, we never even made it to the place for a few reasons:

One: We got lost. So, if fellow KL-lites have difficulty finding the place, I can't imagine how others from other states would cope.

Two: It's within a factory area. How outdoor can this get?

Three: Potholes. Tons and tons of potholes, that we eventually gave up even before finding the place.

So yeah... I guess I can't really be a judge since I wasn't there to see it. But based on my initial experience and a benefit of a doubt, I'll waver a bit on my verdict.

Verdict: 3/10

4. Bora Ombak

This place only came up more as an afterthought since it was on our way home, so we decided to drop by. My dad was taken aback that the place is only a corner lot next to Sports Planet, Ampang and was already very dismissive of it as a possible venue candidate. But I insisted that we checked it out.

Bora Ombak is a Bali-themed restaurant, famously known as the place for 'Poco-poco' dance. The concept is al-fresco dining, and they have a nice open area under the shades of a Frangipani. It's an enclosed space, so there is that sense of privacy verging on intimate. Despite appearing narrow and small from the outside, the place can actually fit approx 400pax at a time. The restaurant offers a few wedding packages starting from RM25/pax to RM75/pax but we are not limited to the services they provide, and we have a free reign of the space however we want. Yay!

The only problem we had with the place was that the ambiance is a bit...ermm... informal, but other than that, I love the place.

Verdict: 8/10

So... have I decided yet? No. I still feel like I should hold out for a place that I would totally fall in love with like... Ciao Restaurant. The setting is so beautiful! If only... if only... if only...

So... anybody got other suggestions?

And so it begins...

... it's that time of year again when auditors get sleepless nights and nightmares about their work. And being in this profession, I can't escape that same fate either. Work has been overbearing lately, but I still try to take it all in my strides. But working late nights and on weekends as well, I realised that I will never have enough time to organize my own wedding. I can't even do some simple research!

... this makes me more determined to hire my own wedding planner and coordinator. I'm still on a look-out, so word-of-mouth and some research is essential. On a brighter note, for once me and mum have agreed on a theme! Yay! We haven't figured out the details yet, but I was inspired by this picture and I knew that this is what I want for the reception.

Love the colours!

Paper lanterns!!