Paper Pom Pom Mania

(Pictures from Amelia Lyon)

Isn't it amazing what some simple sheets of paper, a few yards of fabric and a bunch of paper pom-poms can do to liven up your mood?

(Picture from OnceWed.com)

Seriously, paper pom-poms were the best, no-frill, low-cost decorations that anyone could ever come up with!

They look so gorgeous and immediately fill up empty spaces by beautifying with their poofy awesomeness!

(Picture from WedSavvy.com)

So for those who are keen on creating some pom-pom madness for a wedding or even just a fun, girly get-together, THIS IS THE SHIZZ FOR YOU!

Below, I've kindly ripped off a DIY tutorial from Once Wed (which is an awesome website by the way) for all your kindred paper crazy souls.

This is a supply of all the things you would need to proceed on with creating your ultimate pompom-mania scene.

Supplies:

1. cutting mat

2. twine - *only needed if you want to create an entire vine of pom-poms

3. craft paper - *only needed if you want to create an entire vine of pom-poms

4. assorted tissue paper - pick a colour theme, and run wild with your colour variations. Just remember to keep to the same colour family of your chosen theme.

5. scissors

6. floral wire

1. Stack eight 20-by-30-inch sheets of tissue. Make 1 1/2 inch-wide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.

2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes. (Round, if you want it nice, soft and fluffy... Pointy, if you want a killer ball of sharp flurry :D )

3. Separate the layers gently (you don't want them pom-poms to be ripped even before they've had the chance to unveil their awesomeness in its full glory). Pull away each layer, starting from center, one at a time.

4. Tie a length of floral wire for hanging, or continue on with the next step if you want to create a vine of pom-poms.

To create the leaves:

1. Cut craft paper into a silhouette of a figure 8.

2. Make a fold in the center where the leaves meet.

3. Using a craft knife or scissors make a small “x” incision into the center of the crease to create a hole to pull the twine through.

4. Next, fold a crease through both leaves to give your shape some character! \m/


Completing your vine - assembling the leaves and pom-poms together:

1. Attach the pom pom to the strand by using the extra wire from the center.

2. Slide the twine through the center hole and tie a small knot underneath the leaves - this helps to hold everything in in place so that the paper won’t slide around on the strand.

3. Keep on adding leaves and alternating colours of pom-poms and VOILA! your journey to pom-pomdom begins!

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Use as many pom poms, leaves, colors, and styles as you like to create the look you’re going for!

Change them up and you'd see what an amazing difference it makes to any space around a venue or even in your own home!

The perfect covering

You know how they say that the most important a bride must wear on her wedding day (apart from her wedding dress, duh) is her veil.

But having spent hours, and not to mention money, in deliberating which veil suits your dress, it's rather silly when you actually realize that the veil will only be used for a few minutes.

Once your groom has lifted the veil, all eyes are on your shining/glowing/pretty face.

Lifting the veil is pretty much like lifting the dustsheet off from a sculpture in an art gallery. Off with the covering to reveal your beaming smile :D

(Picture taken from oncewed.com)

This just brings me to the point that, if you are only gonna be wearing the veil for a few minutes, it wouldn't make much sense to spend tons on one that's intricately customized and is so long that it runs all the way to Timbuktu.

However, if you were to settle for the "free" veils that come together with your wedding gown, most of the time, it would just either fall flat on your face, get caught on your fake lashes/extensions, get caught on your ear-rings.... the list just goes on. I've seen one too many brides fall prey to the "my veil ruined my make-up & holy matrimony" curse.

(Picture of Drew Barrymore)

So the best option is to get a birdcage veil - because it holds itself away from your face and it IS essentially a veil as well. (okay, that was a very "duh" point. but still valid. very.)

So my task is to create my own BIRDCAGE veil - and I've got the best DIY guide to do it.

I've even done up a whole bunch of fabric flowers to add to the gorgeousness of this personalized veil. And, again, I've got the best DIY guide to do it.

(Picture taken from Jen Renee)

I can't wait to finally post up pictures of my completed project!

Akan datang. Coming soon.

Most Epic Wedding Video Ever

From the epic-ness that you would naturally expect from a world-class supermodel CoCo Rocha, who's the face of numerous fashion houses like Chanel and YSL.

She wedded her designer/artist husband, James Conran in the Chateau Challain of Loire valley, France.

Dreamy location + Dreamy dress + Dream Team of designers and stylists = One Epic Wedding Video

Enjoy!

Coco + James // Short film from Americana Cinema on Vimeo.

All decked out!

It is customary for most brides to get awesome dresses (of a certain colour) for their bridesmaids/sisters, well, those with a big budget at least.

Some say the purpose of the bridesmaid's dress is to ensure that the said bridesmaid would not outshine the bride.

Case in point:

(Isla Fisher in Confessions of a Shopaholic)
(Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses)

Though dramatized in most movies, brides really just want to make sure their friends get to bring home something a little special from the wedding, and at the same time, make sure that the receiving line at their wedding looks extremely coordinated and colour-coded.

And you can definitely do so without compromising your bridemaids' sense of style.

(Picture from 100 Layer Cake)

Then comes to all important question, how in the world do I keep within budget to provide dresses for my bridemaids that are of good quality (i.e. not one of those smocked, satiny prom dress lookalike dresses)?

Well, one way you could do it is to either get a close friend who makes dresses, or you could just do it on your own - even if you are not a dressmaker or a designer. There are tons of free dress or skirt making tutorials online and even more books available your friendly neighbourhood library.

This makes dressmaking super easy and manageable - and not to mention, easy on your pocket! It also adds to much more meaning to the bridesmaids' dresses, knowing that the bride herself, made it personally for each one of them.

(Make You Own Clothes by Marie Clayton)

I just bought a book online that comes with tutorial CD and free patterns as well as step-by-step instructions. Needless to say, I am super pumped and excited to FINALLY be able to start on my Bridesmaids Dress project :)

Updates about the project will come... soon.... as soon as I get my hands on the book and some fabric!

Much To-Do

Picture from WeddingStressRelief

Between the planning for the honeymoon, searching for a decently-priced future home and tying up the loose ends of the wedding... THAT, with work and a social life..resulted in my not having the luxury of time nor the inspiration to blog on a regular basis! *frowns*

Yesterday, however, did come as a bit of a little shocker when the some-what evil wedding day reminder clock indicated that we have just about 6 more months to D-DAY!

So yes, I took a bit of me time and I searched for what could/would inspire me for my 'kooky' wedding and what we could possibly do to make it an especially fun day, not just for our guests but for ourselves as well - cause' God-forbid that we will allow our entire wedding day to just whizz past us!

No sir-y. That ain't gonna happen with the Future Lim Newbies :)

And my latest source of inspiration these past few days have been wedding videos. Nicely done-up wedding videos that either:
1) Conclude the wedding day happenings in a few minutes
2) Can be sent out as fun wedding date reminders or pre-wedding entertainment

Max & Margaux Stop Motion from Shark Pig on Vimeo.

Apart from one hilarious video which I saw at a Chinese friend's wedding, which packaged their wedding morning shenanigans into a Japanese gameshow-styled clip (with mindless japanese commentary to boot!) It was hilarious and it also gave the guests a look into what only a selected number of people could be a part of.

Others that I saw were cute videos that inspired me to create a cutesy wedding video... for whatever the purpose.

Max & Margaux from Shark Pig on Vimeo.

And this last one is just plain cool.

*Crossing my fingers that either one of my bridesmaids or brothers can actually rap.

"Best, Man" from Youtube

Mist.

Picture from Jan De Paepe's Portfolio

Ever had that feeling that you were stuck in rut even though everything seems to be going fine and as planned?

It's such a weird phase to experience.
It's as though nothing that could ever happen would be of interest to you.
"BLAH" is the word.

I don't even feel like researching for my wedding at this time anymore!

But just like how hot chocolate always hits the spot when you're feeling blah...
Jason, my fiancee, has been a constant ray of sunshine and laughter in this seemingly ho-hum period.

And that is why I love him like a fat kid loves (chocolate) cake.

A moment, please

Now that the our wedding reception lunch venue has been pretty much booked, I find myself being more pre-occupied with finding and creating that ONE beautiful love nest for the two of us.

Picture of the living area of a Malibu Home

What goes into making a house a home?
Is it the beautifully-done decor which reflects your style as a couple?
Is it the wonderful, unblocked view from your living room?
Or is it the fact that you will be coming together as one to build what would be the rest of your lives together?

Now that's a frightening thought.
But also a very liberating one.

Through all the house hunting and praying, you get the sense of coupledom - a taste of what it'll be like when you eventually do get married.

Sweet reassurance, frustrations, tears, fears and laughter... love.
i. cannot. wait.

Cotton Candy Love

Remember how I've always talked about my superb fetish for paper goods and stationery?

Well, I have finally found a local avenue to purchase all my paper LOVES at a pocket-friendly price - sit up and say 'Hello!' to my new found BFF, Cotton Candy Island!

Enough of lurking around those chi-chi stationary and scrapbooking stores, scrummaging for discounted items... I can now purchase all the beautiful craft items in the comfort of my home as I excitedly await for their arrival at my doorstep.Check out this delicious brown paper with oh-so-vintage thread and button details!

Pictures from Cotton Candy Island

Packing your wedding favours, sending this out as a wedding invite... or even use it to pack Thank You gifts for your wedding helpers! Beautiful packaging really does accentuate the thoughtfulness of your gift :)

But this is next product is my favourite one of all and it just makes me DNA tingle with excitement - STAMP COLLECTIONS!

Picture of "Lovely Animals" stamp collection

What other shops are selling you for $30+, Cotton Candy Island is only selling at *hyperventilates* $12.50!

O-M-G.
I'm sorry. As you can tell I really love my stationery, my fiancee can be proof to that fact + my gargantuan box stocked full of stationery and crafting materials.

What amazed me about these stamp collections is that they come in Fairy, Mountain Birds, Pussycat, Jewelery..... and many many more. I am so gushing right now.

And better yet, they sell special ink stamps to allow you to do stuff like this:


Step aside BK wraps and artisan table mats... and welcome the dawning of the new era of adorable and affordable table setting ideas!

Open your eyes and crafting minds to incredible ways to beautify your house... and also, a personal way to decorate your wedding (i.e. favours, cards, menus...)

Stationery heaven........... oh my new found love :)))

All you need is a perfect excuse to buy these Cotton Candy-ed lovelies and you will be well on your way to craft heaven.

What NOT to do for your wedding kiss

This won't be decent, and it won't impress your folks... nor your pastor :)

I flip my hair just like Bridget Bardot

I Am A Girl - The Girls With Glasses Theme Song from The Girls With Glasses on Vimeo.

I have always loved stop-motion.
And God knows how much I love fashion...
Which explains why this is my favourite video of the week!

Have Music. Can Travel.

(A vintage poster from the Woodstock music festival)

So, the fiancee and I basically met because of our various loves in life - his being Sound and mine being Music.

He is a sound engineer and I am a singer, so naturally, one of our biggest interests was Music.

We may not be the biggest concert-going junkies nor are the craziest of music fanatics, but there's something about the same kind of music we both love... that makes us happy.

Well, except for Paramore, we pretty much share the same tastes in music.

Apart from that, we are also totally into the vintage fare that's all the rage now. Wrinkled and yellowed paper to faded colours, it's all about that warm and comfy feeling that vintage-inspired stuff produce.

So what's a better way to merge both of our loves, than to create a vintage-themed wedding poster?

(Wedding Poster designed by Erin Jang)

Why a poster you say?

Well, apart from our vintage-themed invites (which will be specially photographed by The Fiancee, and designed by Yours truely), I really wanted to come up with another idea to reiterate our vintage and music themed wedding.

And at the same time, spice up the vast lounge/reception area in our hotel.
Oh, did I mention that it's gonna be at the Fullerton by the way? *grins*

So these little babies would serve as the perfect decorations in and around our reception area, and our guests can even choose to bring them home after the ceremony!

(Pictures taken from Etsy Wedding)

It really does make for the perfect decoration cum parting gift for all your guests.
Plus, its rather economical as well :)

Here we are now, entertain us

Ever wondered how you should appropriately entertain your guests while they painfully wait for you, the couple, to make their grand ballroom entrance?

Well, for starts, making them watch a powerpoint presentation of your bridal shots is not gonna intrigue them that much after the loop plays itself.... for the 15th time.

So, what's a better way to entertain your guests when they're forcefully seated down at their tables with nothing to do, you say?

Might I suggest screening snippets of a bunch of old time classic movies?

(Photo taken from Graze - One Rochester)

It serves as an excellent filter while your guest mingle / or choose to stone, while they wait upon you to start the party rolling!

Ballroom dance scenes accompanied by dreamy songs sung by dreamy actors and actresses... the perfect vintage atmosphere is created by a few minutes of YouTube serving, and a few projector screens.

Nevermind the smut and muck!

Whilst doing my random wee hour web surfing, I came across some amazing shots which didn't look like they were shot in our lil' ol' Singapore.

Then I did a little snooping around and discovered that there's a beautiful and scenic side to Singapore which (obviously) no wedding photographers/studio/shops are willing to let couples know about... because that would mean less overseas shoots and hence, less money for them.

I mean... just look at some of the photos I managed to come across in just 5 minutes of brief Google searching?

Picture of Yan Kit Swimming Complex

Pictures from ClubSnap- Night86Mare

Pictures from Xiaxue.blogspot.com

In all honesty, any of these pictures could have easily been passed off as being shot in an overseas location (as the one below)


Now why aren't more local couples investing their money in GOOD photographers with superb talents... instead of spending all that money for a fancy spancy overseas shoot... to get a picture like this....

.


.


.


.

I rest my case.

Rolling off my tongue..

Fullerton.
Mandarin Oriental.
Grand Hyatt.

Yum. I am succumbing to the beckoning calls of these hotels.....

Let me see where this goes! :)

Type my love, won't you type my love

Ever since dabbling in a bit of creative designing, I have fallen in love with the use of typography in its simplest forms to create a strong, but beautiful statement.

Typography isn't just a simple use of words to spell out sentences.
It has finally been recognized as a form of beauty in it's own right.

Think TGIF's "LOVE" structure and you'll know what I'm talking about.


I've always been a HUGE sucker for stationery, and I'm sure, our wedding will have alot of DIY-ed stationery made by yours truly.

Just looking at the different ways typography is used to make a simple picture look oh-so-gorgeous.. it just makes my DNA start to bubble with excitement.

All pictures taken from 100 Layer Cake

Let's see just how far I can run with this Stationery Dream of mine :)

Of fluffy clouds and purple dinosaurs.

Kelli + Sam - Same Day Edit/Wedding Trailer from Matthew Forrey on Vimeo.

Marriage.... is so many things all wrapped up in a tight little package.

It's about the joining of two souls as one.
It's about proclaiming your promise to love and cherish one another.

But it's not all just about the laughter and the romance... fluffy clouds and purple dinosaurs.
It's about the tears and fears as well.

Inadequacies, stress, differences in opinions all bottled up in a fragile container.
But thank God the strength which keeps it from breaking apart altogether is THE pair of mighty strong hands.

Hands that assure the both of you that it is alright.
It will be alright... because He has made it right.

Patience, my precious

Searching for the "ideal" wedding venue has been rather nuts!

For one, the only places you can easily find and use for a wedding are hotels. And both Jason & I hate hate hate hate hate the hotel banquet look. Because try as you may, even with the tons of flowers and exquisite table settings, it still looks like an event space - we hate that.

The first venue we targeted was the peony jade restaurant at Keppel Club because the decor in the place looks so nice! (well, on the website that is)

Picture from Peony Jade - Keppel Club

Alas, it was not to be.

The club itself looked very dodgy and run-down, and the restaurant itself was simply way too small to accommodate our estimated 250 guests (which, by the way, is already a very small number for a Singaporean wedding).

Then came our next target, the glass atrium of the National Museum of Singapore.

It looked lovely. It was a unique and classy location. And it boasts numerous visual art displays - a la the "dancing chandeliers" as shown in the picture below.

Picture from The National Museum of Singapore

However, we had to kick that plan aside for now because the decorations and set-up costs for this venue is ASTRONOMICAL! And that is before throwing in the costs of finding a suitable caterer who can provide good food, service and tables + chairs!!

Hence, we had to put it as a Plan B of Plan B, because the amount of preparation and the costs which will go into holding a wedding at this location would potentially drive both of us mad.

Now, we wouldn't want that would we?

That was why I went a mad search for another venue. Well, not totally mad, but mad enough. And by God's grace, after I told Jason that we would find the best location in faith and in the shortest time possible, I came across this......

Picture from Tung Lok

Lo and behold, the hugest Chinese restaurant I have EVER seen!

The Noble House by Tung Lok, which is tucked in the heart of Shenton Way.

How is it that I have never ever even heard about this place before?!

1) It's huge.
2) It's by Tung Lok - so I'm gonna make the assumption that the food is good.
3) It's decor is so pretty & simple.
4) We could easily pull off a vintage themed wedding in this venue.
5) IT'S HUGE!

So yes, I've emailed them about my grand desires to have a long table setting and buffet styled wedding dinner.

Call me a dreamer, but I believe a blessed life is what dreams and faith are made of!

I shall wait and see.....
oh please oh please oh please be able to do it!

Am so in love with these!

Picture from Style Me Pretty

Doesn't this just makes you wanna run out to the nearest wet market place to buy a bunch of cheap wellingtons and spray paint them with awesome pastel hues?!

OMG! What an ingenious idea!

Instead of expensive glass or porcelain vases, just using "gum-boots" adds a cute vintagey feel to the entire table setting.