Let’s celebrate the fact that we had our first guest to our new home yesterday (family members don’t count). Yay! It’s quite an impromptu one (for me) so I didn’t prepare much for dinner. Aiks. And I know, we don’t have a proper place for guests to sit or hang out yet – the thing that we call sofa – but hang in there, it will come along the way.

So we chit chat about hot tub covers at BeyondNice.com and wedding; typical prewedding photoshoot, video on wedding day, how expensive the package is, blablabla; and played back our wedding video for hubby’s friend to see.

When I looked back at the video, I can’t deny that it’s so typical Chinese wedding ceremony, to be specific – typical Medanese type. And the video is just like a documentary, nothing artistic at all. Can’t believe we paid so much for the video and prewedding photo where we needed to bend our body in whatever angle so we looked photogenic. (more…)

This post was crafted on earlier this month and should be posted weeks ago. But this sad news came and me lost the mood to continue writing this happy post already. Heh, life. Today might be a joyful day; laugh and happy tears. The next day it could be a gloomy sad day; cry and sad tears.

Moving on, the wedding that I’m talking about is hubby’s friend one, where we flew back for 3 days, lucky got low cost airline. Not only attend, hubby was the voluntary photographer of the day using a videocam from other friend. That means have to follow the process from early morning bride’s make up session until evening wedding dinner.

Fortunately it is a small town, one place to another is just less than 20 minutes drive so the preparation for morning ceremony didn’t need to start that early. In between the make-up session and fetch bride, we still have time to check-out ps3 headset and grab breakfast.

Speaking of bride’s make-up session, yes the hair and make-up result is.. pretty, but is so 90s. Different saloon, but about the same styling with mine back in 2009. So unacceptable. The town already have a few freelance photographers and their photos are pretty good + up-to-date style. But not with the bridal styling, trapped in the 90s and can’t move forward.

I haven’t edited the pictures yet, but here’s the short video that hubby made – first time, yay! Video size has been decreased for uploading purpose.

Being a wedding-graduate doesn’t hold me from stalking wedding related blogs + sites during free time. It’s kinda addictive, like how some people can read sensa reviews non-stop, cause wedding stuffs are so inspiring; from the gown to the invitation to photographs, etc.

If I am allow to dream with no limitation (of budget etc), I would love to have the following items:
- Custom made invitation with story-telling concept and texture paper {saw it on Oh So Beautiful Paper // link}
- Lovely wedding dress {saw it on Lovely Bride // link}. Not sure it’s ivory or white color, I love the layered design, wrinkled texture, cleavage shape and the beadings.
- 5″ chic flower high heel {saw it on The Knotty Bride.com // link}. But my Dad said must wear high heel that covers the toes, another Chinese superstitious stuff. Bleh.

Since it’s impossible for me to organize another BIG day for myself, I am just gonna live up the dream of helping others in planning their once-in-a-lifetime event. Not wedding planner, but something more specific. Probably invitation designer with chic style or DIY related. We’ll see.

Once our friend asked: your wedding ceremonies are on different dates, so which one is the anniversary date?

Okay, 28 Nov – our I Do moment at church, 29 Nov – bride side’s reception at Medan, 6 Dec – actual day with Chinese wedding ceremony, 19 Feb – marriage registration. We picked 6 Dec as our wedding anniversary date, cause that’s when he fetched me and my Dad officially handed his bao bei daughter. Full stop.

One of the drafts for our wedding card. But we didn’t use it due to the high cost for custom card printing.

So yeah, today marks 6 months of our wedding and marriage. I know 6 months is peanuts compare to the many more years to come. But still it’s a day to celebrate our togetherness (read: farewell to LDR).

I am glad and feel blessed, cause am able to make a living from my design skill + web + internet, and that I took the plunge to freelance two and half year ago. Thanks to that, I can follow my husband to move into this small town without leaving my career behind or worry about employment screening service. Basically can follow him wherever he will go, just like Digi yellow-man. Cause that’s the point of us getting married, to stay together and ditch LDR.

I am also amaze with my patience, ability to live and be-friend with the 8 dogs and 3 puppies. Those who know me well surely understand how I never get used to dogs and cats. My family dislike pets, I ran when I saw a dog, and I cried when the cat’s tail touched my leg (during college time). But it’s the opposite thing now, thanks to the power of love and such. But I still can’t cope with cat (sound, poop, fur) although I don’t have the fear like before.

Living with in law is so far so good, although I was quite scare cause we have so many unpleasant stories about mother in law and daughter in law. But hey, even if it’s not now, we might live with my in law in the future when they are older. Can’t be leaving them at old folk’s home or even alone at another house right? So, nothing to lose for facing the fear now.

I am lucky that the typical mother in law from hell doesn’t apply on my MIL. She gives us freedom, she never complains and blab on how I can’t cook, she ta-bao fried Indian Mee from Mitsu (that’s my fave!), she never pushes us to give her grandson anytime soon, and the list goes on. Of course there is some issue on habit and so on, we don’t share the same mind after all. But it isn’t something to be fussy about.

Aside from those blessings, I do have complaints here and there about this town and other things. But that’s what makes life balance, no?

Pfiuh! Finally we received our actual-day-wedding photos (CD only lo, where is the 100 print out pics as we agreed on?) after a long waiting of more than 2 months. Longer than the time one has to wait to see the result of quick weight loss program. Sigh.

*rant mode on* I’ve anticipating to get it on January cause the photographer said he had too much order on December so have to wait until January. Fine, I’m very understanding one as long as you have a valid reason. *putting patient mode on although so curious to see the result*

Then I contacted the photographer again on the second week of January and I was asked to wait until the end of January. Fine, I didn’t mind giving more time. The promise date came but he still couldn’t deliver the photos and have to delay for another 1 week. The level of my patience already went down to 50%, out of 100%.

However, I thought it wasn’t so bad if he can deliver it one week later which is our 2nd monthiversary. But, he failed to meet his own deadline again. I lost my patience immediately. All the while it was me – as a client/customer – who asked the photographer about the deadline and delivery. I wonder if I didn’t ask, will he inform us about the delay of deadline consider that we (stupidly) paid full after the wedding ceremony was over.

After he failed to meet the previous deadline, he promised to deliver it 1 week later – on the week before Chinese New Year. We already predicted that it will be on CNY eve and yes it is.

Put aside the deadline problem, the photographer is very friendly actually. But still, it is a major downside if you are friendly but can’t meet your own deadline. For us who works on our own (not under any company), meeting deadline is extremely important. Not only that, we always remember to inform our clients about the latest progress instead of leaving them wondering and wondering.

Anyway, there is 296 pictures in total, covering the simple wedding ceremony in the morning, casual photoshoot in the afternoon and wedding banquet in the evening. Overall is good but I think it’s over edited and too much contrast . I would prefer a very minimal Photoshop work and rely more on one’s photography skill.

It will take me some time to upload those pics to our wedding site and my Facebook. Super lazy have to resize and upload. Bleh.