Wedding Photoshoot!

Wedding Photoshoot!

This is us after our outdoor wedding photoshoot.
Oonie & I had lotsa fun today and we truly wanna thank God for the weather and for being at the photoshoot with us. =)

Here's some pics of us playing with the camera after our photoshoot...hehehe..
We celebrated the end of our photoshoot with...ROTI PRATA! WoohoOO!

We Have A Wed Site!!

We Have A Wed Site!!

Announcing... the arrival of our Wed Site! Heee...

www.mywedding.com/chrispris

Check it out!!

And the 1st Prize Goes To.....

***And the 1st Prize Goes To.....***

This is going to be a long entry. There's just so much I wanna thank God for but yet even typing this blog entry I can't help but be in reverend awe of my God, my unseen partner in my life.

So please be patient with me as I jot down every thing that God has done for Chris and I since we started planning our wedding. I wanna write somethng down so that as time passes, I can always look back at this entry and know that I serve a faithful God. After Chris proposed, we started making plans for our wedding. Before we begin, we asked God to be our wedding coordinator and to use our wedding as to how He would like our wedding be. We want Him to be in charge of everything since afterall, He was the one who brought us together. Here's the details of why at every stage of our wedding, God never fails to surprise us and is ever so faithful and proactive in being our wedding coordinator:-

1. The wedding venue: We searched for many places for an outdoor wedding and a few places came to mind. Asian Civilisation Museum, Chjimes, Armenian Church and Fort Canning. I rang them up and somehow or rather it was either the capacity of the location that could not fit our requirement or it was totally off our budget. The formula for two people (II) to get married in Singapore (S) is this -> S+II = $$$. So we called up Fort Canning and they told us about their Marquee and the prices and the capacity it could hold. It was prefect! Budget, capacity, location seems brilliant. So we made an appointment to head down there to check it out. Here are some pics of the Marquee.

We thought hmm.... it's not too bad.. quite close to what we both have in mind as our ideal wedding. Met up with the wedding coordinator, Sophia Beh to discuss what services do they provide and it seems good. When we were about to make a reservation, she told us that another couple have reserved the place for their wedding on the same date already. Sophia said she'll check with the other couple since they have not place a deposit as yet if they were willing to let go of their reservation for us and she will revert to let us know. We continued to pray after that meeting with Sophia for God to act on our behalf and sure enough, few weeks later, Chris called Sophia up to check on the status of that reservation and Sophia said that the previous couple had given up the reservation for us. Yay! Praise God! =)

2. Lobangs (a.k.a good connections in Singlish meaning) - God sent a number of friends with brilliant suggestions and ideas to share with us and how to have a stylish wedding without breaking your bank! =) I knew an ex-colleague who owns a floral shop and he was the perfect person to approach to decorate our wedding venue for our actual day. Jason can work magic I tell ya! He gave sound advice to help us cut cost and I mean which florist will do that?! There were many people who gave us good advice as well, TY & Ink, Karen & Soo Guan, Evelyn, Nicole & Wilfred, my bro & sis-in-law, my mum, Mabel, Joan etc. We can't thank everyone enough for all their advice and their help!

3. Reina & Miriam - These 2 sisters prayed for my Mum to relent on 28th March 2008 cos my Mum wanted some auspicious date and said 28th March 2008 was not a good date rarara... and I was having rather difficult time trying to convince her. These 2 sisters interceded for me and voila, my Mum turned from being against the date to focusing on helping us with the wedding. Hallelujah! Thank God for these 2 sisters! They were really good support considering that I was also facing some stress from work as well as from some friends pertaining to wedding arrangements.

4. Chris and I thought that it would be nice to have a semi-real cake rather than an entire dummy cake for our wedding. Yes! You can say that we want to have our cake and eat it! Hahaha. We were toying with the idea of having cupcakes in replacement of a wedding tier cake but realised that it is really expensive to order them from some bakeries. And its truly not possible to bake it on my own... I think I will go into a panic attack just thinking that on my actual day I still don't have enough cupcakes made or my guests complaining that the cupcakes taste awful. So I rather spare myself that unneccesary nightmare. We continued searching for a less costly baker and on 3rd August 2007, when we went down to Fort Canning to place our deposit to secure the Marquee for our wedding, we got to know from Sophia that they have included cupcakes as an option in the wedding package with a minimum top up fee which was still relatively cheaper than most bakeries we went to. Isn't God amazing?!

5. Fairy lights - We thought that the Marquee though was nice (at least to us) but sortof lacked something. So we thought hard and figure that it would add to the atmosphere if we added in fairy lights underneath and at the sides of the Marquee and when we asked one of the wedding coordinators at Fort Canning, he said that this could be done at the cost of a whopping $2000. WHAT?! Just for fairy lights? He explained that if we want it up, they would need to hire people to put it up as well as take it down from the Marquee since it is not a permanent fixture. Oh well.. we thought... we just have to stick to our budget and see what else can we do within our budget to spruce up the Marquee. We thought to ourselves that we probably have to work with Jason our florist on that to see if he can help us in anyway and still not exceed the budget we set.

Guess what? On 29th September 2007, we went for a wedding show at Fort Canning and this is what we saw:


Fairy Lights at the side of the Marquee! It really does add atmosphere to the place afterall!!

I thought maybe they put up the fairy lights cos of the wedding show today.... ye of little faith! We saw Sophia and asked her if the fairy lights were just for the show and she said no its a permanent fixture! Goodness! At this point in time, I was very touched by what God have done for our wedding. It's like Chris & I just talk about our ideas, our dreams for the wedding and God just acts on it. Some people may say its coincidence but I know it is our God moving on our behalf and getting our wedding ready step by step.. little by little... with all these surprises!

6. 2 weeks before the wedding show on 29th September 2007 at Fort Canning, I had my first fitting at my bridal studio - Di Gio. The evening gown that was made to measure turned out nicer than I imagined and it was a total relief to know that I didn't cringe my face cos the entire design was suggested by the designer and we just went along with it but kept praying about it in hope that it won't turn out to be something totally different from the drawing the designer drew to show us. I tried on the wedding gown again and though it was nice..somehow I don't know why I did not feel confident in it. I told Chris I feel fat in it and I am not sure if I can pull it off to be able to look radiant in it though the gown was truly lovely... but I just didn't feel as confident as the first time I tried it and we both liked it....Not sure why. I began to worry... "Cham! What if I still don't feel confident in that gown and I can't find anything else I like and the deposit has been made for the wedding package already!". I told myself... not to fret and perhaps its my insecurities as a bride to be that's acting up.

So on 29th September 2007, I woke up and did my quiet time with God and told him my fears of the wedding gown (again!) and I told him I'll be going to the wedding show later.. there's a lucky draw... can we win some jewellry or something? Heheh... Honestly... when I said that to God... I was just being myself - plain cheeky and didn't had any other notions in mind. Strangely, I thought I heard Him say "You'll walk away with something at tonight's wedding show..." I teased God and said "heheh..yah.. door gift!" But I didn't think much about it yet throughout the whole day and even at the wedding show... I had a strange feeling that something's gonna happen.(Chris and I @the Legends Fort Canning Wedding Show)

At the wedding show, we were waiting for things to start and Chris and I were chatting. I didn't mention to him anything about what I heard during quiet time earlier and he said "There's 18 prizes to be won tonight.. I wonder if we'll win anything." I was like "U reckon?" and he responded with a "Yeah, I think we'll walk away with something tonight...". At that juncture, I told Chris about what I heard from God that morning. Before we could continue our conversation further, the wedding show started. Here's a few pics of what we took at the wedding show. This is our first wedding show... (prolly our last too! hahaha... we went for this one to get a feel of how is it like holding a wedding at the Marquee at Fort Canning, the Legends).

(decoration before the models strut their stuff on the catwalk)

(Pretty nice wedding gowns, suits and quite chic cheong sams I would say)

At the end of the wedding show was the lucky draw where they announced all the prizes. Our draw number was 8132. A number of times they nearly called out our number but missed by the last digit. So all 17 prizes were all dished out and we weren't called as yet. We were about to leave thinking that it can't be us already as there were a good number of couples there as well who have not won when they announced "And the first prize goes to..... 8......1.........3............2!". Chris and I looked at each other in disbelief and realised that "Hey! That's us!!!".

We went up to collect the grand prize of a bridal package worth $9,888 that includes 1 made to measure (MTM) wedding gown. 1 MTM evening gown. Both to rent. 1 MTM cheong sam to keep. 1 MTM man's suit to keep. 30pics bridal album with things like free this picture, that album, plus outdoor and indoor shoot with hair and makeup styling... free actual day hand bouquet, etc. We were totally dumbfounded I tell ya!

We wanted to sell the package away since we already have a package and the evening gown was already made. But somehow or rather.. we both felt it is really God's blessing for us and we much prefer to utilize the prize and it sort of solves the "problem" of me being worried that I will not be able to find a gown I like since I can make to measure my wedding gown now with this package. I went home that night... tired but very touched by God. I mean, we don't deserve this at all and we weren't expecting anything. To be honest, if I had no choice but to end up with only the gown I don't feel 100% confident in it.. I would still stick to it cos I mean it's still a pretty gown but there's so much to making a wedding perfect because deep down Chris and I both know that it's knowing that our guests enjoyed themselves and us enjoying ourselves celebrating our matrimony that makes a wedding special...at least to the both of us. I mean as a girl I would like to fantasize about my wedding but I am not that unrealistic either... (really.. believe it or not.. heheh). And knowing about the fairy lights alone was more than touching already.

So I just wanna say to God that we can't thank Him enough for playing such an active role not just as our wedding coordinator and in our lives. Though He is our unseen partner... yet His presence, His actions, His surprises of what He did for us shows us how real He is! I must say that throughout this entire wedding planning and all, we've both drawn closer to Him and that itself already made our wedding sososo special... and we know that it is going to be special even if we didn't win anything, we didn't had fairy lights, cupcakes, all the fancy razzle dazzle to a wedding... simply because He is going to be there!

Lamb-tatouille!

Lamb-tatouille!

22nd Sept'07 - After MengChong and Sarah's wedding earlier in the day, Chris and I went back to his place to cook our dinner. The night before, he bought a whole load of groceries and herbs and all and we marinated the leg of lamb overnight to be able to cook it on 22nd Sept'07.

So after the wedding, we put the leg of lamb to roast in the oven along with the vegetables after dicing them and putting Italian Herbs on the vege.

So while waiting for the lamb and the vege to roast. I saw some birds on the TV antenna next door and the colour of the sky made me feel as though I am overseas... like in US or something while bird watching...literally.

Yay! After a while, the vege were done. I called it Lamb-tatouille since it's roasted next to a Lamb and the animation Ratatouille was going on in the movies recently. Hehehe. So here's my lamb-tatouille - roasted with Italian Herbs, a touch of Extra Virgin Olive Oil together with Zucchini, Brocoli and tomatoe cherries to add colour to this green dish. I lurve zucchini!

While I was cutting and dicing the vege earlier, I saw a tree outside Chris' house that looked like a broccoli to me. Check it out! It really does, trust me! It's a broccoli tree! Hehehe.

Besides the Roasted leg of lamb which Chris marinated with lotsa chopped garlice, rosemary, thyme, lemon juice, salt & pepper and the lamb-tatouille, we made mushroom soup from scratch as well and Chris added in Bay leaves to the soup to give it some punch. =)

So that was our dinner that night, downed with orange and lemonade. Splendid! =)

@@@HopeTots Attachment Time@@@

@@@HopeTots Attachment Time@@@

Part of our Marriage Preparation Course entails being attached to either our church (Hope) kids or toddlers section for a (gruelling) 4 weeks.

Today is our first session!!! We choose to be attached to Hope toddlers or also known as Hope Tots.

Guess who is the tot? I think the adult is drinking milk... hehehe..

Conclusion: All I can say is..... I survived (bruised, wounded, battered and totally defeated...) Next session, I am bringing an AK47 along with me... hehehe.

Travel...Travel...Travel...

Travel...Travel...Travel...

The long awaited Bangkok trip for us three! Chris, Mabel and I...

The happy trio on our way to shopping paradise!

Ahhhhhh! Bangkok here we come!

Right away we attempted to assimilate and blend into the local culture! =)

One of our numerous watering stops...Black Canyon coffee, served with yummy biccies and a refreshing glass of jasmine tea to wash your pallette there after!

No, its not Cinderella's glass Timberland boot...

The face of satisfaction...caffeinated and ready to go again!

And while the coffee-holics filled their bellies with the black brew, others indulged in an escapade of a creamy kind...(sadly, there was no Ben & Jerry's!)

The happy couple after caffeine and cream! (noticed the glazed look in the eyes...its a caffeine / sugar high! hehehe!)

Mabel at the entrance to Siam Square! Actually it was made of fibreeglass...but still betcha wouldn't have known that till i mentioned it!

I like this pic....looks like an ad for DHL or something. Its actually Mabes making reservations for our seafood buffet dinner!

A moment of solace and contemplation...it was posed...=)

Baiyoke Sky...our shopping HQ as well as our hotel!

Chris says "Sawadeekup"!! We were having fun with all the Thai artefacts around our hotel viewing gallery.

And all too soon, it was time to fly home...the happy trio about to board the return flight. Note the plastic bags of last min. buys. Hehe..

****************PHILIPPINES********************

Sometime in July this year I was given the opportunity to make a business trip to Makati City, Philippines. The hotel we put up was Renaissance Hotel near Greenbelt shopping mall.

Note: Look at the bath tub in this pic below. It's so low... I am almost sitting on the floor. Think if I were to go in with the water filled, the water would all overflow and leave me in an empty tub again.

There is always time for shopping... hehehe.. Greenbelt shopping mall! =)

Pretty nice concept of Greenbelt.

My colleague, Daniel and I soon got hungry and ate at this place below. The food and prices were fantabulous! They used oyster shells to decorate the place... cool.. It's located at Greenbelt 3.. I can't remember the restaurant name but I think its something rockefeller.

This meal is totally unforgettable. It's called Boneless Bourbon Ribs. American portions at Philippines prices. I can never forget the taste of the ribs... Tony Roma's eat your heart out! And no bones! So you won't get your fingers dirty. Hehehe.

:::The Proposal:::

:::The Proposal:::

The unsuspecting victim. (Taken using Oonie's mobile camera). We were up in a cable car having dinner in it while enjoying the scenery. =) He told me it was going to be a simple dinner. Riiiiiight.. (How gullible of me? Trapped in a cable car? I had to agree... just kiddin!)

The Culprit with his signature grin. Alas!! Little did I know what was up his sleeves... or rather pockets since it was hidden there!!!

And the next thing I know... I'm engaged!!!! Hehehhe.. And noooo... mind you, this is NOT an advertisement. I used my canon to capture this shot. Hehehe. *Can I pat my own back and claim credit and boast of the shot below? hehe...** In reality, I was playing with my own camera and was really a fluke shot of my engagement ring below). =) I lurve it!

Colour Accented the proposal bouquet. Leaving only the red roses in colour. It's boootiiiful! I've never received a 50roses bouquet in my life! *sigh*.... I must say it's very very sweet of Oonie!

And so... I'm engaged!

:::Church Camp'07 An An Apprentice:::

:::Church Camp'07 An An Apprentice:::

Last year in 2006, I attended church camp for the first time after being in church for almost say 2-3 years? Church camp was so fun and becos I was Holy Spirit Baptised at church camp, I decided that I want to be a part of the church camp committee so that others too will experience what I experienced in 2006. =)

So I signed up to be a church camp committee and was assigned to be an apprentice in the Publicity Department; where I learned how to advertise and create awareness for the camp.
This is one of the job scope of being an apprentice. You have to depart for camp earlier than the rest of the people to get the place ready and suitable for camp. Exciting!

I'll share with you about what being an apprentice in church camp entails:-

1. You'll have to stop by this delicious Bak Kut Teh (Pork Rib soup) place at JB (Courtesy of Meng Chong who fetched us to church camp and brought us to this place). See the steaming Bak Kut Teh Soup? Meng Chong added pacific clams into this soup making it even more slurrrppzzz.. So, this is job duty one. Try the local food while travelling up for church camp. =P

2. Upon arriving at Malacca where our church camp is held this year. It was near to lunch time. We drove to Jonker Street and it was here that again we were given another job to accomplish. This is the place where they had supposedly famous chicken rice balls. I think it's called Famosa if my selective memory didn't fail me. I didn't take a pic of the rice balls because we were busy eating when it arrived. So I took a pic of the place since it seems to be quaint in its decoration.

3. The next task awaits. I tell you... being a par t of church camp committee is sheer hard work! We were pretty full from accomplishing the previous task but had to pry our mouths open to finish the superbly mouth-watering chendol dessert found at Jonker Street as well. It is diagonally opposite the chicken rice store . The chendol below is dangerous... it can caused fights if you're sharing a bowl. My advice is to get your own serving. Some things in life you just can't share. Heheheheh. Chendol rating: Best I have ever ever tried. Even better than the chendol from the "Mangosteen" lookalike store in Malacca. Mind you, church camp hasn't even started. Heeee... **Side note: My lovely bear named "Zip" says hello to all! =) Well, Oonie bought this for me from the "Blessing Point" at church camp. It was the only one and I asked him to name the bear and one glance and he named the bear Zip for obvious reasons... duh..hehe**

4. Arh... finally church camp commences and these are my church mates. Being church camp committee... there will be a number of times you won't get to be near your care group mates since you would need to run a number of tasks for the camp and so ... these are precious moments to me. =)

5. Me & my church mates.

6. Miriam & I (Told ya every moment is precious!)

Having fun with the church camp deco.

7. Oonie and I. Hey, we're both serving in church camp mind you! heeee...

8. Finally, before the camp ends for good... a picture with both my camp commandants- Eugene Phang is stripes and Teck Keong in orange. Really fun and smashing working along side and serving in the camp with them. They're excellent leaders and I must say its good synergy.

Well, that's all for camp this year as an apprentice. I'll be back next year! *Gulp* Running the publicity as an in-charge.. *double gulps* and may God be with me next year to lead me in the Publicity department for church camp! =)