I was really disappointed when I could not attend the wedding of Faye and Kevin. That’s one of the setbacks of being a wedding planner, we often end up working during these auspicious dates. I did, however, manage to get some pictures from her.

Their wedding was held at Grand Stage Hong Kong. Grand Stage is located at a 1906 British colonial building at Sheung Wan. One look at the photos and the first word that came to my mind was ‘fairytale’ venue. With it’s large chandelier, cavernous red brick floor to ceiling walls, granite arch and balconies overlooking a large dance floor, this place has all the potential for a magnificently grand wedding. Hence the name ‘grand stage’. The venue is able to cater to a maximum of 28 tables (of 12) on the ground floor and a maximum of 9 tables along the balconies. Banquet package starts from HKD4,988 onwards to HKD8,388 per table.

Congratulations to Faye & Kevin!!

Looking forward to welcoming you to sunny Malaysia in December!

Location: Grand Stage, 2nd floor, Western Market, 323 Des Voeux Rd Central, Sheung Wan

Congratulations to Gregs Video on the grand opening of their studio at Taipan, USJ.

Their new consultation room. I am soo in love with their DVD mural.

I’ve always been a fan of their work, especially their cinematic style of editing. Much thought and brainstorming have always gone in to all of their videos before the big day to ensure that all the right angles are captured to fit into the storyline. Anyway, I’d leave you mesmerised by this beautiful Hindu wedding.Tell me if you don’t get goosebumps as you watch.

Looking forward to more great videos from Gregs Video! Photos courtesy of Greg’s Video.

Early this year, I had the privilege of being a bridesmaid to one of my best friends, Chen Chin. There is a saying that an acquaintance would ask you about your love life, but a  true friend can blackmail you with it. The latter is probably how I would describe our friendship as we’ve known each other for more than 20 years since the age of 7. We’ve had our fair share of embarrassment over unrequited crushes, consoling each other over broken hearts and sharing all the joyful tears together. It took her one big circle to realize that her soul mate and lifelong partner is someone close to home, her high school archenemy.

It becomes really fun when both the bridesmaids and groomsmen know each other really well, so much so that we could ‘go all out’  when it came to the extreme bridal door games on the morning of the wedding ceremony. We were however, very guarded under the watchful eyes of some elder folks who weren’t too pleased with our games. I thought we were already pretty decent compared to so many other weddings.

Dinner was held at Oriental Pearl Restaurant at Bukit Jalil Golf & Country Resort which serves a tasty array of Cantonese dishes. I like Chen Chin’s selection of wedding gowns from Casamia Bridal Studio. Don’t you just love the long white train and the shocking pink dress which matched suitably well with her skin colour?

Calvin and I were given the honourable task of giving a toast and as the (self-appointed) Maid of Honour and Best Man, we ahem… let loose some skeletons in the closet. I guess we weren’t that honourable after all. hahaha…

Check out how stressed up the groom was.

Gan and Calvin also played some on-stage games, namely Kiss & Profess and the Shoe Game. I was happily munching away. It’s not often that I get to eat at weddings since I’m always on-the-clock at weddings. Thanks to Liew and Chen Chin for being such a great sport! After all, what are friends for right?

Photography by Chantique Studio.

If I have to choose one Chinese restaurant that is strongly NOT recommended, Oversea Restaurant at Subang Parade would be the top of my list. I attended a friend’s wedding here last weekend and the restaurant had two weddings running at the same time without a proper divider or partition between Hall 1 and Hall 2. The couple next door had a worship session prior to the start of dinner, so it also affected our side of the wedding and because the music was so loud, everyone started speaking even louder and it became chaotic. We also had the opportunity to view the projector screen of the wedding next door each time they played the slides.

The funniest was the food parade segment when the waiters had to walk in through the other couple’s wedding to present the food to us. Anyway, throughout the night, all the waiters had to walk through the other function to get to our side because the kitchen was located on the other side of the room.  I’d be so upset if it was my wedding or my clients’ wedding. I don’t think the restaurant has the resources to host two weddings simultaneously because the serving of the dishes were rather slow and the waiters kept dissappearing. There wasn’t a continuous flow of food from one dish to the next, but it was a wonderful time for us to catch up with old high schoold friends after so many years.

Another disadvantage is that after the dinner, guests will have to walk through the empty mall to get to their car parks, and some of us got a bit lost because some of the doors were already locked. We ended up walking through Coffee Bean to get to our cars which were parked outdoor and some other friends were escorted by a security guard who led the way to get to basement carpark.

Food was average and I think it still losses out to The Oriental Group of Restaurants.

Starring Mickey and Minnie, and Hsieh June as the supporting character.

There really wasn’t much to shout about Hong Kong Disneyland. Perhaps it wouldn’t be fair for me to comment since I’ve already visited other parks prior to the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland. Perhaps age is catching up and I’ve lost that naivety to believe in fairy god mothers and magical kingdoms and princesses who live happily ever after. Perhaps, I was just ‘weirded out’ by Cantonese-speaking Sleeping Beauty.

Undeniable bubbly and boisterous, the ambience inside the park was chock-a-block with excited children, lovey-dovey couples and noisy tourists who were all ready to rock the park in their Disney headbands, gears, badges and collar pins, and armed with autograph books and Disney pens that come with those annoyingly bubbly characters on top.

Hong Kong Disneyland is divided into four thematic parks – Mainstreet USA, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Tommorowland. I think Hong Kong Disneyland is perhaps the smallest Disneyland park in the world. Nonetheless, a boat ride at Adventureland was quite a thrill and not to be missed. The rest of the rides were uneventful and unmemorable. It was lacking in excitement for grown up kids like me.

I was more exited about our accommodation. We stayed at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. It was a fantastic deal compared to the city hotels. Rooms at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel are much more spacious as they are designed to cater to families of four, with two double beds in each room . It would cost more if you decide to take a room with an ocean view. It also has a large compound with a piano-shaped outdoor swimming pool and themed gardens that replicate the details of old Hollywood glamour. I really like all things retro and vintage, and the 1930’s interior designs and art deco monuments brought about an atmosphere of glitz and glamour of a bygone era.

We did not have our breakfast at the hotel though as we decided to take the MTR to Tung Chung for a hearty breakfast of dim sum. For those who have children, a breakfast experience at the hotel would be wonderful as they sometimes have Disney characters wandering around to greet guests in the morning. After breakfast, we took a walk along the boardwalk overlooking the Lantau mountains.

Anyway, back at the park, we managed to catch quite a handful of Disney personalities. From Sleeping Beauty to Buzz Lightyear, Ariel of The little Mermaid to Pluto and Goofy. As colourful as it was, the joy was incomplete without my brother. Really wished you were here with us.

Try not to be tempted to buy the souvenirs from the shops. I think photos and pictures make the best souvenirs and mementos. I remember buying a Monster Inc soft toy from Disneyland Paris some years ago and it is now stashed away in the storeroom, collecting dust in one of my cardboard boxes.

The highlight of Hong Kong Disneyland is their daily fireworks! Awesome display of pyrotechnics, fireworks and musical accompaniment that left us gushing in Ooo’s… and Aww’s.. I’d suggest for all visitors to stay on till evening to catch this spectacular showcase.

I think the best time to visit Hong Kong Disneyland is during the spring season. Summer can be a bit hot and rainy. We were there in winter and we thoroughly enjoyed the cold weather, the only setback was the thick jackets that we had to remove each time we went indoor.

Hands down, this popiah stall at Wo Wat restaurant in Malacca sells the best popiah I’ve ever tasted!  This unassuming rundown restaurant is located along Jalan Pantai.

Once you bite into the popiah, the explosion of juicy ‘pang kuang’ and dried shrimps coupled with tasty egg omellete, vinegar grind chilli and fried pork lard will totally leave your tastebuds salivating for more!  It only costs RM2.30 each and the portion is huge. But trust me, one piece won’t be enough!

We are spoilt for choices when it comes to dining in Malaysia, but good dim sum selection in the morning is still quite scarce. My favourite is Restaurant Phang Yeh at Happy Garden OUG Old Klang Road. Which is your favourite?

Surrounded by two 18-hole championship golf courses, The Club at The Saujana is positioned as the ultimate urban retreat for both business and leisure travellers which is located just a stone’s throw away from downtown Kuala Lumpur.

I made a last minute booking for a weekend of much needed self-pampering retreat and Jacque Soo, the wedding specialist from The Saujana was kind enough to accommodate my request and also advised me “Don’t bring your laptop ah.. just relax!”

Laptop I can’t live without but to relax, was all I did. The Club at The Saujana is a boutique resort with only 105 rooms, ranging from smartly appointed Club Rooms all the way up to the lavish Saujana Suites. GHM’s signature styles are evident in the interior and architecture of The Club which reflect contemporary South East Asian aesthetics. I felt totally at home with its copper, bronze and brown fittings.

My room was a cozy Superior Suite with teak wood furnishing. The room came with a separate dining and lounge area. The work station had a beautiful view of the garden but my favourite space is definitely the bathroom with its laminated flooring and dimmer lights, candles, rain shower cabin and terrazzo bathtub. Makes a romantic setting, don’t you think?

My job requires me to travel quite a fair bit which can be quite tiring compared to a desk job. Hence, my ideal holiday is to do nothing at all, with minimal travelling hassle and a getaway destination that does not require me to break my piggy bank reserves. The Club at The Saujana exudes that private, understated luxury with warm, personalised service from the moment I arrived right up to the time I checked out. After just one night, I felt totally rejuvenated. Best of all, it’s just 15 minutes away from my house yet I felt like I just came back from an island resort. If only everyday is a holiday!

The Club at The Saujana, Jalan Lapangan Terbang SAAS, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor

For reservations: +(603) 7843 1234                 E-mail: reservations@thesaujana.com

It’s very exciting for a planner when couples embrace their inner child to host the most lavish wedding reception with a playful note. Such was the case when I first met the flamboyant Nicholas and sporty Pei Pei. They exuded so much energy. It was really infectious!

They wanted their wedding to be fun, fun, fun despite having a large crowd of 390 guests. So it was only natural that we paid attention to the entertainment throughout the night, which was nothing short of grandiose.

A life-sized cartoon cut-out greeted guests as they stepped out of the elevators leading to the ballroom. After 30 minutes of cocktail and entertainment by a pianist, guests were ushered into the ballroom. The dinner reception started off with a 5-minute cartoon animation of the couple’s love story followed by a grand fanfare of opening dance. We orchestrated the bridal march with a specially choreographed music that combined Wagner’s Bridal Chorus, Mendelssen Wedding March and a short accapella performance by the groom to the chorus of David Tao’s love song just before he marched in with his beautiful bride and the ushers in flowy white costumes. Westin Hotel’s Martin Architectural Lighting topped the ‘wow’ factor with its extensive lighting effects. It was just so cool!

The highlights of the night include a reverting impersonation of “Dream Girls” and a cabaret dance. The energy in the room was so lively that when Vanessa from Mosaic Music jazz band started to sing a few Christmas songs as requested by Nicholas and Pei Pei, half of the guests in the ballroom sang-along and Natasha even joked that the only thing missing was Santa trapezing from across the hall. It was a week away from Christmas and everyone seemed to be in a jolly holiday mood. The sexy dancers up the heat with a power-packed routine to end the night with a bang. It was certainly an entertaining, playful rhapsody that Nicholas and Pei Pei wanted for their wedding!

My favourite moment was definitely the on-stage kiss which was tastefully orchestrated by the wedding emcee.