It’s been slightly more than a month now, and finally I’ve sit myself down to craft an engagement post. Guess the reason why I’ve been digressing is that by writing out this post, it would mean acknowledging that the event is over and most importantly, the planning has ended 😦 (can’t imagine how I would be able to write out my wedding post in 21 months!!!)

On 2 February 2013, H and I got engaged in a simple ceremony with attendance of our close friends and family (200 pax thanks to my mom’s careful discretion). I had a few months to plan it, so I’m thankful that I managed to get the vendors that I wanted:

Photography by Chase Hasemi.

Charged with an hourly rate which was reasonable for the quality he produced! His style is neat, the pictures are always sharp and crisp. And he’s a really nice guy, always cracking jokes and mingling with my relatives. AND he took the liberty to send my CD straight to my doorstep once he was done editing. Love his personal touch 🙂

Makeup by Juliana Naim.

She’s such a doll, my event was a few weeks after she gave birth but she INSISTED on taking up the assignment!

Gift trays for both sides by Love Createz.

I’m currently studying, so I didn’t have time to DIY though I reeeaaally wanted to. But Kak Intan’s really nice! Her rates are surprisingly affordable and she gave me a few extra dulangs for free! And charged me the lowest band for her dulang range. These gestures, though however little, really makes an impact sey :’)

Catering (& Extra Chairs and Tables) by Kassim Baba.

As highly recommended by a coursemate of mine, Matiin (Kassim Baba is his Dad). Apart from offering “harga memberz”, his dad threw in lots of complimentary items!! Like chair covers, table skirtings, extra kueh and even these little chalkboards plus a big chalkboard that showed the menu for decor. On top of that, I kept on receiving rave reviews from friends and family about the “power” briyani dham and the yummy traditional kuihs. Uncle Kassim was also very generous with his helpings so much so that my mom has plenty of servings to pack for our relatives. For that, I am thankful.

Outfit, material bought at Arab st and tailored at JB. Veil rented at Bella Sue Bridal Couture.

BUUUUTT I did managed to do up my own decor for my room (nak jugak!). Susah payah panjat tangga untuk gantung bunga. And my mom personally sew the curtains. Aww sayang mak, hehe.

Most of the gifts were contributions from my aunts. I did make my own cupcakes!! And ordered some macaroons from Ola Lola (angan-angan nak buat tower tapi takpe lahhh).

The chalkboard menu and signages by Uncle Kassim I mentioned earlier:

 

And I love how the food table/ skirtings complimented the whole colour scheme.

Trays from him:

                                          

However, I did recall the guy side reaching 10 minutes ahead of schedule, and I was still fixing my veil and touching up my eyelashes (i got ready in a separate room). Because of the rush, Chase couldn’t take pictures of my prep. Sigh. And when I went out to sit in my room, I was taken aback by the 100 odd people crammed into my home. Panic jap you, kena jingkit pass makcik-makcik, tunduk sana-tunduk sini, and at last sampai my seat.

Then I panicked another time, amidst the prayers, when I saw one of the tray items wasn’t. supposed. to. be. there.

I made these little babies for the dessert buffet table. I mean, tak obvious ke colour scheme tak match!? Mata terbeliak sekejap, luckily I managed to pull through a telepathic message to Umairah, who immediately hid the pink cupcakes and the extra tray right before the exchange. Phew.

Where they actually belonged. My DIY pink dessert buffet table! (with a hint of blue at the side, takpelahh makcik kasi taruk je)

Then, it was time to put on my bling!!! Many many months of waiting okay. His mom put it on for me, and you can see in the picture below how my “tak maintain” face couldn’t hide the excitement:

I swear Chase is so cute! He wanted to take picture of the ring, but he asked my mom’s permission first. Kenapa comel nah?? And I love his attention to details, and he does it without even me noticing!

Then, it was mingling and picture time! It was nice to see two families interacting, and getting to know each other; one of the most fundamental reasons for a Malay engagement in the first place.

Lots of time to play around with the cousins.

And of course the orang kuats!

And at H’s arrival, my uncles and orang kuats decided to do an impromptu “hadang” session. Malu nyaaaa, where to put my face ni!!! Kesian budak tu berpeluh-peluh, kena answer some tough questions.

And my maid of honour, Ili, dengan muka-muka sekali, enthusiastically took up the role as the final hadang. Belum lagi kahwin, da macam gini. The real thing how?? (But I secretly geli hati lah actually, hehe.)

In addition to my kecoh entourage, my parents also wanted to have a go at their funny bone! This is their “HEEEEPPPP, cannot touch!!” pose. AMACIAM PASS TAK?

And of course, last but not least, some (not so) alone time with the fiance. Disclaimer: halal-distance ensured. Belakang camera, makcik-makcik scan je. Hahaha.

(Kenapa kocek penuh, bang? Nak kawin broooo, mesti ah kena penuh.)

On a final note, my deepest gratitude goes out to the dear souls who went all out to make this ceremony happen. I feel truly blessed. Insyaallah, with God’s grace, our journey towards matrimony will be a smooth and pleasant one. Amin.