Sourcing for baker for a wedding cake part 2

I have attended so many weddings in Singapore to know that the cake-cutting part of the ceremony is a prop cake. When I was young, I often waited and waited for the waiters to serve to cake during dessert but the cakes never came. So when I boldly asked one day, where is the freaking cake?! and got returned with "the cake is a fake, my dear," I knew I had to have REAL cake during my wedding. 

Googled for a list of wedding cake bakers and from the last time I updated, the prices of wedding cakes range from $1,000 to $1,650 and some have yet to even include delivery fees and deposit of $150 for the tier supporters which we have to return!

All this hustle just for a freaking cake!?

Then it struck me, I can always look for blog-bakers, those who does freelance baking. I have ordered from these bakers many times and their standard of cakes are definitely on par with those from the boutique bakeries.

So I wrote to Hazel and Lucille. Hazel was quick to get back and I am so happy that she remembers me from these years that I have ordered from her. She has won a lot of awards for her creativity and when I asked her for this favour, she proceeded to give me some advice and how it is not right to copy the designs that I got from google images. I roger that and gave her the go ahead for redesigning the cake for me. Meantime though, she needs to do her math and work out a quote for me. Fingers crossed it doesn't cost me a crazy amount. I only set aside $200 for this in the initial budgeting.

I asked Ah lau if eventually, we would have to drop one, would be prefer the cake or the band. He said the cake while I went for the band. Although I really do want to have both, I guess when we finally do come to it, I am sure Ah lau will definitely give in to me and let me have the cake. After all, it has always been my dream to have a wedding cake during my wedding.

I found some beautiful pictures of turquoise wedding cakes on google images and I must say that they are all SOOOOOO gorgeous! I can't decided on which designs I want Hazel (if not her, then Lucille) to work on. Ah lau and I looked through a few and our eyes were dazzled by the variety. We can't wait to sink our teeth into everyone of them.

http://cdn.cakecentral.com/9/97/900x900px-LL-97db32ec_gallery7893151330397438.jpeg

http://www.weddingsee.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/turquoise-wedding-cakes-satisfying.jpg

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/9e/d5/8a/9ed58ac41d477749324a38678591b141.jpg

Initially, I have decided on a plain turquoise 3 tier cake with pink flowers since we will be having pink roses for our wedding as well. I think the first one is really pretty and simple just like the one I had in mind. We are also opened to just turquoise with various of white add-ons like butterflies or sea-shells (which I later think would be more suitable for a beach themed wedding)

http://bronniebakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/114.jpg

http://cdnpix.com/show/imgs/d7119c893c65b916faa7878f02db5f98.jpg

http://tws1.ftwmedia.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/plugins/jobber-import-articles/photos/133994-turquoise-beach-wedding-cakes-3.jpg

http://www.cakesannietime.com.au/uploads/pics/Turquoise_Topsy_Turvy_Wed_3.jpg

During our search, I was asking Ah lau if he wants a vanilla sponge cake or are there any favours he would like our wedding cake to be.When he came up with chocolate, we found turquoise cakes that are decorated with chocolate colour rather than the conventional vanilla. We find that it would be interesting to cut the cake open and see chocolate sponge instead of white and it will definitely be a wonderful dessert for our guests!

http://snazzybiscuits.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/img_4969.jpg

http://www.mazelmoments.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Mint-Green-Wedding-Cake.jpg

http://images.pinkcakebox.com/cake569.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0LUNNaWsGcQ/Tfsh%252Bblue%252Bturquoise.jpg

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=564064

http://www.elegantweddinginvites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/tiffany-blue-and-chocolate-brown-wedding-cakes.jpg

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/26/ae/2c/26ae2c9c807089358c27efb853095267.jpg

There! Look at how beautiful and yummy they are! I can't wait for Hazel to get back with a good rate and for her to come up with her own design of a turquoise chocolate 3-tier wedding cake!

Where is that damn car?

I have almost given up looking for that dream car as my wedding car.

http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/mini_100318525_s.jpg

I'd wanted a mini cooper countryman and chanced upon this website that hosts all sorts of cars for rental. From here, I finally saw the mini cooper that I'd love to have for my wedding.

https://www.drive.sg/rent/Mini-Cooper-Countryman-by-eurokars-399

Except for the bonnet, the colour, size and shape is exactly the one that Ah lau and I would go for. So I proceeded to drop the guys an email to no avail. The rates stated on the website is also weird and I found out that I am forced to rent for a minimum of 3 days instead of just 1.

The only way for me to find out more is to drive all the way to Sungei Kadut's showroom. All this effort to go all the way to there got me so really tired just thinking about it. And that when Chris has kindly offered to even buy one herself so she can lend it to me for my wedding got me to rethink if I really want a mini cooper after countryman after all.

So couple of weeks ago, I looked at a Range Rover Evoque and saw how it totally fitted my idea of a casual yet classy drive.

http://media.caranddriver.com/images/media/51/2012-land-rover-range-rover-evoque-5-door-embed-end-photo-375978-s-original.jpg

But to my disappointment, it is too new a car  model to be able to offer renting, although I did find a car rental company that offers it but only in Msia. I am not about ready to put in tons of deposit just to have a car drive in from Msia for 1 day.

Then I recalled I wrote to Ace Drive Team and went back to my email inbox to take a look at their rates.

Ace Drive has been featured on a bridal website. I figured since it is a featured and recommended, I bet the cars they offer are in good, 'drivable' condition and most importantly, they are clean and well-maintained. From the rates above, I bet you can see why I have a sudden turn-off the moment I looked at it. The choices of cars are really too common and too little to choose from. Except for the porsche and mini cooper S which are all 2 seaters, the rest are all luxury and all so very common on the roads. For every 10 wedding cars that you see, 9 are from the list above.

So finally, (almost) admitting defeat, I asked Ah lau to ask his friends to help source for a white car for us. Ah lau was all hands on and ready to help not because he didn't at the beginning but because we agreed to let me decided on all matters on the wedding.

Now, we wait for his friends to see if they can get back to us on borrowing a good car. Otherwise, it is to Ace Drive that we have to go to.

Furniture shopping part 1

Last night, Ah Lau and I went to Nova to look around for our new beds. We have decided to just get a cheap one for his mum's place since we will only be staying there twice a week.

The beds at Nova look pretty okay with a few looking quite luxurious. Without saying out loud, we silently picked white beds. I love this kind of unspoken likeness between us.

Half way through our browsing, I saw this humongous couch that is so pretty that I am sure Ah Lau wouldn't mind me inserting a red furniture in the midst of our white furniture jungle.

There it is! Beautiful isn't it? I think it would look perfect as a reading couch at the corner of our room, except it costs $28k.

After looking around Nova, I spoke of how I got a good deal at Rozel with a super mattress and a free bed frame in leather white at only $890. Then we reverted back to our plan of getting a cheap bed until we get our own place.

We also took the time to look around for a dressing table that Ah Lau thinks that we'll certainly need as a newly wed's bedroom. Looking at the cheapo and low graded variety there, I have decided that with that type of pricing, I can easily get one from Courts or Ikea.

The crazy prices of furniture malls these days. 

Sourcing for baker for a wedding cake part 1

OMG!

My friend who will be baking my wedding cake has backed out! He said he is unable to do it because of a tight schedule. And I just banged my laptop keyboard until my fingers hurt. I hate to have something settled for good, then it has to be changed or something about it is unable to happen as predicted.

So I wrote to some freelance bakers, some boutique bakers and even some that I have ordered cupcakes from to see if they are able to bake a wedding cake for me.

One came back and quoted me $1,500 for that damn cake! What are you? A baker from France!?

Geez!

The correct shade of pink

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRz5-OglhKr4UxTG3ptUO_trfioVQUuH9S17c9n-znPJosV_Xp9e8OZOqdu8soscM99UFNYYdJwtzKydN05AhtFxRJ_SmpUHgp9S1H1xVvWTYogHvtCk22zvnBzKxMRMOKNxJcXwIbp28/s1600/Scan.jpeg

So I'm picking some flowers for the actual day and there is no qualms about it, definitely picking my favourite pink roses. After all, I think it is a perfect stand out colour with the turquoise theme.

My best buddy and wedding coordinator, Chris asked me about the particular shade that I want and then it got me. There are too many shades of pink that I love and I really can't decide on one, or two for that matter.

Recently, Ah Lau always likes to dawn my room with an occasional singular rose to make me wake up with a smile and the florist who is his true blue best friend who never fails to introduce the most expensive rose to him, a new breed called the Kenya rose which is not only big with plenty of petals, but is gorgeous as well. However, I don't think I will be making this breed my choice since it costs about 3 times the amount of a local breed.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Admin/BkFill/Default_image_group/2010/4/20/1271723539862/Naivasha-Kenya-001.jpg

Anyways, here goes my research on the different shades and types:

http://www.theflowersociety.com/images/flowers/roses-orange.jpg

These are not pink roses, they are however, in the perfect hue of orange which I think I might consider to match the turquoise. Most importantly, it is in the right shape that I want- in the flute shape and not a round type or a busting type like so:

http://www.rosesofyesterday.com/ourroses/ambridgerose2.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8nPkaU4j9QYYffnNG_B6dgeSS8NuaNt2JayqeE1b-yWr1aKgXTghnoVOEdbhD9yB2teDixlX1tpo0MSVQBnYrkSBpBmHcFIwX6OVTDws2VMYyn-EmQ6PShImZ_GMPKglceSVZu74g6ML/s1600/red+rose.jpg

Shocking pink roses!

http://www.fareastorchid.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/i/n/india_rose_shocking_pink_d.jpg

Ah Lau gave me my first bouquet of shocking pink roses on my first birthday with him. They do look beautiful but I don't think it suits the right garden theme that I am looking for.

http://images.wisegeek.com/group-of-growing-pink-roses.jpg

I am looking at this particular shade which is very common and mostly what you see in florists. It would not stand out by itself and I guess I might need to accompany it with some babybreath or a paler shade. 

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/bb/b8/a7/bbb8a79c2259012257d6a35cceb40d54.jpg

Yap, this is one of the shade that is love at first sight. But I am not sure if it should be just by itself or accompanied by the shade above.

http://www.lovethesepics.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Light-pink-roses-can-mean-sweetness-admiration-sympathy-
gentleness-grace-gladness-joy.jpg

I came across this breed and can't help but think that it looks like roses dipped in pink dye. Not keen.

http://wolnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/white-pink-roses.jpg

And these, dark pink wrapped in lighter shade of pink. Looks like dumplings; not keen too.

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/fc/a9/0c/fca90c8e9ae5a485ff5236158728011c.jpg

I can't seem to google find any decor with the sort of 2 shades that I like, the picture above is the closest I can find except it has lilac and white colour roses to the bouquet. But you get the idea =)

First draft check list

Let's now do a first draft of the checklist since the first month has passed:

1. Bridal boutique [checked]
2. First appointment with bridal boutique fixed [checked]
3. Photographer [checked]
4. Videographer [checked]
5. Air brush artist [checked]
6. Colour theme chosen [checked]
7. Brides maids [checked]
8. Wedding bands chosen [checked]
9. Venue chosen and decided [checked]
10. Wedding march-in songs [checked]
11. Tea dress [checked]
12. Spoken to mommies [checked]

Now for part 2:

1. Picking wedding gowns
2. Grooms men
3. Songs for video
4. Chinese traditional items for 过大礼
5. Bedsheets for both homes
6. Wedding car
7. Flowers
8. Emcee
9. Band
10. Wedding shoots

Stay tune for more updates!

Kind people!

Oh guess what!

The events manager for the venue that I have chosen has been so very kind! I realised it is a long shot but I still wanted to try to negotiate for a discount for the garden since I am only using the garden for the solemnization and it will only take about an hour or so.

He told me he'll try to speak to his senior management for me and viola! The entire charge for the garden is waived! And he replied with a nice note that says, "See! No harm asking." Heehee!

I am ever ever so grateful to so many people who lend a hand to making this wedding preparation journey so memorable and effortless for me.

Thank you!

On a side note, I am almost giving up on finding THE perfect bilingual emcee for my wedding. Some of these vendors that I have written to either have no videos to show how their emcees host, how their voices are like and how they speak, and when they do have, these emcees are way too sub-standard (sorry, in my opinion) or charges sky high prices.

So after viewing a few youtube videos with Ah Lau, we decided to go with a friend instead. Ah Lau says he can speak very well and is bilingual too and has host many weddings. It would be wonderful if he can say yes and from here, we can save some pennies and pump the extras somewhere else, like buying transparent umbrellas for our guests during the garden solemnization and finally fixing those darned air-cons.