Our Official Pre-Wedding Picture

We plan to DIY our pre-wedding picture since we going for vacation in France and Italy. Photographer in Europe are very expensive and the cheapest we can get is around RM400 or EU100 for an hour. My friend suggest that we take a look at Groupon France, in case we might find something cheap since Groupon Malaysia wasn't so bad. We also plan to print out this pre-wedding picture as a display at reception area later. I bought cheap voucher from Groupon malaysia before for 12 pieces of poster picture. 

So i have a look and alhamdulillah i found one photographer. Nico immediately check with him on a available date, price and location. The price was EU40 per pax so we paid EU80 to him to have 2 hours outdoor shoot. For studio shooting the price including costumes and make up but for outdoor he wont provide anything. Since we already in Paris, there's no point to do it in the studio since we also can do it here in KL.

We told him that we are ok to bring our own costumes and i can do my own make up since i so want to do it in Paris. We are allowed to choose 2 location and we decided to choose Eiffel Tower and Louvre. Initially, we booked him on 7th of May but then he couldn't make it so we have to change it to 30th April before our road trip to Italy.

It was one cold and windy spring afternoon. The weather wasn't so good and i was so scared that its going to be raining knowing unpredictable weather in France. We start at Eiffel Tower and we try to showed our differences in our picture by wearing clothes that really represent our country. So i dress up in my bright orange kebaya while nico in strips shirt and a hat. I should have ask him to hold baguette isnt it? :)

Our photographer is a french man who just move to Paris from south. Unfortunately he is more experienced with portrait photography and pre-wedding picture is still something new to him. Its really frustrating since we didn't know how to pose and he didn't advise neither.

I wasn't so happy with the result but there's nothing we can do. At least its still in Paris and not everybody get this opportunity. Well, better luck next time. So this is few of our pre-wedding picture and unedited.

For the love of Nyonya Kebaya

I don't remember when my addiction to Kebaya Nyonya started, but what i did remember, that my ex-bf bought me my first kebaya for Eid-ul Fitri in 2005. It was black color with colorful motif of peacock and flower. I match it with black & gold silk sarong which look so exquisite and i cant resist to wore it again during my graduation day in 2006.

 (peacock motif)

(with my childhood friends)

I'm not the type of person who like to wear traditional dress based on fashion. For me old is always gold and  changes to kebaya nyonya is relatively small. Those changes might only on the way we tie the sarong, elaborate or simple embroidery for our top and maybe material we use to make kebaya. 

I was working in Penang in 2010 when i have headache to find my baju raya. I really didn't like baju kurung fashion at that time and im so choosy. I don't like to look the same as other people and prefer to have my own trademark. I was with my other ex-bf that time accompanying him cutting his hair at Gurney Plaza and decided to walk around. That was the time i come across Kim Fashion.  

So, my first body measurement taken and kebaya was done here and it was pink. Since handmade kebaya are expensive i only can afford cheap kebaya at that time which is cost me RM250 for the top only. My other problem when its come to kebaya is either i found the sarong first or the top first and never both at the same time. So for my pink kebaya, the case is top first and end up use satin as sarong since i didn't find anything i like till the last minute. 

(Raya 2010)

(at Fazan wedding)

Since i really like nyonya kebaya from kim fashion, i came back again the year after during ramadhan to get my kebaya. This time i came over with black and orange silk sarong i bought from Ampang Park. So i end up wearing orange  kebaya when my initial plan was to get red color. This top cost me RM500 and RM150 for it sarong. 

 (Love bird)

(Raya 2011)

For 3 consecutive years, i went back to Vicky who has my measurement and see me growing from S size to M size. And again i came back this time looking for red color kebaya. I didn't have top or bottom this time and really plan to find everything from vicky. We discuss and she showed me some material and unfortunetly  they don't have chili red color. So we look around to see if i will like anything and i was torn between 3 different top. One was black, another in turquoise and the last one in pink. I end up taking black color since i really love the striking motif color.

I only took this top for RM500 and didn't get any sarong since vicky didn't have so much choice. I bought kain batik in black with green leaf motif and i'm sure i feel like walking flower pot everytime i wear my it.

(Raya 2012)

(with edah)

Ramadhan 2012

Ramadhan is back. Today mark the first day for all muslim in Malaysia to start fasting. Hari raya preparation  seems to start early this year, from decoration, cookies and traditional costumes. As for me, my kebaya nyonya was ready one month ago. Since there's no season or new design for kebaya nyonya its not a problem for me to get it earlier. I like to avoid crowd and hate to get everything last minute. 

(Orange last year & black for 2012)

Today's plan is to get baju melayu for Nico. I know its a bit early but we have to get everything done this weekend since he going back to France next Friday and only back to kl few days before raya. 

Since it will be his 1st time celebrating hari raya, he's a bit skeptical about the entire thing. I have to explain slowly about our culture, about religion and the connection between two. I didn't force him to try anything, not even fasting. Its warm my heart when he said he want to try it next year and get better understanding about ramadhan and hari raya first this year. I didn't expect much from him since this is entirely new experience for him as a non-muslim. 

When i first suggest to him to wear baju melayu, his reaction was skeptical. he said he doesnt want to spend so much money for something that he only going to wear once and he scared he going to look stupid. So, i take initiative, not so much, just google for some picture with matsalleh wearing baju melayu and i found this.

After seeing this, he said its look nice and willing to give it a try. So he started to ask me if we going to get the same color, do he really have to wear that songkok (hat) and is it possible to wear it with snickers. I answer all the questions like mother comforting an excited kids. Its funny, i know. Hope we going to find something at Ampang park later because i know its me who going to be fussy and not him. 

Selamat berpuasa to all muslim.