Wedding Vendors Rants & Raves

Planning a wedding was never an easy job. Without the help from our two fabulous wedding planners, we really didn’t know where to start! They’ve done a great job to make our dream wedding came true. They helped us to look for vendors, sent us a list to choose from and here’s my reviews on them.

Hana Cihankova – Makeup Artist – 10/10
My wedding planner found Hana for my makeup. I saw her portfolio and her work for media and shows, I was pretty sure she would do a great job (she’s an ex MAC MUA, that’s a bonus because I love MAC. Heh). I had a hair and makeup trial with her prior to our wedding day. I told her I wanted something simple and yet elegant. I was pleased and so in love with the style and looks. The result was beyond my expectation and she’s really fun to work with.

Ladislav Skalka – Wedding Photographer – 10/10
We were sent a list of photographers who were available on 31 July. It wasn’t hard at all to pick Ladislav because I love his style. We met him in Brno in May to discuss about our expectation. We initially wanted him to take photos for the ceremony only but later we decided we would book him for the entire day. Ladislav is very professional and easy to work. He spent 12 hours taking our photos from 11:30am when we were getting ready for the ceremony until midnight. We could see he was tired (we agreed on taking more photos in the hotel after the reception but our guests kept us busy and he had to wait for us) but he didn’t fail keeping his promise and he waited till we were free.

R-Boom – Band – 8.5/10
It was me who picked the band after going through a few of them on the list our wedding planner sent us. R-Boom is a great band, great music, beautiful voices. So, why the 8.5 rating? Later that evening, M told me they kept asking for some wines. I still don’t understand why they asked for wine. We were told that doesn’t happen at weddings as you don’t normally feed the vendors, let alone offering them wine.

Comsa Brno Palace Hotel - Reception/After Dinner Party/Hotel – 8.5/10
I fell in love with the modern contemporary design in the hotel. Our initial plan was to have the ceremony and reception under one roof in the castle and to stay at Comsa the night before and after the wedding. We later changed our mind to have the reception elsewhere. Comsa offered us some interesting menu for the reception and after dinner party. We’ve been to the hotel restaurant for lunch a few times when we’re in Brno and were happy with the food. There’s no doubt Comsa offers one of the best food but their services could be better. We weren’t that pleased with the initial terms of contract and what they offered us. We had this feeling whoever prepared the offers didn’t bother to check the information for accuracy. That was very unprofessional in my opinion. Overall, Comsa Hotel is OK but like I said earlier, there’s plenty of room for improvement.

We’re Married!

After 3 1/2 years together, months of planning, lots of discussions and arguments, M and I have finally tied the knot on 31 July 2010. A special day surrounded by our loved ones, full of tears of joy, laughter and fun. It was one of the happiest days in our lives.

We had a destination wedding. The ceremony was held in a chapel of Slavkov Castle and followed by the reception and after dinner party at Comsa Brno Palace Hotel where we stayed which is around 15mins drive from the castle.

The ceremony started at 3pm, a simple religion ceremony which was beautiful and touching (I will tell you more later). It was in Czech language but our vows were in English. Our pastor speaks English fluently and he printed everything in English so that our non-Czech/Slovak speaking guests (including my family!) could understand the ceremony.

In the end of the ceremony, everyone came to congratulate us. I saw tears in my dad’s eyes. I’ve never seen him cried before. I already started crying and shedding tears after the pastor announced we’re now ‘husband and wife’. An old friend came, hugging me tight and started crying. From that moment onwards, I just couldn’t be bothered my makeup would be ruined.

Our reception didn’t start until 7:15pm. We had 5 courses. I’ve to say, we’re really pleased with the quality of the food. It was tasty and made our guests happy. I’m not a goat cheese person but I really enjoyed the salad course. The lamb shank was our wedding planner’s idea and we’re so glad we went for it. Panna Cotta is our favourite dessert, it’s something we had to include in the courses

We cut the cake after the dinner, followed by our first dance. The after dinner party continued until 3am.

We’ve been married for more than 2 weeks now. Nothing has changed, not even my last name because we’ve agreed on keeping it. The only differences for me before and after the wedding are – now I’ve to wear 2 rings on my ring finger and I’ve to remember to refer him as my husband instead of my boyfriend.

Still Here

There’s no scheduled meetings or conference calls on my calendar today. What a surprise! Work’s keeping me busy, what’s new? It’s just 5 weeks to go!! I still feel like there are million of things to do – even though we’ve the wedding planners to help us organising everything.

I’ve been shopping for shoes and found nothing I like here. The Jimmy Choo I wanted aren’t available in my size – I’m a EU38 and it’s quite an average size here. Christian Louboutin’s ones I like are too high. I decided not to splurge on a pair of shoes that will probably kill my feet on my wedding day. So, I bought a pair of Badgley Mischka instead. The heels are just below 3″.

We’ve finalised the courses for the reception and the after dinner party which will be held here. I’ve so much to talk about this place but will only do that after the wedding. I love and hate it at the same time. I don’t want to have a high expectation since I’ve been living here for more than 4 years now and I know how customer services is in the Czech Republic. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate this country, I just dislike how things are here – even if you’re going to spend hell lots of money, you can’t always expect good services. Yes, I can go elsewhere but the other hotels are the same – this one is just a better one. I guess there will be more and better options here in Prague but M’s family and friends are travelling from SK, that’s why we’re having the wedding in the Moravia.

My parents and sister are flying here in a month! My lovely sister asked what she should get us for our wedding. I told her to bring heaps of Cherry Ripe, Kraft Peanut Butter and CHEEZALS. I’m craving for Cherry Ripes.

Busy!!

Work’s keeping me busy, so is the wedding preparation. It’s funny how I wanted the wedding to be a simple one – nothing fancy, and only invite family and close friends to the reception. After we met our wedding planners, the next thing I know, they’re planning for the wedding of my dream.

Luckily we’ve the wedding planners, I can’t imagine how it will be without them. There’s no way M and I are able to do this on our own.

We’ve booked both the garden and ballroom at the chateaux which is almost 2hrs drive from Prague. We visited the place and fall in love with it. We’re going there again on Friday with our wedding planners for food tasting and other arrangements.

We went to a several bridal studio and didn’t find anything I like, some of them are over 1000€ and ugly. I guess the Italian and French designer dresses aren’t my style at all. My smart wedding planner #1 recommended a Polish designer. I went through her designs and I like a few of her dresses. We found a boutique that carries her dresses to see the materials and the quality of the dress. My plan to lose a few pounds after coming back from home in February didn’t really work out. I hope I can at least lose a kg in the next 2 months. Heh.

We’ve also ordered my custom made bridal dress and our wedding bands by a local jewellery designer (I love his work!). We’ve picked our band and photographer for the day. There are still plenty of things to do.

We’re both very excited and looking forward to the big day. I can’t believe in a bit more than 2 months time, I’ll be someone’s wife. *lol*

A Bit Too Personal…

Three names I go by:
1. A
2. Mandy
3. Kit

Three jobs I have had:
1. Systems administrator (my first job out of uni)
2. Research assistant
3. IT Consultant

Three places I have lived:
1. Helsinki
2. Toowoomba
3. Prague

Three favorite drinks:
1. Ribena
2. French red wine
3.  Hoegaarden

Three TV shows I watch:
1. Lost
2. Desperate Housewives
3. Myth Busters

Three places I have been:
1. Hong Kong
2. Stockholm
3. Oslo

Three places I would like to visit:
1. Greece
2. Japan
3. Taiwan

Three people who text me regularly:
1. My mom (when she doesn’t see me on MSN, she’ll assume I’m not ok)
2. My sister
3. R, my best friend

Three favorite old TV shows:
1.  Blossom
2. Brotherly Love (you bet, I had a crush on Joey Lawrence *lol*)
3. Full House (remember how cute the Olsen sisters were?)

Three favorite dishes:
1. Pasta
2. Schnitzel
3. My homemade cheesecake (does that count?)

Three makeup/beauty products I cannot live without:
1. Brow shader
2. Mascara
3. Lipbalm

Three things I’m looking forward to:
1. Right now, to be home with Sandy
2. Our wedding in summer
3. Getting my bonus (heh)

The Ash

Most of the airports in Europe still remain closed due to the volcanic ash. I do not expect my shipment from Trans Design to arrive this week. M is scheduled to fly from D.C but I’m quite sure he’ll have to book a later flight. If you’re within Europe, there are still other options like trains and buses that will bring you home. But from the US to Europe? I don’t think so. I’m really hoping the situation will get better sooner and it’s safe for the airplanes to fly so that people can finally return to their homes.

One Sunny Afternoon

Today I decided to take new pictures for the Blythe dresses made before. I took down the listings last year because I had no time to go to the post office because for the entire summer until early autumn I was busy with work, business travelling, etc. Now I have them listed on my Etsy store again – roxkitty.etsy.com.

My Etsy was quite last year because I was mainly working on orders for Gina Garan’s shop and custom orders. I’m hoping I’ll be able to sew more for my own store and come up with new designs.

These are the ones that are available at the moment…

 

Kuala Lumpur

After 12hrs on the plane, we finally touched down in KL before 7am on 11 Feb. One of my best mates from uni came picking us up and bought us breakfast. Our first meal was Bak Kuk Teh in Klang! Yup, I told him I wanted Bak Kuk Teh for breakfast. What a heavy meal! The last time I was in Klang for Bak Kuk Teh (with the same friend) was back in 2004. I think I can have Bak Kuk Teh everyday – not a very healthy diet, I guess?

 Bak Kuk Teh in Klang

It was a very short trip down to KL as our flight back home was in 7 hours. We went to KLCC. That’s my must-go mall whenever I’m in KL. I need to stock up all my cosmetics – MUFE to be specific because it’s not available here. We walked around a bit and went to Pavillion to continue shopping. M wanted to show me a pair of gloves he saw at Coach in the US which he thought they’re something nice to have – for me, of course Unfortunately they didn’t have them there. I wasn’t really in the mood to shop that day – jetlagged and dead tired. I only bought a pair of Nine West and a pair of Anne Klein heels. They’re so overpriced in KL! I got the Anne Klein at 25% discount.  We spent the rest of our time at MOF ordering some Japanese desserts. And finally went back to the airport to catch our flight.

Matcha Ice Cream

On our way back to Europe, we spent a night in KL. An old friend and his wife were really kind to offer us a place to stay. They brought us for dinner and I had Penang Char Kway Teow – which is one of my favourite Malaysian dish but this one was really hot and spicy! I’m not a fan of spicy food, it kills my taste buds and gives me heartburn. My friend then brought us to a Pasar Malam (nightmarket in Malay language) in OUG. I haven’t been to one in more than a decade! I really like the bargains at Pasar Malam. I bought a thigh/leg massage thingy for RM10, which I later saw the same thing at Sasa for RM20!

We woke up late the next morning, waiting for my cousin to pick us up for late breakfast / early lunch – Bak Kuk Teh again! According to her, this one is the best in KL. I think it’s located at Jalan Ipoh? I don’t know KL that well, I can only tell you where you can go shopping

Another best friends of mine flew from Penang just to see me. We spent the rest of the afternoon together, catching up and eating! We were in Dome for some afternoo tea/coffee and went to Sakae Sushi for an early dinner before we went to the airport. I wouldn’t recommend Sakae Sushi, they’re not that cheap, the food wasn’t good me and the service was bad. We weren’t impressed at all.

At the not-so-good Sushi restaurant in KLCC

Lufthansa was on strike when we’re in Hong Kong. I wasn’t to worried because we’re flying there with Malaysia Airlines (MAS). Our flight to Frankfurt was really full. No doubt it’s due to Lufthansa strike. We’re in the check-in queue for more than 30mins. I was hoping I could get some sleep on the airplane but the guy sitting next to me never stopped talking to the other person sitting on the other side of the aisle. He finally stopped after dinner and I slept for good 10hrs and woke up before the breakfast was served. MAS business class is good but the food is so so. I didn’t really eat, I thought satays before my bedtime was a bit too heavy. The breakfast was good though.

I don’t remember what I was watching…

tik tok

Spring is a beautiful but it’s never really my favourite season of the year because of my allergies. I remember writing an entry on this last year.

We went for a walk on Easter Sunday and we found these little beauties.

Hmm… I really miss M.

The Colourful Nails

It’s been almost a year since I ordered nail polish online. I usually buy mine from the nail salon where I used to get my nails done. They used to stock some China Glaze but not anymore.

Last nail polish order almost a year ago

China Glaze is my favourite brand for its colour varieties. Yes, I wear colours like mint and teal when I’m outside the office. Orly is another polish brand I like, followed by OPI. I do own a couple of Essie.

I placed my first order at Trans Design yesterday and the shipment’s shipped out on the same day. I’m impressed how fast they’re. I’ve only ordered from Head2Toebeauty which does not ship China Glaze outside the US anymore. I ordered:

China Glaze
For Audrey
It’s Poppin
Sugar High
Grape Pop
Heli-Yum
Strawberry Fields

Orly
Cotton Candy
Pure Petunia

OPI
Dulce de Leche

Now I can’t wait for my shipment to arrive.