The invitations

These couple of images have been inspiring me with regards to the DIY invitations i have planned. I'm aiming for less than RM1.00 per invitation including envelopes! You think i can? I think i can, i think i can *chants like Thomas the train...

Soooo... i came up with this:

I just worded it and printed it on my home printer. It's just on normal A4 paper at the moment, but it looks great! Smart and simple. If i print it on thicker, higher quality textured paper, it'll look so fantastic! Adrian liked it and said go ahead, so go ahead i did... Since i don't have details to print just yet, i did this:

With the help of my mum & sister slash bridesmaids slash slaves until my wedding, we tied 150 of these little ribbons for the invites, all ready to be attached later! Now to find the perfect paper (as in price and quality)!

Trying very hard

I'm really trying so hard not to go over the tiny budget we have for the wedding. I have all these DIY projects planned and lots of hands-on family and friends gruntwork together which i hope will help our families and friends to get to know one another more before we're wed.

I REALLY don't want us to overspend and waste all that money on things that we'll only get to see and appreciate for ONE DAY! Which is why i'm not (yes, mom, read this!) getting any other dress, and i will not permit anyone to get one for me either. I only get to wear my wedding dress once, let me have the joy of wearing my hard-worked, handmade dress for the whole day (and if any, for all the dinners) at least. What's the use of it if i'm just gonna wear the most expensive dress i've ever owned (which i handmade no less) just ONCE, and even then not for the whole day, just 4 hours max?

And that's not the only thing. I'm struggling so hard to curb all the overspending! I've gone over (just slightly) the dress budget, which means i'd gone over the shoe budget and let's not mention goodness-knows how many other things i shall not mention here -.- So i'm really trying very hard to make sure there's as little waste as possible from this day. I plan to purchase things that i can reuse in my future home or has a lifetime usage of more than three times at least.

People, please work with me here? In supporting us, all these things are very important to us! Help me watch our budget! I'm excited; but wasting and overspending kills my buzz! And i know you're all excited too, let's just all keep focused. My life doesn't (shouldn't) stop on account of my wedding and i hope it doesn't take up too much of your time either. I would hate for my wedding to be distracting to anyone and i'd hate for anyone to spend too much money on my wedding. Please keep praying for me as i continue to struggle with this. And please don't tempt me too much too.

On a side note: The muslin for the top of my dress fits! Whee! Pictures soon to come...

Shoes shoes shoes

Did you know that some people believe you shouldn't wear open toed shoes in church?
Just some food for thought. I wonder what's the reasoning behind it...
Cos Jesus and all his friends wore sandals =P

Anyway, because of my love for comfort, i've decided not to go for heels, but wear sandals instead (besides, it gives me the nice comfortably shorter height when i stand next to my mister). So i'm looking for flats like these. In maybe green or gold, but i haven't been successful =(

The closest to anything like this is a couple of pairs i saw in the new Charles & Keith store in MV, but they weren't exactly what i was looking for and the cheapest i could find was RM80. Since i went over my dress budget, i actually think i shouldn't get a pair, but then my mum found this simple pair that's only RM29!

Happy!

It's still very simple at this point, so i might embellish it to look something like the shoes above. Either sparklify it or flowerify it. But i'm going to leave that until after i finish my dress, cos goodness knows i definitely have been putting that off.

You like? You like?

A diversion

I've just come back from the best weekend ever. The most diverting weekend that blessedly took my mind off wedding planning. I was starting to be really annoyed with all the planning, cos it's making me lose my focus on things i should be doing.

But the weekend was good and my human sinful mind has gotten somewhat back to straights. I was Raya-ing it up in the Thinking Theologically Conference. I praise God for the blessings He showers on me, for Christ and what he did on the cross, and for my church that always reminds me of that. For Christ Jesus, wisdom from God. If there was only one thing i learned from this weekend, it would be that i have nothing to boast of in myself but Jesus. There's nothing good, nothing righteous in me, nothing that i can claim that i can do to get right with God. All i have is in Jesus.

And if there were only one thing i could thank God for, it would be for what the Cross did for sinful man. The previous post was just a reaction to a Christian who said if there was only one thing to thank God for, it would be the people in their life. Nothing wrong with that, but i think we've lost the point if that's the only thing you'd thank God for.

I leave you with a song:

Before the throne of God above,
I have a strong, a perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands,
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there,
Who made an end of all my sin.

Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the Risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I Am,
The King of glory and of grace.

One with Himself I cannot die,
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God,
With Christ my Savior and my God.

If there was ONE thing you would thank God for...

What would it be?

InspiRING!

I've posted in fb that we'll be custom designing our rings.
We actually wanted to get a usual set and engrave the outside instead of the inside. As the ring is merely a symbol of our union, we wanted some words that really reminded us of godly marriage. And that necessitates the engraving to be on the outside, so we can see it always and read it and be reminded. (I won't give away whats going to be on the rings just yet although you might be able to guess.) And also it would be a good conversation piece, cos other people can read it and ask us about it! We thought that we don't really need the ring to remind each other who we're married to, or the date we got married (hmm, actually, that might not be such a bad idea for him =P)

I kinda like the looks of these two. But they're abit too plain. Maybe i'll spice it up a little with some diamond fullstops hehehe. I also like the almost handwriting type font of the one below, makes it more personal ya, to have the message written in your beloved's own writing?

So we met with the designer last Sunday and everything seems quite positive! The best part is, i decided to give up some of my old gold that i don't wear anymore (or ever) to be melted into the two rings so all we have to pay is RM4++! We're still figuring out some minor details but it'll have elements from all three designs incorporated into one gold band. I can't wait to see the real thing!

Wait a minute!

What the heck am i talking about? I do have an engagement ring! Here it is, in all its glory.



It doesn't have any rocks, nor is it made of gold. It is in no way worth much, but let me tell you what it tells me:
It tells me of many hours we've spent together laughing and working over craft lessons for the kids in Sunday School, it tells me of the many hours spent trying to be patient with each other while wishing we were done with all these fiddly things (okay, that may be just me). It tells me of the effort it takes to be together, especially when one of us is moody (usually me) or really tired (usually him). It tells me of the times when i was sick or haven't got enough sleep the night before, and he willingly serves me by taking over my duty of story telling. It tells me of the times he slips up and forgets part of the story and i'll jump in to help him out.

It's a testament of all the lessons in craftivity i've given him! He cuts and glues like an expert now *grin! And he draws! It's a miracle! 

♥ I love my humble paper ring ♥

The beginnings of the dress

I have developed a phobia for dressing up. Geez Louise... it's so complicated!

But well, i'm saving a lot of money and putting a lot of effort into making my own dress, a la my dear grandmother, who has passed on her creative skills to me. I thought it's a nice thought because i might not have her around at the wedding, and even if she was there, i doubt she knows whats going on.

Anyway, i'm going along the lines of these dresses here. I like the whole look. The dress seems simple enough for me to do, i like the hair flower and the dangly earrings. Nice, simple, not too much or too fussy... it's so me! And knowing myself, i love comfort. One thing that made me never want to be a real designer, is that i prize comfort over style. If i could, i would turn up on my wedding day in a t-shirt and jeans, but oh well.

I've completed the pattern already, and now begins the hunt for the perfect NON-ITCHY lace, which my fb friends have assured me of its existence.

I found a nice one in Binwani's at the Curve, which is Rm125 per meter. That's kinda pricey and i've been looking around for a cheaper alternative but doesn't seem to be successful. The others i've seen were kinda itchy and most weren't really that nice. Here it is! I like the scallops on this one. And its not as itchy as the others i've seen. I only need about 1 1/2meters though, so i might just get this one.

Until the next dress update then...

Lookee that!

A brilliant comment by a brilliant friend goes as such in reply to my question, "How important is a ring to a marriage?" : "As baptism is to our faith."

---

I totally agree. For as much as a wedding ring is important, it is merely an outward sign of two people being married and for as much as baptism is important, it is merely an outward sign of the faith within. They're both just SIGNS, pointing to something else.

It is sad when we start worshiping signs instead of the actual thing. When women worship or become obsessed about the proposal, the rock and the wedding, it says much about the materialistic world that shapes our thoughts. It is saying this day is more important than the rest of your married life. It is easy to see where our priorities lie when we run around like mad women looking for the perfect ribbon or the perfect dress or the perfect garden to create the perfect wedding day and neglect preparations like our daily bible reading. I have to admit it is very easy to forget something like that amidst all the hustle and bustle.

In the same way, when we start to NEED to be baptised or we need to DO something or perform a ritual before we're truly Christian, we have got it so wrong. The beauty of the Gospel lies in the fact that we sinful humans simply cannot even begin to worship the one true God. Nothing we can ever do will save ourselves, not by baptism, not by miraculous deeds, not by speaking in tongues. Only by the blood of Jesus, we are shown grace and mercy by his death which atones for our sins and makes us TRUE WORSHIPPERS.

We're not meant to worship the signs. The signs just direct our eyes and hearts to what're more important. Come and worship Jesus.

For the love of all things in green and white

These are the chosen colors : Green and white. No particular shade of green, just a mumbo jumbo of all pretty greens! With maybe a little pink for contrast. I found this moodboard from somewhere i can't remember. All these are such inspiring pictures! They're not all green, but they're sorta the feel i like! A casual fun party sorta wedding!

 

To ring or not to ring, that is not the question

The question is, "What is more important to you; your wedding or your marriage?" I personally have no problem spending money on everything. If i could do it, i would. I would really like a nice diamond ring.

However, i do think i need to think carefully about where all the money goes, because what i spend on what what i don't spend on, reflects on what my priorities are. Let's say, for example, if i spend RM2000 on my wedding dress, that means i would have less for my future house and my poor fiancee and i would have to cut expenses everywhere else to afford it. Now i'm not advocating being a superbudget bride, because although it has some benefits, there is meaning to creating a beautiful day with the best services so everything runs smoothly and you don't have to worry about a bit. What i am advocating is that a God-pleasing wedding and marriage is one that doesn't overshadow the beautiful Gospel in Christ's love for his church. And however that translates into your wedding day, it really matters how much money you spend and how you spend it.

So, do i have an engagement ring? No, i don't.
As you can see, no pictures of my silly grinning face and the big shiny rock on my finger.

I am getting a wedding ring though.We went on a ring hunt recently, visited near 7 jewellers in one evening! Unfortunately, the design we want is either impossible to do, or way too expensive to do. I found this Malaysian lady who does custom designs and it looks almost like what we want, so we're gonna give her a call and see how that goes.

And all these ring things made me wonder, how important is a ring to a marriage?

Here starts the documentation of a new phase

Just so you all know, i'm engaged! It's a very exciting time for me. It's been a long time coming in preparation and prayer. This will not turn into a wedding blog, but this is just due notice that i will be blogging about marriage and all the preparations a little more than usual.

It's also a very important time of preparation for me still, although a big chunk has been done ahead during the period of dating. We've both been preparing together and separately for marriage, in seeing for ourselves what God intended for marriage and struggling to overcome the natural sinful view our minds have on marriage and also in learning from godly men and women around us and how they live together as two sinful christians joined in holy matrimony. I personally have benefited so much from one woman called Joy, watching as she joyfully serves God in service to her husband and caring for her children. I can only hope that one day i'll be able to serve my husband as joyfully as she does.

Now, our preparation continues, but there's so much more! As we try and join our families together in a massive culmination of 5 months worth of planning called a wedding, we've also got to keep our focus on the work we have yet to do. I personally have found it extremely distracting to have to think about all these wedding things while meeting people, reading and preparing for our growth group and thinking about how best to serve God in my married life. And he has work and teaching and reading to do, so much! Sometimes it makes me want to just elope =P But with good friends and our church praying and supporting us, i hope we manage to keep our eyes on the goal and strive on.

This is only the beginning... thank you for your prayers.

To keep your marriage brimming by Ogden Nash

To keep your marriage brimming,
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong, admit it;
Whenever you’re right, shut up.

While waiting for facebook to fail my photo uploads...

...i blog.

Exciting things are not always good.

For example, people who have weak hearts can't take too much excitement because it might give them heart failure. But for me, i find exciting things are not good because it distracts me senseless. I'm a useless embarrassment of a woman because i cannot multitask very well. I'm more of a one-track mind, sometimes.

However... i've learnt that multitasking is not always a good thing either.

So the gist of it is, i've got to focus! I've got to get my mind back to where it's important and scrap everything else to the side.

Okay, my photos are uploaded. So that's the end of my train of thought.

Ironic

Happy independence day...
to a country that still is dependent.
But what the hey!
My country rocks.

Good weather, although a bit hot.
Good friends and lots of fun.
Peace and quiet but for laughter.
My kinda independence day alright.