Yesterday was the eagerly awaited appointments with the bridal studios!!
Arranged to meet the gals at Tanjong Pagar MRT at 12.30 to have lunch at a nearby hawker centre and then proceeded to the first studio, Di Gio Bridal.
The place had a nice deco and they were gracious enough to let me try on quite a few gowns and styles. Pity they didn't allow me to take any photos so that I can share them here.
Their package was pretty reasonable and the staff was ok but we didn't really feel comfortable there. It felt a little too formal and stifled in that place.
We left Di Gio at around 2.30 and since my next appointment at The Aisle was at 3.30, the others got me into Sattine which was just a couple of shops down. We walked in and requested to look at some of their designs. There were a couple on the racks that already caught the girls' eyes. The first one I tried was quite wow. The design was very unique, unlike most of the ones we usually see. But again they do not allow any photos. Pity. The experience here was worse than at Di Gio. They had an auntie there that was all sales talk and they didn't allow me to try more than 2 gowns. They just gave us a feeling that it was very fake and rigid and probably the kind who would change your package at a whimsy citing management decision and charge you exhobitantly. We left the place as fast as we could.
Arriving at The Aisle was akin to coming home. I was there previously on a few occassions with Weiling, helping her with her gown selections, so I was already familiar with the staff there. I also got good vibes off Eddie the designer, who was friendly, animated and fun. The moment we went in, we were already chatting with the staff and wandering around looking at the gowns on the rack while waiting for the other brides to be done. It was homely and casual and we felt very much at ease.
Here are the gowns I tried at The Aisle!
the first dress i tried, eddie got this out for me as it was similar to one of the designs i showed him. i thought the layered effect was quite pretty but the girrls thought it looked like curtains. all veteoed lol.
2nd dress. i loved the shimmering effect the tulle had. it seemed to have little bits of glitter woven intto the material so it sparkled whenever I moved. pretty!!
3rd dress. loved the light flowy effect and it has a very nice train. the gals loved this one too
it'll look very nice going down the stairs of the ballroom.
a short dress i tried. good for either the tea ceremony or for mingling with the guests during lunch.
i have this very strong idea that HTB will NOT see me in any bridal gown before the big day. I've always felt the moment when the doors open and you see your bride standing there with the gown and veil, hair and makeup done nicely, you'll be awed by how beautiful she looks and how big the moment is. that image will be seared in your memory forever. however these days most couple go to select the gowns and suits together so most grooms would have already seen the gown. when their bride steps out of the changing area in the gowns, they are already quite wowed by how beautiful she looks. every bride looks gorgeous. but in the studio her hair's probably messy and her face is unmade so the effect dims a little. then after multiple fittings, the wow factor's already gone.
i want him to have to have this wonderful moment so i was adamant not to let him see me in the dress. since the wedding gown was meant for the march in at lunch i was wondering what i should wear for the morning fetching of the bride. i had thought of wearing a traditional Chinese Kua but when i tried one at Di Gio, all the gals veteoed the idea as I looked funny in it. I then thought of the short dress I tried earlier but the others said I'll look like the rest of them and not like the bride. So Eddie suggested that i wear a simpler dress for the morning and a more wow one for the march in. All of them said that the unveiling of the bride is a very important moment too and I should be dressed beautifully for that as well. Come to think of it I agree. Thus Eddie brought out this simple sheath which when coupled with the stunning chapel veil created a ethereal effect.
Eddie demonstrating the effect of the veil.
We had such a fun time yesterday and Julia as usual got along with Weiling and the rest like old pals. I'm so glad I had them with me. Can't wait to go down to The Aisle again!
