Gowns vs Photgraphy

This is so hard...

Being first timers (no, i'm not referring to buying a flat), we are really clueless about a wedding preparation. But thanks to the amazing internet, we found all the information, tips and testimonials from couples and brides-to-be who are more than happy to share what they know or have experienced.

We are at phase 1 of our wedding prep. If you remember from my previous post, this phase is shortlisting the BS and venues and then visiting them to collect more information. After that we will need to confirm almost not too long later which BS we will be engaging, and also the venue where we will hold our wedding.

Today, we embarked on our BS visiting after we finalized our shortlistees this week. Actually, last evening was the first appointment we went for with La Belle Couture. My idea of the appointment was mainly trying on the bridal gowns since everyone was saying the gowns will look different from the pictures on the net/magazines. I then realised that the majority of the time in the appointment was spent talking about what we need in the bridal package and what they can offer.

We basically work on a standard package and start taking away things that we don't need (such as evening gown on AD, bridal car decor, etc), for reduction in the price or trade in for other items we may want.

We already know our main deciding factors are the photography skills of the BS, the no. of photos given in the album, and also the selection of my gowns. Although ideally we would like to work within our budget of $3,000, we know it would be hard especially when all BS offers no more than 30 photos on the album; which means we will have to top up to select more pictures.

Out of our 4 shortlistees, only 1 could fit our budget. Even with photography on AD added in, it will just break our budget by $88. That said, we have compared not just the price but on the overall a satisfactory package and product. And here are our analysis:

La Belle Couture : Photography and album layout is above average. In fact, I like their fun & quirky direction in some photos, where they captured the couple's emotions right in the middle of a busy street. Gowns are not so good quality, but believe hold quite a selection as i was able to try on 3 different styles during our appointment. Didn't really like the coordinator as she was not bilingual so KL was struggling to understand her a bit. Also, she tried to be friendly with us but it came across as very phoney and not sincere. She revealed a lie to us which she told another customer right in front of us, and that was a huge turn off for us!

Di Gio Bridal : I have to admit I'm already full of praises for their gowns before going for the appointment, but I remain neutral and firm to my choice of no bustier gowns. Their photography was just ordinary, though one PG could be better than the rest. Love their gowns, and they are the only BS who keep encouraging me to try on more gowns. I tried a total of 4 different styles, and they have a lot of my fave material - lace gowns in store. The coordinator was quite experienced as she is the most senior (age wise) in the BS. Very flexible in customizing the package for us.

Z Wedding : Conceptual wedding album nicely customized for every couple. It is just like an album specially created for you with your own story, and your own memories. Renowned photography by Chris Ling & team. Gowns are designer pieces and focus is creating fashion statements instead of traditional bridal gowns. Mainly bustiers which is not desirable. The most hard sell out of the lot! Was assisted by the gown designer by ended with more than 1 person trying to persuade us into signing up with them.

The Louvre Bridal : Proclaimed international award winning photography, and photos are highly colour saturated which I find them very un-natural. However KL thinks they are very professional and should be looking like these. Not much variety in album layout and album covers. The coordinator built the package from scratch, allowing us to decide entirely how many gowns we need, how many poses/locations and gave us a quote after that. She wanted to get us to sign up on the spot as well and kept saying that she had asked if we were fine with their photos & gowns before she continued with our package planning. Seriously, I didn't like any of their gowns and the co-ordinator was not even good in recommending any gown to me.

Me and KL had a debrief and we kinda knew who we will ultimately go with. Just waiting for the right chance to sign up with them now.. since there's an upcoming bridal fair, so thinking it might be a good time then to put our monies into the BS of our choice..