Our friends are getting married. Hurray for them and there is another new family in the process of being set up.

I remembered I was so excited when I was finding the hotel venue, contacting them and making appointments with them.

As I was going deeper into the wedding planning process, I noticed that part of the wedding planning is actually a dirty business out there. Some squeeze you hard while others squeeze you dry. The worst part was the liaision staff left and every freebie that had been agreed upon are now void.

They put up their best show to persuade you sign the contract and threaten to launch a report if you fail to pay the installments on time.

Money still talks. If you have money, you can talk louder. If you have no money, don’t even think of having a wedding.

So, What are some of the wedding pitfalls you should learn to avoid?

1. Magazines seldom tell you the dirt of wedding planning
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“Yes, I do!” replied the girlfriend after the boyfriend kneeled in the middle of a busy crowd and proposed to his future wife. (not bad for an Eiffel tower proposal too!)

Yes, I do see that she is in for a roller coaster ride of wedding planning physically, mentally and emotionally.

For those of you who are planning your wedding right now, you get what I meant.

A few of my friends are planning their wedding right now and I can see that they are at different phases.

I’m clueless of what to do!!!:

What comes after proposal? Definitely not sex.

It is the responsibility of commiting to the many tasks that are pouring onto you.

Are you prepared financially? Your wedding-planning is going to cut a big hole in your pocket and money is going to flow out like nobody’s business.

Do you know what to do next? How to look for your wedding venue? What about your wedding favors? Oh, I forget to tell you that you will be meeting some really nasty wedding service providers like the bridal studios staff who only provide the service to customers who spent alot.

My fiance has changed!:
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I received an email enquiry from a reader:
“I have a Singaporean girlfriend who I want to marry and I am trying to ask her parents for their
blessing. I want to know if it is Singaporean culture to become engaged?”

“Hi, yes, you are right. In Singapore, there is a need for solemnisation to take place so that both of you are considered legally married in the eyes of Singapore’s law.

There are generally 2 arrangements local wedding couples do.

1. Solemnisation done about a year before the actual wedding day.

You can register at Singapore’s Registry of Marriage and book a date.

The solemnisation can be done at the Registry itself (like what my cousin did for her solemnisation) or you can book an external venue such as a restaurant or a function room of a hotel.

Some locals prefer a long time period between the two important dates so that they can get a local house unit using their names as married couples.

In addition, they can have ample time to renovate their house in time for their wedding day.
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There are many reasons why a wedding is cancelled and these are some of them.

1. Disapproval by parents
2. Unable to commit by husband
3. Uncertainity of bride
4. Insufficient finance
5. Unable to stand either party
6. Can’t tolerate husband’s weird habits
7. Unable to come to a compromise in choice of wedding theme
8. Groom can’t be bothered about helping in weddding tasks
9. Death of the groom
10. Bride met up with an accident
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I received a bad news today from one of the brides who broke up before their wedding.

Sometimes, I wonder is it a good news or not that break up does happen before the actual wedding ceremony.

It saddened me alot to hear the news as this bride had been actively planning her wedding for the past 9 months. I have been liaising with her through emails, giving her support through phone calls and she shared with me how excited she is about her own wedding.

However, the husband-to-be wasn’t very active in planning and giving her support. From the interpretation of the frustration she shared with me, it seemed that her fiance couldn’t really be bothered about his wedding.

It doesn’t look good.

Wedding planning may at most last for a year or two. Marriage lasts for an eternity.

The success of it is dependant on the proportion of effort and committment put in by the wedding couples.
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