I’m the queen of impulse buys. Or Xiuru would agree, I’m just the Queen of Impulse. I don’t believe in waiting. But somehow, I’ve managed to keep the longest engagement as Dee says, even longer. Somehow, something is needed to give me a kick in the ass and what better than to start with the Dress (or also know as One Of The Dresses)

I’ve not stepped into a bridal concept store. I’ve only entertained grandiose daydreams of what the supposedly biggest day in my life (you mean not my 30th birthday?) could be if budget wasn’t an issue. I’ve looked at every white, beige, off-white, eggshell (come on fellas, is there a difference?) dress flippantly. But last week, I fell in love with a Stella McCartney (damnit) dress – it was straight out of a ’60s catalog, kneelength and the best of all, had gorgeous flower appliques all over the top on Outnet. I couldn’t imagine anything more fitting to walk down the aisle in (although the church aisle is the last place I want to walk down but hey, haven’t you heard, I’ve been bribed.) Of course being knockoff net-a-porter, the sizes available were suspicious small (oh my body back in hall, how I miss you) and within two days, the lovely dress was but a memory.

My heart was broken but this unfortunate incident spurred me on my mission to find the perfect dress. Some kind souls have suggested a tailor. However, after my JC prom, my mother has convinced me that whatever I have in my head or even manage to translate on paper will never materialise in real life. So my best bet is to buy off the rack and alter if need be. When we were just in Bangkok, I flitted in and out of Senada Theory, Disaya, Sretsis and Kloset, Thai designers whose creations are just droolworthy. So I went online and found amazing, almost wedding appropriate pieces off the Sretsis spring/summer 2011 collection and had it in my head that I needed to go back to Bangkok to hunt them down. But I decided to try my luck at Lula Rock that stocked Disaya, Sretsis, Alice McCall, amongst others (and also where I bought my Culter and Gross sunnies) run by a very sweet Maxie.

On Sunday after a 90 minute hot vinyasa class, I trotted over to Pacific Plaza and browsed through the racks at Lula Rock. I saw some swoonworthy Sretsis dresses (as Xiuru would ask the next day “How come we didn’t see those in Bangkok?” but not the ones my heart was set on. So I enquired with Maxie’s assistant whether I could order a dress and she passed me some lookbooks. Whilst I was flipping through S/S 2011, she pointed out a dress that was gorgeous but “sold out” and I told her that the one I was eyeing was the one on the other page. It turned out she had it hidden away. She brought it out and I lost my heart. I had found my dress.

It’s a little vintage, sheer, what the Man Repeller would call a mullet dress, calf length, polka-dotted, loose fitting and I think actually despite the lace, quite me.

So now all I have to find is my party dress. Onward!

I haven’t been totally on board with this wedding thing but after watching Sheena from Closet Therapy take the plunge this way. Eloping sounds like a very good idea. If only we go to Vegas to get Elvis to marry us.

Closet Therapy elopes!

Sigh.

Haven’t been looking for any dresses too.

Maybe I should just get married at MacDs and wear my PJs.

What a pain this is.

I like to think of myself as an ace party planner. Kindly refer to Addy’s Old School Party this year. When I have the time and effort and inspiration. (Self Praise never gets old)

Right now, I need a venue. For an al fresco party. Because I do have the rest settled already, I know there is going to be at the area:-

* A popcorn machine that only spits out Salty popcorn (deal with it girlies.)
* A candy floss machine for the girlies who cannot deal with Salty machine and for the effect. (I do not really eat candy floss. It is cotton for god’s sake, it is on your clothes, you would not eat your clothes right?)
* A photo booth machine (god knows where the hell I am going to find this in Singapore)
* Hamburgers (non beef consuming individuals are welcomed to eat Fish O Fillet I guess, are nuggets passe? I prefer Wings.)
* More Cheese Fries than you and I have ever seen in our lives.
* Truly free flowing alcohol hopefully (none of that ‘There is no more wine, can I get you something else’ nonsense that I experienced at the last two dinners.)
* Felt Flowers (I am allergic to chlorophyll — C’s observation.)
* Chloe and Peanut (The dogs)
* A live band that can play ‘Busstop’ by the Hollies.
* A dance floor for you to dance to my favourite 70′s disco hits that a DJ (iPod) will play. (Yes, I do realise the lighted dancefloor ala Saturday Night Fever is not possible)

Xiu Ru pointed out that there is a certain concept called Give and Take. I do understand that particular concept but apparently being a female is my birth right to make a hell load of fuss (read: demands) over the ‘wedding’ and why not exercise that right? I mean so many people have done so, I am just following the line. Heh. Anyway The Laney can organise the Church Wedding (shudder), I ‘give’ him that and my principles. Though I do have decided that if I have to walk down an aisle (like walking the plank), it will be to the tune of ‘The Long and Winding Road’.

Do you know how many godamn wedding websites there are on the world wide web? Just like oh many a thousand that are Singapore based. Singaporebrides.com anyone? Looking at the dizzying array of selections that Google so kindly spit out with the simple keyword ‘wedding’, Singaporebrides being the top site. How does Google know that I am a Singaporean girl? (So clever Google is. Sorry Seow!) And faced with all the weddings keywords in the search results, I certainly felt Dizzy.

As Xiu Ru says, Wedding = Gross.

So I decide to help Google out a little (to help me) to narrow down from the millions of ‘wedding’ related websites. So enterprisingly, I typed ‘wedding planning’ in. And with a random click on a random search result (so random I cannot even tell you the name of the website). Though rest assured, it definitely had the word ‘wedding’ in it. Totally.

Apparently people planned their weddings on an average of 12 to 18 months before. Really?!?! Okay. So what were the steps to perform an entire year before the ‘biggest day of their lives’. Only of the girls of course. I would deduce that for the boys, the biggest day of their life was/is something else like the day they lost their virginity? For me, it was the moment I held Bambi in my hands, my first IT bag. So I digress.

Anyway, the very first thing you have to do is to announce your engagement. To who? And how? Via sms or e-mail or a paid website or at your engagement party? (Cue The Laney = clueless about engagement party = never attended one = neither have I but at least I know of them = will never forget until the day I die that I never had one) Well, does Wang shouting to the worker bee girls at Seow’s BBQ last last week that ‘STY is getting married’ as I hugged Peanut (I love Peanut) in my arms, count? Yes, I guess of course, definitely, whatever. Check the first item off. Man this is not very exciting.

So obviously after reading a little (okay, until point 2 or 3), I get bored, so I moved onto more interesting and exciting details like the dresses. Yes. The dresses. Plural. Suddenly all the hassle that throwing this so called wedding has dawned upon me as a big pain in the ass and I just want to get it over and done with.

Awful really wants to know what is wrong with flying to Las Vegas and standing in front of Elvis in the Little White Chapel?