Bridal Studio or Not?

Bridal studio or not?

This was one dilemma we grappled with when we first started our wedding plans. It seemed such an easy option especially when there were so many bridal studios along Jalan Ipoh and Jalan Maharajalela to choose from. Even SS2 has turned into bridal studio land from what I hear! But we had heard too many horror stories from friends who went with bridal studios and had to negotiate terribly with the studio and some even resorted to banging tables!

However, luck was really on our side as we found, early in the year, a great wedding gown designer who designs haute couture wedding gowns and that started our journey down the DIY path. Several months later as the wedding date looms closer, I’m beginning to see the benefits of going with a bridal studio. For one, you definitely do not have to worry about looking for wedding gown designs as there are hundreds for you to choose from and try on to find one that you like. You can even try as many as you want and I’ve heard that some people spend about 3 to 4 hours just trying on gowns! Plus most studios give you packages of several gowns to take your pre-wedding shots in and different ones for your actual wedding day so you can have photographs of yourself in at least 5 to 6 different types of gowns!

Bridal studio packages also usually come with at least one evening gown or a selection of them, depending on your package. There are some to take your photographs in and others for you to change in and out of during the dinner so you can be as glamorous or sexy on that day as you like with the most elegant or daring evening gowns! You don’t even need to worry about your pre-wedding shoot as they’ll provide everything from the photographer to even the bouquet so you literally just have to turn up for your shoot.

DIY, on the other hand, means having to research to find a good professional photographer that fits into your budget, a make up artist that is affordable and looking high and low for a good and affordable florist for your pre-wedding shoot bouquet. It means a lot of work and stress especially if some things stretch the budget a little too far! However, it also means being able to find wonderful photographers with the style you want, unlimited photographs and different shots from the conventional bridal studio photos.

A toss-up? Definitely and ultimately it all bores down to what you want, what kind of budget you have and how much time you have.

If you have limited time, don’t want the hassle and have a big budget, go with a bridal studio. They’ll take care of most of the headache for you and you’ll have lots of wonderful gowns to change in and out of. However, if you are looking for something different, enjoy researching and don’t want the stress of having to argue for the best package price or for additional photographs you want then enjoy the DIY journey!

I think I am, despite those nail-biting moments!

Some other Related posts:

• Bridal Exhibition 2008
• Useful Bridal Forums
• Best Wedding Planner
• Up to 50% with Kid Chan
• T-minus 1 day!

Thursday, May 15th, 2008 at 11:04 pm and is filed under Wedding Planning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.