Aloha! It has been AGES since I've blogged. It's been difficult to find time amongst all the chaos, but it's probably quite evident from my Facebook pages and Instagram that I am no longer single! Officially hitched as of the 14th of June 2014! WOOHOO!
There is plenty to share about regarding the Big Day, but I'll start with the gowns! After some discussion with mom, I opted to buy my wedding and bridesmaid dresses online as opposed to renting them from a wedding photography studio (as most people in Malaysia or Taiwan do). It was an experience that was both stressful and rewarding. I learned a lot and don't mind sharing a few tips.
Mom told me during Chinese New Year that our old church family friend's son had just gotten married, and her daughter-in-law got everything off a Chinese 'e-bay'-ish site called 淘寶Tao Bao. She said that most wedding studios were getting their gowns from China anyway, so perhaps I would be able to find a good deal.
I decided to check it out. Registering was already quite challenging as I don't often frequent Chinese shopping sites. I get confused with their over cluttered, wordy and messy designs. However, Tao Bao is quite organised compared to other sites, so I clenched my teeth and got through all that Chinese jargon. Here's a screenshot of the homepage.
First you search for whatever you want through key words. I started learning Chinese fashion vocab, like the terms for organza 歐根紗 , chiffon 雪紡, sweetheart neckline 抹胸型, A-line A子裙, mermaid 魚尾, train 拖尾 etc. Quite the learning curve！
See, if you search 婚紗禮服 (wedding dresses), they immediately help you filter your search with all these options. There's heaps to choose from: styles, fabric, designer copies, collars, skirt cuts, price range etc.
When I watch 'Rich Bride Poor Bride', I am completely astounded at the amount of money people are willing to pay for their ONE wedding gown. USD1500 OR RM 4500 seems to be the average. Many of them pay up top USD3000-USD4000. 'We found the gown' girls are a bit more thrifty and sometimes stick to something around the $500-800 range).
Even in Asia, the wedding photos and rental dresses can cost up to NTD 80,000/ RM 8000/ USD 2800). Obviously, that's a package that includes pre-wedding photography the rental of 3-6 different dresses for the shoot and for the wedding day so it's not too bad. So honestly, I think the American and Australian gals are being ripped off just a tad. Maybe a lot. Because I think most of the wedding gowns being sold in the West are probably made in China too! Unless it's a real Vera Wang that's handmade, why pay so much for a wedding gown you're going to wear once?
That is why most people in Asia opt to rent their gowns. But I am happy to share with you that, with a little effort, you can get decent dresses at a fraction of the prices I just mentioned!
After much trawling around the site, I decided to get gowns for my sister's bridesmaids(yes she got married the week before me! ) and for my own bridesmaids on Tao Bao. I also decided to get a dress for the photoshoot, and the wedding reception dresses from Tao Bao too. BUT, I discovered a alternative site online that caters mainly to factories, shops and manufacturers (www.alibaba.com). I had been looking through designs online and found one that was not available on Tao Bao. But it was available on Ali Baba. The Alibaba website is in English though most of the factories are from China as well. So the prices are equally competitive. AND, what's even cooler is that you can send in your measurements for the dress to be custom made on both Tao Bao and Ali Baba.
Here are a few tips:
- Always check out the reviews. Make sure you look for products and sellers with many good reviews. Read the details of the comments to be sure (just like ebay)
- Don't be too cheap. Although there are things available for ridiculously cheap prices (wedding dress for RM80 anyone), I still find that you have to pay a little more for better quality (though much less than what you normally get a retail)
- If you don't live in HK, Taiwan, Macau or Mainland China, please bear in mind that some sellers on Taobao don't ship overseas. Others do, but shipping prices can be exorbitant. It would be better to try an international site like Alibaba that ships worldwide.
- To shop on Taobao you need to have a basic command of written Chinese. If not, check out some agents who help overseas customers to buy stuff on Taobao for a small fee (Malaysians only have that option at the moment because courier fees to Malaysia are too expensive)
- If you do not have a Chinese bank account, be very careful how you shop. One can always pay with an international credit card, but you won't be able to receive refunds without a Chinese bank account (it's retarded but that is how it works. Their payments system: 支付寶ZhiFuBao, which is a little like Paypal, does not cater to international customers. I haven't had any bad experiences so far, but it's best to be forewarned.
- You need to stay in touch with the customer service reps of each seller. Where do you find them?See the picture below? It's a screen shot and there is a blue bubble on the right side. That's the customer service live chat. They are online 24 7 and are usually very polite and helpful. But pay attention to that bubble for each product you buy, as they might communicate some important info through the chat boxes.
Here are the dresses one by one.
My sister's bridesmaids' dresses: There are packages of bridesmaid dresses with similar designs available.
Liz chose a pale gold/cream theme. I picked the strapless design.
It cost around RM100/NTD1000/USD 33 inclusive of shipping.
It was well made, decent quality material, with a corseted back.
Dorcas picked a sweetheart neckline with sleeve.
She looks lovely!
My bridesmaids' dresses. I decided on mint green because we had a mint green and coral theme. One shouldered and knee length. These were not as well made as the Liz's gold dresses, but they were only RM65/NTD650/ USD22 inclusive of alterations and shipping fees. I was pretty happy with how it looked.
Ashley looking sweet
Peggy's had sweet heart neckline, which looked better in my opinion,
unless you are size zero like Ashley.
Then, my pre-wedding dress. I ordered this in Feb, and received it in 3 days!
Cost: RM150/ NTD1500/USD50!!! That's a deal alright!
It was custom made to my size, but I lost weight at the end of March. So I altered/tightened it with a tailor for another RM50 is overall it cost RM200.
It was short in front and long at the back, also with a corseted back.
I was extremely happy at how it turned out in pictures!
We shot this at a beach in Queensland, so I was quite happy to 'thrash' the dress in the sea and not worry about how my hard earned money was going down the drain. I've seen brides on 'Rich Bride Poor Bride' buy an extra USD500/RM1500 dollar dress just to 'thrash'. Mine cost a 10th of that!
The tea ceremony dress. It was meant to be a reception dress but I found it to be on the plain side and it wasn't as well made as my other dresses. However, my relatives all loved it and said so. This was a shot with my wedding videographer, who is an old friend. This custom made dress +shipping cost RM390 / USD130 / NTD3900. Chiffon with a zipper. Zippered dresses are more of a gamble as they might not fit as snugly. And I found the tailoring of the chiffon layers rather careless.
My dinner reception dress was a sparkly gold sweetheart neckline, slightly mermaid-style dress. It was a surprise buy, as I wasn't expecting to get it. But my mom and I went shopping one day for wedding jewellery and decided to get it for the reception. It cost RM390/ USD 130/ NTD3900.
I loved the shiny effect for the night.
Finally, THE white gown and the veil. My favourite! Obtained from Alibaba. USD132/ RM395 / NTD3950 inclusive of everything. I had it tightened closer to the wedding for an extra RM 30/ USD 10 / NTD 300. It was well-made and well-tailored, chiffon as well, with a slightly dipped neckline. Theo picked this as his favourite because it was figure hugging. I picked it because of the great ruching and rosettes on the bodice that aids the visual slimming effect and increases figure definition (official photos to come later!)
This is me trying on the dress when it arrived, compared to the design model found online.
I would have preferred a lower neckline but had to make do.
All in all, I spent approx. RM2000/USD670/NTD20,000 on everything, which includes four of my own wedding dresses, a pair of wedding shoes, a veil (also obtained on TaoBao) , 2 sets of wedding jewellery, and all alterations+shipping.
PS: Even if you're not shopping for a wedding, you can get other good deals online. Check out this dress I got for a performance. Cost around RM 50/USD 17.50/ NTD 500 inclusive of shipping. Happy shopping!
Comments