The Garden Wedding

In another 3 weeks or so, we’ll have to go down to the bridal studio to try out our respective clothes for our solemnisation. The bridal studio that we picked is Jess Haute Couture, and it’s located at North Bridge Road (near Lavender MRT). It’s directly opposite the Textile Centre and if you are driving there, I recommend that you either park at Textile Centre itself or at Keypoint (which is slightly further down) as there is no other place to park.

We took the ROM package and it cost $398, which includes one made to measure ROM dress, make-up (at their shop) and one hand bouquet. If you want the make-up out of shop (i.e. at your home or the place where you are having your solemnisation), they will charge an additional $50. If the dress length is below the knees, it’s additional $50 too. I rented a suit from them and the usual rate is $150 but because we took the ROM package, Jess (the owner) gave a slight discount.

The good thing about Jess Haute Couture is that they do made-to-measure. Peiying saw a dress in a bridal magazine that she liked, and since Jess (the owner) is a designer, she could get it designed and made according to what we wanted. Being able to get a dress made to what you want opens up a lot of possibilities and can certainly help you get something that you really want, instead of picking the best one off the rack (which may not be what you really want).

Of course, it’s more expensive compared to taking one off the rack, but we get to keep the dress, and since ROM dresses are usually pretty simple and elegant, the dress can still be wearable to other functions in future. And, after doing our homework, we think that the prices quoted by Jess Haute Couture are one of the lowest for made to measure. Service wise, I thought that Jess was a very nice lady. She seems to have lots of experience and good advice to give, although she tends to insist on keeping the design of the ROM dress simple. If you like elaborate designs, you might have to spend some time talking to her about the gown design.

If you are doing the customary pretty close to your solemnisation, you can negotiate with her to either lower the price for the ROM package or get her to give some freebies. If you need photography, they have it too. You can pretty much settle most of your wedding requirements there. Oh yes, she works by appointment only, so be sure to call them up and arrange a time before going down. The thought of visiting a bridal studio might be a little harrowing for some people (after all, you usually visit them once in your life), but don’t worry too much about it. We didn’t find it to be that terrifying. Just be sure to go there with some idea of what you would want (check out websites and bridal magazines). It helps to be a little prepared.