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Never in my sanest mind have I ever imagined that I would even think about taking up a wedding bridal package across the causeway in Johor Bahru (Johor Baru, Johore Bahru, Johor Baharu), Malaysia. Stories of words spelled wrong imprinted in bridal albums, stories of couples risking their lives and wallets at the mercy of robbers and snatch thieves, all in a bid to save a few thousand, but ended up losing more. Stories after stories that do nothing except to reinforce my impression that it is a trip that is not worth even a thought in my mind.
I was (as you would have probably guessed) WRONG.
Firstly, I was proven wrong by the beautiful album layouts and designs that I saw with my OWN EYES. My own brother and my best pal, both had their wedding/bridal photo shoot taken with Johor Bahru Bridal studios and the album design was so awesome and captivating, that it gave me a little second thought of pursuing an album in Johor Bahru. And hence, this second thought catapulted me into my first investigative action of prying for insights and valuable information in the internet realm. I went into several online forums with still, a cynical mindset. It was a battle of words between satisfied couples and couples who felt that they were 'conned' into signing, given utterly bad service by the bridal studio after paying the initial deposit. I also learned what to negotiate for, which bridal shops to look out for, etc.
Equipped with weeks of 'information download' into my brain memory space from the internet, I embarked on my maiden journey across 'THE BRIDGE' totally prepared to tussle and wrestle with every breathe that I have, with any sales person from the bridal studio in a quest for my most "Value-For-Money" PLUS top quality album package. Kiasuism at work!!
I had already shortlisted 7 bridal studios, namely:
Superstar Wedding @ CitySquare
Printemps Wedding @ CitySquare
Dawn's Wedding @ CitySquare
Mona Lisa Bridal Palace @ CitySquare
Fables Bridal Couture @ Taman Sri Tebrau (near Taman Sentosa)
Venus Bridal Selection @ Taman Sri Tebrau (near Taman Sentosa)
Inspiration @ Taman Sentosa
After visiting the 4 bridal studios in City Square, none really caught my attention. None of the salesperson I came into contact with gave me the assurance I need to take that leap of faith in signing on the dotted line. It seemed like everyone of them just wanted to clinch another deal and I could see $$$ in their eyeballs. For Superstar and Mona Lisa, the layout of the place is like any typical bridal studios, with little brains put into the design and layout of the store. It was simply boring and served little to ignite further interest to know more about their package.
Mona Lisa was the only bridal boutique that did not even allow us to take notes of their package details. Printemps and Dawn (actually are sister companies) are the more impressive of the lot. They had more upclass feel upon setting foot into their store, especially Dawn's. They had a more urban and zen touch to their store layout, with gowns 'parked' in built-in cupboards which could easily be 'pulled out' from the wall.
It was at Taman Sentosa area that I was convinced why heaps of Singaporean couples braced themselves to travel to JB despite the massive traffic jams and the large amounts of time spent travelling across the causeway over several weekends, flocking willingly (and perhaps happily) to the Johor Bahru bridal studios. Venus and Fables Bridal Couture.. we were totally swept away by their photography studios, which convinced us straight on the spot that it had to be either one of them.
We finally found the reason why Johor Bahru bridal studios are worth the trouble. We had taken a photography album at French Bridal in Singapore before and were utterly disappointed with the results. It was lack of digital design (as we had to pay more to include digital pages) and were mainly pictures of us with white, orange, brown, red coloured paper background. We finally found ourselves on the opposite poles! As we toured bridal studios in Johor Bahru (Taman Sentosa area), I started imagining myself and my hubby posing with the various studio settings they had - Rose Garden, Winter Forest, Roman Colosseum, Sunflower Garden, Chinese Lanterns, Victorian Candlesticks, Florence settings, etc. Lovely!
My heart, for once, starts to beat a tad faster. We were sold by the enchanting and diverse backdrops we saw at these two bridal studios. Fables had 6 different backdrops, while Venus had 13. No more plain backgrounds anymore! Yippee!! Understand from both studios even that they actually update their backdrops every few months, to avoid couples all having the same album designs. Mmm.. for once, I smelled the aroma of 'customer service' seeping into the air at last. At Venus, one of the photographer said that to change a backdrop (they recently took away 'Cinderella Castle' backdrop) costs them at least RM 10,000!!! Gown selections and package wise, both were competitive enough.
We were more convinced by Venus, kudos to an experienced sales person, Ivy, who took the time to let us 'tour' the studio and to comb through every gown in all their racks. She gave me the liberty to try out any gowns I desire (think about more than 25 gowns), even though I hadn't signed on the dotted line. Considering the fact that some studios at City Square didn't even allow me to try any! So, my vote and $$$ goes to Venus, mainly because they had more background settings in their studio. This is their ultimate differentiating factor.
A word of caution for potential Inspiration patronizers. I have read much about the salesperson there and his crafty salesman tricks in Singapore Brides Forum. For more than an hour, Eric (the salesperson) spoke more about their service rather than to tell me what is in the package. He was full of words, giving analogies, quoting Chinese proverbs, etc, rather than telling me facts. I do not feel comfortable at all with him and hence, striked out Inspiration among my shortlisted studios.
And there you have it! Step One. The shopping experience was an eye opener and a great learning experience. No doubt the hassle, I am confident that this will be a step forward towards the formation of a terrific bridal album, which no doubt, will collect dust over the years (as what many have told me and dissuaded me from spending so much time on this, when I could have easily taken the pictures in Singapore), but I am also very sure that one day, there will be a time, perhaps decades later, that I will chanced upon old albums like this, and look back at the precious memories embedded behind the pictures, coming alive and helping me to relive the happy moments of the past and putting that million dollar smile on my face, saying "It is worth it."
And finally, a great thanks to the staff at limsimi.com (Lawrence... Thanks!! and Florence.. many thanks to you too!!) for their kind recommendation and encouragement. Thanks for taking the time to reply to my incessant email queries!
http://www.limsimi.com/2009/01/06/johor-bahru-bridal-package-hunts-diary-of-an-anxious-bride-to-be/
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