Today is The Day!

It was really a mad rush today! Everything was smooth initially. I collected my loose stalks of roses and my flower bouquet, and was on schedule. Things started to go abit haywire after that. I reached Party Joy to collect the balloons at about 1.15pm but was told it was not ready yet! Ok I forgot I arranged for collection at 2pm hah. Anyway I managed to collect it at 1.50pm. Then after that, I collected the tarts and fruit rolls from Naomi Kitchen and it was already 2.15pm or so. The worst thing has yet to come. Due to the road closures, I had a hard time reaching Ritz-Carlton! I was driving in circles for more than 30 minutes! And when I finally reached the hotel, there was a long queue for check-in. When it was finally my turn, I was told that if I wanted 20th floor, then I have to wait for the room being cleaned, which will take about an hour. Alternatively, I could choose to have the room on 5th floor. I was really quite pissed already but I decided to wait for the high-floor room.

But I am really impressed with Ritz-Carlton’s service hah. While waiting for the room to be cleaned, they seated me at the lounge and offered me drinks. They even offered a free massage at their spa but I declined as I was really not in the mood for that hah. About 40 minutes later, I was told that the room is ready! They were very apologetic with the delay and offered me 2 complimentary breakfasts (my reservation does not come with breakfast as it was corporate rate), 1-hour massage for 2 tomorrow, and a late check-out hah. Excellent service indeed!

The room is super nice! It was incredibly big and the view is awesome! Perfect view of the NDP and the fireworks later! I am so happy that I have decided on Ritz-Carlton hah.

Marina Bay View Deluxe Room, Ritz-Carlton

Anyway, once I got into the room with all my barang barang, it was time to get down to work! Pasting the letterings, setting up the laptop and speakers, placing the framed photo page, flowers and balloons, and also peeling off the rose petals for decorations. It took me about an hour to get everything settled. I was pretty satisfied with my creations hah. It was already 5.10pm and there was no point for me to join them for KTV. Hence, I will be meeting them straight at the hotel instead.

Room Decorations Completed

One more hour, and it is action time!

 

The Tastings Room

The programmers insisted not to join for dinner after the proposal (they did not want to be light bulbs hah) , hence there is a slight change of plans. So now, instead of thinking of venue fort a group of 9 people, I have to think of a nice restaurant nearby just for the two of us.

Actually there are not many choices hah. After some googling, I decided on The Tastings Room at Marina Square. It is just nearby, it has pretty good reviews,it is quite casual (since we will be dressed quite casually) and it is a place where we have not tried before hah.

The Tastings Room (photo credit: calvintimo.com)

Hopefully it will be good!

 

Counting Down 5 Days

I was on leave today and managed to get most of the outstanding stuff actioned hah.

• Loose stalks of roses were ordered – 20 stalks at $1.20 each from Jurong West market.
• Final touch up of “Will you marry me?” letterings completed.
• Pasting of a lettering on window tested – It could last at least 4 hours hah.
• Some tarts and fruit rolls were ordered from Naomi Kitchen to be enjoyed while watching the fireworks.

On Saturday, I will be very busy running around all over Singapore. Firstly, I have to go to Jurong West market at about 12.30pm to collect my 20 stalks of roses (3km). Next stop will be to Thomson Road at about 1pm to collect my flower bouquet (19km). Then, I will be heading to Parkway Parade Shopping Centre to collect the balloon bouquets and some balloons at about 1.20pm (13km). Finally, I will collect the tarts and fruit rolls at about 1.45pm at Crawford Lane (8km), before checking into Ritz-Carlton (3km)! Sounds very tiring already hah.

The only thing left on my To-Do List is creating a music playlist. I should have done this today but didnt manage to squeeze out the time for that. I have 4 more days, I am sure that can be accomplished!

5 more days to the big day! I am so excited that it is finally coming soon hah.

 

10 More Days to the Big Day

Time flies, it is now only 10 days away to the big day!

Status Updates:

• KTV on 30 July 2011 is confirmed. James has kindly helped to use his OCBC staff benefit to book a KTV room from 3pm to 6pm.
• My “reason” of absence is communicated. Just today, I have told dear that I need to go back to the office on 30 July 2011 to help with some testing for certain system release. She seems to buy that hah.
• Thought of the detailed execution of the plan – Join them at KTV after decorating the room (by myself, decides no need to bother shiwei and gang hah), arrange with the hotel staff to make it appear that Xiaowei is checking into the room once we reach the hotel, to go to the room separately in 2 groups (dear and me will go up in the later group so that first group can have a quick check to ensure decorations are still in place), proceed to draw up the curtain to unveil the letterings on the window once we enter the room, kneel on one knee and propose (a simple “Will you marry me?” and the likes).

Action Points:

• Final touch-up of “Will you marry me?” letterings.
• Test whether the letterings can remain pasted on glass window for at least 4 hours.
• Think of dinner venue and make reservation.
• Print out all the confirmation emails: Ritz-Carlton, flower bouquet, balloon bouquet etc.
• Plan the actual schedule for 30 July 2011.
• Select and create a playlist of music to be played in the background.
• Arrange with the programmers to appoint some of them to help capture the moment on photos and video.
• Enquire about loose stalks of roses – Where to buy and how much per stalk?

I guess that is about all. Counting down to the big day!

 

Photo Page Completed

Finally, after some final touch-up, the photo page is completed. It is now being framed beautifully in the white frame.

Photo page

Pretty satisfied with the creation hah.

 

A Day of Handicraft

I was on leave again today, the main reason being I want to spend some time to prepare the decorations stuff. But at the same time, someone needs to be at home for the installation of fibre optic cables, so it is two birds with one stone hah.

 

Today I started on the “Will You Marry Me?” letterings. There was so much cutting and pasting, and my whole living room was in such a big mess hah. But great that I managed to get it almost done, just some small touch-ups required. However, not totally pleased with the end product, thought it could be better. Oh well, I guess as long as it looks decent from a distance away, it should suffice since the letterings will only be used on that day and will be thrown away once done hah.

The letterings - 95% completed

I also spent some time to do up the photo page that I left halfway completed the other day. I was much more satisfied with this hah. This was also almost complete, just short of a note and some finishing touch.

Photo page - 90% completed

It was a tiring but fulfilling day, and I am happy alot was achieved! Now the preparation is more or less good to go hah.

 

The Plan

To execute a hotel room proposal, firstly I must have a valid reason to book a hotel room. 30 July 2011 is not a special occassion for us, so there is no reason to have a staycation. Hence, I guess the best way is to enlist the help of our common friends, the programmers, to make this happen hah.

The plan is to have someone suggests a hotel stay for a gathering on 30 July 2011 as he/she is able to get a very good deal – a substancial discount for the hotel room. And the reason for choosing 30 July 2011 is because that day is the NDP Preview, where there will be fireworks display. This makes for a perfect reason to book a hotel room at special preferential rate for our gathering. And also, this will not likely raise any suspicion as we have had such hotel room gathering before, and has been something we did talk about.

The ideal person to suggest this deal will be none other than xiaowei hah, who is also the one who managed to get the deal at Grand Copthorne Waterfront for our gathering some time back. So a few days before, she started a group chat on Whatsapp.

Whatsapp suggesting the hotel stay

To sound real and convincing, I reminded the programmers not to agree readily (as that usually does not happen hah). So a couple of people said things like “Should be OK, but can only join at night”, “Sounds good but Im not too sure if I can make it yet.” and “Can, though I may not be able to stay for the night” etc. All of them did a wonderful job hah. *Sorry if I was too naggy hah. I just want everything to be perfect.

Next, the plan is to suggest that we go for KTV in the afternoon before checking into the hotel at about 5pm or so. This step is important as I need the time to decorate the hotel room. A few days before 30 July 2011, I will come up with a reason to be absent from the KTV. Probably I will say I need to go back to the office to do some testing etc. hah. Hence, while they are happily singing, I will be busy running around to collect the flower bouquet, the balloon bouquet and the balloons, and then check into the hotel to do the decorations. I have not decided if I will need help for these. But I guess it will be good if I can get some hands, maybe looking at Shanjing, Shiwei and Zeren hah.

After the proposal, we will stay in the hotel room to chit chat, play some games and enjoy the NDP Preview. We will then all go for a dinner together at somewhere nearby, my treat to the programmers of course hah.

Yes, so this is the plan. Hopefully it can be executed beautifully without flaws!

 

Shopping at Art Friend

I took leave today as I wanted to have a free day to prepare some stuff for the proposal. After meeting dear for lunch, I headed to Bugis to shop at those party stuff shops. I was planning to source for some stuff for the room decorations but didnt manage to get anything. I then made my way to Art Friend at Bras Basah Complex.

The main purpose was to get the materials to make the “Will You Marry Me?” letterings. I picked some kind of board which I think (hope) is light enough. I also chose some papers for the background. And I also bought some decorative stuff for the photo page as well. This trip cost me about $30 again. Expensive! It is time to tighten the budget hah. But I guess I am more or less done with all the purchases already.

When I reached home, I started on the photo page. It was not easy! I had a hard time playing with the layouts out didnt seem to find one that I like. Many photos that I have developed would also prove to be useless as it seemed quite cluttered. Hence, probably I will use only one main picture for the whole page.

After about 2 hours, still nothing much got done. This labourous task shall be continued another day hah.

 

Hotel Room Decorations

I have more or less thought of how to decorate the hotel room for the big day. Stuff required and their respective status:

• A photo page in a frame, on the study table / bedside table / dressing table (materials bought, photos chosen and developed).
• A bouquet of flowers (ordered, to be collected on the day at about 1pm from Far East Flora, Thomson Road).
• A balloon bouquet and some helium-filled balloons (ordered, to be collected on the day at about 2pm from Party Joy, Parkway Parade Shopping Centre).
• Rose petals (will source and check price of loose stalks of rose).
• “Will You Marry Me?” letterings (not started, still in the stage of conceptualising the materials and design).
• Tealight candles (to be confirmed, may or may not have).
• Laptop and portable speakers (song list not done yet).

Probably these willl be the stuff I will need.

When she opens the hotel room door, it will be all darkness, except for some fickling lights from the tealight candles (if I decide to have them). Soft music will be playing in the background, from my laptop. She slots the room card key and the lights come on. She then see the floor scattered with rose petals. On the bed, a heart-shape formed by rose petals and a bouquet of flowers shall catch her eyes. Next, she will notice the balloon bouquet, which will be placed at a prominent spot. 10 helium-filled balloons will add to the room decorations (though I have not decided how to use them hah). As she walks closer to the study table, she will then see the framed photo page I have made. Lastly, I will draw up the curtain to unveil “Will you marry me?” letterings pasted on the 4m by 2m window (hope the letterings wont drop before we reach the room!).

This is the time when I will kneel on one knee, with the diamond ring in hand, to propose to her.

So this is the rough plan for the room decorations. Now, it seems good when I am visualising it. How it turns out in reality will be another thing altogether hah (though definitely hoping it will be as good as I imagine it to be!). However, as it is still some time away from the big day, I may have new ideas along the way and plans may change hah.

 

Bouquet Ordered

A bouquet of flowers is definitely necessary in a wedding proposal. So I went to browse through Far East Flora website to look for one. Far East Flora was where I ordered a bouquet for dear’s birthday in May. I kind of like their designs as compared to a couple of other florists I came across hah.

I am thinking if I should get a bouquet of red roses, as it seems more appropriate for the occassion. But as I was browsing the website, a bouquet caught me eyes. It is not a bouquet people traditionally will use for proposal I guess. But it gives a feeling of happiness and joy, which is what I hope I can give to her in the rest of my life. I clicked on it, added it to my shopping cart and checked out. Everything was done in 10 minutes hah.

Off to the Ball

This pretty bouquet was called “Off to the Ball”.

“Like a lady getting ready for a ball, this bouquet is dressed to the nines with a soft organza skirt and a viridescent amaranthus dangle. Dusty pink blush abounds in these Gail Borden roses, set amidst cherry red and cream gerberas.”

 

Hope she likes it!

 

Shopping at Paper Market

After work today, I went to Paper Market at Raffles City and spent more than an hour inside, shopping for materials to make a photo page as part of the room decoration for the proposal. I had a hard time choosing the materials due to the large variety available hah. In the end, I bought 5 pieces of paper, 1 packet of chipboard letters and numbers, 1 packet of paper pinwheel flowers, 1 diamond ring decoration, 1 heart-shaped decoration, 1 packet of floral stickers, 1 packet of badges and 1 white wooden frame – all for $77.45 (and I hence become a Paper Market member!). So expensive! Hopefully the product will turn out nice hah, then it will be money well-spent.

Materials for the photo page

I do not have a clear idea what I will be doing yet. Guess I shall start with picking up some nice pictures of us first! And will take my time to create something beautiful within the 2 months before the big day hah.

 

Room Layout

Today, I emailed Ritz-Carlton and told them about my plan to propose in the room I have reserved on 30 July and asked if they can arrange for something for this special occassion. I also requested for pictures of the room so as to facilitate my planning of room decoration.

They responded very promptly to my email and told me that they will get back to me on room decoration suggestions. They also sent me a picture of the room as well as the room layout, which are helpful. Thankfully, the room comes with a very big window which I can make use of hah.

Deluxe King room

Room layout

The hotel also suggested in-room dinner, which sounds like a good idea, except that it cost a whopping $250 per couple. Seriously, that is ridiculously too much! So I declined politely, saying I have already made dinner plans. They must be thinking “what a stinge”, since I not only use UBS corporate discount, I also opt out of the romantic dining option hah. But I actually seriously do have a plan already, which is to go for a dinner together with the programmers – my treat of course!

 

The Proposal Venue

When it comes to wedding proposal, I would like it to be more of a private event. At most, it will be a semi-private event where it will only be witnessed by close friends. I am not very comfortable with a public one where I propose in the eyes of strangers. Besides the fact that it is much harder to execute and pull it off, it is mainly due to my personality I guess hah. Huixia suggested before proposing during Impresario (perhaps through some video during intermission), which I thought would be meaningful as it was through Impresario that we met. However, the thoughts of proposing in front of hundreds of strangers were pretty scary, and it may not turn out as perfect as I would want it to be. And more importantly, that idea would mean I have to wait till next year March, which is like too far away.

 

So I have more or less decided on a hotel room proposal. It may not be very original, but I guess as long as the element of surprise is there, the sincerity and effort is there, it will be perfect! The hotel I am looking at should have Marina Bay view, and hence shortlisted candidates include The Ritz-Carlton Millenia, Swissotel, Fullerton Bay Hotel and Marina Bay Sands. I know she likes Fullerton, but too bad it does not offer a good view of Marina Bay and frankly, from the pictures, its room doesnt seem impressive. MBS was eliminated as well since she has just had a night stay there. I would think she might want to try something new hah.

 

In the end, I chose The Ritz-Carlton Millenia, for 3 reasons. Firstly, its deluxe room is huge, much bigger than the average deluxe room of other hotels. Secondly, it offers magnificient view of Marina Bay. And finally, as an employee of UBS, I am able to enjoy corporate rates of $335++ for a Marina Bay view room instead of the standard rate of $470++, a substantial discount hah. 

The Ritz-Carlton Millenia

So well, the proposal venue is tentatively confirmed. However, I can cancel anytime before 28 July without any penalty charges, so I might change my mind if I have some change of plan or could find something better hah.

 

The Big Day

Choosing a date to propose is another headache. I would like to propose on special occassion, such as Valentines’ day, our anniversary, her birthday, my birthday etc. It will be more meaningful for us, and I will have one less date to remember in the future hah. However, Valentines’ day and our anniversary are already over this year. Her birthday is next week, which means it is way too rush (ring would not be ready and there is no time to do proper planning). And I will be at ICT during my birthday, so that is out as well.

However, I have more or less decided the date to be on 30 July 2011, Saturday. The reason has got to do with the proposal idea I am contemplating, which shall be elaborated in another post hah.

I will need the help of our dearest programmers for this big day, and I am glad they are all able to make it. So, 30 July 2011 it shall be. Thank you very much for the support, really appreciate it!

The big day