Reception Viewing: The Westin, Hotel Windsor, Stamford Plaza, Elizabethan Lodge and Gown Try-outs: The Red Carpet

We started our second off day with another list of hotels to visit. These hotels were mostly in the city, except one that was in the suburbs of Blackburn. In total, we visited 4 reception venues and 1 bridal shop! Talk about jam packing a day's itinerary! But it was a fruitful one afterall since it helped us with the decision-making and I've got a pair of wedding shoes. :)

Venue Name: The Westin Melbourne
Website: http://www.westin.com.au/melbourne/wedding-venues-receptions.html
Prices (2011): Sit-down dinner - 1 hour canapés from $30 pp + 5 hours main course from $80 pp + 4 hours drinks from $38 pp or a packaged deal of $185 pp.
Package includes: Canapés, 3-course meal, table centre pieces and chair covers and 1-night accommodation.

The entrance / car porch area to the Westin	Inside of the Westin - Lobby / lounge area
View of the Westin Room III facing Melbourne's Swanston Street	View of the Westin Room III looking from the side of Swanston Street

Venue Name: Hotel Windsor
Website: http://www.thehotelwindsor.com.au/index.php?&GMPM_PAGES_PAGE_ID=wedding_planning
Prices (2011): Sit-down dinner 5 hours from $135 pp. Min. spend $10k in Grand Ballroom.
Package includes: Canapés, 3-course meal, personalised menu cards, chair covers and sash, red carpet entry, tea, coffee and chocolates and 1-night accommodation.

Entrance to Hotel Windsor	Hotel Windsor - lobby / lounge area
Entrance to the Grand Ballroom	Inside of the Grand Ballroom
Beautiful dom glass with chandeliers	Another view of the Grand Ballroom
The Bourke Room (before the Sep renovations)	Another view of The Bourke Room (Before renovations)

Venue Name: Stamford Plaza Hotel
Website: http://www.stamford.com.au/spm/page.asp?e_page=406895
Prices (2011): Sit-down dinner 5 hours from $128 pp
Package includes: Canapés, 3-course meal, table centre pieces, chair covers and sash and 1-night accommodation.

Stanford Plaza Hotel from across the street	Lobby area and view of the very high elevator
The function room (view 1)	The function room (view 2)

Venue Name: Elizabethan Lodge
Website: http://www.elizabethanlodge.com.au/weddings.htm
Prices (2011): Sit down dinner 5 hours from $121 pp
Package includes: Canapés, 3-course meal, table centre pieces, table place cards, chair covers and sash, 1-night accommodation and use if the Chapel if needed.

Entrance to Grand Heritage Room. Min 100 or more guests	Inside of the Grand Heritage Room all nicely decorated for a wedding
Grand Heritage Room (View 2)	The Windsor Room (Smaller guest size)
Beautiful garden at the back of the Windsor room	There's also a bridge and waterfall in the back garden
The Windsor room - another view. Usually used for conference and meetings as well.

The Red Carpet bridal also coincidentally had a sale going on that day. We didn't plan to visit the shop unless we had time after viewing all the reception venues. But lucky for us the reception viewing at Elizabethan Lodge wasn't until later in the afternoon and so we had time to head to Ashburton for awhile to check out the sale.

Bridal shop name: The Red Carpet
Branch: Ashburon
Website: http://www.theredcarpet.com.au/g/7040/home.html

2-piece peacock like gown. It was pretty obvious why I didn't take a liking to it :p

I did however score a bargain on wedding shoes. $85 down from around $139 I think

And that was it, the end to another long day of wedding preps. ;) Sucks having to go back to work again tomorrow but ah well, at least the week will be shorter.

Reception Viewings: Rydges @ Swanston, Vibe Savoy and Photography: Suede Imagery

Darling and I took 2 days off again this time to go around viewing reception venues. We had decided that we wanted it to be in a hotel, or at least a place that provides accommodation since we'll both probably be drinking that night and so will all our bridemaids and groomsmen. And we certainly don't want to get caught for drink driving that night. :p And so I made a few enquiries and after selecting some of the hotels and we visited two of them today.

Venue name: Rydges on Swanston
Website: http://www.rydges.com/hotel/RVCARL/Rydges-On-Swanston-Melbourne/location.htm
Prices (2011): Sit down dinner - 4 hours $79 p/h or 5 hours $99 p/h.

Package includes: Canapés, 3-course meal, coffee and tea, chair and table covers and a 1-night accommodation in a spa suite for the couple.

View from the outside.	The restaurant area.
Lamb & rosemary sauce.	Seafood Paella.
The function room they recommended which can spread out for morre space.	Other side of the function room which is L-shaped.
The upper deck where the swimming pool is and where canapés will be served to guests on arrival. Couples can also hold their ceremony at the far top right where the waterfall is if they want to.

Venue name: Vibe Savoy Melbourne

Website: http://www.vibehotels.com.au/default.asp?page=/weddings-events/weddings-at-vibe/vibe-savoy-hotel-melbourne
Prices (2011): Cocktail - from $42 p/h, Sit down dinner - from $65 p/h, 3-hour drinks from $38 p/h.

Package includes: Complimentary menu tasting, Canapés, 3-Course meal, floral arrangement for bridal table, scatter petals, table centre pieces and candles and 1-night accommodation.

Vibe Savoy Hotel from across the road.	Smaller banquet room more for cocktails.
The upper landing area leading to the ballroom and function room - also where guests will be served Canapés.	Bright lobby area with a touch of modern and futuristic feel. Also had a big banner advertising wedding packages.
The ballroom the Sales Rep. showed to us with beautiful Chandeliers hanging from above and large mirror doors from ceiling down. She was explaining that the doors at the far end can be opened for a slightly larger space.

We also had an appointment with another photography studio called Suede Imagery. Though we sort of already made a decision on LePortrait Studio, we thought there was no harm in just paying a visit to another studio just to gather more ideas and pricing. The photographer Tim Marcus had just returned from overseas and showed us his latest portfolio from Bali.

For some reason, darling and I both didn't feel comfortable with him and though his photos were somewhat artistic and beautiful, they didn't really capture our eyes. Then there was the pricing as well. Whatever quote he had was almost double the price(as compared to LePortrait) if we wanted to have an album made as well. And thus it was pretty much a strike-off from our list.

All in all, it was a pretty fruitful day and we were kinda edging towards Vibe Savoy as compared to Rydges @ Swanston for the reception. But those were only the first few reception places we had visited and so we weren't gonna make a choice so quickly yet. More still to come tomorrow.

Bridal & Couture Sample Sale - Bay View Eden

I received an invitation to the Bridal Couture and Sample Sale this year at the Bayview Eden Hotel. I can't remember how they got my contact details but anyway Ammie and Daisy were nice enough to accompany me there. I pre-registered for us since it was $5 for those who did and $10 who paid at the door.

The event ran from 11am - 4pm. And there even had something called the "Hour of Power" where if you were willing to pay $50 extra, you can bring a friend in an hour earlier to view all the dresses, shoes and accessories before anyone else. I didn't bother about that and we just went at the normal time. :p Here are some snaps:

Entrance - promoting the i-do.com website with stacks of free bridal mags as door gifts.	Ammie and Daisy browsing at dresses and checking out if there were any nice ones. :p
Assistant from Brides of Melbourne booth helping my put on a "tutu" like gown. I was laughing because I thought it looked funny.	Mannequins line up around the booths. Ammie especially like the one on the right with this small pocket-like puffs on the gown.

The event probably occupied only a couple of function rooms and wasn't that big and so we sort of finish browsing in an hour or so. But some of the retailers did have some pretty items at reasonable prices. I almost bought a pair of shoes - but they didn't look too good after putting them on.

We were almost at the end when I chanced upon this gown at the Bride's of Melbourne booth - same one I tried the "Tutu" like gown. I tried it on and even though it was way too long - it just felt wonderful as this was the first gown that fitted quite well.

I was hesitating and pondering about whether to get it or not at $500, but Daisy and Ammie were both saying that it looks gorgeous. I wasn't sure about the prices for alteration as well. But the gown was indeed unique with sort of a slant at the skirt area where the top joins to the bottom.

In the end, I wasn't sure if it was because the lady offered it to me for $400 or it was because I had tried and browse too many gowns already and was itching to make a quick decision and get one, I bought it anyway. After that I started having ideas on how mum can sew more beads and sequins or somehow personalize it and make it more unique. That is, after I get the damn length altered first!

Here are more pics from the event that day:

http://picasaweb.google.com/melchenyi/BridalCoutureSampleSaleJul2010#

Photographer / Videographer.: LePortrait Studio

We had an appointment with LePortrait Studio today. We found them or should I say, they found us when we signed up at the Australian Bridal Service website. A couple of weeks ago, they sent an email to all members with a really attractive photography and videography package.

Name: LePortrait Studio

Address: 7/34 Macfarlan St. South Yarra

Website: http://www.leportraitstudio.com

After checking out their website, we decided to make an appointment with them. The studio is family owned and from Spain origins . They have been in the business for more than 20 years. Hernan and his wife Marie were the warmest people and made us feel really comforable. We also fell in love with their amazing photos.

Here's some of those that caught our eyes:Though they were the first studio we've been to, it just felt really right and we signed the contract with them there and then. After all, the price was right, their photos captured our hearts and most importantly we felt comfortable with them and they shared a vision to communicate with us to find out what we want.

(Updated Sep 2010) - I later read on the forums about other Brides singing their praises and referring them to other family and friends as well - and that certainly set our hearts and mind at ease. :)

Melbourne Bride Wedding Expo Jun 2010 and Brides of Melbourne Bridal Gown Sale

Bride Magazine organises the Melbourne Bride Wedding Expo once a year around the 3rd week of June. The event runs for two days at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Having won a pair of tickets from a facebook competition, it was such a bonus to go in free last week on Sat the 19th of Jun. Cousin Kayla and Ammie joined us as well - just to see what a wedding expo was all about.

We actually attend their expo back in 2007 as well when I was still working for Victorian American Imports - a car conversion company which imports amercian vehicles and converts them to right-hand drive. It was just early browsing that time and more research of the hummers used as wedding transport. But this time we had a better reason for going! ;)

Here are some snaps from that day:

The rest of the photos can be found at
http://picasaweb.google.com/melchenyi/MelbourneBrideWeddingExpoJun2010#

We found that there were less retailers as compared to the Ultimate Bridal Event expo which we attended last month and some of them were those that we had already visited at the other event. They also had Fashion parades from Bridal Retailers in Melbourne, showcasing bridal gowns and men's suits.

There were however, have a few more retailers that were more specific to Melbourne and those that weren't too high end. One exquisite worth mentioning was the Sisko decorative chocolate displays. And I also liked it that the Photo Booth company were there for people to take some crazy shots! But if you're really looking for an expo with lots more retailers and cheaper by $5, Australia Bridal Service's Ultimate Bridal Event seems the better one.

Yesterday, Darling and I also popped by Melbourne's GPO in the morning for the Brides of Melbourne Bridal Gown Sale. I knew right before hand that this shop's pricing were more on the higher end, but I just wanted to check it out anyway.

Some snaps from the shop exterior:

I didn't really have a good impression of this bridal shop. Firstly, you were made to line up and take a ticket before they let you in. And then you were assigned an assistant which gave you only like 15 minutes to pick a few gowns to try on. Can you tell me how can someone made such an important decision in such a short time frame?! It was like they expected huge crowds to flock in and grab all their gowns on sale and so only gave you about half and hour there including trying and picking out your gown.

I would never make such an important decision and spend a few thousand dollars in an impulse. Even on sale, their gowns were at least $1000 and above. And so as you can guess, in normal periods, gown prices are about $2000 and above. And photo-taking wasn't allowed too. So how can you go home and ponder about whether the gown suits you? As much as I didn't really like this shop, I hate that I actually found a gown design that I like on their website. Let's hoping I have some luck with a similar design somewhere else. :p

Gown Try-outs: Spurling Bridal (Glen Waverley) and Raffaele Ciuca (Brunswick)

Since the Spurling and Ferrari Bridal Sale went for a week, I decided to quickly make a dash to the Spurling Bridal, Glen Waverley branch on Monday to see if they had anything worth looking at during lunch time. It was such a rush but I did managed to try on about 3-4 gowns that were on sale.

The shop assistant here was also friendly and much nicer. They also had more variety, in my size. I still didn't get into an impulsive buy. I did however found one which I kept in mind for the actual day. But it's not posted up here just in case I do decide to get it, I don't want to show it until the actual day itself. ;)

White strapless gown with small flower embroidery on top right and flowing organza covering from waist down. Price: $400	Simple white halter-neck gown with embroidery around neck, small diamonte in centre and front split. Price: $350
I almost bought this gown for the pre-shoot actually. If it wasn't that it was a little too tight at the stomach area! It's white with sort of a blue-ish feel to it with its blue embroidery.	Back view of the gown on the left. It actually fitted quite nicely at a size 8 - just crimps a bit at the stomach area arggh! I love the overlapping puffs at the train. Price: $500.

Shop name: Raffaele Ciuca
Branch: Brunswick
Website: http://www.raffaeleciuca.com.au/

This bridal and formal wear shop was also having a mid-year 1-day sale. I was initially hesistant and lazy to go because one, it was on a Sunday and two, the shop was all the way in Brunswick.

But the thought of not checking out a sale changed my mind and nice Ammie came along with me again this time. We saw this asian girl there who was getting married in a month's time and was there to buy a gown there and then.

And guess what, she took the only two gowns that I really liked - in my size, and I didn't even get to try one of them cause she bought it! The shop assistant recommended others but I didn't like them and prices here were really more upmarket! Even on sale they were more that $1000!

Ivory coloured gown with ruffle designs on chest and some shiny embroidery around. Made of quality silk material and yet another size too big for me.	Back view of gown on left. It was too big and they used this big pegs to clip the back so you can see how it looks like fitted. Price: Can't quite remember, think it was over $1800.

Photo taking at this shop were a "no-no". And so I only managed to get Ammie to snap a couple of pics when the girl wasn't around. They really catered more for brides who want expensive couture gowns! I don't think I'll ever check them out again! :s