The day after...

Our day after the wedding was spent with friends from overseas~! Woke up early to pack up, had an early breakfast, brainstormed how I can contact friends from overseas to meet up for lunch. As Chiho stayed at Agora hotel the night before, we met up at our living room and had a short chat. Did some packing and checked out by noon~

Off to lunch with Amy from LA, Tania from HK, Chiho from JapanYogurt Art to followAll refreshed after our foot massage!we headed right to the bridal studio, returned the dresses, suit, veil...etc and picked up Yae at her hotel & headed home for dinner with my family~~before dinner bells ring, Yae surprised us with our wedding gifts! It's on Cliff now, and a frog is in my hands, hohohoTania's turn to present her giftCheers to my grandparents & their hospitality~!

1 wk before the wedding~Bridal Shower

Thanks to Sara, Jasmine & Amy for all the lovely planning~ started my day with facial, followed by pedicure with the martha cookies, as we sat in a row, sipping our drinks, as we caught up with each other. We forgot to bring flip flops to wear after the pedicure, and we'll decided to weat the paper slippers, and hopped into a cab immediately.

Jolene and our cute flower girl arrived early Galerie Bistro, as we waited for the rest of our guests, Yinchen & Sunny. I had to wear a *bling* crown on my head all night... even when i headed to the restroom. I was surprised when everyone took turns handing me presents! I opened them one by one, and loved everyone one of them~! Some gifts caught me by a HUGE SURPRISE, and some were perfectly cute, with meaningful thoughts behind :)

Headed to Jasmine's place, as she took care of Mantou's physical needs and drove us to Beitou for a night out at Pacific Hot springs! It was almost midnight when we arrived at the hotel and right after we settled in with getting bedspread on the tatami, all of us took turns going in to the hot bath, one after another. 4 girls in 1 small bath, as we gossiped non-stop till almost 1.30am. Time to snooze, wake up for breakfast at 8am & outdoor hot springs!

Day before the wedding

It was my day off, and I was expecting an easy/ relaxing day, but it didnt turn out that way. Early morning was filled with bank errands, lunch at home, praying to ancestors. Cliff came by and picked up our bride & groom wedding favors with Kevin. I rushed off in a cab to Sherwood hotel, as I was late meeting the florist for to pick up bridesmaids bouquets. Was nagged by the florist for being late..... and finally checked in to suite #918. Reminded the hotel for our champagne, as part of our package since we held our engagement last Nov.

Dress Fitting appointment at the Bridal studio was at 3pm, and we were running late! It also took us 2.5 hours for the fitting and dresses to be tailored..

5.30pm: Late for our rehearsal at Gracehill, and it was very cozy at the back of our seats with the girls, dresses & wedding favors.Rehearsal at the Chapel~ with cliff removing the veilOur group dance rehearsal and dinner did not happen either.. as i was simply too tired..

Amy and I had sandwiches @ Smith & Hsu around the corner and came back to the hotel room, surprised with chocolate/cookies/champage platter~!As I was just going to enjoy our night at the hotel with the girls, my parents came to visit and took me home.. as grandpa wanted to have a talk with me. We didn't sleep 1am that night, and woke up in between the night! *yawn*
Isn't it too difficult to have a good night's sleep before the wedding day?

Gifts~ flown over

Friends from all over have been asking about our wedding registry, since they are unable to attend our big day. A gift registry is such a great idea, and it's very erm "American". It's not common in Asia, nor are there such services in Taiwan.

Wedding gifts revealed~~~~ta daaa!
Lovely wedding card, a set of passport holders, tags ( perfect for our honeymoon trip) & pair of wooden love ducklings~ flew all the way from Korea! Thanks to my long time martha cook suite mate Jin Kyung ~:) This gift came real early! Perfect for our new home :) Yumiko flew it over from Japan~ cute bowls arrived safely!

When I briefly met up with Shufang & her friend from S'pore, she brought me a perfect piece, that'll add a whimsy look at our wedding reception desk!

***Our lovely bridesmaid Jasmine also bought us a set of hilarious pillow cases & super comfortable pillows~ which I haven't take a picture of.

Albums revealed

Invitations have been sent~ and the guest list expanded more than expected! it's wonderful news, but the cut off point is 25 tables~~~ The dance floor idea is off now... sorry dancing kings & queens~;)Headed to the bridal studio and picked up our photo album, frame, & mini photo "thank you" cards~ they are all part of the regular packages of every bride & groom in Taiwan.

Honeymoon planning~ finalized!

Skipping all the planning details, we're almost finalized and ready to go! We're not leaving for the honeymoon right after the wedding, but waiting till Apr 30th, and reaching Athens May 1st, just in time for some warm weather. From Athens, we're flying off to Santorini island for 5 days of lazing by the agean sea. Brief stopover at athens for a short tour of the acropolis and off we fly to Venice and am ready to be lost around Venice for 5 days ( since we've heard the streets are tiny & complicated). Our last few days will be spent in Rome~ and will be back home on May 17th.

Travelling to Taipei & Lodging

With more friends deciding to travel to our wedding, either for the 1st time or so,

Here are a few tips to note: Arriving at Taoyuan International airport: Look for BUS signs to taipei. 125 nt/person for a 45 min ride to taipei main station, Hop on a yello cab & off to checking in at your chosen hotel!

HOTEL Recommendations:

***San Want Hotel: Convenient location: right by ZhongXiao DunHua subway station, shopping district (3200nt for single room- 4500nt for double)http://www.hotelclub.com/DirectHotel.asp?Checkin=2010-04-09&Checkout=2010-04-12&id=49882&lc=EN

**Budget hotel recommendations:

Just Sleep (closest:Ximen subway station) http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293913-d1534317-Reviews-Just_Sleep_Xi_Men_Ding-Taipei.html

Forte Orange (closest: taipei main station)http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293913-d1020693-Reviews-Forte_Orange_Business_Hotel-Taipei.html

*Taipei is relatively safe! it's easy to get around via mrt/subway & yellow cabs.