1.1.2011

2011 started with the wedding of my good friend and colleague Sew Chu, or as we know her Ms Chew, to Lim Peng. Theirs is a love story that spanned 30 years and for us who were privileged to be part of their wedding, we certainly left with a sense of hope and faith in the capacity of love, at least for me anyway.

Those of us in the wedding industry who were invited turned out in force at 7.30am, mostly dressed in the lilac theme of the wedding. From then right through to the wedding luncheon, we celebrated with her and her other half, culminating in us singing the Moon Represents My Heart, a song that she requested that we perform during lunch. This was the 3rd time we were singing this song at an industry friend's wedding and as usual, we did not rehearse. Still, it turned out great, with the couple joining all of us on stage for the last few verses.

For those of us in the industry who work weddings day in, day out, it is a pleasure to be part of such a meaningful milestone, especially when fate plays such a wonderful card in uniting 2 after a span of 30 years. It certainly was a very good start to the new year.

Photo of Ms Chew and Lim Peng.

Biz Trips To Penang

Penang is a place that I always enjoy visiting, even when I am there for work rather than a holiday. It is relatively compact enough for me to include some r&r in my itinerary, be it visits to the Siamese and Burmese temples on Lorong Burma for prayers, savouring Hokkien Mee at Lorong Bangkok, an evening swim at the hotel pool or supper on Gurney Drive followed by a late night stroll.

Of course one of the best reasons to stay a night when on business trips to Penang is the opportunity to have dinner with friends and industry colleagues. The good food is a given and the great company elevates the experience.

I suppose that's why I always find a reason for a business trip to Penang.

Photo of me with Ms Chew, Andy, Aires, Suan Bee and C Hun shot at Northam Beach Cafe in Penang, Malaysia.

Fate Deals A Hand

Things happen for a reason I believe. There are times when fate deals a hand that results in us finding ourselves in the most unusual of circumstances. When this occurs, we really hope that we end up in good circumstances rather than the opposite.

A case in point ... Ms Chew, I like to call her our 'Group Finance Director' (although we can't afford to pay her a sum that stands up to the title), has been a good friend since my days at Limkokwing Integrated, and has been our accountant from the day we started our first company, That Special Occasion, who now also helps us out with weddingsmalaysia. Then there's Patrick, a uni-mate of mine, who over the course of coffee with Elyse (another uni-mate of ours) and I after an alumni function, ended up taking charge of the Chinese edition of our weddingsmalaysia publication. Who would think that 2 individuals from different parts of my life, with no experience in the wedding industry initially, who eventually met whilst working with me, would then become business partners in a wedding-related company? It has happened, and I am truly excited for them.

It is never easy starting a new business venture, more so now in our troubled economic times. But their newly-formed outfit - Budget Brides - I feel, will be well received, in particular amongst those who have smaller wedding budgets. The concept is a solid one, the motivation is at an all time high. The challenge really is to put the idea in motion and get it off to a good start.

Bonne chance Ms Chew and Patrick! I'll be there to lend a hand when you call.

Photo courtesy of Budget Brides.

A Team Effort

I often get asked, 'How do you oversee so many ventures and projects at once?' And the simple truth is that I have a great team of people, at weddingsmalaysia, That Special Occasion as well as The Wedding Hub. Granted, I can at times be difficult to work with, been branded a dictator, micromanager, an obsessive and compulsive workaholic, I'd like to think that on the whole, I'm still pretty much a team player. My business partner, Anna, who's taken some time off to be in Hong Kong with her expat hubby and daughter, has always maintained that I am an expert at barking instructions. I am sure my colleagues at That Special Occasion miss her calming influence when I get ranting. Louisa, my co-designer, now that Anna is on sabbatical, together with Linda, our longtime assistant as well as the team of seamstresses and beaders, bear the brunt of the relentless pace, and are the pillars that support the operations at the boutique. Meanwhile over at The Wedding Hub, Helen is the 'rock' I rely on to manage the one-stop centre as well as the array of personalities we have as tenants, whilst Fiona is the one who diligently churns out our monthly workshops.

On the publising front, both online and print, I am lucky to have a small and dedicated team. My team of 8 at weddingsmalaysia - Edward, Kenix, Patrick, Priscilla, Keith, Eileen, Cordelia and Faridah -take care of a portal and 4 publications, a relatively big task actually, considering that all of them have other business interests and only take on the portal and publications on a project basis. It is their passion and commitment that have made our titles so well-regarded in the wedding industry. I also appreciate the efforts of Integricity, who ensure that our back-end IT needs are well taken care of, and of course the encouragement and support of the industry, who are catalysts for us to do even better.

I truly believe that no one can work in isolation. Despite the occasional tiff, working together towards and attaining a common goal is what makes it all worthwhile. And did I say I was quite the workaholic ... as evidenced by the time of this post haha!

Oh! How could I forget Ms Chew ... the one who reminds me to keep an eye on the dollars and cents!!

Pictured with Louisa and her gown creation.