I have previously recommended Pixioo Photography by Samuel Ng to the BTBs in a Facebook group (Budget Brides) and to almost everyone I know, but a recent incident made me lose all the faith in this photography company and friend. I have always admired the superb service offered by Samuel during my photoshoot and on my AD, as well as the affordable prices of their packages. I have recommended them to many BTBs who also agreed on Samuel's great service and wonderful photography skills. I have even introduced Samuel to some of my pregnant friends in recent years as he wanted to include maternity shoots in his portfolio. When other BTBs complained about his extremely late and slow replies through email or phone messages, I even backed him up because I know him personally as a friend and I understand his constraints as a working parent with two jobs then and with many shoots over the weekends.

However, he has recently quit his full-time job as a primary school teacher in June and has since became a full-time photographer. When he found out that I was pregnant (on 30 Jan), he told me he would do a free maternity shoot for me in June. I thought it was nice of him since I have recommended so many BTBs to him and we are friends. On 5 May, I asked him whether we can set a date for the shoot. He only confirmed the date (21 June morning) with me on 16 May and he apologised for the late reply. I accepted his apology cos I thought he was just busy with all the weekend shoots.

Then on 1 June, 3 June, 7 June, 14 June and 15 June, I repeatedly sent him messages on Whatsapp, SMS, calls, Facebook messages and Facebook wall posts to ask him whether my maternity shoot is still on so that I could get prepared. He did not reply at all. I knew he was in Perth from 8-13 June judging from his Facebook page but since he could post pictures on his page, I assumed he had access to WiFi somehow.
When he came back, he still didn't reply me through any means. I had to contact my wedding videographer Mark on 16 June to ask whether Samuel had changed his number as I couldn't contact him. On 20 June, I asked Mark again because I guessed they would be working together on some wedding since it was a Saturday. Mark said he spoke to Samuel and that Samuel would reply me. Of course, the maternity shoot did not happen the next day as promised. I could still see him posting pictures on Facebook and updating Facebook, and yet he has no time to answer my calls or reply my messages?! I could also see from Whatsapp that he was online and had read my messages.

I was angry not because I was cheapskate and did not have the free maternity shoot as promised. I was angry because of his attitude and the fact that he could not even be bothered to reply even though we were friends! How could you promise someone something then ignore that person? Until now, he still hasn't apologised or contacted me at all. So please be very careful if you hire him as your photographer because now that I have experienced this, I believe he can go MIA anytime. I believe there are no excuses for his poor attitude because this is now his full-time job. According to some other BTBs in the Budget Brides group, he had also MIA-ed in wedding events before and had always been late in responding to the couple. What an ass, seriously!

More reviews I've seen on the Facebook page:
Jasmine Kee, 14 Aug 2014
Samuel, I see that my review is gone. So here is another one from me.
First of all, I have to say Samuel is a very friendly guy. That was the main reason why we signed up with him to be our actual day photographer. I think what is most important is for the couple to feel at ease with the photographer. But, here comes the bad part.
Samuel not only did not appear for my wedding, he was caught lying to me.
Here was what happened just 2 months ago.
During the 1st meet up in early March, Samuel mentioned to us that he will be out of town and will be back a day before my wedding. We were okay with that.
After the meetup, I asked for an invoice and the deposit amount. No reply until the 2nd week and he informed me that he will not be able to make it for the morning session and his partner will be taking over. He told me that he will be back in time for the afternoon session (wedding lunch). We okay-ed it (thinking back, it was a huge mistake). Invoice was only sent to me 5 weeks after the meet up (I was left with 7 weeks to my wedding then).
Fast forward to a week before my wedding, we communicated via whatsapp regarding the actual day details.
On the actual day, in the morning, someone asked about his whereabouts and his partner mentioned his flight was delayed and he will be late. Samuel told his partner on the morning itself. He did not message me about the delay, or that he wasn't going to turn up at all. Things were already chaotic at that time and he was the last thing on my mind. True enough, he did not turn up for the afternoon session at all.
I waited 2-3 days for his apology. NOTHING. When I finally messaged him, he told me, in his actual words, "I forgot to inform you."
Still feeling weird about his whole story, I went to search for his "delayed" flight. Turned out it landed on time. With all the information I went to confront him.
To cut the story short, he gave excuses, saying bad weather caused the delay etc. I told him his plane was on schedule (I've checked with the airline); he then told me he landed approx 10.41 (1st phonecall received); clear customs etc at 12-1 pm and then added "frankly speaking I am also abit tired and shaq due to the flight. And by the time I reached your hotel I am afraid the party is going to over.."
I have no words for his actions. He was irresponsible and unprofessional. He asked whether there is a way to compensate us. Is there any way to compensate anyone in such situation? I don't know.
I hope you will not remove my review/comment anymore. Others have a right to know what you might be capable of.

Jolyn Liao, 30 Jan 2015
 I thought he's quite irresponsible. He took forever to give me my photos. And because he sponsored my photoshoot, I don't wanna harp too much on it. But doesn't mean I don't pay he gets all the time in the world. He's just irresponsible like that. Giving me an estimated month he will be done but didn't give me photos. 

And then I once complained in Budget Brides about him, probably someone told him I posted negative comments about him. He promised me a small photo album but asked me to delete my comment. Till today, 2 weeks to my wedding no album whatsoever. 

It doesn't matter if his skills are good. There are many photographers who have good skills too. But I can't tolerate someone like him who promise one thing and do another.

Definitely a bad experience for me. HTB is very disgusted with him too.

I chose to forgive him because he's young and just had a family. Don't wanna let him suffer too much. But if anyone ask me personally, highly not recommended.

Even if I perceived it to be long ago when it is rather recent, that chap knows when is my wedding. But still no news. I'm really not hard up for the album as long as I have my photos. After all it is not part of the contract I will have an album. But the fact is he promised and then he doesn't do it, now that pisses me. Nevertheless I'm disgusted with his responsibility attitude.

I can't say much since I didn't hire him but the truth is this, he don't keep up to his words.

First chance was receiving my casual photo shoot in Bali, didn't receive my photos when he promised 2 months. Never mind I waited since I may have lesser priority as mine is a sponsored shoot. But fact is this he promised 2 months. 

And then someone help me ask him to give me my photos after I commented nasty stuff about him, he told me to remove my comment and he will give me a photo album to compensate. Till now, nothing. No sorry, nothing. I don't wanna ask him for it anymore because is meaningless. Twice in a row he showed me such service. 

More bad reviews here:
https://singaporebrides.com/weddingforum/threads/samuel-from-pixioo.20098/

Our first valentine's day since Fatfat came along! So rare to have a dinner date like this! Very thankful to my parents for looking after Fatfat while Hubby and I sneaked away for 4 hours! This year, it is my turn to plan and I am so glad I booked a clay workshop at Amooo's! It's really interesting and is definitely an eye opener for both of us as we attempted to make our own mug, incorporating elements of our relationship into the decoration!

The whole process was really fun, even though we were not creative or artsy individuals! However, I did see a different side of Hubby today as he decorated his mug because I never knew such a artistic side of him exists! Definitely a refreshing experience for both of us! 

The clay workshop cost $150, in which $30 goes to facilitation and light refreshments and $120 goes to the cost of the 2 mugs! We got to bring home something extra - I made a little snowflake-shaped coaster while Hubby made a little trinket bowl for me! My mug has the following details - zig zag lines to represent our ups and downs, glass pieces to represent how transparent we are in our relationship and also how colourful our love is, and a speech bubble with 'thank you' to remind each other to always be appreciative towards each other. Hubby's mug is very interesting - with 'LOVE' written at the side, sunshine, snowflakes and flowers, and his handle was made like a folded page! His little trinket bowl has 'I married my best friend' written inside. 

​I would definitely recommend this workshop as it was one of the most special workshops we have attended thus far!

For more information, you can visit http://www.amooos.com/.
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +65 92263962

​My girlfriend and I started researching for photographers for a maternity photoshoot and a newborn photoshoot when we were in our second trimester. A maternity shoot has to be done when you're about 33 weeks or so, so that the baby bump is really obvious. We checked out a few companies but some were outrageously expensive. We compared the packages offered by the price, the number of soft copies given to us etc. Finally we both decided on Koji Photography because the price was very reasonable and all soft copies are returned!

You can choose to have 1.5 hours of studio or outdoor session for a maximum of 4 pax including children and hubby. Scene sets and props (such as knitted wear for the baby) are provided. All photos are also touched up and returned in high resolution soft copies! For the same price, some companies return only a few soft copies (or none) and some return the printed copies (and you have to top up to buy the soft copies). Of course I would prefer to have all the soft copies so that I can decide when and how I want them printed! 

For outdoor venues, a list of suitable venues will be presented and discussed upon confirmation. However, as I was already feeling warm all the time from the pregnancy, I didn't want to have an outdoor session in which I would be perspiring profusely. (I was already perspiring during the studio shoot, mind you!) 

The studio venue was at an industrial building in Geylang that looks abandoned. There is no lift access to the studio but thanks to yoga keeping me fit, there was no problem for me to access the 3rd level by the stairs! 

There was an SG50 promotion but it was already over when I booked the photographer so I couldn't enjoy the promotion. However, there was a 10% discount because I took the maternity-newborn bundle. 

Few weeks before the shoot, Koji set up a Whatspp group with Hubby and myself to discuss what kind of poses I like, what kind of clothes to bring etc. I sent them a few pictures that I had found on Pinterest and other maternity photography websites so that they knew what style I was looking for. They were responsive and gave me good ideas on what to wear.

On the day of the photoshoot, I wasn't feeling very well as I had very bad gastric pains and was feeling nauseous. I couldn't reschedule the photoshoot as the other weekends were all booked and I didn't want the shoot too near to my EDD. Hubby called Karen (Koji's sister) to pre-empt them that I was not feeling well. Koji and Lina reassured us that they would find a way out if I really couldn't make it that day - after all, health comes first. Loved it that they were very sweet and understanding!

I enjoyed the maternity shoot very much as Koji and Lina took very good care of us! Koji and Lina helped us to mix and match our outfits and made sure my requirements (as per discussed in the Whatsapp group) were satisfied as much as they could. Lina ensured that I was well-hydrated and well-rested in between shots and helped me adjust the dress/cloth as well as tidy up my hair so that I looked pretty (despite her having to touch my sweaty face, neck and body). I kept apologising because she had to wipe my sweat away but she kept insisting that it was okay. I was really thankful! We even stayed for about an hour after that to chit-chat about parenthood since Koji and Lina (husband and wife) have 2 children themselves. 

We went for the newborn shoot (without letting our parents know) when Alexus was about 3 weeks old. Ideally, the shoot should take place within the first 10 days of baby's birth as they spend most of their time sleeping during this period and they are often in a deep slumber. As they grow older, it is more difficult to keep them in their sleeping mode and they will tend to move around more, so the photographer will have to keep re-positioning the baby. However, Hubby felt that the baby was still too young and small to be going out so we decided to fix it at a later date. Our confinement lady came with us - luckily she was a more modern kinda aunty so she was more impressed than upset about the baby having a photoshoot before he was even a month old. She enjoyed watching the whole process as much as we did!

Karen and Lina were very professional in handling baby Alexus that we did not worry at all. They fed him milk (formula or expressed milk encouraged to facilitate the process), changed his diapers, cleaned him up, made sure he was warm, positioned him carefully for pictures.. We were very impressed! No wonder they kept telling us that we could go out and have lunch or tea time and come back 3 hours later when the shoot was done! Of course we didn't go away because we wanted to watch the process as well. 
​

$420 - $42 (10% discount)
$50 weekend surcharge
total $428 (each for maternity and newborn shoot)
Maternity shoot - 93 photos returned (about 6-8 weeks)
Newborn shoot - 76 photos returned (about 6-8 weeks)

Full album can be found under Our Story in Pictures. 

We had soooo much fun at the Gardens by the Bay! Thank you Hubby for bringing me here! I have always wanted to go there ever since I saw the Christmas Wonderland decorations shared on Facebook! Christmas is a special time for me because it is my birthday! The Flower Dome was closed that day for maintenance but I guess it was a blessing in disguise as there weren't as many people as we thought there would be, especially since we went in the mid-afternoon! We could tell that Alexus enjoyed himself a lot because he refused to take a nap the whole afternoon until we sat down for dinner! He loved looking at the displays, the kois in the pond and the carnival games! Wish he was older so he could play the games too. But we did get on the carousel, though we had to be in the carriage instead of on the horse since he was still too small.

After dinner, we waited for the lights to come on and the performance to start! It was a magical feeling to have bubbles and (fake) snow floating around us. However, the little boy fell asleep so we were desperately trying to stop the foam (snow) from landing on his face/mouth! The lights were really stunning but your neck gets a little tired after a while from looking up haha. It was quite crowded by then so we left at about 8 plus.

Our 14-day journey was a much-needed one after a year of planning for the wedding! Thankfully, we didn't have to plan for our honeymoon! Just pack and go enjoy! There are too many stories to tell and we can only show them by pictures (uploaded on Facebook) - I printed some so that I can show them to my grandparents and parents too! It has been very relaxing and has brought us closer than ever! I am so happy that Hubby has finally gone somewhere cold, even though we didn't experience snow! We had many adventures, including climbing a volcano (though we didn't complete it due to the high wind speed), kayaking in the open sea to see seals and visiting glowworm caves! Everywhere in NZ is gorgeous - the beauty of nature really took our breaths away!

I got introduced to First Light Travel by a friend who was in New Zealand for her honeymoon 2 years back. She gave me a specific email to someone who was an agent there but I couldn’t seem to contact her so I went to the website of First Light Travel to find out how I can get help. This agent only applies to trips to New Zealand.

We didn’t want to plan for the honeymoon as we were leaving one week after our wedding and we reckoned we wouldn’t have the time and energy to plan for a trip while we plan for the wedding as well! So we got the experts - the locals themselves - to plan for us!

You can go to the webpage and you will see ‘Free Itinerary’ at the bottom of the page. When you click on ’Enquire’, you will be directed to a page where you can fill up your contact details, the number and the age group of people travelling, the length of your trip, your interests (e.g. food and wine, caving, kayaking), your style of travel (self-drive, backpackers etc), accommodation  preference (motel, hostel, hotel, farmstay etc) and regional preferences. You can select more than one choice for these details. Within the next few days, you will have a travel agent get back to you to help you plan according to your form.

I gave my agent a budget of SGD2500 per person for 14 days, self-drive in both North and South Islands. This price includes the booking and ticket prices of all the activities and accommodation, the rental of the GPS and rental of the car. We also topped up a little extra for travel insurance in case there is any cancellation - we had to cancel our accommodation and re-book another one when we were driving to Queenstown as there was a road closure at Haast. We spent a total of SGD9000 for the whole 14-day trip when we add in the air fare and the expenditure there - food is sometimes expensive but other than that, nothing much to buy except for honey and lanolin products and all-blacks jersey (: We often drop by the supermarket to buy ingredients and prepare food ourselves as we got sick of western food after a while. It was convenient because the agent will keep sending your quotes and itineraries each time you want to change something or because something was too expensive. Also you get a whole stack of essential information and the extremely detailed itinerary (suggested places when it’s free and easy, where to park, directions to drive etc) as well as the vouchers for the bookings (you just need to bring these and hand them to the counter wherever you go, no need to bring a lot of cash around)!

The wedding is over, but the marriage just started!

It's our 2nd wedding anniversary today. I don't know how I'm going to put into words how I feel but I'll try - my customary wedding on Nov 15 was an extremely enjoyable day and as painful as the planning might be, I would love to experience the whole day all over again. 

I was in a state of shock and bewilderment when he proposed two years ago so I didn't cry. I was nervous about singing my vows to him during ROM so I didn't cry either. But I was very emotional on our wedding day - when he read out his promises to me (done prettily in a nautical frame), when daddy said some things to me during the tea ceremony and when I was giving my speech to my parents.

Most of all, I was overwhelmed with emotions and tears just came streaming down my face as walked down the aisle through his swordbearers. I never ever dreamt that I would have such a beautiful grand wedding with swordbearers on both sides of the aisle. The live band was playing a song that meant a lot to us, because it got us through one of the toughest period when we were miles apart for four whole months. That song never fails to make me cry since the first time I've heard it. It was indeed a dream wedding, not just for me, but for my husband too. I am a very very very lucky woman.

The weather was very kind to us that day, only raining after most of the guests have settled in. Being someone with OCD, I can't believe how much I let go that day. I didn't care about where my phone was, about whether the guests would fill in our DIY guestbook, about how the reception was going to look like etc. All I did was to take in every moment and relax.

All these would not have been possible without the help of my friends and family. Thank you Mummy and Daddy for fretting with us the past one year about our wedding prep and about moving in; you two really help make everything so much easier! Thank you my dearest sisters Shi Ling, Jin Ling and Jin Ru for being there for me always.

Thank you Siew Hong for learning how to help me put on my gowns, for dabbing my face with tissue paper and keeping my hair in place the whole time, for making sure I look gorgeous in my gown every moment, for cleaning my wound when I got cut by the bone of the gown, for packing and unpacking my heavy and bulky gowns and so much more!! Thank you my other bridesmaids Angela, Keng Yee and Lucinda for planning the Hen's Night, for planning the fun-filled gatecrash, for carrying my things from one venue to another, for being spontaneous in the photoshoot and so much more, most of all being there for me whenever I need you girls!

Thank you Adrian for all your help in everything! You are truly the best - we can count on you for anything and everything, all we have to do is tell you our problems and you'll get them resolved without us having to worry a single bit! You are so full of initiative, spontaneity and fun the whole time, bringing the bridesmaids and groomsmen together with your sense of humour! You must secretly be Superman! Thank you to the other groomsmen Yong Jie, Shian Yang, Jian Ming and Soon Heng for all your help in the gatecrash, for moving our stuff from one venue to another, for driving us all around, for being sporting, spontaneous and supportive the whole day, for taking initiative to help whenever you can, for arranging the photo-taking sequence, for helping Willy to drink at the dinner, for helping decorate the bridal car and so much more! You guys really made the day a whole lot easier for Willy with your great sense of teamwork and coordination!

Thank you Michael for driving us and following us around the whole morning, despite us informing you at the last minute! We greatly appreciate it!

Thank you Angela and Earnest by being such great emcees!! So sorry we didn't get to brief you two much in advance but you two still did such a awesome job to make our wedding dinner such a beautiful one!

Thank you Samuel from Pixioo Photography and Mark from Dumarks Production! You have no idea how much I love working with you two! You two made me feel less nervous and help brighten my day simply by being yourselves! You guys made me laugh so much my makeup artist couldn't keep my eyes open! You both are ever willing to go the extra mile and I truly enjoyed the entire experience! Everyone is impressed with how dedicated you both are, and with the quality and speed of your works!

Thank you to my Bluebay makeup artist Michelle for your patience, kindness and honesty! I'm so glad I found a new friend!! So thankful I have such a dependable makeup artist who even helps me put on my gowns and makes sure I always looks stunning! You're the best makeup artist I've ever seen!

Thank you to everyone in Budget Brides for always answering my enquiries and making it easier to plan my wedding, Karine, Jolyn, Celeste, Jaslyn, Shuhui, Kerui - just to name a few!! I hope we can have lasting friendships!! Thank you to everyone else who have helped in one way or another to make the wedding day such a memorable and truly enjoyable day for my husband and I! 

Thank you Hubby for all the love you've showered on me! Thank you for loving me just the way I am and for making me want to be a better person. Thank you for sharing my joys and my sorrows and lighting up my life! I have so much more I want to say to you but I guess it will never be enough, so I'll just show you through my actions every day! Love you so much!! (:

My wedding is finally over and I want to share reviews for my makeup artists (MUA) on my AD!

My Bluebay MUA Michelle:
She was extremely patient and honest, I really love her! She told me that ampoules for body are not necessary as she will not apply foundation on my body so as not to dirty the white gown, so she didn't charge me for that. She also didn't charge me extra for putting on more than 4 pairs of fake eyelashes for me (supposedly 2 pairs for morning and 2 pairs for night). She gave me a lot of advice and reminders from the first day she was assigned to me all the way till my Actual Day (AD), telling me to put on masks and how to take care of my skin and my hair to get ready for my AD. She even stayed back after doing my hair and makeup to help me wear my nubra and gowns in the morning and in the evening, so I didn't require any help from my own bridesmaids! My updo and my braids were so pretty my bridesmaids were all very impressed! My makeup was light but highlighted and enhanced my features - I only used TWO makeup remover pads to remove my makeup upon reaching the hotel in the afternoon and after the dinner at night! She made me look like a princess indeed! I am soooo glad we have now become friends! 

She is so good that she is the only one who make me break my rule of not giving red packets to those whom I need to pay for their services!

NOTE: Michelle will stop as a MUA for Bluebay starting next year, but she will continue to be a freelance MUA for Mediacorp events, charity shows and weddings/ROMs. You can PM me if you need her contact details! 

MUA for my mum, hubby and my second march-in - 
Jerlyn from princess services:
Jerlyn was not feeling well in the morning so she got someone else to do makeup for my mum in the morning but both my mum and I didn't really like it because the colour of the eyeshadow wasn't very flattering and made her look old. My mum had very simple curls for her hair. 

However, Jerlyn did a great job for my mum's makeup and hairdo for the dinner - made her look very young and pretty like a celebrity! Her makeup and hairdo complement her gown very well. 

Hubby wasn't really pleased with her services because she didn't do a good job for his hairstyle; he had to tell her what to do instead as the first hairstyle she did looked really ugly. She didn't use any wax but lots of spray on hubby's hair. 

As for mine, because Michelle had already done nice braids for me and I didn't want to mess them up, I merely got Jerlyn to add some braids and sweep my hair to the side. She also touched up my makeup a little. But the touching up and the fixing of the hair cost me $94 after the 50% discount, which I still feel wasn't worth it at all.

Total cost for Princess Wedding Services: 
(prices are after 50% discount for Budget Brides)
Mum's makeup and hairdo (morning & night) - $90 
Bride's makeup and hairdo for second march-in - $92
Groom's makeup and hairdo (for evening) - $30

We went to their showcase but we couldn’t decide whether to take this or to take M Hotel. The director of F&B (Jason) invited us to observe one of the wedding dinners hosted at the Re!Joice Ballroom at Hotel Re! one Saturday and we were quite happy with the decorations and the march-in length. The food was extremely nice too, as we tried some of their signature dishes at the Re!Fill Restaurant. In the end, Jason offered us a package of $1088++ ($1300 after ++) each table with some upgraded benefits - free flow of Heineken instead of Tiger beer, one bottle of red wine per table, additional night’s stay in bridal suite with two breakfasts served in suite (much-needed two nights in total), corkage waiver for hard liquor, Moscato before the dinner served in bridal suite and Moscato for the popping during the dinner, upgrade of helper’s room from day use to one night stay and complimentary shuttle transfer from the hotel to Outram MRT at 10.45pm (especially important for elderly guests).

We don’t regret our decision though the place is a little inaccessible as there is free parking and the food is really one of the best we’ve ever tasted! I’ve asked many of my friends and relatives and they were very impressed with the food which included

• Combination of Deluxe Appetizer (BBQ Chicken Gold Coin, Prawn Salad with Rock Melon in Mango Sauce, Cod Fish Finger, Scallop Tempura, Marinated Jellyfish in Thai Dressing)
• Braised Shark’s Fin with Dried Scallop and Crabmeat
• Sauteed XO Prawn, Cuttlefish with Pinenut in Nest (the XO sauce is really nice!)
• Stewed Baby Abalone, Beanskin Parcel, Garden Green in Brown Sauce (each guest has a baby abalone)
• Steamed Whole Herbal Chicken
• Steamed Cod Fish Fillet in Superior Sauce (very generous with serving of cod fish, there are 10 equally sized fillets for the guests)
• Seafood Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf
• Sweetened Yam Paste with Sago, Ginko Nut and Lotus Seed

The ingredients used are all Halal-certified but Hotel Re! does not have the Halal certificate because it serves alcohol. So no worries for inviting Muslim guests, just inform the manager that no alcohol should be served to that person/table.