renee, you haven't signed up for BS yet? i chose The Aisle Bridal. i went to about 8 roadshows and really sit down at every booth and listen to the packages and view all the albums and talk to all the people... i didn't dare to go to the shops because so many horror stories about them making you at least put deposit before they let you out of the shop... and the people at the roadshows already so aggressive, imagine if you are in their shop, really is a sheep walking in to be slaughtered!
at the roadshows some of them literally grab me by the arm and pull me into their booth, take a chair and shove it under my backside, or shouting in my ear saying i am not giving them chance, or even pulling my clothing. i was so shocked! what kind of professionalism is that?? are you that desperate for my business? means you must not be doing well HA HA HA...
i completely blacklisted all those with those kind of behaviour, then further blacklisted those that try and push for expensive package, don't allow me to customise what i want, or just keep pushing me to put a deposit.
finally i settled with The Aisle because they are not pushy at all, they allow me to customise exactly what i want so that i'm not paying extra for anything i don't actually want or will use, and the people there are so super friendly. also they have their own in-house designer and photographer (which is very very important so that at the last minute the person who is working with you doesn't change). it's important the designer understands your shape, your personality etc like what i mentioned earlier, and since you usually choose BS based on whether you like their photo albums, imagine if they hire a different freelance photographer for your PS! so i made sure it is their own in-house photog, won't run away or suddenly change! anyway the best part about them is they are fantastic fantastic people. i heard so many stories from friends who had a hard time debating and negotiating with their BS after signing, extra costs for this and that, and they do everything with a grumpy face esp. if you didn't sign an expensive package etc. heng ah, i never had to face any of these problems, they are always all smiles and very very eager to please, even if you wanna change gown like 5 times, they will change until you are happy because you are the bride! number number 1 BS to me =)
yea i also considered Rico-a-mona, they were my third choice (second choice was bridal concept but realised alot of their gowns are very very old and reused so a lot of people have had the same gown as u eeeeee dun feel special liao).
Rico is actually the sister company to Di Gio, but Di Gio is the cheaper version. DG gowns are more plain, whereas Rico uses more expensive materials and puts in more work into embroidery and stuff so the gowns look fancier, classier... hence more expensive. Rico package is thus more costly than DG. BUT I guess one good things is if you sign a Rico pkg, you can choose gowns from Rico PLUS Di Gio, but if you sign DG obviously you can't choose Rico gowns. So Rico brides got more choices. I would have absolutely loved Rico, but it was really tooooooooo expensive for me, and also their basic package already cost more than $1000 compared to The Aisle... imagine if you need to top up other things (which, since their basic pkg is SOOOO basic, definitely will end up paying more one, and they are not so keen to customise for you down to every single detail).
But yes, i lurrrrrrve RICO! Before I saw Rico at a roadshow, i wasn't even planning on getting a BS. just wanted to do everything alacarte, and wasn't even gonna do a PS, but Rico's albums changed my mind. Thankfully i found all that i wanted in The Aisle but at a lower price and with nicer people hehehehehe. Lucky me! =P
oh renee, better start looking at bridal magazines and choosing what you like and tearing those pages out! i did that for a few months so i had an entire portfolio file filled with these - for photoshoot locations, photo composition, poses, props, for makeup, for hairdos, for bridal gowns, for table decor, for activities for guests, for AD photography, for music, for dessert etc etc etc... it really helps to keep your mind focused and organised. and besides, it's really fun to flip magazines and dream about your own wedding!
