The Bride: Alena Ali Azman
The Groom: Raphael Couzet

Venue: Delicious, Marc Residence, Kuala Lumpur
Tea Reception Date: February 15, 2011

Photographs by Anna-Rina

Alena and Raphael married in a traditional Akad Nikah ceremony in front of family and close friends at Alena's father's house. The bridal couple hosted a tea reception a few days later for everyone at Delicious, Marc Residence. ChiqWeddings finds out the little things that made their tea reception a Do-It-Yourself success!

You had a tea reception at Delicious Marc Residence on a public holiday. What were the steps to booking a restaurant which is part of a chain?

You will need to contact the chain's management office & request to be put in touch with the "Banquet" or "Events" department. You can select the venue you would like to hold your reception at & he/she will be able to advise you on the availability or suitability of the venue.  Alternatively, you can also provide details on your reception (date, number of guests attending, reception concept, etc) & the person in charge will be able to advise you accordingly.

Did you have to put down a deposit?

Yes, I had to put down a deposit upon confirmation of the reception.

What were the menu options and estimate price?

They provided me with three menu options for lunch based on a price range per head.  Finally I requested for them to propose an afternoon tea set menu based on my total budget & number of persons.

You had a beautiful wedding cake with adorable cake toppers! Who designed your wedding cake?

I had a picture of the cake design that I saw in Martha Stewart Weddings website. The cake in the picture was blue, so I passed the picture to Allan of Just Heavenly & requested for him to make a baby pink version of the same design.

As for the cake topper, it was suggested by Allan to do a cake topper that would reflect our personality as a couple, so we gave him a photo of how to depict us when making the cake topper.

How long before your reception did you have to place an order?

We placed the order about 3 months prior to the reception.

What wedding favors did you choose for your guests and why?

We gave out assorted pink candies to go with the colour theme and to recreate mine & my sister's childhood fantasies of  having many different types of candies (like the Enid Blyton books). We also gave out candied almonds brought in from a confectioner in my mother-in-law's village in Sicily because it is the traditional wedding favour given out at Sicilian weddings.

Where did you get the miniature pails from?

I got them online from a supplier based in Batu Pahat.

Tell us about your wedding invitations and the guests you invited.

Our friends at Favors Network helped us design the wedding invitations.  We wanted it to match the pink colour theme & to keep the cards simple, short & sweet.

The guests were mainly family, really close friends & a few of our closest friends from work. It was very much an intimate affair.

Did you use a wedding planner?

No, it was a very simple wedding so there was no need for one.

How long did it take you to plan your entire wedding?

We started planning the wedding about 1 year ahead to lock down the dates and venue. But the bulk of the work took place about 6 months before the wedding.

What was your color theme and why?

The color theme was baby pink & apple green.  Pink is my favourite colour & I thought apple green was a good combination to highlight it!

Who did the décor?

The decor was done by Spring Cottage

How much did it cost you?

The decorations and flowers cost us RM7,000

What was the idea behind the streamer-photos?

The photos were of my late mother at various stages in her life. The only thing that saddened me was that she couldn't be there to share my special day. So I wanted to have her photos at the venue so I can feel her presence there in spirit.

Alena & Raphael bought their own selection of candies for a candy corner for children and sweet-toothed guests

Alena prepared and delegated tasks to friends who helped welcome guests

Friends helped man the seating plans and guestbook sign-ins 

How did you coordinate the reception? How many people helped you and who were they?

I laid out the plans & ideas, liaised with the wedding vendors up to the day before the wedding & drew up the event programme & list of duties for the reception.  Then my best mates (my maid-of-honour & best man) & Raphael's best mates (his best man & mate-of-honour) helped us run the show on the day. 

Wedding attire - What did you and husband wear and what look were you going for?

I wore an ivory tea length dress by Zang Toi with a lace bodice & silk skirt.  Raphael wore a beige suit with a white shirt & a pink batik cravat. I was trying to go for a vintage "Grace Kelly" look whilst Raphael was inspired by Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl!

Who did your hair and makeup and how much should a bride-to-be set aside for makeup/hair?

Sue Cantik. It really depends on the bride's budget and expectations.  If she's on a budget, she can easily get a good make-up artist for RM500-700. But if she would like a reputable make-up artist who is known for their work in magazine photo shoots or for working with celebrities, they can expect to set aside RM900 & above.

You had a DIY scrapbook and photo booth. Where did you find the stationeries?

From Scrapping Ville at Bangsar Shopping Centre.

Where did you get the Polaroid camera?

We borrowed the small Fuji Instax camera from our friend, & bought the big one from the Fuji Film shop in Hartamas Shopping Centre.

Where did you get the trees to hang the signage?

From our florist, Spring Cottage.

Flower girl and boy

How long did it take to get all the items together?

The scrapbook only required about 10-15 minutes to get the pens & stickers arranged on the counter. It was the same for the cameras.

As for the trees, I cut out the letters for the banner the day before, so it took about 20 minutes to string the letters & hang them on the trees.

What was the overall cost of the Tea Reception (including makeup,dress,cake,venue,favors,etc)

About RM20,000

CW Bonus Question: Where are you planning to go to for your honeymoon?

We're heading to Turkey for 2 weeks! The plan is to spend 1 week in Istanbul & another week to venture further afield to other interesting towns.

 Note: The groom is of Italian-Belgian (non-muslim) descent whilst the bride is Malay Muslim. Find out about their conversion process and traditional Malay/Muslim Akad Nikah here.