Should You Get A Bridal Package For Your Wedding?

As promised, if you are thinking about signing a bridal package, here are some pros and cons to help us think about it!

Mr OOPS and I opted for this eventually. So I naturally spent more time thinking about it.

Why Get A Bridal Package?

Pros
  1. You save time and cost because almost everything necessary is inclusive. Usually for bridal package, they give you quite an extensive number of stuff. These stuff includes your make up artiste, trial make up, gowns and suit for pre wedding shoot and wedding, photographer for pre wedding shoot (and actual day if you need, with a top up fee), large developed photos with photo frame, edited photo album etc etc. Pretty extensive I would say. 
  2. You get to have choices (based on the selection provided at the bridal studio). When you sign up with a bridal studio, you can foresee yourself wearing and trying on different gowns at the bridal studio. If one doesn't fit, you can always try on the other one. 
  3. You get professional advice on what suits you and what doesn't. For people who are unsure of the following: (1) which colour suit your skin colour (2) what kind of gowns will accentuate your body shape (3) what type of hairdo and make up will match your gown (4) what type of accessories will go well with your gown. Your queries will all be answered by the staff at the studio. Good for people who are not very into wedding fashion.
  4. You get someone who teaches you the best way to wear your gowns (and NuBra)! I'm always puzzled why the same person wearing the exact same gown could look so different. It's also amazing how a flat chest lady can get so boosted up at the front during a wedding shoot. But now I know, the magic lies in the way the staff helps to "push" our fats to the right places, the extra layers of bra and bras and also supplement some "cushioning" at the front and the back so as to achieve the ideal hourglass shape. 
  5. You don't have to get frantic over last minute crisis. Almost all BTB go on the panic mode to exercise frantically or go on diets. This is so as to allow us to be one our best looks on our special day. Losing weight thus become the motto for many BTB. However sometimes when we lose too much weight, our gown suddenly become too loose a few days or even one day before the actual day. With a bridal studio, we will be assured that in the event that one dress fails, we still have another.
Cons
  1. You probably can't bargain much on package price. Bridal packages are usually sold at a package price, without any breakdown of the expenses. There are also no apparent discounts if you were to remove any of the given items. The only possibility is to bargain for more unnecessary stuff or just sign up when you finds one which the price fits your budget.
  2. You are now at the mercy of the bridal studio. Once you signed up with a studio, it literally meant your fate is more or less sealed with them. Any last minute changes or hidden costs that pops up along the way, you just have to accept them and pay them. Some which I found out were dirty gowns, sudden change of assigned photographer or make up artiste, extra charges for fake eyelashes and ampoules or inflexible make up artiste who make you look older than your age. If these turns you off, you can also choose to forfeit everything and change another studio, and hopefully a better one for you. Or you can try to sell off your package. There's nothing much we can do except to scream at ourselves for not paying more attention before confirming with the studio.
  3. You may end up spending much more than your package price if you or your partner lack discipline of the pre-wedding shoot. You may have heard about this. Couples who paid 2k+ or 3k+ for a basic package and then spending extra on purchasing pre-wedding photos. You will hear people spending $2000 and up to $10 000 on top of their existing package. If you think I am exaggerating, I can only say you are just not very familiar with the market. Usually packages come with only 30 or maybe up to 40 free photos each additional photo can cost as high as $80 per piece. When you opt to get all the soft copies, the photographer may give you a "good overall discount" of maybe everything at $10 000. Ka-ching! $$$
  4. You may not get what your sales coordinator promised you during point of purchasing the bridal package. We sometimes hear how sales co-ordinator overpromise their customers with countless items and services. Thereafter when the couple approaches the studio, they get a different picture all together. When they try and clarify on the agreed contract, they then realised that either the co-ordinator has quit and no one can help to verify the details in the contract or the bridal studio has gone through a change of management. This is also the very reason why I do not recommend couples to purchase their packages too early in case of any changes to the company, unless if they are going to get married within one year.
  5. You may not be able to find your ideal wedding gown from the bridal studio's selections. Or if you really do, you need to top up extra. Many couples usually sign up for packages during roadshow or wedding showcases. And that is even before viewing or trying out the gowns which are available at the studio itself.  (Faints... And I'm one of them!) Some couples feedback that after signing the package, they realised the range of gowns under their package price are not up to their standards. They ended up paying a few hundreds more. If given a choice, I would probably choose to visit the studio and try out the gowns before signing up.
I will be revealing our selected bridal studio next! I shall also try to type out the checklist to bargain with bridal studios as soon as I can! It is always time consuming to type out checklist but I will do my best! Stay tuned ;)

Cheers,
Mrs To-Be OOPS

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