Despite not having any industry experience in wedding planning, Khoo Kien Ling has set up such a school, relying on her strengths and love for happy endings, writes MEENA SREENIVASAN

Khoo (left) with two of her students who work with her now

SHE found the perfect career by marrying her eye for detail with her love for happy endings. Khoo Kien Ling took the bold step of setting up Adamas School of Weddings last year and has never looked back since. Prior to wedding planning, she spent almost five years in research at University of Leicester in the United Kingdom.

She received her doctorate in 2003 upon completion of her PhD in Computational Modelling and Dielectric Properties of the Hollandite (a natural occurring mineral or compound in the ground).

After working as a quality management representative for three years, she decided to to pursue her passion in wedding planning.

Most might find the transition from science researcher to wedding planner odd, but Khoo says the connection between science and weddings is not all that different.

“Both have a common base and require analysis, concept, execution and action.” She sees wedding planning as understanding the couple (analysis), proposing concepts that the couple may like (concept), looking for the right vendors for the wedding within the couple’s budget (execution), and making the couple’s big day a success (action).

“It’s quite simple. You need to believe in fairy tales and dreams for them to come true,” she quips, adding that since young she has loved to plan themed birthday parties and help out at family functions and events.

Without any industry experience in wedding planning, she’s banking on her strengths such as attentiveness to build her wedding school.

“My philosophy is that to-be-wed couples should be stress-free on their big day because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime occasion.” Adamas School of Weddings is the only licensed institute in the country which offers the Weddings Beautiful Malaysia & Singapore course to produce wedding specialists. Its first intake was last November.

The course is licensed by Weddings Beautiful Worldwide, US.

Since becoming a certified wedding planner by Weddings Beautiful Worldwide two years ago, not only has she set up a school, but also currently serve as president of Weddings Beautiful Malaysia & Singapore, lecturer for Weddings Beautiful Malaysia & Singapore, International Division of Weddings Beautiful Worldwide, and community leader of The Association of Wedding Professionals International. On how her school got its name, Khoo says: “Adamas means diamond in Greek. This precious stone symbolises love between a couple. It’s hard to find a diamond with the perfect cut, making it precious, and that’s how Adamas sees weddings.” Students will be exposed to industry requirements such as fabric knowledge and whatever that’s relevant to wedding planning.

“Besides classroom learning, we believe practical lessons are important for hands-on skills and expertise. So students will undergo practical training with real clients,” says Khoo.

Conducted in English and Mandarin, the course will see students developing proposals for couples with detailed questionnaires and market pricing for wedding planner services, inculcating time-consciousness as time is vital for wedding planning, drafting and negotiating contracts with vendors and clients, and learning the protocols, customs and traditions of various cultures to provide couples with the relevant advice. Students will also learn the latest trends and styles in bridal fashion, and effective management and communication techniques. The course can be taken through a self-learning home study programme or classes at Adamas. The home study option costs RM3,000 and takes a year to complete while the school option goes for RM7,500 and includes lectures, tutorials and practical sessions with industry professionals. For further enquiries, please call 012-550 3378 or visit www.adamasweddings.com

• Budgeting For Your Wedding There is no other way that this can be said: Weddings can be really expensive! Of course, when you think about it, there are different degrees of expensive, and it is important for you to figure out where you and your significant other fit in on this scale. For some......
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Whether it’s the marriage of a dear friend or family member or someone I don’t know well at all, I’m guaranteed to cry during the ceremony when the couple exchanges vows. I’m also guaranteed to cry during any speeches or toasts at the reception. I think the only time I didn’t cry during a wedding toast was when I gave one at my sister’s wedding, and that’s only because my fear of speaking in front of a crowd was more powerful than my emotions about the moment.

In her “Wedding Book,” celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss writes that “toasts are one of the highlights of the wedding.”

Related
Send In Your Wedding Questions!Bride’s Guide, Day 30: Invitation Response Etiquette?Bride’s Guide, Day 29: A Wedding Planner’s Top 10 Tips The traditional best man’s toast is still the staple speech at most weddings, but these days there are usually also speeches or toasts from parents, the maid of honor and the bride and groom.

So how do you decide who should speak, and when? And should you talk to them about what they’ll say beforehand?

Weiss says that you shouldn’t have everyone in your wedding party give a toast.

“Too many can bog down a wedding,” she writes in “The Wedding Book.” “So can toasts that go on and on.”

No toast should last more than five minutes, she says.

Toast Timing
Mindy suggests having the bride’s parents welcome the guests as the first course is served and then invite up the groom’s parents if desired.

The best man, she says, should give his toast “toward the end of the first course or during the second course,” followed by the maid of honor if you choose to have her speak.

As for the bride and groom, she recommends that they speak at the cake cutting.

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Finding a caterer in Winnipeg is not hard. However finding one who is available for your chosen date might be a little more difficult. Finding a caterer that will work with you and has the ability to change to your needs as they unfold may be another story.

When you are looking for a caterer ask lots of questions, there are no “stupid” questions. You must feel comfortable with whomever you are doing business with.

!. Choose someone who is not overbooked for your wedding day. It is not uncommon for caterers to have multiple functions on a given day. Pick someone with no more than one or two bookings. No matter how big the company, the more functions the more logistic problems that can arise.

2. Pick a caterer that you have heard good reviews about, such as from friends or family.

3. Choosing someone, because they are the only company that you can think of may not be enough of an endorsement.

4.Choose a caterer that can address your requirements. All caterer do not do outside weddings for example or have limits on there ability to travel outside of city limits.

5. Remember that you are the boss, not them. Choose a caterer that does not have an “attitude”.

6. Pick a caterer that is upfront about pricing, includes everything in one price, and does not try to surprise you with last minute additions.

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Q: Whats a creative reception idea?

A: A gourmet stir-fry station is a hit because guests get to customize - they choose the ingredients, and the chef cooks it on the spot.  Late in the party, try serving miniature bottles of old fashioned sodas from small claw-foot bathtubs filled with ice.  Anything that reminds people of the past makes them happy, and the setup is interactive.

Q: What are the hottest new party colours?

A: Cantaloupe and terra-cotta, or coral and gray together; you get the silvery feel with the coral to lighten it.  Slate blue, mint and cafe au lait is another fresh combination – subdued, but not earthy.  Gold and copper are definitely making a comeback.

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