Julie write:
"Something new,
Something old,
Something blue,
Something borrowed."
Growing up in a family with 2 other sisters, my parents never gave us the impression that they had a favourite child amongst the 3 of us; we were all brought up under the same broken canes, nagging sessions and iron fists. I guess we will never, as daughters, understand our parents' expectations of us until the day we step into their parental shoes ourselves.
To be frank, it's exciting to set our parents abuzz with wedding preparations. It's hard to miss that sparkle in their eyes when they rattle on about our Cantonese wedding traditions, popping tips and pointers to me on how to keep the practices alive yet simplified.
So it was finally dowry shopping day last Sunday with Daddy, Mummy and the Husband. Traditionally, the dowry is given to the bride by the groom's parents to show the bride's parents that their daughter has married into a good family. But it's the 21st century, and you can't stop 21st-century parents from buying their daughters dowry too. :))
Contrary to belief that you can derive greater buyback value from gold pieces bought from a prestigious jeweller, you are sorely mistaken. The buyback price of gold is very much dependent on the weight and quality of the gold, while brand and handicraft is a much smaller factor. After having window shopped at mainstream retailers like SK and Poh Heng, I could see the disparity in pricing after popping by Tin Sing Goldsmiths, a quaint jewelry shop at which my extended family has purchased jewelry from since I was a kid. My traumatizing first time at ear-piercing, the gold key from my late grandma for my 21st birthday and finally my wedding dowry - they've sold me the tangible goods with intangible meanings to them. The deal breaker is definitely how down-to-earth the staff are, to the extent that they're not dying to sell you their heaviest piece of gold but instead choose to listen to your requests and make recommendations accordingly. Maybe it's because we're regular customers, because they managed to give us a discounted price which sounded really auspicious. :)
I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, so all I'll disclose is that we chose an exquisite dragon-phoenix bangle and a simple necklace to match my kua on the actual day. "This necklace will look very generous on the bride," the staff in Tin Sing joked. We had a good laugh, but it almost felt like she was telling me this from the perspective of an experienced mother.
Reposted from http://jackjulie.blogspot.sg/
