I just came back this week from Taipei. Landed in Singapore on Tuesday evening. Was there the previous week. Whole trip was 8 days 7 nights.
We arrived a day earlier before our scheduled appointment with the NAZA coordinator. Checked into Neijiang Hotel as recommended by the NAZA staff to book. It was a comfortable stay, clean hotel with basic toiletries. Rooms are quite spacious considering that budget hotels in Taipei rooms are relatively small. Convenient location, 3 mins walk to NAZA shop, 5 mins to Ximen MRT. Freego bus stops just outside the hotel from the airport. Round trip is NT$260 per pax. Alot of food stalls in Ximending area and convenience store just around the corner. You won't go hungry for sure.
Costs of Hotel room
Week days NT$1380 - after NAZA discount rate
Weekends NT$1580 - Friday is also a weekend
Comes with daily packed sandwich and packet juice for breakfast. Not too bad
Second Day went to NAZA shop, basically they own the whole shop-house with 5 levels. Our coordinator was not around that day so another assistant helped me with the selection of gowns. Because our shoot is mostly outdoors, the gowns for selection to bring out of the shop are very limited. I didn't really enjoy the selection processed as the gowns look really ugly and old and worn out. They keep all the nice gowns upstairs and you have to pay extra for wearing them. So out of the little selection I had to pick out 5 gowns, one white, 4 evening gowns.
I negotiated with them as I didn't like their selection and asked if they had other white gowns to had a mermaid tail. They did have something like that in my size. However after she made me try it, I was told to offer a price for wearing it for the photoshoot day if I wanted it. I didn't what to offer for it as the material for this gown is only soso but much better looking than the rest. She quoted a price to me at NT$6000! I really felt it ridiculous and decided to choose something else. Then the staff said how about I half the price for you to NT$3000. At that moment I felt there was something fishy about this staff, how can the price be halved in just 5mins??? So I still insisted on looking for something else, not wanting to pay for it. As I can easily buy a gown online and get it altered for the same price and similar material. In the end, she offered to let me wear it for free!!!
There was a second assistant though who was helping me to dress up and try the gowns, I can't remember her name but she's new and very helpful, not as scheming as her colleague who seems to have worked there for some time already.
Final selection was
1 white gown - indoor shoot - this was the one I initially had to pay for using it
1 white gown - outdoor
3 evening gown - outdoor
1 casual outfit - I brought myself
After the long selection process which took me almost 3 hours. We had to rush to C.K.S Memorial Hall where we had to go to this Men's Tailoring Shop called GEM to pick out the grooms tuxedo.From this place, they have a small selection of grooms tuxedo, 5 to choose from. There's the usual Black Suit, White Suit, a better looking Black Suit and a better looking White Suit and a Gray suit. If I can remember correctly.
Absolutely not much selection for guys. If you want to upgrade your suit, it's min NT$1500 and it's only an extra vest for the suit and a better material tie. Really a rip off place in my own personal view. The gray suit they offered included in the package was really ugly. We decided to take the better looking gray suit, however the upgrade was NT$5000! faintsss.. but because we were pressed for time as we still had to return to NAZA to discuss with the Makeup artist on the style for the bride and the locations for the shoot with the photographer, we hurriedly agreed to the payment. Taiwanese really good at upselling to you. I didn't really enjoy this part
In our package we have
2 Free Use of groom tuxedo
After rushing back to NAZA and having a super fast and quick dinner, we had a short discussion with the Makeup artist and the photographer. These 2 people are the most crucial to the wedding photoshoot. I give them 2 thumbs up for their excellent service and professionalism. This part of the wedding photo package I was willing to pay for. We went back to rest that evening and had to be at the shop by 7.30am the next morning.
Will continue story tmr...
Hi Sarah, found your blog via a search for Naza Wedding. I bet it felt like ages ago since your photoshoot in Taiwan, but still, any chances that you have uploaded your wedding shots on the Net? I am currently planning my wedding and honestly - the questions and things to do keep piling up. Hope to see the quality of Naza shootings before I commit anything with them.
ReplyDeleteNo worries if you ain't uploading the pics or anything - just trying my luck =D
Thanks!
Simon-
Hi Simon,
ReplyDeleteI just posted up one, you can take a look. Sorry it took quite some time before I uploaded any of the pictures because choosing the design and style of it took almost 6 rounds. LOL. That is the issue when you have too many pictures to choose from. My suggestion, stick with the 30 standard photos in the original package, as the photographer is really solid enough to compose very good photos. They will take many many pictures during the day shoot (almost 200+) so that you have a wide selection to choose from, but every shot looks good man. Highly recommend Ah You the photographer.
Hope this helps you
Cheers
Sarah :)