Do you take wedding photos in a studio in your country? Come to Taiwan!

It's going to be 3 years soon since the day we got married! Thank god we can still stand each other under the same roof...

In Taiwan, before having a wedding party, people take wedding photos in a studio for memory and will present them to the guests at their wedding party. It's almost like a "must do" thing for Taiwanese people. Especially for most of the bride-to-be, taking beautiful wedding photos is one of the things they are looking forward to the most! They would go for a diet, work hard on caring every inch of their skin...all is for being in the best situation and leaving their most beautiful image in the photos as a good memory when they get old!

However, my water bear is from Japan and Japanese people don't do this. What they do is only to take photos on the actual day of their wedding party. 

So when I first told him I want to have some photo shooting in a studio, he said, "No, I don't want to... They don't look natural to me...plus I don't know how to smile in front of a camera..."

My mind sinked when he said that...He had no idea how much the photos would mean to me! I can only be young once and those photos will be precious memories forever. He finally promised to join the photo shooting because he still wanted to marry me after all...

So I promised I would find a good photographer and stylist because I didn't want my photos to look as if I'm a different person either...

On the day we went to pick up photos, he said,"Wow! Taiwanese photographer is so good and professional! Those photos are just amazing!"....I told you...一 一+ 

We were only supposed to pick up 30 photos from 500+ photos, but he kept saying, "No no no, this is impossible. 30 is too few!" We ended up picking up 120 photos and of course...we paid extra.

So what made him change his mind is one of the reasons that I think it's worth to share this fun experience with people.

Picking up Dresses

The store is located in Tainan City, southern part of Taiwan. We went to pick up my dresses one day before the photo shooting. The package price allowed me to pick up 5 dresses in total and those 5 dresses were tailored to fit me before photo shooting, which means it only took 1 day! As for guys, they need to prepare their own suit, 2 shirts in different colors, jeans or any other casual pants, 2 paris of socks (black and white), and black leather shoes.

Entrance of the studio

Once I entered the studio, I felt I was in a fairy tale... high-ceiling decorated by French chandeliers..love love love ❤

This is the second floor, where all the wedding gowns were stored.

I spent hours here to pick up my best ideal 5! XD

Those gowns were nice, but not for me...

Photo Shooting Day

We were told not to drink any water 12 hours before photo shooing. The next day we arrived at 7:30am, starting with changing clothes first, and then make up & hair. I am the second from the right in the photo. There were 3 more couples on the same day as well. Hot business!

Even though I had really short hair at that time, they still curled my hair to create volume at the front. They added a small wig on the back of my head, making it look like I had a bun.

Completed! :D I asked to have a simple style,  so I didn't even have a necklace on. Less is more! :)

Photo Shooting Begins

Style 1

Typical white gown with a rose bouquet

I love the background.

This is one of my favorite photos...many people told me I look like I'm in a cosmetic ad.

 luxury vintage background

Style2

I did't notice that until one of the friends told me I looked like the vase on the piano...

Break Time

When we finished shooting for the second style, it was already noon time. The studio provided some bento boxes for their clients. After lunch, we changed to 3rd style for outdoor shooting.

Style 3

This is my favorite Goddes-like dress. It's so elegant and romantic...

The last two pictures above were taken at an old elementary school.


It was interesting when this pictures was taken. The assistant took some of the plants you see in the picture. When the photographer said 123, the assistant started to rub those plants and spread them to fly to my direction.

The photographer brought us to many locations taking lots of pictures while I was in this dress. I changed to another dress in that old elementary school for continuing outdoor shooting :)

Style 4

It was already 5pm when we reached the beach. It was winter time so the sky was already little dark. The photographer tried to complete shooting before the sun went down.

It's real ocean. This photo was taken with strong lighting to create this effect.

We were in front of a really old rice shop.

The last stop was in front of an old door. Tainan city was dominated by Dutch and Japanese people long time ago, so there are many preserved historical sites in this city.

Style 5

For the last style, I told the stylist I wanted to try smoky eyes and it turned out to be a very different look!

"Chin up! More, more...," my photographer said. He taught people some skills of posing for a better proportion look in the photo.

I like my fingers in this photo.

Memorial Last Photo Shoot!

It was around 7:30pm already when the photographer decided the photos were enough! All of us were exhausted. But it was a fun day and we felt like we were super stars XD

Dinner Time

We needed good food to recharge our energy, so we visited a delicious noodle store in Tainan.

Besides many historical attractions, Tainan City is also famous for its delicious traditional food. Tan-Tsai-Noodle is one of them. This noodle store, called Du-Xiao-Yueh, has hundred-year-old history. The store already existed since Qing Dynasty. It's a must-go store if you visit Tainan! 

Du-Xiao-Yueh Noodle Store Information

They have an official website in Chinese, Japanese and English. The history, menu, store information are all included in the website.

http://www.iddi.com.tw/

Photo Shooting Studio Information

Official Website

http://www.amour234.tw/01_aboutus.asp

Facebook Page

http://www.facebook.com/amour234

Unfortunately they are both in Mandarin, but as I know, there were some foreign friends really fly to Taiwan and went to the studio to take their own portrait or wedding shots. So if you are interested maybe you can try to call the studio to see if there is anyone who speaks English. Good luck! :)

Giving Birth at American Hospital of Paris

                                                                  (Picture resource: Forbes.com)

Last May (2011) we moved to Paris from Japan due to my husband's work. At that time I was already pregnant for 5 months. When we were still preparing things in Japan for moving in Paris, I had already heard that it is REALLY HARD to get a bed for giving birth in France. The reason I am still not so sure, but I  guess it's because France has a high fertility rate: 2 which means every woman has 2 kids in average.

So usually when women found they're pregnant, the first thing they do is to call a hospital to make a reservation for getting themselves a bed for delivering!

Language Problem

I was very anxious when my friend who was living in Paris for 4 years told me this because at that moment we were still waiting for our visa and not sure when it would be ready! But I was already 5-month pregnant. I had no idea where I could find a hospital I could rely on to give birth without really going to that hospital to see and observe everything there! More than that, there is a big obstacle, I CANNOT speak French! So looking for a hospital that uses English made it even harder and relatively our choices were not that many!
It's very difficult to live in France if you don't speak French. French people tend to be more friendly and helpful to people who can speak French. And giving birth is life-matter issue, a mother needs to feel 100% secure and trust for the hospital and this will come from the good communication and service provided by the doctors, nurses, and personnels. Therefore, although the price is REALLY expensive, we still decided to choose American hospital for delivering our first child.

What do I think of the Hospital?
The hospital is located in Neuilly-sur-Seine, which is a commune in western suburbs of Paris. The hospital itself is no doubt luxurious. The whole environment of the hospital is very nice and clean. Facilities are very new and advanced as well. There is even a luxurious restaurant on the basement floor of the hospital.
Unfortunately, I encountered some difficulties to communicate with people there. The reason we picked up the hospital was because we expected most of the people there are bilingual. However, it was different from what we expected.
About the service, maybe because I was living in Japan, which is service-oriented country, and for the price I was paying for the hospital, I think I was expecting more than what they could provide me.

Japanese Section
There is a Japanese section in the hospital and all the doctors and personnels speak Japanese, French and some English. They are very helpful and friendly. For the first few times of my regular check, one of the Japanese female doctors even accompanied me and translated between the doctor and us. There are plenty of forms to fill out before the delivery day comes and all the forms and samples are also available in Japanese and English.
For people who cannot speak French, they provide translation in English, Japanese and Chinese. (There is only one Chinese doctor in the hospital) But I believe it would cost a lot, and we were in an "ok" situation. (Communication was ok, but sometimes it was hard!) so we didn't feel it's necessary to spend the money to hire an interpreter.

Midwife
For women who are pregnant for the FIRST time, midwife is an extremely important role for them. Before delivery day comes, a midwife usually teaches you what to do and how to breath during your delivery. When it came close to my EDD (Estimated Date of Delivery), my doctor asked me to make an appointment with a midwife by myself. In American Hospital, all the midwives work as an independent individual. Besides working in American Hospital, they also work in other hospitals. So if you want to have a lesson with a midwife, they charge 50 euro per hour.
I was very nervous because it was my first time to be pregnant and plus all that fear about delivering a baby...I was feeling a need to take the lesson, but it was too expensive and the midwives don't really speak English...So I ended up not taking any lesson.
And my conclusion is that I was totally fine when the delivering day came. I think it's just a natural ability for woman to give birth. When it comes, you will know what to do!

Price
American Hospital is a private hospital, so every gynecologist charges a different price. We picked up the most inexpensive doctor.
Regular Check-ups
So my doctor charged around 100 euro each time when he saw me. The Social Security (it's the health insurance provided by French government) can only cover up to 22 or 23 euro for the maximum. For instance, if you spent 100 euro for a pregnancy check-up, they will only reimburse you 22 euro. If you spend 150 euro, they still only reimburse you 22 or 23 euro.
Maternity Rates
Basically it can be divided into 2 parts:
Delivery Fee:
It includes the room, medical care, delivery room fees, flat admission and discharge fees. Both vaginal delivery(4 nights) and C-section delivery(6 nights) have a fixed price respectively. Extra cost for adding a bed 
Doctors' Fees: 
This part depends on who your doctor is. Every doctor charges a different price.
The followings are the doctors who will be involved in the delivery process
- Gynecologist
- Anesthesiologist
- Pediatrician
- ENT (Ear Nose and Throat Specialist)
The price estimation is available at the hospital or via email.
It is pricy so besides Social Security (Government health insurance), a Mutuelle (personal health insurance) is recommended for a better coverage.

Room

This was the room I stayed after delivery

They had a baby bed wrapping up prepared in my room before the baby was born

Toilet and Shower Room

Since we have no family in France, my husband is the only person who can help me. So we ordered another single bed for him to stay.

The hospital provided 3 meals a day, but only for 1 person. So the husband needs to go and get his own food. There is a simple menu for choice. The food amount was not much. Sometimes I still felt hungry after eating the whole meal because breast feeding usually makes you feel hungry easily...

First day for my baby

Delivery Room

This was the room for delivery. Facilities are very new and clean.

the bed with some equipment for newborn

After my baby was born, they handed her to me right away.

Conclusion

In summary, it is a good hospital but too pricy. We wouldn't have chosen it if we could speak proper French. I have a friend who delivered in one of the public hospitals in Paris and she had a good experience. Also the government covers almost everything if you give birth in a public hospital.

So again purchasing Mutuelle is definitely recommended.

Most importantly, my daughter was safely and healthily born!

If you are in a situation like me, new to France, can't speak French, looking for a hospital for giving birth and interested in going to American hospital or in any other situation, I hope this article helps!