The Bridal Shoes

Besides getting ourselves busy over our wedding bands, we were also on a lookout for bridal shoes. This is another quite urgent item as it is needed for our pre-wedding shoot in early August. For the groom, it is very simple. A pair of black leather shoes will do the job. For the bride, it gets a little trickier. This is especially so for dear who is 1.75m tall. It is already not easy for her to find shoes for her daily use, so it is quite a headache shopping for bridal shoes.

We went to the well-known Sinderella, which provides off-the-rack bridal shoes and offers semi-customisation as well. They are not able to design from scratch and custom-make any size you want. They can, however, offers flexibility in the height of the heels, the colours and the size (up to a certain maximum). Dear could not find any suitable ones and was pretty disappointed.

There are like not many places in Singapore that sell bridal shoes. Hence, I thought perhaps instead of bridal shoes, she can wear normal high-quality shoes like Ferragamo or what. Who says wedding gown must go with wedding shoes? It may also be a more practical option as they can still be worn on normal days after the wedding hah. But we couldnt find suitable ones as well.

Last Sunday while at Jurong Point, we decided to drop by Anna Nucci to take a look. We have been to that shop before already but was not a very fruitful trip. However, that day she managed to find something that she kinda liked and that fits! It helps that the sales staff serving us was very pleasant and patient.

Bridal shoes settled!

So after spending quite some time in the shop, dear walked out a happy bride-to-be!

 

Our Wedding Bands

Ok finally another update to this very inactive blog hah. Not that we are lazy, just that really not much updates lately. But for the past few weeks, many of our weekends were spent shopping around/ looking everywhere/ googling online for ideas for our wedding. Miscellaneous stuff like photoshoot locations, photoshoot props, save-the-date ideas, wedding gowns inspirations etc.

However, the main focus was still hunting for our wedding bands (the rings we wear on our fingers, not the group of musicians/singers playing during wedding banquets hah). We went to almost all the big jewellery chains like Soo Kee, Lee Hwa, Goldheart, Love and Co and others. For dear, it is pretty easy – eternity ring (hmm, actually is half eternity ring due to budget contraint and ease of resizing hah), which is available in almost every shop. The challenging part is finding a ring that I like! Out of all the shops, only the “Promise” series of rings from Love and Co. caught my eyes. I like its chunky, simple design. We would have gotten our wedding bands there, if not for the cost. The pair of wedding bands we like cost about $3,300. Gosh.

Hence, we decided to keep our options open and have a visit to The Canary Diamond Company where I had my proposal ring set. They do not actually have a huge range of wedding bands, but they are able to custom-make. The same guy, Alson, served us and we let him know the kind of designs we like. Again, for dear, it is no issue as they have ready stocks of eternity rings for her to try on. However, as it is hard for me to visualise without an actual ring. So he offered to make one for me to try, with no obligations to buy if it is not up to expectations. Pretty good service!

We returned last Saturday when the ring was ready. I felt it was a tad too broad. Hence, I requested for some minor adjustments to the broadness, and also some additions of small diamonds hah. Dear, on the other hand, was pleased with her sparkling half eternity ring, which goes perfectly well with her proposal ring! We paid a deposit of $300 and our rings will be ready in mid-May hah.

What we like about The Canary Diamond – Reasonable price, good service, high quality (the ring feels really solid as compared to those from mainstream jewellery chains, and they use generally good diamonds). I would recommend that shop anytime hah.

 

Oh, Dear!

Knowing that it will cost a bomb to top up more photos from La Belle (on top of the free 36 poses our package gave us), we have decided to take up another pre-wedding photoshoot (also known as engagement photoshoot) hah. As dear likes a tinge of vintage, we narrowed down to two photographers which provide photography with a vintage touch, and at very affordable prices – Oh, Dear! Photography and Confetti Peektures!

After quite a bit of email correspondences, and lots of browsing of their works online, we eventually decided on Oh, Dear! as we like their works slightly more hah. Actually both are not bad, and their styles are pretty similar. The package offered by Oh, Dear! is actually more expensive by almost 40%, I guess largely because they are more established and experienced.

More about Oh, Dear! Photography:

“We specialise in Vintage Engagement Shoots, Maternity Shoots, Bridal Portraits, Family Portraits and all things lovely. Based in sunny Singapore, we are available for overseas shoots as well. Oh, Dear! Photography is all about being Natural and whimsical with a touch of Vintage. It’s also about bringing together our love for photography, for new relationships and for happy times. We celebrate life, love, kisses and Engagements.”

Photo Credits: Oh, Dear! Photography

The engagement package we signed up includes:

• 3 hours of photoshoot at 2 locations of our choice
• Return of all hi-resolution pictures taken (approximately 250 or more)
• Return of 50 fully edited pictures (vintage style of course)
• All pictures return in soft copy  – DVD within 2 weeks

At $680 nett, we thought it is pretty value-for-money and more importantly, we kind of like their style hah. A deposit of $280 has just been paid to secure our photoshoot date on 22 July 2012. Yes, thats how busy the popular Melody (the photographer) is!

Now that we have confirmed this additional pre-wedding shoot, we must really be firm and not top up any photos with La Belle. If not it would have defeated the whole purpose, since the reason why we want to take this up in the first place is to avoid paying the exhorbitant $80 per picture for the top up. (This paragraph is obviously dedicated to dear hah).

*Note that the price of $680 nett is only valid for booking by March 2012.

 

Our Mini Honeymoon

We have decided to have our honeymoon in Europe. However, as our wedding day is in Jan 2013, we think that Europe is too cold for travelling (for us at least hah) if we are to fly like a day or two after our wedding. Hence, probably we will have our honeymoon only in May.

Since the real honeymoon is like 5 months later after the wedding, I thought it will be a great idea if we can have a mini version right after the wedding hah. Yes, the appetizer before the main course! Bali sounds appealing since both of us have never been there and it is pure bliss to relax and laze around in a Balinese villa with private pool for 4 days 3 nights. It should be a romantic getaway too! And of course, it is not too harsh on our pockets hah. We still need the cash for the main course you see.

Today I saw AirAsia is having a promotion for several destinations.

While seats last!

Return flight to Bali at only $102 per pax, all-inclusive! Such a great deal hah. Dont waste time already, decided to just book it! Shall settle the villa when the trip draws nearer. Recommendations welcomed (Banyan Tree and its league are too expensive and out of our budget though hah)! Oh regarding the AirAsia promotion, must book by 19 Feb 2012, for travel period up till 31 Jan 2013. Dont miss the bargain!

 

First Meeting with La Belle

Our coordinator, Peiwen, from La Belle Couture called us and arranged for the first meet-up last Sunday. We reached the bridal shop at 12pm. This was our 2nd visit to the shop itself. The first time was when we passed by it and decided to just pop in to take a look hah.

La Belle Couture

The main purpose of this meeting was to confirm the date for our pre-wedding shoot. As our big day was on 5 Jan 2013, peiwen suggested us to have our shoot in early Aug. Hence, we decided on 6 Aug 2012 (Mon) to have our pre-wedding shoot hah. The gown selection will be on 6 Jul 2012 (Fri), about a month before the actual shoot. Since it will take at least 4 hours (gosh), we have to take half-day off.

First meeting with Peiwen, our coordinator

Peiwen also showed us pictures of other couples, for us to think about the photography style we like, and also the potential locations we can go. We then also confirmed Kenny as our pre-wedding shoot photographer, and Vivi as the make-up artist.

From now till 6 Aug 2012, I shall start shedding some kilos (will try my best hah) and we also need to start thinking of the photo shoot locations and props! Looking forward!

 

Money Woes

Getting married in Singapore is a very expensive affair, usually. Most probably, there will be bridal package (which includes pre-wedding shoot and actual day use of gowns and suits), actual day photography and videography, wedding bands, chinese banquet at a hotel, rental of wedding car, angbaos (for the xiongdis, jiemeis, car-opener, solemniser etc), honeymoon, among others. To make the banquet more interesting, some couples may also have photo booths, dessert bar etc during cocktail receptions, live band performing during the dinner and stuff like that.

And all these need money.

Hence, even before we start looking at venues, bridal studios all that, we have drawn up a budget to adhere to. Yes, wedding is one of the most important events in our lives and it is certainly worth celebrating. But it will be unwise to overstretch yourself and land yourself in debt after the wedding day – a  very bad start of a marriage, as we know financial issues are the cause of many marital woes. Hence, the key is to spend within our means.

Our wedding budget

Listing down a list of items and putting a cost to it, the end figure was a little shocking. Seems that even if we keep within our budget, we need about $70,000 for the wedding (including honeymoon)! Assuming we recover about 70% of our banquet expense, our wedding will still cost about $40,000 – not a small sum, it takes years to save! But at least it is a sum we are still comfortable with, to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime affair.

So for this year, there should not be any reckless purchases hah. Really need to save up! And after our wedding, it is time to save up again for our future home’s renovation and furnishing hah.

 

Loud! Productions – Confirmed

Last Friday after work, we headed to the BOWS 2012 at Dhoby Ghaut. This was our second BOWS event hah. And this time, we were looking for Actual Day photography and videography services. Though our big day is still a year away, we decided to book early since our wedding is on a Saturday. We do not want a scenario where many photographers are already booked and we have to settle for something else hastily.

Before going to BOWS, we have also combed through a lot of forums and reviews, looking at various photographers’ works via their websites, blogs, facebook pages etc. Some take really great pictures, but charge exhorbitantly. Yes, these services are essential to capture the beautiful moments of this once-in-a-lifetime affair. But I also do not want to burn a big hole in our pockets. To me, there are many things more worth spending on, like honeymoon and our future home.

Anyway, back to BOWS. I saw an ex-classmate from my Marketing class, who is now a photographer with Edmund Leong Photography. Really like their style and editing, and also their beautiful album. But their price is too steep for us, so have to give it a miss.

We then visited La Belle’s booth and met Ginni again hah. In the bridal package we signed with them, there was an option to top up $200 for AD photography. It is such a steal at $200, and we are tempted to take that option if their AD shots are at least decent. So we wanted to look at more of their AD shots before deciding. Ginni then told us of their tie-up with Loud! Productions, where they offer promotional prices for La Belle couples. We could top up an additional $500 (on top of the $200) if we want to engage Loud! Productions’ AD photography service, and a special price of $1,888 for their AD videography service with express highlight. (Normal quotes from Loud! are $1,888 for AD photography and $2,088 for AD videography). She then showed us some of their works, which we were pretty satisfied with.

AD photography and videography confirmed!

We then spent the next 2 days to consider and to look up for more of their works online. To be honest, didnt manage to find a lot hah. But well, as we thought the price is okay for us and we are quite pleased with their works, we decided to bargain a bit more and then take up the offer hah. So we returned on Sunday evening and after some negotiation, Ginni gave us some discount from the originally quoted $2,588 heh.

One less thing to worry about!

 

The Countdown Begins!

This blog has been very quite for the past couple of months. But it is purely because there isnt any updates at all on our wedding preparation hah. Today marks the beginning of our grand countdown. Exactly one year later, we will say our vows and walk down the aisle, celebrating the joyous occassion with our family and friends.

One year countdown starts today!

The year ahead will definitely be very busy for us as we prepare for our big day (and this space will thus certainly spring up to life hah). Hopefully we will not be stressed out too much, and will instead enjoy the whole preparation process together.

5 January 2013 – Save the date!

 

Love Affairs by Style Weddings

The week is finally over and it is Friday again! TGIF! After work today, we went to Plaza Singapura as there is a wedding fair happening there. It was organised by Style Weddings, a magazine published by Mediacorp. Called “Love Affairs”, this wedding fair will run till this Sunday, and it features a number of vendors, including banquet venues, bridal studios, photography and videography services etc.

We were there to redeem a deal voucher I bought from Mocca Perks – $5 for the latest edition of Style Weddings magazine hah. We were pleasantly surprised when they gave us a goodie bag and also a pair of GV movie passes too hah. Nice!

Love Affairs by Style Weddings at Plaza Singapura

Since we have already signed our banquet and bridal packages, there was not much to look at there. We did however stop by 2 booths offering Actual Day photography and videography services. Pretty nice, but kind of expensive hah. Anyway, we are too broke to sign up for more packages now. We have afterall still have more than one year to go before our big day, so no rush at all. Shall slowly look see and enjoy the whole preparation process.

 

Thank You for Voting!

The Proposal Re-enactment Photoshoot Contest has ended and sadly, we didnt manage to win. In 10 days, we garnered 164 “Likes”, which is already beyond our expectations! A big thank you to each and everyone who voted for us! And thanks to all friends who have helped to spread the words around to get more support for us! Really appreciate it, and though we didnt win, at least we tried our best and have no regrets. At the same time, congrats to the winning couple with their deserving entry!

 

5 More Days, 200 More Votes Needed

After 5 days since our entry got uploaded, we have garnered 112 votes from friends, some friends of friends and a handful of people who we dunno. Many thanks to each and everyone who has voted!

However, a few days after our entry was posted, the couple who was initially leading the pack with a total of 75 votes suddenly managed to garner many more “Likes” which left us speechless! Their votes increased a few folds and at the moment they have a whopping 282 votes. Freaking scary hah.

But we are not going to give up just yet. I know the chance to win is super slim, or almost zero, but we are not going to give up without putting up a good fight! Dear friends, and anyone who is reading this blog, please spare us 3 minutes of your time to help support us!

Step 1: “Like” The Wedding Bureau Singapore facebook page.

Step 2: “Like” our photo entry (5th one) in the album “{Bureau Contest} “Proposal Re-enactment” Photo Shoot”.

Regardless of the results, a big Thank You to everyone who has helped! Our deepest appreciation goes to you!

 

Our Wedding Date: 5 January 2013

Among the various dates which are still available at Swissotel Merchant Court, we have decided on 5 January 2013, Saturday. My parents have helped us check that date at the temple and it was considered auspicious, hence we decided to proceed with the booking of the banquet venue.

After looking around a number of different venues, we are still the most satisfied with Swissotel Merchant Court. It is well-balanced in the various aspects of location, pricing, perks, capacity and ballroom design. We had an appointment with Lidia Phua at 6pm yesterday to sign the contract and pay the deposit, in order to secure our reservation.

Our chosen venue - Swissotel Merchant Court!

As there was a wedding banquet yesterday evening, she brought us to take a look at the cocktail reception area and the ballroom which were fully setup.

Touring the cocktail reception area and ballroom

She then brought us to view the poolside pavilion where we can hold our solemnisation ceremony before the banquet (we are still considering if outdoor will be too hot and uncomfortable hah). Should we decide not to take the outdoor option, or in the event of wet weather, the ceremony would be shifted into one of their function rooms instead.

Poolside solemnisation setup (photo credit: Singaporebrides.com)

After the “tour”, we proceeded to the lounge where she went through the contract in detail with us. We tried to ask for more perks but sadly, they were pretty inflexible with that. Hence, what we are getting is what has been stated (which we think are already pretty generous). Oh well, at least we tried hah. We signed the contract and it was nicely presented to us in a red folder. In the folder, there are also some useful materials like a wedding dinner checklist, emcees’ script, time schedule on actual day etc.

The contract

We have paid a deposit of $3000, with the remaining payable upon checkout after the wedding banquet. However, as Standard Chartered Manhattan card gives a 5% cash rebate for spending of $3000 and above (subject to a cap of $200 cashback per quarter), we can arrange to pay $4000 per quarter in order to maximise our savings hah. Hence, from now till January 2013, we could potentially save $1000 using Manhattan card hah.

 

Vote for Us!

We have joined our first-ever wedding-related contest organised by The Wedding Bureau hah. To enter this contest, we need to submit our proposal story together with a photo of us. And the winner will be the couple that garners the most “Likes” on facebook. So dear frens, please help us to win a free proposal re-enactment photoshoot by spending 3 mins of ur time to do the below:

step 1: “Like” The Wedding Bureau Singapore facebook page.

step 2: “Like” our photo entry (5th one) in the album “{Bureau Contest} “Proposal Re-enactment” Photo Shoot”.

Vote for Us!

That’s about it! This contest closes on 24 September, hence please dont procrastinate hah. Appreciate your help and thank you in advance!

 

La Belle Couture – Confirmed!

The first time we met La Belle Couture bridal boutique was at Sheraton Towers wedding show. After looking through their portfolios of wedding gowns and albums, we were tempted but did not sign a package with them. Main reason was we were not comfortable of signing without doing any research and comparisons. Hence, after that wedding show, we decided to ask around for opinions, google for reviews, and finally we shortlisted some bridal boutiques that we wanted to check them out. La Belle Couture was one of them.

When we met La Belle Couture again during Amara Hotel wedding show, my thought was that maybe we should just sign with them, since I was pretty satisfied with what they offer. But of course, that is only if dear is comfortable with that hah.

At this second encounter, we discussed with the same lady who served us the first time – Jinni Yeo. After looking through their albums and photo gallery etc again, we decided to just take the plunge hah! Anyway, when choosing a bridal boutique, there are only 2 main questions you need to ask yourself. (1) Are you happy with their gown selection and designs? (2) Do you like their photography style and album layout? If your answers are “Yes” for both, then why wait?

A 50% deposit of $1700 has been paid. One less thing to worry about hah. And because La Belle Couture is also participating in BOWS 2011 which we planned to go, Jinni promised that the package they offer during that event will not be better than what we have signed hah.

** Friends who are keen to know more details about our package can ask me directly.

 

Amara Hotel Wedding Show

We went for the Amara Hotel wedding show last Sunday. This was the first (and the last I think) wedding show that we had to pay to attend – $28 per couple. Reaching at almost 2pm, the show had already started. This wedding show’s format was alittle different from the others we had attended. At the start of the show, the different vendors took turns on the stage to “advertise” their services. There were some performances by Yours Truly (wedding live band), a talk by a Fengshui master, and a bridal fashion show by La Belle Couture.

After which, it was time for food! Having paid $28, we of course expected the food to be great hah. Amara Hotel prepared a buffet spread of their wedding banquet cuisines. There were the cold dish, sharks’ fin soup, chicken, wasabi prawns (super good!), cod fish, vegetables with mushroom, ee fu noodles, yam paste, mango pomelo sago etc. I would say the quality of their food is pretty good! We had a very satisfying and filling lunch hah.

Amara Hotel wedding show

We then meet with Afifah, their Assistant Sales Manager, to know more about the packages they offer. It was then followed by a short tour of their bridal suite and the poolside pavilion where the solemnisation will take place. Finally, we moved around the vendor booths to check out whats on offer.

Tour of bridal suite and poolside pavilion

The show ended with a lucky draw in which we were not lucky enough hah. And it was so blatant that they reserved the top 3 prizes for couples who have confirmed their bookings that day (they did not say it, but it was way too obvious!) hah.

Things we like about Amara Hotel:

• Located just beside Tanjong Pagar MRT station, it is pretty central and accessible.
• At $898++ (or $1050.66 nett) per table, it is the cheapest among those that we have checked out.
• Even its premium package at $998++ (or $1167.66) per table is priced within our budget.
• Excellent food quality.
• Private cocktail reception area, and the area comes with nice sofas (good for elderlys to rest if they want to).
• Free use of the poolside pavilion for solemnisation.
• Capacity of 25 to 40 (I think) tables meets our needs.

Things that we do not like about Amara Hotel:

• Ballroom has low ceiling and does not look grand.
• Ballroom is very long and the stage is positioned at the far end.
• Pales in prestige as compared to other candidates.
• Unimpressive bridal suite.

In conclusion, Amara Hotel has many strong pull factors. However, we have issues with its ballroom design and layout. Hence, we shall give this a miss.

 

Novotel Clarke Quay

We are on leave today and have hence made an appointment with Lis Ng, Business Service Executive of Novotel Clarke Quay. She showed us the grand ballroom which can seat up to 50 tables and requires a minimum of 30 tables. After which, we proceeded to the lounge where she shared with us the hotel’s wedding packages available.

Novotel Clarke Quay

Good things about Novotel Clarke Quay:

• Pretty nice pillarless ballroom with high ceiling.
• Private cocktail reception area.
• At $1028 nett per table (or $1138 nett for a more premium package), it is within our budget.
• Flexibility in menu choice.
• Free use of function room for solemnisation before the banquet.

Things we do not like about Novotel Clarke Quay:

• Less than ideal location – the hotel is quite a distance away from the nearest Clarke Quay MRT station
• Hotel exterior looks dated

Actually Novotel Clarke Quay seems like an okay choice except that it is much less accessible than the other hotels we are considering. Hence, we are not too interested already and did not ask many questions or negotiate with Lis about the perks she can offer. Furthermore, we have more or less decided on Swissotel Merchant Court hah. My parents have helped us check the Saturdays which are still available at the hotel, and they have given us the go-ahead. So, we will fix an appointment with Lidia Phua from Swissotel Merchant Court soon to discuss the details and confirm the date hah.

 

BOWS Show 2011

BOWS – Blissful Outdoor Wedding Show.

Because of the “Outdoor”, I almost gave this a miss as I thought it is a wedding show that showcases merchants for outdoor weddings. I have come across this event like 2 or 3 times but didnt bother to click on it to find out more. Luckily I finally did, as the only “Outdoor” element of this wedding show is that its venue is outdoor, but in an air-conditioned tentage.

BOWS 2011

This wedding show is its eighth return and it features merchants such as bridal boutiques, hotels and country clubs, photographers and videographers, jewellers etc. I think it is a great event that bring all merchants together, bringing one-stop convenience to couples planning their wedding.

Register here if you are keen, and see you there!

 

Carlton Hotel

We had an appointment with Winnie Lo, Assistant Catering Sales Manager from Carlton Hotel, at 7pm last Wednesday. As usual, she brought us to view the ballrooms first. Carlton Hotel has 5 ballrooms – Empress Ballroom 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 hah. Empress Ballroom 1, 2 and 3 have lower ceiling and the 3 of them can have the partitions removed to hold a maximum of 25 tables (if I never remember wrongly) while Empress Ballroom 4 and 5 can combine to accomodate up to 34 or 35 tables. Oh and the latter have high ceiling and are pillarless. The hotel can also open up all the ballrooms if you have 50 tables. But they dont have the flexibility to open up say Ballroom 3, 4 and 5 to accomodate like 38 tables, which is kind of disappointing.

After the viewing, Winnie brought us to a Wedding room specially decorated to discuss their packages with couples. She then went through with us the rates, the menu, the perks, and showed us some pictures of the themes etc.

Carlton Hotel Wedding Appointment

Things we like about Carlton Hotel:

• At $968++ (or $1139.30 nett) per table, it is within our budget.
• Hotel is conveniently located within walking distance of City Hall MRT station.
• Pillarless and pretty ballroom with high ceiling.
• Food is from its award-winning Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant.
• Flexibility (a little) in menu choice.

Things we do not like about Carlton Hotel::

• Capacity of 34 tables is not enough for us.
• Shared cocktail reception area.
• Less generous perks compared to other hotels.
• Price is still more expensive than Swissotel Merchant Court.
• Winnie promised to update us via email the stuff we have discussed and the dates available, but still has not heard anything from her. This makes me wonder if she really values our business.

All in all, it is very likely that we will drop Carlton Hotel, mainly because of the capacity issue. If they can exercise some flexibility to open up Empress Ballrooms 3, 4 and 5 to accomodate our needs, this will definitely be one of our choices. But well, just too bad.

 

Fairmont Wedding Show

Today we attended yet another wedding show hah. It is actually more fun (and more informative) to attend wedding show than having individual appointment with the banquet sales person. It is because you get to see how the themes are like, and how the ballroom looks like when it is filled with tables etc. Anyway, today we attended Fairmont’s wedding show. The format was very different from that of Sheraton Towers’, as you have a dedicated staff which showed you around throughout.

Fairmont Wedding Show

Judith Yuen, Fairmont’s Conference Concierge, was our “tour guide” for the wedding show. She first brought us up to see 2 of the rooms they have. These will be the rooms the newly-weds will be given if their wedding day clashes with important events like F1 race etc. She then showed us the suite, which usually will be given to the newly-weds most of the time. The bridal suite at 64th floor is very nice! It is really spacious and the view is great.

Gorgeous Bridal Suite

After a tour of the rooms, Judith brought us to one of the function rooms where couples can hold their solemnisation. She then showed us the ballrooms that Fairmont has. They have quite a number of ballrooms, to cater to different capacity. All the ballrooms showcased the themes that they offered too. After which, it was a display of 2 of the menus they have – Grandeur and Elegance. We also got to sample their Peking duck and 2 of their soups (lobster soup and chicken herbal soup) hah. We then visited some vendor booths before watching a live bridal modelling show.

Excellent Showcases at the Wedding Show

What we like about Fairmont:

• There will be a wedding concierge on the actual day, who will act as your personal butler for the day.
• Ballroom has very high ceiling, and is very spacious and pillarless.
• Nice themes and flexibility in decorations.
• Very tempting bridal suite.
• Excellent location, as it is just conveniently outside City Hall MRT station.
• The giant VIP table which seats 20 people.

Things that we do not like about Fairmont:

• The price is slightly over our budget for Sundays ($1038++ or $1214.50 nett) and too much over our budget for Saturdays ($1088++ or $1273 nett).
• Fridays, though within our budget at $988++ (or $1156 nett), feature the less appealing menu.
• They do not serve sharks’ fins at all (OK, this is what I do not like, dear is perfectly OK with this hah).
• Ballroom looks abit too bare, hence not as grand as others.
• Perks are much less generous than others.

Though we enjoyed ourselves at the wedding show with the tours and some food hah, we think we probably will drop Fairmont mainly because of the budget.

 

Marina Mandarin

Right after the wedding show at Sheraton Towers, we made our way to Marina Mandarin Hotel where we had an appointment at 4.15pm with Sen Ng, its Catering Sales Manager. Though she spoke abit fast, she was very detailed in her explanation and was very flexible with what they could offer. She first brought us to the Vanda Ballroom, which only has a capacity of 30 tables, which is too small for us. She then showed us the main ballroom where the capacity is 35 to 60 tables.

Marina Mandarin Wedding Package

Things we like about Marina Mandarin:

• 9-course dinner instead of the usual 8-course.
• Capacity of 35 – 60 tables, which meets our needs.
• Hotel is conveniently located within walking distance of City Hall MRT station.
• Pillarless, spacious and quite pretty ballroom.
• Flexibility in theme and choice of colours for table cloth, plates, napkins and stuff.
• Private cocktail reception area.
• Generous perks.
• Flexibility (a little) in menu choice.
• Free use of function room for solemnisation before the banquet.

Things we do not like about Marina Mandarin:

• Saturdays need a minimum of 40 tables, which we probably cannot meet. Hence, if we want Marina Mandarin, we can only choose Sundays or Fridays.
• Price of $1168 nett, though still within our budget, is more expensive than Swissotel Merchant Court.
• Quite a bit of walking from City Hall MRT station and it may be confusing getting to the hotel.

In conclusion, Swissotel Merchant Court is still our top choice, but Marina Mandarin is one we will be considering too.