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.

Chosen venue for our wedding!

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 $3,000, with the remaining payable upon checkout after the wedding banquet. However, as Standard Chartered Manhattan card gives a 5% cash rebate for spending of $3,000 and above (subject to a cap of $200 cashback per quarter), we can arrange to pay $4,000 per quarter in order to maximise our savings hah. Hence, from now till January 2013, we could potentially save $1,000 using Manhattan card hah.

 

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 $1,050.66 nett) per table, it is the cheapest among those that we have checked out.
• Even its premium package at $998++ (or $1,167.66) 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 $1,028 nett per table (or $1,138 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 $1,139.30 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 ($1,038++ or $1,214.50 nett) and too much over our budget for Saturdays ($1,088++ or $1,273 nett).
• Fridays, though within our budget at $988++ (or $1,156 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 $1,168 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.

 

Sheraton Towers Wedding Show

We attended the Sheraton Towers wedding show yesterday. Sheraton Towers is not one of the hotels we are considering as it is out of our budget. However, since it is free, we just signed up to look around hah. We reached the hotel slightly after 12pm and the wedding show was not yet very crowded. After registration, we were given a carrier which contains information on the banquet packages and some brochures.

It was a free and easy format where you can walk around the area by yourself. They displayed stuff like wedding favours, invitation cards, angbao boxes, guest books etc. And of course, both their ballrooms were decorated to showcase the themes they offer, and the lighting effects they have. I would say Sheraton Towers’ main ballroom is grand and beautiful. Though it is L-shaped, the whole layout still gives the ballroom a cosy feel and all guests can enjoy unblocked view. Quality of food wise is without doubt as well, given the fame of its cantonese restaurant, Li Bai.

Sheraton Towers Wedding Show

But at $1,338++ (or $1,565.50 nett) for a table of 12, it is really too steep for us.

Also present at the wedding show included showcase by some bridal, photography and jewellery vendors. We spent quite some time with La Belle Couture, listening to their pre-wedding photography package. Actually we quite like their photography style, and dear was pretty pleased with the wide selection of gowns. And at $3,688 nett, which includes even actual day photography, the price is really kind of attractive. We spent some time googling and reading forums for reviews, and most reviews were positive. We also consulted some friends to check if the deal was worth it. However, though we were both very tempted to take that package, in the end we decided not to, as we wanted to shop around first. And perhaps somehow we felt abit insecured signing with the first bridal shop we spoke to hah.

But to be honest, I abit regretted not taking up the package hah. As in the end, I reaslised that my cousin is using La Belle, and I have friends’ friends using La Belle too. And they all have good feedback about them. Oh well, too late for regrets anyway. We shall just look around since there is no rush for it.

Anyway, besides the different booths by the vendors, there was also a buffet spread hah. Not bad, free wedding show and free food! The only thing not free was parking – a freaking $14 for 3.5 hours!

 

Swissotel Merchant Court

This is our first ever appointment with a hotel to discuss about our wedding banquet. After work today, we met up with Lidia Phua, Event Specialist of Swissotel Merchant Court, at about 7.30pm. She first brought us to view the ballroom and the cocktail reception area, before bringing us to the lounge to discuss the package the hotel offers over some drinks. She explained in details the price, the menu, the perks etc and patiently answered any questions we had.

The whole session lasted about 30 minutes or so and it was pretty pleasant. We were also very satisfied and it reaffirmed our desire to hold our banquet there! I think I just have affinity with anything Swiss – I graduated from Swiss Cottage Secondary School, work in a Swiss bank, and now, want to wed at Swissotel hah.

Wedding Brochure from Swissotel Merchant Court

Why we like Swissotel Merchant Court:

• Reasonable price of $1,128 nett per table, within our budget.
• Capacity of 35 – 50 tables, which meets our needs.
• Hotel is conveniently located outside Clarke Quay MRT station.
• Pillarless, spacious and quite pretty ballroom, and have 4 themes to choose from.
• Private cocktail reception area.
• Generous perks.
• Flexibility (a little) in menu choice.
• Free use of function room for solemnisation before the banquet.

Things that we do not like about Swissotel Merchant Court:

• Only 1 projector screen for the entire ballroom.
• Read from forums that their perks are pretty non-negotiable, such that they rarely give more than what is already stated.

Right now we are waiting for Lidia to get back to us on the available Saturdays in January 2013, and also the available Sundays and Fridays in October to December 2012. Our first choice is still a Saturday and we do not mind waiting till January 2013. However, we are also willing to compromise and wouldnt mind considering Sundays or Fridays as well if there is really no choice. Praying hard for good news from Lidia tomorrow!

I think my mind is more or less set on Swissotel Merchant Court already hah. So actually we can cancel all other appointments. But well, maybe we should just keep an open mind. Other appointments coming up include:

• Sheraton Towers wedding show, 20 August (For fun only, confirm out of our budget hah)
• Marina Mandarin Hotel appointment, 20 August
• Fairmont wedding show, 21 August (Also confirm out of our budget)
• Carlton Hotel appointment, 24 August
• Holiday Inn Orchard appointment, 26 August
• Novotel Clarke Quay appointment, 31 August
• Amara Hotel wedding show, 4 September

OK thats all for now, very busy already hah!

 

The Hunt for Banquet Venue

Now that we are officially engaged, the next step will be to start planning for our wedding! We are looking at possibly some time end of next year (October to December). This gives us ample time for the preparation and to save enough money hah. Hence, we started browsing wedding-related websites such as Perfect Weddings, Singapore Brides, Wedding Tweets and Wedding Forum.

I guess the first step should be to fix a date and book the banquet venue, before looking at other stuff, since that is the most tricky issue. After some discussions among ourselves and with our families, our ideal venue should fit the below criteria:

• Hotel ballroom
• Centrally and conveniently located hotel
• Capacity of at least 35 tables
• Below $1200 nett per table
• Pleasant-looking ballroom (should be pleasing to our eyes at least hah)

After looking through the different wedding packages offered by different hotels, looking at virtual tours and photos of their ballrooms, and reading the reviews on forums, seems like Swissotel Merchant Court quite fits the bill! We called to enquire, but was disappointed that all Saturdays had been fully booked for October till December 2012! Goodness. But still, we fixed an appointment with their wedding planner to further discuss their package and to view their ballroom. Perhaps we might consider other days or even January 2013.

Our Current First Choice

Though Swissotel Merchant Court is currently our first choice, we are still considering other venues. On our list now includes Carlton Hotel, Amara Hotel, Novotel Clarke Quay, Marina Mandarin, Concorde Orchard and Holiday Inn Orchard. Though some do not really match our criteria, we decided to KIV first hah.

Looking forward to the appointment with Swissotel Merchant Court this coming Thursday! Hopefully their January 2012 Saturdays are still available hah.