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.

 

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!

 

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.

 

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!