Introduction & Disclaimer


Dear Brides-to-be & Grooms-to-be,

I am very pleased to present my wedding preparation kit for all couples who are going to get married soon or in the mid of preparation.

A small introduction of me, I first started to prepare my wedding on August 2007 as my big day was on March 2009. As and when I had gone through my preparation, I started to compile and share my experience to guide all couples.

This blog will assist you on the information on how you can start your wedding and some resources. So-called a useful blog that compile from my research and experience to provide all informations for all brides-to-be or grooms-to-be.

As I say, all informations compile from my research and experience, you will expect some copyrights from other articles & websites.

For advertising, you are always welcome to share with everyone. Give me your email and I will contact you directly. Advertising in this blog is FREE.

Hope this kit will be useful to you! Have fun!

Copyright 2008-2009 © wedding-prep-kit.blogspot.com & Other Websites


Past Updates


◕ October 2008
◕ November 2008
◕ December 2008
◕ January 2009
◕ February 2009
◕ March 2009
◕ April 2009
◕ May 2009
◕ June 2009
◕ July 2009
◕ August 2009



Labels

◕ Checklist
◕ Copyright
◕ Emergency Kit
◕ Guide
◕ Preparation
◕ Tradition
◕ Wedding Mistakes
◕ Wedding Website


Bridal Studio

◕ Bridal Package
◕ Bridal Studio
◕ Wedding Gown


For Brides

◕ Brides
◕ Bridal Bouquets
◕ Bridal Shoes


Hotels

◕ Hotel
◕ Wedding Venue


Solemnisation

◕ Outdoor Wedding
◕ Ring Pillow
◕ ROM
◕ Solemnisation
◕ Wedding Vow


Photography & Videography

◕ Photography
◕ Pre-Wedding Photoshoot
◕ Videography


Venues

◕ Restaurant
◕ Wedding Banquet


Locations

◕ Beach Road
◕ Bugis
◕ Changi
◕ CityHall
◕ Clarke Quay
◕ East Coast Road
◕ Havelock Area
◕ Newton
◕ Orchard
◕ Raffles Place
◕ Sentosa
◕ Tanjong Pagar


Transportation

◕ Transport


Stationery

◕ Invitation
◕ Wrist Corsages


Songs

◕ Chinese Song
◕ English Song


Updates

◕ Advertising
◕ Promotion
◕ Wedding Show


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Saturday, January 31, 2009

Outdoor Weddings

Exchanging vows under a starry night or sunny sky is very romantic. It's a private and personal event where you want it to be very memorable for the lifetime. But always be prepared for the unexpected "surprise".

Here are the lists to take note:

WEDDING DATE
- Choose your wedding date carefully to avoid rainy or monsoon season.
- Check if the weather will be wet or humid.

LOCATION
- Check out the location and the surroundings.
* Prone to bad weather?
* Any major intersections nearby?
* Any construction going around?
* Any infestation of mosquitoes or insects?
* Any alternative in case of bad weather?

HIDDEN COSTS
- Be sure to check for hidden costs such as use-permit fees for public areas especially the parks.

TRANSPORTATION
- Hire a valet service to assist with parking and transportation, especially if the area has limited parking slots nearby.
- Hire a shuttle bus to help transport guests from distant parking areas.

VENDORS / CATERERS
- Source for vendor who is experience with outdoor receptions.
- Discuss with your vendors and caterers for any back-up or contingencies in case of bad weather.
- Also find out the challenges or extra expenses that might incur.

ADVANCE BOOKING
- Scout for several locations as some places can be booked way up in advance.

RESTRICTIONS
- Find out if there are any noise restrictions in the area. Nothing’s worse than having the neighbors to call the police to break up your reception.
- Use of the swimming pool, check out the time restrictions.

THEME
- Consider the time of day you’re holding your reception.
- Does the venue reflect your overall theme?
- Example:
* Garden theme is suitable for the day time celebration.
* Romantic theme is perfect for night celebration.
* A beach party may be appropriate for the day time.

LIGHTING
- With outdoor parties, you can choose various types of lighting to enhance the atmosphere.
* Go for bright and soft with natural daylight in daytime.
* For evening parties, string fairy lights between trees, hang Chinese lanterns on the branches or scatter candles around the area.

COSY SETTING
- Make your wedding site as homey and beautiful as possible
- Also ensure there are lots of chairs, linens, electric generators, cooling areas, toilets and even portable dance floors for your guests.

VENUE LAYOUT
- Plan a central area for guests to gather during the cake-cutting, dancing and bouquet-tossing.

BUDGET LIMITATION
- Calculate the cost of an outdoor site and the size of the venue.
- Unlike a ballroom wedding, for an outdoor site, the cost incurs can be for the venue rental, decoration set-ups, florist, furniture, marquee, toilet arrangement, hire caterer, etc.
- Set the food budget limits for the number of your invited guests.

DECORATION
- There are endless ways to decorate an outdoor party.
* Tie helium balloons to chairs or strew flowers all over the floor.
* Line the candles or rose petals along the aisle.
* For breezy area, play around with ribbons and windmills that will twirl prettily as the wind blows.
* Make use of the existing surroundings — such as a sandy beach, the trees, the wind or a swimming pool — to create a unique celebration.

INVITATION
- Always remember to state the alternative location in case of bad weather.

PERFECT OUTDOOR WEDDING VENUES IN SINGAPORE
- ACTE d'AMOUR Restaurant
- Amara Hotel
- Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa
- Carlton Hotel
- Celestial Planners
- Changi Village Hotel
- Four Seasons Hotel
- Garden Asia
- Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel
- Grand Park City Hall
- Jurong Bird Park
- Labrador Villa
- Mandai Orchid Garden
- Mount Faber
- My Secret Garden
- Night Safari
- One Rochestor
- Orchid Country Club
- Parkroyal on Beach Road
- Peony Jade
- Sentosa
- Sheraton Hotel
- Singapore Flyer
- Singapore Marriott Hotel
- Singapore Zoo
- Swissotel Merchant Court

Amended article taken from a website!

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8:41 PM
Monday, October 27, 2008

Wedding Venue - Conrad Centennial Singapore


Purpose
- Attended my hubby-to-be's sister's brother-in-law's wedding dinner in December 2006.

Location
- Opposite Suntec City.
- Quite far from CityHall MRT station.
- In near future, there will be Milennia MRT station nearby.

Reception
- Area is big enough to mingle around.

Ballroom
- Very classic and grand due to the mirrors around the ballroom.
- Can accommodate up to 40 tables.
- It is Pillarless.
- There is 2 LCD projector screens.
- There is 2 doors in the ballroom so you will expect a L-shaped march-in. No worries, the march-in is long.

Stage Decoration
- Stage is wide.
- Decor is nice.
- Can do solemnisation on the stage.

Food
- Serve individually.
- Food is fantastic especially big bowl of shark fin soup.

Address
- Two Temasek Boulevard Singapore 038982

Website: Conrad Centennial Singapore

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5:53 PM

Wedding Venue - Swissotel Merchant Court


Purpose
- Viewing of ballroom when I was there for work.

Location
- Near Clarke Quay MRT Station.
- Next to Central Mall and Clarke Quay Area.
- Very centralised location with many bus-stops and easy to hail cabs.

Reception
- Private reception area as they have only one ballroom in the hotel.
- Reception area is huge.
- It is located at level one.
- The problem is the aircon is not strong at the reception area.

Ballroom
- Not exactly grand but its simple and looks good.
- Feel comfortable at the spacious ballroom.
- The exterior of the building is not exactly appealing but who cares about the exterior anyway.
- There's no pillar!
- High Ceiling.
- March in distance is not exactly long.
- Only one projector is essential because of the shape of the ballroom.

Stage Decoration
- Decor is nice.
- Stage is spacious.

Solemnisation
- Solemnisation near the swimming pool.

Service
- Good event planners.

Food
- Serve individual portions.
- Quite value for money.

Bridal Suite
- Good view overseeing the Singapore River.
- Spacious room.
- Bath-tub overseeing the scenery outside.

Address
- 20 Merchant Road, Singapore 058281

Website: Swissotel Merchant Court

For more information: http://www.singaporebrides.com/hotels/swissotel_merchant_court/index.htm

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5:47 PM

Wedding Venue - Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel


Purpose
- Attended my close colleague's wedding on September 2007.

Location
- Nearest MRT station is Outram Park or Tiong Bahru.
- Hotel is located at the corner of Havelock Road and Kim Seng Road.
- A distance away from the bus stop.
- Not easy to hail a cab.

Reception
- As the Grand Ballroom is the only ballroom at level 4, it is entitled to a very big and private reception area.
- The 2 ballrooms on level 4 have a big foyer with a piano and more sofa seats.

Ballroom
1) Grand Ballroom at Level 4
- The ambience is very nice and romantic.
- The ballroom can hold up to 40 tables with comfortable walking area.
- It has high ceiling, L-shaped aisle and two projector screens.
2) Bigger Ballroom at Level 2
- The ballroom can hold up to 25 tables with a straight march-in.
- There are 2 pillars in the ballroom.
- Two projectors screens.

Stage Decoration at Grand Ballroom
- The stage area is quite special.
- A real garden set-up on the stage.
- The backdrop of the stage is a transparent glass panel separating the decorations using trees, plants, flowers and a nice gazebo.

Solemnisation
- A unique alfresco wedding venue offers a setting where you will be exchanging vows in a romantically dressed gazebo amidst quintessential fairytale setting.

Food and Service
- Food is served individually.
- Overall taste is acceptable.
- Service is so-so only.

Address
- 392 Havelock Road Singapore 169663

Wesbite: Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel

For more information: http://www.singaporebrides.com/hotels/grand_copthorne_waterfront/index.htm

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5:46 PM

Wedding Venue - Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa


Purpose
- Attended Style: Weddings, Glamour Bash 2007 on October 2007.

Location
- Nearest MRT station is Harbourfront.
- Located inside Sentosa.
- 10 minutes walk from the Merlion Tower.
- Not easy to spot the hotel.
- Make sure you ask the sentosa staff for direction if take by Sentosa tram.
- Not easily to catch a cab.
- Have to provide the map in the invitation card so that your guests will know where to find the hotel.
- Limited lots at their carpark.
- Need to get your own chartered bus to ferry your guests in case hotel do not provide shuttle bus.

Reception
- Spacious foyer.
- Privately for your wedding event.
- The lighting is not very strong if you have wedding lunch.
- Private cocktail bar is at the corner just outside the ballroom.

Ballroom
- Pillar-less with 5m high ceiling.
- The lighting is too dim.
- Can accommodate up to 55 tables.
- The interior of the ballroom is dull.
- 2 doors in the ballroom so don't expect for straight march-in.

Solemnisation
- Look like fairy tale in Glass Pavilion with small waterfall nearby.
- Quite creative to have the bell on top of the Glass Pavilion, meaning once the couple signed the marriage deed, there will be someone, maybe a small kid to ring the bell.
- Nice garden decoration on the transparent table and chairs.
- The environment was tranquil and relaxed.
- Great place for photo-taking.
- Good choice for ROM.

Service
- Some staff are friendly but some staff have bad attitude. Depend on whom you liaise with.
- Their emails are not pro-active. Very difficult to keep in touch with the person in charge.

Food
- Loved the white chocolate fondue.
- Food are yummy.
- More to western style food.

Bridal Suite
- Different types of bridal suite rooms to choose at.
- Fantastic stay at the Villa with personal swimming pool at the middle of the bedroom and living room. Great choice to have tea ceremony in that small villa. FYI, the bath tub and the shower stand is located in the open space outside the room. No privacy.
- Another type of room called Courtyard Suite attached with personal jacuzzi. No privacy since the guest who stay upstairs can see you.
- Going to main lobby from your suite, you need to call for buggy ride in case it rain or if it is sunny, you got to bring umbrella out.
- No extra complimentary room for helpers.

Address
- 1 Larkhill Road, Sentosa Singapore 099394

Website: Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa

For more information: http://www.singaporebrides.com/hotels/amara_sanctuary/index.htm

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5:45 PM

Wedding Venue - Singapore Marriott Hotel

Purpose
- Went for wedding show on October 2007.

Location
- 10 minutes walk from Orchard MRT station.
- Just above the Tangs shopping centre.
- Accessible to bus-stops and easy to hail for cabs.

Reception
- Spacious foyer privately for wedding event.

Ballroom
- Pillar-less ballroom with high ceiling.
- Huge and plain ballroom.
- It can accommodate up to 55 tables.
- Agreed that it is suitable for long and straight march-in.
- The exterior looks very dull.

Stage Decoration
- Stage is high enough for guests to see.

Solemnisation
- Popular place to ROM at their poolside.

Service
- Hotel staffs are rude and unhelpful.

Food
- I tasted their food during buffet. Only desserts were tempting.

Address
- 320 Orchard Road Singapore 238865

Website: Singapore Marriott Hotel

For more information: http://www.singaporebrides.com/hotels/marriott

Wedding Theme at Singapore Marriott Hotel:


Pure Bliss – White- the colour of purity and cosy elegance. Paint a perfect picture of love as you bask in an array of white roses with illuminating glow of tealights in glass baubles


Golden Glow – Immerse in a glittering glamour of gold candles and lighted streaming organza. A union that spells sheer luxury and opulence.


Sweet Surrender – Fulfill your fairytale fantasy with a stunning adornment of sweet fuchsia roses, coloured beads and flowing crystals. A true romantic fanfare that will leave any princess smiling sweetly from within.

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5:44 PM

Wedding Venue - Marina Mandarin


Purpose
- Attended the wedding show in October 2007.

Location
- Not near to City Hall MRT station, at least 20 minutes walk to hotel.
- In near future, there will be Esplanade MRT station within 5 minutes walk to the hotel.

Reception
1) Marina Mandarin Ballroom
- It has its own private foyer which is very spacious, directly located near the main entrance.
2) Vanda Ballroom
- Located at 4th floor.
- The foyer has a good view of overseeing the hotel rooms on the top view and restaurants/cafes at the bottom view.
- Sad to say that it is not really private as many hotel guests or visitors will loiter around there so it is difficult to recognise who your relatives or friends are.

Ballroom
1) Marina Mandarin Ballroom
- Spacious and pillar-less.
- It can accommodate up to 70 tables.
- Big ballroom does not mean all guests can see the stage. For my opinion, it is difficult to see the couple march-in from the middle of the ballroom.
- The ceiling look very low.
- Short march-in.
2) Vanda Ballroom
- It has its own stage.
- Spacious and pillar-less.
- It can accommodate up to 30 tables.
- Short march-in.

Stage Decoration
- The very own and spacious stage at Vanda Ballroom.
- The stage is very cramped at Marina Mandarin Ballroom.

Ambiance
1) Marina Mandarin Ballroom
- It is very dark so won't be able to see the couple march-in.
- The laser presentation make it very grand in the big ballroom.
2) Vanda Ballroom
- Can feel the closeness and cosiness.
- The room decoration got the feeling of being traditional.

Solemnisation
- Nice garden theme near the poolside.
- I think choice of cupcakes rather than wedding cakes is good.
- Nicely decorated with apple green colour sash on the chairs.
- ROM under the sun may not be recommended if you are planning in the day.

Service
- The event planners are friendly and helpful.

Food
- I can say the food are very disappointing.
- Even the mango sago is not sweet.
- Waste of money.

Bridal Suite
- It has a great view on Singapore flyer.
- The room look normal with no decoration.

Address
- 6 Raffles Boulevard Marina Square Singapore 039594

Website: Marina Mandarin

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5:44 PM

Wedding Venue - Holiday Inn Atrium Singapore


Purpose
- Attended the wedding show on September 2007.

Location
- Located near Tiong Bahru and Havelock Road.
- The convenient MRT station is either at Tiong Bahru or Outram.
- Got to travel by bus when coming out of the MRT.
- Not easy to catch a cab.

Reception
- Reception is quite cramped.
- If happen to have other events, it will be very difficult to find the reception.
- Not easily to see waiter/waitress walking around to serve drinks.

Ballroom
- Grand Atrium Ballroom can accommodate up to 46 tables.
- Not a glamorous ballroom.
- The ceiling is quite low so don't expect for high stage.
- Some part of the ballroom may not be able to see the stage.

Stage Decoration
- Very simple and non-spacious stage.
- Popular Theme is Lavender Dream.

Solemnisation
- Best view on the top floor.
- Private function room for ROM.
- Accessible to private swimming pool which is one more floor from the function room.

Service
- The staff are patient to explain the details.

Food
- Food are quite normal.

Bridal Suite
- If you are lucky, you can get the best view from your suite.
- Priority on highest floor.
- 2 types of bridal suites: one suite is very cramped but the other suite has a huge area at the living room.
- Nice bedsheet cover with not much decoration.
- Free complimentary of champagne in the room.

Address
- 317 Outram Road Singapore 169075

Website: Holiday Inn Atrium Singapore

For more information: http://www.singaporebrides.com/hotels/hiatrium/index.htm

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5:43 PM

Wedding Venue - Grand Plaza Park Hotel City Hall


Purpose
- I had gone to their wedding shows twice on September 2007 and September 2008. I also seen the whole set-up of the ballroom and reception table for the wedding. This was my choice for wedding venue.

Location
- Ten minutes walk from City Hall MRT station.
- Located between Funan Centre and Peninsula Plaza.
- Bus stop is right in front of the hotel.

Reception
- Privately for the wedding event.
- Long and narrow corridor outside the main ballroom.
- Private cocktail bar is at the end of the corridor.
- It will be crowded if you have more than 200 guests on 2nd level.

Ballroom
- Very classic and grand. Most importantly, it is a pillar-less ballroom.
- The ceiling is just nice for the height.
- It can accommodate up to 35 tables. (Minimum tables was 25)
- It will be spacious if your maximum capacity is 28 tables.
- There are 2 doors in the ballroom so the march-in is L-shaped with less than 2 minutes walk.
- There are 2 LCD projectors screen at the left and right side of the ballroom.

Stage Decoration
- Very cramped, enough for the decor, wedding cake, champagne pouring and the speech box.
- Not recommendable for solemnisation.
- The stage is not high enough. Just 2-3 steps from the floor.

Ambiance
- The feeling in the ballroom is cosy and grand.

Solemnisation
- 3 great places for ROM, ie function room, waterfall and garden.
- Free rental at Waterfall area.
- Additional $300 (my estimation only) to rent their garden.
- If function room is available, the hotel allows you to use the room as complimentary.

Service
- Banquet manager will make sure that their staff are clear of their duties.
- The staff will take charge of the whole event and make sure everything goes well.
- The waiters/waitresses are very attentive as they make sure you have your drinks or canapes.

Food
- The food is served by the most popular restaurant called Park Palace.
- Shark fin soup and E-mian are the best.

Bridal Suite
- Orchid suite is spacious and cosy although it look normal.
- Governor suite has private jacuzzi attached outside the room. Furnitures are big so the whole feeling made me feel very cramped in this room.

Address
- 10 Coleman Street Singapore 179809

Website: Grand Plaza Park Hotel City Hall

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5:41 PM

Wedding Venue - Swissotel The Stamford


Purpose
- Attended the Style Wedding: Glamour Bash 2008 which was held at Swissotel The Stamford on April 2008.

Location
- Great location which is just above City Hall MRT Station.
- Located at 4th floor inside Raffles City shopping mall.
- To get up to the ballroom, guests have to go through their main hotel lobby. I almost lost my way there.

Reception
- The area is big and spacious which can accommodate more than 1000 guests.
- A complimentary of ice display from hotel at the foyer.

Ballroom
- More choices on the ballroom, minimum tables at 25.
- Main ballroom can accommodate up to 180 tables. Able to partition the ballroom if there are any other event.
- L-shaped march-in at the main ballroom of 25 tables but please note that the VIP table can accommodate up to 24 guests so you will be marching round the table before going up on stage.
- The ballroom is very spacious but I found that too spacious won't have the feeling of being closed to one another and felt that I was far away from the stage although there were around 25 tables.
- Pillar-less ballroom with high ceiling.
- 1 LCD projector screen

Stage Decoration
- Stage is very wide and spacious, ideal for solemnisation during wedding dinner.
- The stage stair is not convenient. If your gown has a very long train, it will be better to have someone to help you, most likely the staff there will lend you a lend.
- The stage is high enough for all guests to see.

Ambiance
- Love the candles in the atmosphere of romantic ballroom.

Service
- Hotel Staff are friendly, helpful and attentive. Goes all the way to guide you through the whole process (eg, check-in in advance before couple arrives, rehearsal for march-in, wait at the hotel lobby when couple arrives, etc).

Bridal Suite
- Excellent sceneric view from the suite.
- Spacious and luxurious.
- A bath-tub has a door that can jump over to the bed.

Address
- 2 Stamford Road Singapore 178882

Website: Swissotel The Stamford

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5:16 PM