Singaporebrides | Fine Dining

May 2013

A Guide on Selecting Wedding Banquet Venues

Where your wedding is held at is just as important as what you’re wearing as you walk down the aisle. In fact, it may just be more important, since your guests are going to form their first impressions of your wedding based on its location. Before you commence your search for the perfect wedding banquet venue, take a moment to soak up these tips and advice SingaporeBrides has compiled after consulting the professionals at Goodwood Park Hotel, Furama City Centre, Singapore and The Jewel Box at Mount Faber.

Indoor or Outdoor

Joyden Hall Wedding with a Thousand Paper Cranes - Jophia and Larry 62Jophia and Larry’s Mystical Origami Crane Wedding at The Joyden Hall by Caline Ng Photography // Unique Colours Creative Media

While the choice might be obvious for some couples, others might be undecided between the two. Both an indoor and outdoor wedding venue comes with its own sets of pros and cons. It all boils down to which location compliments your wedding vision and theme. Regardless of where you eventually choose to hold your wedding, there are 3 criteria the venue has to fulfill.

First, the ambience of the venue has to reflect what you’ve envisioned your wedding to be like and compliment your wedding theme. Secondly, the venue should be large enough to accommodate your guestlist and lastly, it should provide you and your guests with a high standard of food and service.

“For indoor venues, couples should also look out for venues with a pillarless ballroom to ensure an unobstructed view for all their guests,” Cecilia Teng, Senior Catering Sales at Furama City Centre, Singapore, advises. “Of course, they should also keep a look out for the cost of the wedding package and the entitlements offered in it.”

What to Expect From Wedding Packages

Navy and White Parisien Garden Wedding at Grand Hyatt Singapore vip tableVivian and Josh’s Parisian Garden Wedding at Grand Hyatt Singapore by Bloc Memoire Photography

What is included in a wedding package varies and some venues may have more than one wedding package for couples to choose from. However, the usual wedding package tends to include:

  • Complimentary bottle of wine
  • Free flow of Chinese tea and soft drinks
  • A complimentary bottle of champagne and champagne pyramid
  • Wedding cake
  • Complimentary night’s stay in the bridal suite
  • Guestbook and wedding favours
  • Floral decorations
  • Use of the venue’s AV system
  • A selection of wedding themes and the accompanying decorations for the individual themes

All wedding decorations will be done by the venue’s banquet operations team according to the chosen wedding theme. They are also responsible for overseeing all the pre-event preparation and actual day execution and assisting the couple where possible. But if you wish to engage an external wedding planner who specialises in wedding planning and an external decorator, you may do so. Inform the venue of your decision so that their team can work closely with the wedding planner and decorator to make your big day a success.

Outdoor Weddings and What You Should Take Note Of

Sky Garden; iFly Singapore; Garden Solemnisation; Wedding; Initmate Wedding; Rooftop Solemnisation; Capella SingaporeClara and Lawrence’s Sky Garden Solemnisation by Lightedpixels Photography and Live Studios

For couples who are planning on having an outdoor wedding, there are 3 considerations you should always bear in mind. First and foremost, always have a contingency plan mapped out if you are having an outdoor wedding. While Singapore enjoys a fair amount of sunshine through out the year, there are still a few wet months. If your wedding coincides with these months, having a contingency plan in hand means you have a plan B to fall back on so your big day can still proceed as planned despite the wet weather.

Secondly, having a plan B or C for your wedding day isn’t just about planning ahead for wet weather; it’s about preparing for unforeseen hiccups on the day itself as well. “Even the most detailed planned wedding has the possibility of something going wrong,” says the Event Sales Team from The Jewel Box at Mount Faber. “Hence, couples should be prepared and open to fall back on their contingency plans. That may mean shifting their wedding into an indoor sheltered venue.”

Lastly, couples should also pay attention to the type of wedding decorations and embellishments used. You may want to consider using decorations that are hardier and more lasting to withstand the element of wind, sun and rain.

Other Tips and Advice

Shangri-la Hotel Singapore wedding bridal portraitGermaine and Mitchell’s Glamorous Wedding at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore by Antelope Studios

Make your search for a wedding venue more efficient and effective by researching on the various wedding venues before you visit them. “Couples should have the information on the available wedding packages, prices, venue capacity, menus and date of availability of the venue before they decide on a place,” Justina Loh, Marketing Communication Manager at Goodwood Park Hotel, advises.

“It will be good for couples to share with us their intended wedding theme, what they hope to be included in their wedding package and their budget,” the Event Sales Team from The Jewel Box at Mount Faber encourages. “These information is essential in helping us propose and tailor a package that would best fit the couple’s requirements and expectations.”

Always pay a visit to the shortlisted wedding venues to speak to their wedding consultants on the available wedding banquet packages they have and to have a better feel of how spacious or intimate the venue is. Visit our directory to learn more about our listed wedding banquet venues and wedding solemnisation venues.


Credits: Feature Image from The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore Memoirs of Love Wedding Showcase.

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The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore

A Guide on Selecting Wedding Banquet Venues