Singaporebrides | Fine Dining

August 2023

5 Essential Steps To Planning Your Dream Wedding

By Audrie Soh

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Bring your dream wedding to life with amazing savings and exclusive perks with Citi Credit Cards.

Planning a wedding is definitely an exciting but taxing and expensive undertaking, regardless of the size of your celebration. From envisioning your dream wedding to deciding on a wedding budget and finding the perfect venue, you need to have a detailed plan of action before you dive straight into the next phase of your wedding planning.

To start you off, we’ve put together five essential steps to planning a dream wedding, including tips to maximise your savings with up to $2,688++ in rebates and special perks when you spend with Citi Credit Cards.

1. Decide on what you envision your wedding to be like and set a wedding budget

Before you dive straight into wedding planning, take a moment to discuss with your partner what your visions of a dream wedding are like. Having a vision of what you both want for your wedding is essential in helping you plan for your wedding spending. Your conversation should focus on elements that are a must to include in the celebration, and what areas you can do without.

With a vision in mind, talk about how much you are willing to spend on your day, and whether this amount is flexible or non-negotiable. If your wedding budget is flexible, make sure you are both on the same page on how much more you’re willing to spend on top of the amount you’ve set.

2. Do Up a Guest List to Help you Decide On The Size Of Your Wedding Venue

After you’ve set a budget and have an idea on what you want your wedding to look like and have, you should draw up a rough draft of your guest list. Don’t focus too much on getting the exact number of guests right on the first try. As you plan your big day, you’re likely to find yourself revising the guest list several times right up to the day before or of your wedding. The goal here is to have an estimate number of people you’d like to have at the wedding so you have a better idea of how big a venue you’d need for your once-in-a-lifetime.

Start by thinking who you’d want at the wedding and pen them down. If it helps, think about your guests in categories, such as family, friends, colleagues and other acquaintances such as plus ones for guests with a partner. You can break this list down further by marking out who your must-invite guests are, such as immediate family members, close relatives and best friends.

Once you have a number, you can start looking at venues that match the size of your guest list, your wedding budget and your wedding vision.

3. Stretch Your Wedding Budget With The Right Credit Card That Gives You The Best Returns

Whether you have a guest list of 100 or 300, paying for a wedding of your dreams can be expensive. But that doesn’t need to be the case for you. With various credit card companies offering a variety of reward programmes, you get to enjoy extra savings and privileges as you spend with the right credit card.

Take your time studying the different reward programmes offered by the various credit cards, and look for cards that offer the most valuable returns for your needs. You should also factor in sign-up bonuses, rewards or cash back earning rates, redemption options or validity periods, and any wedding-related perks or promotions.

With Citi Credit Cards, stretch your dollar further on your dream wedding bysigning upfor a Citi Cash Back+ Card and earn 1.6% unlimited cash back on your spend all year round, with no minimum spend required. Plus, as a new Citi Credit Cardmember, you’ll also get to enjoy more savings with 8% cash back* on up to $4,000 spend within the qualifying period.

With these amazing savings, special rebates and exclusive perks, your dream wedding will no longer be a dream with Citi Credit Cards. Make your spending do more for you with Citi Cash Back+ Card as you earn unlimited cash back by paying for your wedding, which you can later use to offset your dream honeymoon or home.

4. Search For A Wedding Venue with exclusive savings and perks

With a Citi Card, you can easily bring your dream wedding to life without breaking the bank to enjoy exclusive deals and privileges to make your celebration sweeter.

Dream Weddings by The Riverfront

For a dream wedding by the riverfront, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel offers a perfectly romantic and nostalgic setting for your big day. Exchange your vows under a dreamy gazebo at The Promenade and celebrate your newly-wedded status in a grand celebration at the all new Grand Ballroom with a towering six-metre high ceiling, pillarless with a unique glass wall that reveals a beautifully landscaped garden and gazebo.

Citi Cardmembers will enjoy a $100 discount per table for dinner bookings only, and exclusive privileges such as a free flow of beer and wine during the celebration, two nights’ stay in the Bridal Suite and a complimentary one night’s anniversary stay at the hotel so you can relive the happiest day of your life all over again.

Valid until 31 December 2023.

Located right in the heart of the city centre and situated a mere 3 minutes walk away from Clarke Quay MRT station, Paradox Singapore Merchant Court at Clarke Quay is an excellent venue for a romantic waterfront wedding that your guests can get to easily. From the hotel’s promise to host only one wedding celebration per meal period to the exclusive cocktail reception area outside the pillar-less and high-ceilinged Merchant Court Ballroom, you can expect nothing short of dedication from their team of wedding specialists as they throw you the wedding you’ve always dreamt of.

For Citi Cardmembers, you’ll get to enjoy cash rebates of $2,688++ off your total bill for weekend wedding dinner banquets with a minimum of 25 tables confirmed. On top of this spectacular saving, you’ll also enjoy a host of privileges including unlimited servings of beer during your wedding on the house, and an additional night’s stay in the Bridal Room with complimentary breakfast for two persons at Ellenborough Market Café to enhance your celebration. Share the joy with your loved ones and invite them to stay over with a complimentary upgrade of the Day Use Room to a one night’s stay in the Luxe Room.

On top of these amazing savings and privileges, you’ll also be invited to choose one out of these three perks:

1. Complimentary 5 platters of canapés during cocktail
2. Usage of Poolside Gazebo for Solemnisation prior to wedding banquet
3. Weekend buffet dinner for 6 persons at Ellenborough Market Café

Valid until 7 May 2024.

Grand Weddings with Michelin Selected and Award-Winning Cuisine

Perfect for grand weddings of up to 100 tables, Orchard Hotel Singapore is where fine cuisine, indulgent themes, elegant ballrooms and state-of-the-art technology meet. With a dedicated team of wedding specialists and the award-winning Hua Ting Restaurant’s exquisite Cantonese menu satisfying your guests, your wedding celebration will be nothing short of magical.

As a Citi Cardmember, you’ll enjoy a 5% discount and two nights’ stay in the Bridal Suite when you book your wedding with the hotel using Citi Credit Cards.

Valid until 31 December 2023.

Glasshouse Weddings in The Heart of The City

Situated in the heart of the city, just minutes walk away from Bugis MRT Station, Andaz Singapore is where you can celebrate your wedding in style. Inspired by a glass box design, The Glasshouse is a light-filled venue with stunning floor-to-ceiling windows. For romantic outdoor solemnisations, the Garden Studio, boasts a picturesque outdoor terrace that highlights the hotel’s iconic honeycomb façade.

For Citi Cardmembers, you get to party into the night with 1 complimentary bottle of house-pour red or white wine per 10 guaranteed adult guests, capped at 15 bottles per booking. This offer is applicable for new lunch or dinner wedding banquets booked in The Glasshouse or Garden Studio, and have to be held on or before 31 December 2024.

Valid from 1 August to 31 December 2023.

Elegant and Versatile Wedding Venues That Inspire Love

Located in one of Singapore’s heritage districts and minutes away from Farrer Park MRT station, One Farrer Hotel‘s elegant and inspiring spaces are ready to turn your dream wedding into reality. Say “I do” in the luxurious Grand Ballroom where you can celebrate your newly wedded status with up to 430 guests or take your pick between Napier, Read and Spottiswoode rooms for a more intimate celebration of up to 120 guests.

As a Citi Cardmember, you’ll be able to extend the magic of your once-in-a-lifetime with an additional one night stay in the Bridal Suite, where you get to unwind and celebrate in private with your spouse before returning to the daily grind.

Valid until 2 April 2024.

With a unique L-shaped pillar-less ballroom, an intimate space for a solemnisation by a lush waterfall, delectable cuisine from the renowned Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant, and colour-changing cove lightings and 360 degree rotational martin lights that allow you to customise the ambience of the ballroom, Sheraton Towers Singapore is where your dream wedding will come to life.

Sweeten your wedding deal with any two of these wonderful wedding privileges when you book your wedding with a Citi Credit Card:

1. Free Flow of Wine for 3 Hours
2. Free Flow of Beer for 3 Hours
3. An Additional Night in the Bridal Suite with breakfast for two and lounge access

Valid until 31 December 2023.

Whimsical Outdoor Weddings in a Heritage Colonial Building

Fulfil the garden wedding of your dreams at Hotel Fort Canning, the only hotel in Singapore nestled amongst 18 hectares of lush national park land. Housed in a heritage colonial building that dates back to 1926, and the winner of 2019’s Best Wedding Solemnisation & Outdoor Theme, Hotel Fort Canning is where your vision of a garden wedding with romantic fairylights will come true. For panoramic views of the surrounding greenery without enduring the heat, the Jasmine Room is the venue you are looking for.

Book your wedding with Citi Cards and enjoy a complimentary post-event High Tea set for six persons worth $228++. Enjoy a relaxing afternoon of tea with your loved ones to celebrate your newly-wedded status, or gift it to your bridal entourage to thank them for their help.

Valid until 30 April 2024.

Opulent Weddings with Luxurious Spaces and Timeless Wedding Themes

Situated in the heart of Singapore, Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford is where your dreams of a grand fairytale wedding will come to life. Experience the ultimate celebration of love with grandeur and elegance in pillar-less ballrooms, exclusive customisable spaces, and discover timeless wedding themes and an exquisite selection of custom menus to make your wedding a unique one.

When you book your wedding banquet with Citi Credit Cards, you’ll get to continue the celebration with an additional one night’s stay in the Bridal Suite with breakfast for two.

Valid until 14 May 2024.

5. Shop For Your Bridal Gown, Photographer, Florist and Other Wedding Essentials

Once you have chosen a venue, it is time to work your way down your wedding to-do list and shop for other wedding essentials such as your bridal gown, photographer, videographer, hair and makeup artist, flowers and more. Seek recommendations from friends and family, or search on the Internet for recommended lists of vendors. Review their works on social media and shortlist those whose portfolios speak to you for a meet-up to discuss their services and what you are looking for.

Try not to settle for the first vendor you meet up with, even if you feel like he or she has ticked all the boxes. Meeting with two or three more wedding vendors in the same category allows you to compare the services offered, pricing, and who you vibe more with, helping you make the best decision for your wedding.

For Citi Cardmembers, purchase your bridal bouquet, boutonnières, bridesmaids’ bouquets, and other bridal flower essentials from Far East Flora and enjoy exclusive discounts including 15% off regular-priced flowers, plants and stands when you shop online with the promo code “CITI2023”.

Valid until 31 December 2023.

Sign up for a Citi Cash Back+ Card to maximise savings and enjoy exclusive perks

Sign up for a Citi Cash Back+ Card and enjoy 1.6% unlimited cash back on your spend all year round, with no minimum spend required. Plus, as a new Citi Cardmember, you’ll also get to enjoy more savings with 8% cash back* on up to $4,000 spend in the first two months. *Terms and Conditions apply.

Click here for more tips and strategies on how you can save money.

Credits: Feature image of Hotel Fort Canning. Images courtesy of respective hotels.

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