Catholic Brides

[agone]

hi all, am in a small dilemma and was wondering if you ladies/guys might be able to help

does anyone have any idea which catholic church in singapore can hold a decent no of people, like 200-300pax, and are relatively flexible in terms of logistical arrangements for the luncheon? am trying to work out the logistics now and have tentatively booked st teresa's but the secretary there is really hard to work with

 

[rene3]

agon-e,

St Teresa's canteen can only hold max 150ppl, that's the pro I'm facing now as my guest list get longer.
Mayb u can try St Mary,Holy Spirit or Holy Trinity.

 

[agone]

irene: ahh thanks so much! yeap i'm having the same problem..lol! hmm st mary's seems to be kinda sticky on suppliers from what i see in their forms. lemme try calling them and see if they will be more flexi

hmm also on a related note..does anyone know if you can/know of others who managed to allow the church to let them hold the tea ceremony there? TIA!

 

[zljoan]

Hi agon-e, I'm from St Mary's. They're actually ok. but if you're taking the Piza (like me), then you'll have to use their assigned vendor. However, their pricing is fair enough. Having said, I had to book my own parish more than a yr in advance -- even then, can't get the timing I want! :s

 

[honey_greentea]

Sobe, i'm also from st. mary, FH attending RCIA there. hehe.. we tried to book st mary in april for december wedding but all slots in dec taken up! so agon-e u have to act fast if u r taking st. mary! hehe..
agon-e, what happen with the secretary in st. teresa?

btw, wat is NFP? i think they introduced us in CEE... it's smth like a birth control programme rite? have to attend so many times one ah?

 

[purinne]

sobe & greentea ... the church which i signed up for nfp with ... forgot all abt mi ... till i called them to check today ... the lady asked mi to start chartin so tat we'll hav sth to discuss abt when we see her ... alwaz wanna peng san when i heard it ... @_@

agon-e ... tink the canteen at STC can hold abt 200 - 250ppl ... in a semi standin buffet style ...

... angeline is quite ok if u catch her on her gd days ...

tink she dun sound as frenly at times coz she really has alot on her plate ... oh ya ... tink she got an assistant ... i forgot her name ... but she's very nice and frenly

...

 

[purinne]

oh ya ... sobe i got mi rings fr ling's jewellery

... u can consider their st maurice series or custom made

... if need contact, feel free to let mi know

4 more months to go ... and so much to do ... stress~~~

 

[zljoan]

Greentea > tell me about it....I booked in late Jan for next Feb and the timing wanted was already taken! To think I thought it was early :s
NFP = Natural Family Planning...LOL...you went to St Mary's for your session? Forgot her name but she's Eurasian...

Purinne> ling's jewellery? hmmmmm....aiyo..is it just me -- everyone seems to know what they're doing but I'm in a loss!

 

[agone]

sobe: hehe yeah actually out of all the churches I tried calling yesterday st mary's was the most friendly and approachable. she took the time out to explain to me some of the stuff that was needed, max booking time, etc. i thought their website was v well done too, v informative and resourceful

purinne/greentea: haha yea i think when i first called her she must have been v busy..then when my fiance got back from work he said he'd call her to try and work out a solution. she was probably in a better mood then cos he managed to work out more details with her than i did..lol!

we wanted a tent cos we are not gonna have a chinese dinner and my fiance's side is more westernised, so we were gonna try and do up the luncheon more to make it mainly free seating with some standing room *sigh* so anyways..apparently you cant set up a tent next to the canteen anymore cos of issues they faced in the past (too close to the colloborium (sp?), parking, etc..) so they are not allowing it anymore. the other alternative she gave us is the badminton hall that is next to the tennis court, have to walk up a slope to get there. we're gonna check it out on sat when she is there to see how we can work it out..have to see whether we can get a room for the tea ceremony too.

sobe: you can consider fairy's inc, they have ready made rings as well but their speciality is in custom made rings. takes about 2 mths to make i think..

 

[zljoan]

agon-e: you called? did they have your date available? You know, your situation with STC sounds familiar. My fiance's friend's sister (hahaha...) faced the same situation -- apparently, they're not having chinese dinner and wanted to put up a tent but was not allowed. I believe they're still going ahead somehow 'cos they like the church...can't remember details.

I'm gonna have a tentage with partial sitting and standing arrangement too! Just a bit worried bout the timing -- mass will be at 9.30am so I guess it's more of a brunch than lunch - my good friend told me to make the word "brunch" more obvious in the invite :S


On a separate note, is there a difference between wedding candles and the unity candle? We were having the conversation on unity candle some time back but now in my church's booking form, I see the item "wedding candles"...

 

[rene3]

Purinne, the person I liase with is Elizabeth. She told me that for the canteen for semi standing can hold max 150ppl only.
Who did u liase with? Mayb i can ask if really can fit in 250ppl, my pro is resolved.

 

[agone]

sobe: yeah i called STC to chope the date last year, lol! super kan cheong. I can share pix of the badminton hall after our recee on sat if you ladies are interested to look at their other alternative. hmm i thought the wedding and unity candles are the same thing..are they not?

irene: yesterday when my fiance called Angeline told him it was for 150pax (standing and sitting). I was there for a wedding about 2 years ago..don't think it can fit 250pax

 

[rene3]

agon-e,
Jus called Angeline. Veri nice lady. She told me that sitting arrangement will be 80ppl (4chairs X 20tables). But for standing, can hold max 200ppl.

 

[pandc]

Hi Irene

Thanks for the info

I really like STC-Old Church and hope there have an aircon hall for wedding reception... coz I'm planning to have some activities during recep.

I haven't set my AD but hopefully next year March. Will not have wedding dinner so will focus on recep.

Where u have and how u organize your reception? Can share?

 

[rene3]

Hi Cheryl,

Basically same as u, i have no wedding dinner. I book the STC's canteen.
There is no aircon. But the pro now is my guest list is getting longer.
And the canteen can hold max 200ppl all standing *faint*.
So now trying to ask ard see if there is any other place I can hold my tea cum dinner thingy.

 

[purinne]

sobe: ling's jewellery is a jewellery shop at orchard hotel area

... it does customised jewellery and certain european series of jewellery

... i like their st maurice series alot alot so gotten tat as mi weddin bands

irene: i tink max is 200 ... coz i gotta give up on usin the canteen coz i hav abt 250 guests ... sorries abt the earlier info ... ya, tink i spoke to elizabeth

... very very nice lady

 

[rene3]

purinne, so have u find a place to hold all ur guests? I'm still looking for a place to hold my guests.

 

[agone]

lol irene and cheryl it looks like we are in the same boat

ie no chinese dinner, just the recep after the mass..

i am thinking of changing mine to a tea instead so that we can accommodate 200 pax and cut down on the guest list..

hm.. out of curiosity..where are you ladies holding your tea ceremony (jing cha)?

 

[purinne]

irene ... i'll b havin church weddin at STC ... then movin all mi guests to marina mandarin for lunch

 

[zljoan]

me having wedding mass at 9.30, followed by brunch due to timing. After which, going back to fh home for tea ceremony before my parents place to do so...

only having a lunch banquet the next day for family and close friends...so very well-spaced out! hee...

 

[honey_greentea]

wow.. looks like most of us having church wedding followed by lunch

i'm also having church wedding at STC @ 10am then move to Hilton hotel for lunch

then will see whether there's enuf time for tea ceremony b4 lunch.. if not then wil only jing cha after lunch lor...

purinne, did u include church map and transport info to church in ur wedding invitation card? we have to provide the necessary info to the printer isit?

 

[groovy2009]

agon-e: I also will have only lunch reception after mass, no wedding dinner.
I will be having my tea ceremony in the church aula after the lunch reception. I haven't bought the tea set yet.. I'm looking to buy 2 sets with 4-6 cups each.. Needs to be so many becoz my parents want us to wash the cups not in front of our relatives. Any idea where to buy the tea ceremony set? I'm looking for the "non-wedding sign one", so we can use it after our wedding as well. Last time I intend to use the "disposable pudding container, just decorate with ribbons", but my HTB is very particular, he said must use very small glass cups one, even normal size of cups he doesn't want :S.

 

[rene3]

envy all of u...
my mass timing is 4pm. And my dad complained that if treat ppl, then must go for dinner...Sigh...

 

[agone]

irene: doh..if you dont mind me asking..how come your church wedding is so late?

groovy: are you looking for the traditional tea ceremony type set or a contemporary tea set? there are some local places that i know of but i think they sell the traditionally designed like with the dragons type..i think there are 4 cups per set. is that what you are looking for?

 

[purinne]

greentea ... i do intend to give the map of STC in the invite cards ... also a slip for them to ask them to reply if they need transport ... but will be checkin with most of them informally first to get a rough estimate ...

ya gotta get printer to print for us lor .... but im tinkin of usin the projector screens at church weddin ... still tinkin lor ... u?

 

[purinne]

groovy, mi sis used those jap tea sets for her weddin durin jing cha session ... i intend to use the same set too haha coz nice nice ... can we use old ones? or gotta buy new ones????

taka and isetan sell these type of jap tea sets ... usu comes with 4 or small cups

... can use for home next time too

... so u can consider

irene ... wow ... urs so late .... thou mine is lunch but in similar situation as u coz will need to invite all the ppl who come for church weddin for lunch at hotel too ... so mi no of guests for lunch kept goin up @_@

 

[honey_greentea]

purinne, i intend to incl STC map then ask them to wait at maybe tiong bahru stn for the shuttle bus lor. u mean using the projector screen is for mass booklets? Father ask us better to print it out instead of using projector coz my guests are less than 100.. as some of my guests wil go hotel straight and wont come for mass lor.

irene, i tot u r having lunch reception? since ur mass is 4pm then meaning u'll b having lunch b4 mass isit?

 

[honey_greentea]

hey, how u gals search for florist? u'll call them/email them or go down to the shops and see their works and package they have? i have shortlisted some and wanna start the survey liao.. any advice on that ?

 

[purinne]

ooohhh .... hmmm ... we haven met Fr yet ... hmmm ... but in this case i better ask him abt it when we meet him

... coz we hav abt 230 - 250 guests ... so was tinkin it mite b more environmentally frenly to use projector than to print ....

 

[purinne]

i haven decided on mi florist ... hope to decide on one by this month .... @_@ ...

 

[rene3]

agon-e & greentea,
The church gave me timing like 10am or 4pm.
As my parents are non-catholic, my auspicious marrying timing is after 9am.
So I will be going to my HTB's place then back to my place for jing cha. Then to church lor...
So no choice have to choose 4pm one.
Bcos of this timing thingy, both side parents are kind of unhappy. Sigh...

 

[purinne]

irene ... i started off havin the same prob as u ... mi parents are particular abt auspicious time ... mi FH's side wants church weddin on a sat ... so we had alot of issues tryin to get a date to accomodate both parents ...

so ... now ... we are havin it on 2 days

... tea ceremony on one day ... the auspicious day ... and church weddin on a saturday

 

[rene3]

purinne,
so ur BS can lend u gowns on 2 days?
If I put it on 2 days I think my relatives will only attend the tea ceremony 1.
Then my church wedding will only b my HTB's relatives & my own family.

 

[honey_greentea]

Hi irene, dun be unhappy, "the boat wil go straight when it reaches the harbour"

juz pray to God that everything wil go smoothly..

 

[purinne]

irene .. for mi case ... i'll onli need to top up $150 for the MUA to come on the extra day ... gown wise i spoke to them ... they allow mi to use mi so-called EG for the tea-ceremony w/o extra charges ... so for church weddin i'll use mi weddin gown ... but im intendin to use kua for tea ceremony ...

for the tea ceremony ... coz ours are small families ... so onli our families and a couple of relatives are involved ...

the church weddin is more for frenz, colleagues and other not so close relatives ...

i was initially upset abt it too ... then i realised ... god has his way

... so cheer uppie

 

[honey_greentea]

why were u upset purinne? becoz of both families are more focus on tea ceremony instead of church wedding?

 

[purinne]

greentea i was upset at the initial stage coz we cldnt agree on a date

... now ok liao

 

[groovy2009]

agon-e: where is the local shop that you said has the traditional tea ceremony set?
purinne: thanks I'll take a look at Taka & Isetan.

 

[agone]

irene: ooh i see..oh dear

sorry to hear that..hmm actually something just came to mind re: the timing, hope you don't mind me saying this..I spoke to the secretary at STC on sat cos I was also considering shifting my timing to the afternoon slot, she said if your wedding mass is on a sat and you have your mass too close to sunset mass then your guests will either have to leave right after mass or wait until 7+ to leave the church cos the cars belonging to the parishioners who come for sunset mass will block your guests' cars..

something to consider too..just my 2 cents' worth..

greentea: my wedding planner is also my florist, I got her to show me her florist and wedding planner work before I signed up with her, when I was shortlisting florists I basically got them to show me pictures of what they had done before to get a feel of what they can or cannot do..HTH!

groovy: there are a few shops that sell the traditional tea set, one is in IMM next to Jean Yip that sells not just the tea set but the other traditional chinese wedding stuff too like the xi cut outs and whatnot. another one is in jurong west called Cheok Keuw in Jurong West St. 52. there is a 3rd store that I know of that is in chinatown, but that one I've to ask my mum for the exact location..I think it's called Yue Hua but I've to check with her.

hmm..have a random question for the ladies who are moving your guests to another location for lunch after the wedding mass..what about the choir? are you inviting them for lunch also?

 

[rene3]

greentea,
thanks for the encouragement

agon-e,
my wedding is on a weekday. Need to find a location to hold the guests 1st. Then will call STC to see if they can help to change the timing.

 

[honey_greentea]

purinne, glad that ur problem has been solved. hope irene will solve her problem soon too

groovy, u can also look for traditional tea ceremony set at iDear collection @ far east plaza. never visited them but referred from bridal magazines

agone, havent thought of the question on choir leh.. hehe.. i dun think i wil invite the choir? coz not shu mah... how about others?

hmmm.. tasks for this week: get quotation from florists and confirm choir!

 

[agone]

irene: oops sorry about that

hope it goes well for you!

hard to trim down the guest list..sigh..looks like ive to give up the canteen also..heh..looks like we are really all in the same boat

 

[pandc]

agon-e,
thanks for your questions that i have nvr thought about

and also the answers from here

hi all,
hmmm.. i still considering whether to have tea ceremony first or the lunch first? Any suggestion?

Coz that day i might have 3 dresses, 1 wedding gown (pong pong one), 1 peranakan costume for tea ceremony and 1 normal wedding dress during recep. After the recep, we will have outdoor photoshooting and i will wear the normal wedding dress out. If lunch first, then i need change more time. If tea ceremony first, worry guests have to wait too long to have lunch.

 

[pandc]

Irene,

So sad to hear that... hope you can find a solution soon.
Parents are always HAPPY to see their children get married.
God will bless you and your happy wedding.

 

[groovy2009]

Hi agon-e and greentea, Thanks a lot

I'll be having my tea ceremony in the church aula after my lunch reception. Becoz I don't plan to change clothes. hehee.. Will be wearing my wedding gown for the tea ceremony as well..

 

[agone]

cheryl: np! hmm yeah one consideration is that ppl might get impatient if they have to wait for the tea ceremony..especially the older folks =.=" im also thinking of shifting mine up cos my fiance highlighted that to me over the weekend..lol..

groovy: ahh..is the aula is the area right in front of angeline's office?

 

[zljoan]

cheryl, my mum prefers to have church ceremony to come first so kinda straightforward for me --> church, lunch then tea ceremony...going to wear my WG at my fiance's side and for my side, I'll change into the cheongsam that my mum wore during HER wedding! ahahah...

 

[pandc]

sobe,
u'r so lucky to have your mother's cheongsam. so sweet

i think i will have the same schedule as yours... church > lunch > tea ceremony.

agon-e,
i guess your fiance is right.
seem i hv settled my tea ceremony timing but here another question come up in my mind.
becoz i will having the tea ceremony same place as the lunch recep, so should i say thank you & good-bye to the guests first then ask relatives stay back
or after tea ceremony then say good-bye to all? Will my guest become impatient then leave without saying good-bye? how

 

[honey_greentea]

Sobe & cheryl, same here, wil probably have church wedding first, then lunch then tea ceremony

the flow will be smoother and less rush rite.. ya cheryl, my situation is same as u then, having tea ceremony at the same place as lunch reception... mmm.. i think can ask everybody to stay if they wan lor.. ask emcee to announce, for those who want to witness the tea ceremony then stay back, if not then bye bye lor.. hehe..

 

[agone]

sobe: wah you can fit into your mum's cs! heh thats so unusual..and really special too

cheryl: another alternative is to let the relatives know they have to stay back beforehand, then after emcee announces you can say your goodbyes to some of the ppl before starting the tea ceremony..depends on what you are more comfortable with..