Marina Mandarin Singapore

[yuki]

Hi blueberry pie,

Can understand how u feel.

Is it possible for u to share wif me the name of the mgr u're dealing wif that time cos' I have already the package with MM but just want to take note of it ?

u can reach me at [email protected]

Thanks.

 

[bride-to-be]

Hi Yuki

Think blueberry pie is busy or so..had not rece' any mails till my last posted mgs.

So u booked wif MM too?? Me 2!! who did u deal wif??
think might be better,if we were to communciate privately,maybe u can drop me an email @ the above email add.

Hope 2 hear from u soon.

2 hv a great week ahead.

 

[ta]

Hi all

I guess all hotels in singapore may not be perfect at all. For instance someone told me this ABC hotel is good, but later on found out that the service, food or even coordination are bad. Ask for explanation from my friend, they would say that initially this ABC hotel provide the best service and so on. Thus sometime i would say that depend on who is the event manager/ banquet manager on that time when signing with Marina Mandarin wedding package. not all coo-odinator are bad, some are helpful and tactful.

 

[yuki]

Hi TA,

I agree with u. But basically, this is just to pay a little bit more attention cos' everyone hope that everything can go smoothly in the wedding.

There is no intention of pin-point at anyone else.But just to take note.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[zen]

hi all,

It is impt to oways go through the itinary eith your coordinator before the event.

I had my DnD in MM last Fri, it was the worst DnD I had in my company. It was a buffet, but muslim & vegetarian were suppose to be serve indivdually in set menu. The organiser ordered the food, but apparently the coordinator did not, in the end all the vegetarian & muslin did not get to eat, the hotel let them order fm ala carte menu & did not charge the $$ for the set menu, but the just can't ease the anger for the people as they spoilt the mood of our yearly event. Services... bad, soft drink are serve chilled with ice, plates not cleared promptly. Waiters & waitress stand to watch our events on stage instead of walking arnd to check on guests request. We really had a bad DnD that night.

The organiser on the company is not letting matters rest like that even after we have spoke to the Catering Director, we are going to write all way up to the General manager of the hotel.

Do make sure you reconfirm with them again on everything u booked.

 

[taddess]

Scary...when I am going to have my wedding there...Whos the coordinator may I ask??? Mine is Irene...think she should be quite experienced... Anyway would like to ask all of you here whether you have any idea what the new themes of the year is about and whether you know how the ang bao box looks like????

 

[beibei]

taddess,
no worry leh...mine also Irene and she is very experienced and we will be meeting her next month to have a briefing.so the theme wise we will know what we want.I have seen the ang bao box during the brial shop.quite alright to me.dun worry!!

 

[happybride]

taddess & beibei

I believe they are all very experienced & you can rest assured you are in good hands. Irene is very experienced & always remind me of little details that I have left out etc. Their banquet operation manager is also very friendly, experienced & we felt that we are well taken care & guided thru out the dinner. Irene would meet up with you to brief you one month before wedding & the detailed briefing would be done just before dinner with the operation manager. She would call you after you check in to remind you to order food, meeting time etc. I left everything to Irene & his staff & without them, my dinner would not be a successful one. Most important, the food is very good, portion is enough for everyone. Taddess & beibei, if you have any doubts, give her a call to clear your doubts rather than listen to blueberrypie's comments.

 

[enya]

hi hi

i sure hope things will go like how happybride described!! it's the most impt day of our lives, and we hope nothing goes wrong that day!!

 

[bride-to-be]

Hi ppl

Tks 4 the feedbacks.

happybride

tks for looking on the bright side. I think it's always good 2 look on the bright side on a story.i had been telling myself this too,after reading various kinds of feedbacks & opinions.

btw,is Irene the coordinator or banquet mgs? what's her designation?

I'm dealing wif Daniel and think a gal by the name of Rebecca or Rachel,the one who will be coordinating for my wedding. Hv anyone work wif either one of them b4?

we might need a projector on our wedding,do we need to bring it on our own or can MM lend it to us on tat day?

so ladies,when are your weddings and which function rooms did u gals take up?

 

[puzzledgal]

dear bride to be,

i just have my wedding recently and everything turns up to be a success!!

Daniel is very patient, professional and very detailed...

There are alot of last minute issues but was handled professionally by him.

Rebecca is the coodinator for daniel... have spoken to her several times before my wedding and she is very helpful !

Last heard from one of my coordinators for my wedding that daniel is not taking over anymore weddings ...he is transfer to another department...

I think your wedding will be handle by another new mgr ... i guess...

anyway, i found out that there is always a high turnover rate of staffs for MM... one moment i am dealing with beng khoon and another moment i am handling with daniel.... and now daniel is gone...dunno who will be the next one....

 

[bride-to-be]

Hi Puzzlegal

Tks for the feedback.will look into this.

yup,not to decline,Daniel provide excellent service.From what I know from Daniel,Beng Koon was promoted. As for him,being transferred,no news leh.

As for today,still no news from MM too,regarding to any meeting sessions,getting cards etc etc..nothing @ all. is this normal?

Oh no,hopefuly not, i hope Daniel will be the one rather than any one else. If not,hope tat the next one who takes over,dun screw things up.

so which fuction room did u use on ur wedding day? can feedback to me the food,decor and service of the banquet staffs??

do let me know,if u're not comfortable in chating openly here,u can always "bomb" me an email!!

Hear from u soon.

 

[enya]

heyo

any changes in decor? the last time i heard, i thought MM wedding planners were coming out with new decoration themes for 2003?

 

[happybride]

Hi Bride-to-be

Irene is the Senior Sales Manager & Rebecca is her assistant who helps her to call guests to collect cards. You have to bring your own projector or ask the hotel to do rental on your behalf. I did not do any, too troublesome.

When is you wedding & happy preparing your wedding

 

[mm bride]

hi,
Can I check if there is any penalty should the couple can hit minimum 40tables as stated in the contract?

thanks

 

[enya]

i think if u can't hit the min 40 tables, they would still proceed with the 40 tables as stated in the contract. best u check with your wedding coordinator

 

[thinker]

Hi Hi,to those MM brides who used the ballroom on the 5th floor, any suggestions on how to make the ballroom look more westernised? SEems like it looks a little old and not as nice as the grand ballroom that has the nice walls and chandeliers. Can't meet the min 40 tables requirement but hubby likes MM so will have to settle for the 5th floor ballroom (like the exclusive cocktail area though). How's the ambience on the 5th floor?

 

[lin]

thinker,

I share the same problem with you. I have not decide to book with MM as I have some reservation abt the 5th floor function room.

I find the side-way layout and whitish bright lights make the place very Chinese-restaurant like. The short walkway to stage, low ceiling and see-through glass doors makes the problem worse. Please note that the lighting can't be adjusted.

If you come up with any ideas to make it nicer, let me know.

 

[cher]

Hi thinker,

I had my wedding banquet at LO ballroom last Nov. Don't you worry, they will do up the ballroom nicely for you. It may look old and bare but with flowers and candles lited. The whole atmosphere is different. Actually, the candles did wonders... They set the mood...

Many of my friends and colleagues commented that the reception area and the ballroom are very exclusive. You have that piece "land" to yourself that night!

 

[thinker]

Thanks Cher, its great to know that you had good comments on that day. Did you choose the gold or silver theme? Took the vase or dolphins (that look like fish instead)? How was the service on that day? Pai Seh.. so many questions. Heehee.

 

[cher]

Thinker,

I chose the gold theme and took the vase.

Irene who was my Banquet Manager did a great job! She will ask what kind of flowers you prefer. On the actual day, a Malay co-ordinator was assigned to co-ordinate the programme. He did a fantastic job. He helped us to "peng" the tea pot during the last-minute request. Very obliging...

BTW, if you are not thinking of serving sharkfin, can ask to change it to "8 treasures seafood soup"! That tastes wonderful!!! Good alternative!

 

[cher]

Thinker,

Forgot to add... Their service is superb!!! Nothing crop up! Our friend "co-ordinator" mentioned it was great working with them.

 

[thinker]

Thanks again Cher,
I'm pretty much convinced now as my hubby is 'leaning' towards Marina Mandarin (he likes the sound of the hotel) haha. I'll be able to tell him your personal experiences. Good to know that we can help save the poor sharks too. 8 treasures seafood soup.. have to top up per table?

 

[thinker]

Hi all, has anyone been to the ballroom on the 2nd floor? Is there one? Any comments?

 

[cher]

No top up!

 

[lovelydolphin]

Harlo

I will be using LO as my function room for my wedding too.

Kinda of worried whether the design look "chi..na" or not!!

Any idea whether will there be any charges,shld I wanna bring in other decos to add on?
Does MM rent projectior for our use tat nite?

snob snob!! the mgr who serves us previously left.dun knoe who will be taking over the a/c.

Does anyone here works and liaise directly wif their assigned florist for the layout?

anyone went for their food tasting b4 the banquet?

 

[thinker]

Hi lovelydolphin
The projector rental is $450.When is your wedding? Please share with us how you decide to make the ballroom look less cheena. Thanks.

 

[lovelydolphin]

Hi thinker

Tkis 4 the info. Wonder will MM lend it to us for free?

I'm hving my wedding in Sept.

No idea, still sourcing around too. hope 2 work somethin out from my brainstoming too!

so u had ur wedding @ MM 2?? which room did u sign?

 

[thinker]

hi lovelydolphin,
Planned to have it there next year, gotta book now i reckon. Will be booking during the MM show in a few weeks time. At the meantime waiting for the fortune teller to provide the date. Will be signing for LO cos got too few tables.

 

[enya]

hi everyone

i think marina mandarin would be having a candle theme for weddings this year ... one extra option for you to choose from, other than the gold / silver / peach theme!!!

what is in the 8 treasures seafood soup??

 

[mmbride]

Hi thinker

Managed to sign up wif MM already?

Hi enya

Tks 4 informing. Great 2 hear tat they hv more choices than the usual ones. So when is ur wedding?? Hv u collected the cards?

Know wat!! Just called them lately,check wif the coordinator,she mentioned tat no food tasting is allowed and hv to pay 1/2 the price per table,shld we like to hv one. Told them that we would like to only taste out few certains( maybe ard 5 or so).,coz we hv less than 10 pax & we intend to make it a meet-the-parents' session,who knows ! They can't meet our requirements,still taling to them,hope we can work something out from there.

Hv check wif them,whether do they serve indivudally to guests,rather than hving all of them to "fish" into the same dishes together. They mentioned that will only do it for the 2 VIPs table. I was so mad,how can they do that,be it whether is there SARS or not,they shld hv practise it.all the more SARS is so serious now. dun care!! will insist them to do the servings for our guests, think this is every CUSTOMER'S RIGHTS!

so does your package comes wif food tasting? care 2 share wif me?

May I know where is ur assigned manager and coordinator?

Ciao now & hv a great week ahead.

 

[taddess]

Hi,

Saw that there was a wedding show in MM yesterday. Did anyone here go? Anybody took photos of the new themes for the hotel? Have yet to seen any pictures of that.

Actually I too intended to ask them to dish out individual servings to my guests. Have yet to speak to them on that yet. Only thing i am afraid of is they will tell me its 2 waiters to three tables so there would be one table that has to wait for their food.

 

[tadpole]

Hi MMbride

Actually that was the reason why I decided not to sign with MM - their inflexibility. The Coordinator we had was arrogant and not accomodating - in fact we didn't even request anythin at all, just ask if they have perks for us since we signed up more than a year in advance.

 

[enya]

hey hey .. everyone cool down ... i think MM package is already very attractively priced, so maybe that's why they can't add in more and more perks .. if u compare packages, i think MM is already offering a very good deal.

as for the coordinator, for me, my wedding coordinator so far is pretty nice. she is quite professional .. when we asked for extra perks, if she wasn't able to give in, she would explain why etc etc, instead of turning us down straightaway. sometimes, even offering alternative arrangements ... i think that's pretty good enough for me.

as for individual servings, i think if u explain your stand about the sars scare etc, they should be able to give in. talk to their head, i think he's kevin or kelvin issit? can't remember his name ... as for food tasting, i didn't get any food tasting either. 50% off for food tasting right? it's not really a big deal to me .. cos i tried some of the food at their wedding show before .. very good. and plus rave reviews from friends who had their weddings there before ... so i'm pretty confident about the food served.

i guess maybe sometimes we brides tend to want 100% perfection for our weddings .. me too, initially when they turned down a few requests, i felt abit upset too, but when i think back about the types of requests i had .. i think i really sounded alittle too gan cheong over the dinner

so now i take things pretty easy over the wedding preparation process. there's already so many things to worry about, dun fret!! we all want to look beautiful on our big day!!!

MMbride, my big day is in dec, so cards collection not so soon .. probably around september! what about u? if u wan, u can email me for more details on my package at [email protected]

 

[mmbride]

Hi all MM brides

Yup,i do agree that MM provides us wif an attractive and reasonable packages,however like wat tadpole mentioned,they r not as flexibilty.

yes,will give Kevin a call for further discussion.

enya

Just drop u a mail. Hear from u soon.

 

[enya]

hi MMBride

like i said, the package is already very attractive and reasonably priced. most of the things we require are already included in the package ... as for inflexibility, again, i feel that since their package has included so many perks, it might be abit difficult on their side to accomodate to our requests ... if need be, maybe u can speak to more senior staff in their team?

it's really individual perceptions and preferences .. nothing is perfect!

MMbride: i have replied your email

 

[thinker]

Hi MMBride, I've already signed up with MM and after reading the latest threads, realised to my horror of horrors that ha, no food tasting. Guessed i overlooked and took for granted, looked at too many brochures and were too excited till i actually missed it before signing up but come to think about it, the food was indeed not too bad during the latest show. Any further suggestions or comments on the food? Gee, i was really careless to have overlooked that part. So when is your wedding? About the food tasting, if you manage to get any deals, please let me know. Thanks!

 

[zuzu]

hi thinker

i'm not an MM bride but i spoke to Pauline from MM before, quite a nice person. She did not agree to the food tasting when i asked. I'm not sure of the current package they are offering now but they used to have this $30 off per table booked before 31 March 2003 + 50% discount for food tasting. Due to their already very comprehensive package, it is not likely that they will concede to free food tasting anyway, so don't fret. Anyway, personally I think MM gives very good perks already.

 

[chicory]

Hi all,

Like to check if anyone knows if the ratio of waiter to table is 2 to 1 or 1 to 1? Can we request for 1 to 1?

Anyone managed to get extra parking coupons as well?

Thanks

 

[happy]

Helo all,
I booked MM laz year for this dec...after reading the thread, i think i better follow up with MM.Forgot who i dealt with...i think itz Irene...I tot food tasting was included when I signed for the package laz year...

 

[thinker]

hi chicory, its 2 waiters to 3 tables.

hi happy, heehee, i also overlooked the part on food tasting. so sad right!

 

[mmbride]

Hi thinker

No,din not manage to get any further perks out of it. yes,the package itself is very attractive indeed. no food tasting giving,therfore,hv to opt it out loh.

chicory

As fo extra packing coupons,i think it's pretty subjective. u might hv 2 check wif ur banquet coordinator or mgr.

just went down to Orchard Mandarin yest,they do have a thermal scanner @ the main enterance for all incoming guest to the hotels,wonder does MM provide that extra "safe" service as well?

will be collecting my cards soon. however,FH & I like the ivory ones,but parents like the red ones,therfore had to get in diff amt loh.

hv anyone saw the free guest book given from MM?? anyone knows how does it look like? coz i might or might not use guestbook given from them,if it's not up to my expectations. anyone know?

 

[happy]

Mi so bz recently no time to call Pauline, my co-ordinator...anyone held their wedding at MM recently? care to share experience?
Thinker, if the food is like last year's, then it shld be ok coz my fren's wedding was at MM laz OCt adn we find that the food is acceptable...I heard that it is inevitable that ballroom's food is usually not as good as restaurant's food...Is it true?
MMbride, i thinks parents are like dat...my mom says i gotta get the red ones for my relatives...

 

[miss piggy]

Hi All

Anyone had your wedding at Marina Mandarin Orion ballroom and care to comment?

I realised there is a pub cum karaoke near-by. Is it noisy? Or can you hear the noise from the ballroom?

Also like to know if the reception area will be a bit messy with Grand Ballroom having another wedding?

 

[taddess]

Hi all,

Need to ask all of you a qn, especially those that had been there for dinner before. Due to some coordination problems, we may be having 56 tables for our wedding. Do you think it will be very cramp????????? HELP!

 

[linda]

Hi Taddess,

I had 57 + 2 reserves...

I didn't think it was cramp...I still had space to move between tables without having to say excuse me all the time...

My co-ordinator was Pauline too. She is great!!!

I got the ivory and red cards... both I think very classy.

I did the inserts myself using ink jet....kekeke me cheapskate.

Personally, I like MM's services a lot.... pauline did everything in her best to do what i wanted....and the banquet manager was great... unlike some of the banquets I went to, mine at least bothered to pluck flowers out of my hair, arrange my skirts, told hubby and I how to hold the champagne bottle, where to stand..... Great service....

BTW, i had my dinner there on 10 June 2002.

 

[kit]

Hi Linda,
How fast in advance do u have to start liase with ur co-ordinator...I think mine is Pauline as well...
Me and my hubby qt blur...
Thanks

 

[linda]

Hi Kit,
I a bit KS, I booked mine abt august 01 when the wedding is in June 02.... the actual liasing started in Feb... I also had my food tasting quite early think in Nov.... then she or assistant Linda will call to ask abt comments on the food.... Then arrange to pick up wedding cards say in Mar to rough out on my invites... And also get the table plan from her.

Abt one month before the actual day, she will ask to see u to finalise the details like colour scheme, how to serve beer, confirm on your wedding package.
Have to fax to her actual number of tables + 2 reserves one week before actual day and give her VIP car numbers.

All these are rough gauge...call her to ask whenever you feel blur. She will tell you what to do.... *_^

 

[taddess]

Hi Linda,

Such a coincidence! My wedding date is exactly one year from yours...! Glad you felt that it is not cramp, can finally heave a sigh of relief...otherwise my FH is going to get it from me! Never let his parents know that we have reached the MAX!

 

[taddess]

Sorry,

Just like to ask more...Some pple have told me if after rsvp, I have 50 tables, I should just confirm 49 due to the fact that there will be some pple who are not attending. How advisable is it? Btw, there are 2 reserves, will they be displayed on that day?