Marina Mandarin Singapore

[yvonne]

Hi Mo,

i'll be meeting pauline tomorrow but didnt asked her abt the perks. Intend to discuss with her tomorrow when we meet up..

actually my call to her was quite "abrupt"..me called MM n asked to be put to pauline..
then i told her tat i saw her name in this forum n wanna check with her the dates tat i want, the rate, etc.

 

[jenjen]

Wow, Yvonne,

You sure are direct!!! Guess Pauline will be checking out this forum soon!!! Heheh... we better refrain from writing any bad things abt MM... just joking...

I'm sure if Pauline reads this, she will be interested to know abt out views, regardless good or bad, abt MM so that she can feedback and improve...

Yvonne, since u will be confirming abt 45 tables, I think u can ask Pauline to add some of the perks coz the number quite close to 50...

Anyway, Cowie, dun worry whether they will refund the 50% back to u if u manage to hit the 50 tables... they will sure refund and keep to their word... u can bargain for say 48 tables instead of 50 or something...

 

[yvonne]

JenJen

actually i dunno how to go abt asking pauline and how i know her..so just mention that i saw her name in a forum (dun worry, i didnt say its SB forum!)

there r other forums too!


yup, i hope to get more perks..i might be getting 45+..i wanted to ask her abt the food tasting issue..other hotels dun charge one leh..over at MM, we have to pay 50%..
maybe like wat u say..we asked to waive it if we have more tables.

 

[reebok]

Hi Yvonne

I was being offered a FOC food tasting for a table of 6 for 5 dishes (inclusive of dessert) but have to pay for drinks.

Guess, it's quite a fair deal wat.....It's better than to pay 50% for the food wat??!! My hubby said since we've already booked with them; if the food is no good oso can't change liao. So, y pay 50% to get full course, rite??

If u dun mind a tbk of 6, can try asking from them. But huh, dun say u read from here lah....say it's wat in your mind. Else, MM will not offer anymore "freebies"...

 

[yvonne]

Hi Reebok,

dun worry, if i bargain, i won't say tat others in this forum have the perks lah..
the more i won't say tat "Reebok" told me..kekekke

so i guess u have alreadi placed a deposit with MM?

 

[jenjen]

Hey Reebok & Yvonne...

As a matter of fact, I also got a complimentary food tasting, but it's for 6 dishes (incl dessert)... I also think it's better than paying 50% for the full course...

 

[cowie]

Dear all,

Well, I wasn't given the complimentary food tasting for 6 dishes (actually can't remember if this was offered initially), but I guess it is okay to pay 50% for the full course since we made quite a bit of changes to the original menu. We were told that after the food tasting we can still change the dishes (but of course no tasting after the change lah!!). Guess we prefer to try everything so as not to have surprises on the actual day........

Yvonne, dun worry so much about the perks and so on lah.....so long as your hubby and you think it is a good deal, it IS a good deal.

Cause I think MM deal cannot be sooooo bad lah right girls.... Cheers!

 

[adeline]

Dear all,

Pauline did offer me the 6 dish(5 + 1 dessert) complimentary for 6 pax. However, we do really want to sample the full course, so Pauline said we go ahead with the full course at 50% off. Once my last guarantee attendance hit 45 tables, the 50% which I paid will be offset our final bill.

Anyway, our current count of tables as at now is abt 48-49, but we kiasu, don't want to commit. We shld be able to hit 45 at the end of the day. Pauline also did offer me complimentary for 10 pax if I guarantee 45 tables right from the start, but we refused.

Adeline

 

[reebok]

Dear all

Sorry, the correct one is 6 dishes (5+1)

My memory is getting bad... Sorri for the wrong infor.

 

[yvonne]

hi gals,

met up with pauline yesterday..

told us tat for wkday, we have 1 table free for every 10 tables confirmed..she also said tat i can exchange for a deluxe room if i dun wan the 3 tier real cake..did ask for use of a day rm but din succeed coz she say the bridal suite is big enuf (the living rm part) can be used by frens..
the wkday menu is 9 course n the fish is seabass, i was thinking of 8 course since its a wkday ppl tend to eat lesser..she say can take out 1 then change the fish to garupa..but like tat..i think the hotel "earns" rather than us..or subsequently, she can throw in extra 20-litre beer for us..
i dun think i'm getting the beer coz most of my guest (my in-law side drink wine than beer!) n ppl consume lesser beer during wkday banquet..rite?

for the food tasting, she'll give it to me F.O.C. for 10 course if i can confirm 45 tables with her..

next yr maybe no red carpet..they r doing the flower petals thing..n she mention something like they might consider having center floralpiece for all tables..

generally the package is very good..
but gals..the ballrm is very "cheena" leh..
told my hubby abt tis n he said "this is marina MANDARIN" of course got the oriental feel!

Pauline is indeed very frenly..suggest things for us n without us asking..heehee..good hor..

btw, i'll be going PanPac tonite..

 

[mo]

Hi Yvonne,

Glad u are happy with the pkg. Actually, me and my fiance are very scared of cheena-looking place or gowns or anything that is cheena, but we find MM still acceptable. Like your hubby mentioned, it's Marina MANDARIN, it has to be a bit Chinesey looking. We were close to booking with Orchard Hotel, and goodness gracious, the flower deco and cards and all else looked totally cheena to us from those pics that we saw...we nearly flipped. Moreover, they were not very flexible in their perks, and we happen to chance upon MM, so we did a last minute switch of plans to MM instead. Thank God we didn't pay OH anything yet...hahaha

Anyway, i guess the most important thing is that you and your hubby must feel comfortable abt the place and that your budget fits as well, since it is your BIG day and should be special to both of u. So, no matter how good a pkg may be, if u don't feel comfy abt it, don't take it.

Hope u eventually find a nice banquet that suits your needs for your wedding

All the best!!!

 

[starfruit]

Hi Yvonne,

I want to check with you what you mean by "1 table free for every 10 table syou confirm". do that mean that if u have 33 tables, you will only have ot pay the sum for 30 tables?

starfruit

 

[yvonne]

Hi Starfruit,

i need to clarify..sorry tat i have a typo error..its actually 1 table free for every 20 tables confirmed!

sorry!

JenJen, Mo, Cowie..
me juz came back from PanPac..i must say tat the decor for PP is nicer as compared to MM.
my hubby said tat he's not very comfortable with the co-ordinator tat met us today for PP.
I feel a little also..i think Pauline is very much better.

Mo- i dunno leh..i like panpac for its decor but the price is higher n for wine, waiver for only 1st 12 bottles..after tat is $18+++ per opened bottle..(i think my in-laws's biz associates will consume more wine than beer)!
i'm really "worried" abt the decor/feel of MM..looks fine to my hubby but i keep telling him tat it looked so "orange" n i actually asked if they did not turn on all the lights when we were in the ballrm...duno y the orangely chandelier makes it look a little "old"
dunno leh..perhaps its supposed to be like tat..orangey..oriental feeling.

i think its not really advisable to take panpac just coz its nice (while other things r not so ok)

well, more or less we have fix on MM but the date tat we want has a tentative booking n my hubby is saying we get pauline to ask the other couple..if they release then we take MM..if not then take PP (coz the date is not taken)

hiya..."fun2" ah! hope to get tis settled soon!
wedding is supposed to be something happy but my n hubby always seems to argue over it! just the initial hotel thing is like tat, can't imagine more! sometimes really feel like saying "hiya..might as well call off the whole thing!" my collegue is saying..its a happy occassion..must make sure u lift up the spirits..else no good.

 

[mo]

Hi Yvonne,

Don't worry too much...there's bound to be arguments here and there during wedding prep...just like any other major projects that u may have at work, there's bound to be some disagreements too. So, just take it easy and no matter how mad u are with one another, as long as u don't say hurtful things like wanting to call off, u should be able to work things out and be fine. Wedding prep is indeed a mega project where 2 people have to make major decisions that concerns money, parents, friends, themselves, etc. So, it's not an easy task, but it's good training ground for the couple. Imagine having to raise a kid, that's a lifelong project. So, just relax and take things easy.

Well, PP is definitely more expensive and got less perks. If budget is a constraint, then should go for MM...unless u don't mind paying off credit bills and having debts to clear after the wedding. I think that would create even more friction in the marriage and won't be healthy. Other than that, u can try to find other hotels that may offer better deals. It really depends on what u are looking for. Like for me and fiance, he wants a hotel near MRT in consideration of friends who do not drive...that's why places like Merchant Court is not an option to us though it's a good pkg and have nice ballroom. So, decide on what u can and cannot accept and go from there to decide on a suitable hotel.

All the best

 

[jenjen]

Hi Yvonne...

PP was one of my considerations at that time too... However, in the end, we ruled it out coz it was just too ex... Furthermore, we immediately like Pauline when we met her coz she seem most sincere in closing the deal amongst all the hotels we viewed...

May I know which date are you looking at???

Dun worry about the decor of the place... I think the chandelier can be diminished and there are bound to be white lights around... If you are worried about orangy... maybe u should pick the silver theme... I'm sure Pauline has told you that silver theme looks "white" overall (no orange at all) and napkins can be light green for some colour... You can also ask Pauline to call you to go and view the ballroom when it is decorated... then u get a better idea lor...

As for arguing wif ur hubby... it's bound to happen... we just have to give and take... sometimes u give in, sometimes I give in...

btw, anyone here going for the SB outing on Saturday??

 

[yvonne]

Hi JenJen, Mo, Cowie n all gals here..

thanks for your advise n encouragement.

we have decided on MM. my date is 24/9/2002.
it was held by a tentative booking by someone else.
i called pauline tis AM n told her tat we'll like to confirm our booking n requested her to check with the other couple.
half an hr later she called to say tat the couple is willing to release the booking..wow..efficient rite!

ok..i'm going to prepare to be a happy MM bride..keke..n cut down on arguments n conflicts with my hubby...
thanks again gals..really appreciate all your comments n help.

JenJen, me not going to the outing..feel a little paiseh leh..btw, me cannot go also coz got my fren's gathering tis sat.

 

[sunny]

Congrats Yvonne n join in our MM gang here

my wedding is 23/9/2001, so will be one year one day before yours !

 

[yvonne]

hi Sunny,

mine is 24/9/02..next yr..or is it a typo error from u?

 

[cowie]

Hi Yvonne,
Just came back from a congress this afternoon, so just read about what you have written. Well, the rest of the girls have said it all, there are bound to be some disagreement between you and your hubby when planning for the wedding. I go thru it myself and I feel that the best way is to think of things in a more positive manner and then talk things out together. Do not let frustrations build up until they explode one day! For me, I sometimes feel that if I want to disagree strongly about something, it is a good idea that I don't voice it out immediately. After I have thought about it on my own or even write it out, I can see things clearer. Through this way, I realised that there are certain things which I was glad I didn't bring it out and make a big fuss out of it in the first place! Slowly come out with your own way of tackling a problem.... oops, am I getting too naggy.....

As for the "cheena" part.....well, I guess that depends on individual lah. Something that appears cheena to you may not to others or vice versa.... so, as long as you feel that you have gotten a good deal..... don't be too affected by the minor details, okie

Ha! We will both be Sept brides next year. Mine is on 15/9/2002! (Do you think MM will be very confused by us? Two Yvonne brides in Sept!!)

Hi JenJen,
Will not be going for the SB gathering...... Maybe can have our own MM gathering next time......

 

[mo]

Wah...another MM bride...welcome to the club...hehehe

 

[yvonne]

hi sunny,
sorry, its not ur typo but mine reading error!
tot u have written 1 day difference..
very sorry hor..

well gals, i have a posting under PP..abt being "cheated" n stuff like tat..guess i'm a little upset, tats y i wrote those nonsense!
yup, cowie...u're right..
i've gotten a good deal n shouldnt dwell so much on the minor minor things..else i wont be happy at all..tis morning i'm still feeling blue over the PP thing..but now i'm ok..

it really feels good being in this thread..where all the MM brides r..i know there'll always be support n advices...
thanks gals!

 

[jenjen]

hehe... i dun mind next time having a MM outing ah...

You know hor, I'm supposed to have my wedding in Sep 2002 oso... coz we wanted to have our ROM this Sep... but due to some circumstances, we had to postpone the ROM... my bf wanted it on the same day so we choose Nov instd... else i'll oso be a Sep bride...

 

[sunny]

yah yah, we can have MM outing next time. keke

girls, i can share with u my wedding details, the good n the bad (hope dun have any though). so that u can highlight to pauline. she is also my co-ordinater n i must say, she makes me very comfortable with her too. btw, i had my food tasting already n was served by Fionna. wow, i must really compliment this girl. she is EXCELLENT ! for those who is going for food tasting soon, i strongly recommend u to request for her serivce. i have also told pauline that i want Fionna to serve the VIP table on my wedding n pauline told me that Fionna is the "hong ren" in MM.

 

[yvonne]

wow sunny..thanks for tat "tip"
i'll take note but guess my food tasting very long way to go...
so sunny..ur wedding is in abt 2 wks+..
hhmm..gan cheong or not???
pls share with us after tat okie..

 

[jenjen]

Yah... mine will be so long later, maybe by then Fiona will have left...

...

Anyway, Sunny, u are the one same sunny who engaged uncle Daniel right???

 

[sunny]

yah, 2 weeks ++ to go. getting excited n gan cheong now. seems like still got so many last min things to do. esp table arrangement, most headache part

will def share with u girls the details of my wedding at MM

yes Jen Jen, me same sunny who engaged Daniel for reno. just went to islandpub hse last nite n i like her kitchen concept. daniel also proposed nice n trendy feature wall cum dresser for her master bedroom.

 

[jenjen]

yupyup... seems like we have some things in common...

we better dun change the topic here... we shall discuss abt daniel in the other topic... pls refer there, okie...

 

[cowie]

Hi Hi,

Oh dear, me a bit blur already. So JenJen, when is your actual date? 23 Sept 2001 or somewhere in Nov........ sorrie huh, very lost......

Like Mo and Yvonne, mine food tasting is also a long........way more to go

Hey, can I suggest we do a head count? How many MM brides are there in this thread now? Anyone who is not as blur as me want to help? At least with that we can feel "closer" lah........ just a suggestion though.....

Hey Sunny,
Congrats! Will be looking forward to learn from you!! I also followed the thread on reno and did get uncle Daniel's contact from Islandpub as well. Am just keeping a look-out for such contacts. Will only be getting my keys early next year but I reckon no harm collecting contacts while I have the time. Do foresee myself to be quite busy during that period of time.....oh dear, see who is the gan cheong one......;P

 

[jenjen]

Dear Cowie...

Sunny is 23/09/2001, not me...
Yvonne is 24/09/2002...

Mine is in Nov 2002...

Urs leh??

 

[mo]

Hi Cowie,

And mine is 7/07/2002...when is yours???

u're right man...me getting blur as well by all these dates and names...hehe

 

[adeline]

Dear all,

wow great to see so many MM brides in this forum, I'm one of the gang too! Mine wedding will be on 15/12/02 (sun). Pauline is my coordinator, she's Great! We signed partly due to her service as well. So Pauline, if you do read this email, give yourself a pat on the back. WELL DONE! So many MM brides out here singing your praise. Must send this page to your boss..

Sunny, Congratulations! Do remember to keep us posted on your wedding..which is sooooo close. By the way, thanks for emailing me Uncle Daniel's contact, yet to contact him though.

cheers!

 

[sunny]

wow

so happy to see so many MM brides here n so "qiao he", Pauline is all our coordinator. will def let u girls know my wedding details once i am back from honeymoon

cowie, good to start early ah. no matter what, best to plan ahead. i already did but still got so many last min things to settle.

 

[reebok]

Me oso book with MM & my date is on 21/09/2002, a few days before Yvonne's. It is also the Lunar Lanteen Festival day.

Anyone on 22/09/02 & 23/09/02. Shall we complete tis MM date till end Dec 02?? Juz kidding lah!!!

I am serve by Beng Khoon, his svc is oso excellent. Guess, all their sales personnal are well trained lah...

Glad to hear so much compliments about MM that made me have confidence with him. In fact, their package is the most complete one though the ballroom a little "Cheena" but okie lah. Anyway, it's a Chinese Dinner wat?!

Ya.....we shld have a MM brides chat line / outing ya??

 

[bluebell]

Hi Reebok,

My co-ordinator is also Beng Khoon, finally found someone with the same co-ordinator as me

 

[yvonne]

hi gals

quite a few of u is before me..so at least i can get tips n advise.

very happy tat there r so many MM brides..
actually me not yet considered one lah..heheh
coz havent paid the deposit..going next Mon.
btw, abt the contract thing :
we pay the deposit then MM will draft a contract for us or is it vice versa?
can we bring home the contract n go thru then make deposit?
pls advise..
thanks!

reebok - i was a bit hesitant coz of the "cheena" ballrm..but i guess MM has got a very good package..too good to resist!

 

[jasminetea]

Hi All,

Wow, so many MM brides over here.

I'm also one of you

My wedding is on 23/12/02. I'm also served by Pauline. Like all of you have mentioned she's great!

 

[sunny]

hey girls,
just wana check with u, anyone of u enquire abt the cost of rental of projector ? Pauline told me is $400-$450 (depending on resolution)

i find it very steep.

 

[jenjen]

Yvonne...

I dunno abt u, but we paid the deposit the 2nd time we went down to confirm... Pauline sent us the contract by mail in abt 3-4 weeks... supposed to send the original back to her after u sign... but there will be an extra copy for u....

I think when u bargain, make sure u see her write down all the things she offered... then she will draft it into the contract... the worry is becoz in case she leaves MM, the person taking over still has to abide by the contract written in black & white...

 

[linda]

Hi girls,

HAhahha...We should really plan a list of who is getting married when in MM....So many of us here..
1) Sunny 23/9/01
2) Linda 10/6/02
3) Mo 7/7/02
4) Reebok 21/9/02
5) Yvonne 24/9/02
6) Jen Jen 11/02
7) Adeline 15/12/02
8) Jasmine 23/12/02

WOW!!!!!!!!
Yvonne, dun worry, Cos when I receive the contract in the mail 1 week+ later, I looked thru every little thing and it is correct as what Pauline has told me. I also paid the deposit the 2 time I met her.

 

[cowie]

Hi girls,

Wow, looks like I was the one who initiated this listing of dates thingy but I end up being the last one to add on to this..... Linda, want to add me to your list......mine is on 15/09/2002.

 

[yvonne]

hhmm..from the list, i noticed tat the dates r all odd no. except mine n linda's!
are all ur dates those "auspicious" dates?
my MIL told me tat mine is..

 

[cowie]

Wah Yvonne,

You really go analyse the dates ah......Hee!

Actually mine is not the most auspicious date available lah. But my FH and myself chose the date based on what we like, then we just let his mother go check it out. According to her, that is not the best. The best is on a weekday but we want it on a Sun.....so well...... I did find out later that the following Sun 22/9 is a more auspicious date recently (I booked in April) but the people at MM told me that that day is already taken...in fact they are going to have 3 weddings on that day..........

You know what, my FH comforted me by saying that if the day is too auspicious, afterwards end up having wedding together with a lot of other couples in the same hotel no so good lah.......HAAA!

Just out of curiousity, do all of you have so call checked and make sure that your dates are auspicious?!

 

[adeline]

Hi all,

Getting really interesting..soooo many MM brides here!

Regarding the date, we did check out the Chinesefortune calendar website and I flip through the tong shu as well. Did not mention anything about being bad. Then double confirm with a fortune teller, he said good date, but we sis not do analysis on our 'ba zhi'.

My initial choice was actually 26/10/02 (sat) , but MM sat's pkg too expensive, so chose 15/12/02 instead.

Yes, i do find the ballroom cheena, but overall their service and pkg is the best in town, so decided to take them.

Linda, so you decide your wedding to be on 10/06/02, set already? if yes, that's my birthday!

MM brides out there, we must really get Pauline to see this thread.

Cheers

 

[cowie]

Dear all,

Yah, there are 9 of us here.....wonder if anymore will be joining us soon.......

Am I the only one served by Irene?.......

 

[bluebell]

Hi All,

Mine's on 26 May 02.

Sunny,

If we do a digital presentation on a laptop, do we still need a projector? Sorry, I have no idea abt such things. We will also need some kind of screen rite? Does MM allow us to bring our own projector?

 

[sunny]

girls,
i never check our date. we just book which ever date was available then. initially we wanted Oct but all Oct dates were taken up so move forward to sept. then we get to know from newspaper that our wedding date is the MOST auspicious date in 2001 !!!

bluebell,
yes, u still need a projector to show the digital presentation. they will provide the screen FOC but charge for the projector ($400!!!) MM allows us to bring our own projector as well. anyone enquire abt the rental of projector from MM ??

 

[jenjen]

1) Sunny 23/09/2001
2) Bluebell 26/05/2002
3) Linda 10/06/2002
4) Mo 07/07/2002
5) Cowie 15/09/2002
6) Reebok 21/09/2002
7) Yvonne 24/09/2002
8) JenJen 10/11/2002
9) Adeline 15/12/2002
10) Jasmine 23/12/2002

Hey!!! 10 of us leh...

Sunny, the leader of the pack must tell us how is everything after ur dinner har...

Acherly my ROM date was supposed to be 22/09/2001 one... becoz we checked out long ago that it is auspicious... then we wanted to book the banquet on 22/09/2002, exactly 1 year later... coz we want the same date... in the end, due to some clash in other events this year, we had to postpone the ROM... so ended up in Nov...

 

[mo]

Hi all,

Woa...so many MM brides

hurray

After reading your comments on auspicious dates, i'm beginning to wonder abt mine. We had wanted our wedding to be on the 30/6/02, but that date has been booked at MM, so we could only consider 7/7/02 for the dinner. This means that our wedding date will be on the 6/7/02 in church while dinner on the following day. Actually, I really like the 30/6/02 coz that was the day my bf then proposed. Sigh...too bad, it's taken. So, is 6/7/02 unauspicious??? I don't believe in these things, but just curious. Moreover, I don't really like the sound of it in Cantonese as it is a vulgar word to say 6-7 in Cantonese.

Any advice???

 

[yvonne]

hi all..

wow! din expect such a response on the dates..
hehehe
personally any date is fine for me..even my parents dun believe in "auspicious" dates..
but my hubby told me tat MIL will be choosing a few "good dates" for us..my side dun mind any date..so my hubby n myself choose 24/9/2002.
we choose wkday coz its cheaper..i dun wanna spend too much on banquet coz i jus finish renovating my new hse..broke liao leh..somemore still gotta have the bridal thing also..
choosing Sep means we have 1 yr to save the $$!

 

[cowie]

Hi JenJen,
Never mind lah, yours is now on 10/11. Which is a nice consecutive number also what rite?!

Hi Mo,
Since you already said you don't believe in these things then I think it is better not to go and find out....... cos if it happens to turn out otherwise you may start to feel uncomfortable..... so, ignorance is bliss ;P Like what I told JenJen, nice to have consecutive numbers what!.... Not everyone will read it in cantonese rite,....at least it did not even occur to me!;P

Maybe I should quote what my FH said. He said that so long that THAT is the day that we choose, it will be the lucky day for us! Maybe if all of us can have this mentality, we will be happier......

Hi Sunny,
You are really lucky to get the most auspicious date! Since you are the first one amongst us, must help us and give us tips along the way, okie?