Novotel Clarke Quay

[xuer21]

hi cheekybee.. did u open the beer during the cocktail? haha.. my uncle who is working in the hotel line.. he told me to inform the guests that there is no more beer once the beer is finished... pengz le.. and he told me not to open any beer or wine during cocktail.. wait till dinner time then open.. which i think i will most likely do that.. but my biggest worry is what if they finish the barrel of beer during dinner and they wanted more.. dunno should open another barrel anot...

Actually i was intending to take free flow beer and purchase the in house wine from them.. but hor i scared no one drink beer then i lugi le...

AHHHH i also very confused... if my relatives and frens drink only wine i guess i will be very happy.. but hor.. both they also drink.. and the worst thing is i dunno their consumption level....

 

[merribell]

Hi all,
long time no post already... I am contemplating to take the one wine bottle per table and 1 free barrel. However, I have a nagging question.. I understand that they will show u the empty bottles of the wine that are supposedly consumed by ur guests during the dinner... my question is, how do I know that ALL the empty bottles belong to my wedding dinner? Thinking on the extreme side, it is possible that NCQ could "standby" a few empty bottles of wine to "show" you that this is indeed wat was consumed when in actual fact, the number of bottles consumed could be much less and we would have no way of verifying it.. Does anyone has any idea on how to go about this issue? On another note, is anyone still concerned with the reviews of ineffective service (i.e. 1 server to 4 tables for the drinks! where got enough?) =(

 

[crayongal]

dear all,
i also opted for the 1 free btl of wine per tbl. however, we did not want beer for our guests. heh.. so we chose to do w/o that. we asked for other things instead.

as for the corkage.. ya.. i noe that ncq is known not to waive this.. so, if u're tinkg of asking.. it'll be quite diff. heh.. =P

anyhows.... Ting , the $230 for printing of inserts is with Tdragon ? yrs is hot-stamping or the normal one?

 

[moon_27]

Dear all,

Seems like most of you are opting for the 1 wine bottle per table and 1 free barrel. This seems like the best choice of the the options since the cost of the wine from NCQ is ard $23++. I have a suggestion and not sure whether can work out anot. Maybe anyone can give their feedback. What if I purchase a 3 litres of wine instead of a normal 750ml. Then I will save on the corkage of around 15*3=45 (since NCQ charges on per bottle). I happen to come across a wine shop and they do sell at 3litres at around $58 (Dun koe whether can lower the price if the qty is more).
Do you think this idea is feasible? I mean if I am looking to open another barrel costing around $600+, I maybe as well spend this $$ on the wine. And at least I do not have to worry on the beer anymore since is free flow. Anyone please share your opinions?

hi cheekybee.. so can I conclude that end up you open 2 barrel of wine ? May I koe ard which time did you neeed to open the 2nd one? (for my reference) and also how many bottles of wine consumed? How many tables you have? (Thanks for the check list sent)

Hi Merribell,
Yup, this is one issue also bugging me. It is really diffcult to measure the no of bottles consumed unless we really got someone to supervise them.. which is not possible. Maybe for those who already had the banquet, please share with us on this.
Oh ya, regarding the service standard, I am still very concerned about this. My close relative just went to the banquet in Jan and the feedback is very negative. Seems like they are not very pro active in serving the drinks (they usually bring a new glass to guests, not topping up). Is like when the couple are having the toasting, most of the guests' glasses are 1/4 filled only. I think this a PRESSING problem for all the BTB. I am thinking of writing to Jamie or Huiling for the feedback but seems like this is the problem since long time ago but service have never improved till now. Shall we go discuss and do something about it? And the worse thing is that heard from some guest c/o that " they thought the couple have neg too many things with the hotel that triggered this kind of service" Goodness, all of us know that it is so diffcult to ask for perks so is rather 'pai say' since we have are paying for a hotel price. I mean I dont expect a very good service level but at least a reasonable one.

 

[cheekybee]

dear happiness...yes i should have done that!...haha...now a bit too late to regret leh...

future brides you can try it!

dear michelle...i think we opened only during the banquet itself...on the briefing just before your wedding...ncq will ask you when you wish to have your drinks served i tink...like when everyone has sat down or when first dish is going to start...you can specify i guess...

dear merribell...yes what you are saying bugged us quite a bit after our banquet cos' we had some issues with them about liquor consumption...why not you check with them direct? Probably you can make a marking on each bottle to show that it is yours? not too sure how they do it now though...about the barrel of beer...i oso din't see the barrel or jugs...haha...but no choice cos' we din't foresee such an issue before the banquet...most importantly the rest of the night went quite smoothly and our guests were quite happy!

 

[cheekybee]

Hi moon...we opened one more extra barrel...spent another $600++...we had 25 tables and the coordinator that night informed us of it running out around 5th-6th dish i think...can't possibly say no to him right cos' its not like the last dish already lor...will feel paiseh to our guests! For wine we had one bottle free every table...coordinator towards the end told us we exceeded by 2-3 bottles but they will waive it off...hee...we just said thank you!...dint question anymore...hahaha...

Gals...if you wish to bring your own hard liquor..i suggest making a marking somewhere and check how many empty bottles after your banquet...haha...that is if you are still not drunk yet and can still remember!

 

[happinessbliss]

Hi Cheekybee,

Yr suggestions on the marking of the hard liquor, I will take that... Hehehe... Ya u right, if we are sober enough to check end of the night...hahaha....

On the beer bath> Gals, try at your own risk hor...But hor, i do come across some advertisement on beer soap thou... hahaha....maybe it rather works well on skin???? Hehehe....But i sure do not wan to come out of bath smelling like a walking beer barrel... kekekeke

 

[bubblebell]

Hi merribell,
I just had my banquet with Novotel, I opt 1 free wine per table and 1 barrel of beer.
Surprising the beer was popular than the red wine, i paid for additional barrel of beer.
As for Hard liquor, I agree with you, how do we know that the empty bottles of hard liquor bottle that they show us belong to us? My advice is, pls take note of this issue, cause is quite important.
My guests finish 4 all bottles of Hard liquor, which I find it abit too many bottles.

 

[xuer21]

hi bubble-bell... did ur guest finish all the bottles of wine? if not.. did NCQ return u the remaining bottles?

 

[moon_27]

Hi cheekybee,

That is quite a fair bit of alcohol consumed considering that you have 25 tables (2 barrel of beers and >25 bottles of wine). Now I am very worried cos I have 38 tables and my budget only includes opening another barrel and + 5-8 wine bottles.

Hi Michelle,
How many tables are you having? Think we are kinda in the same position... dont koe on the guests preferences so still deciding whether take the free flow or the 30lit barrel + i bottle per table...

Hi Bubblebell,
Can I check how many tables you have? and the no. of wine bottles consumed?

Thanks everyone for the comments given! It will helps me in my banquet planning. =>

 

[xuer21]

hi moon,

i am having only 30 tables...my frens and sis told me that nowadays ppl prefer wine to beer.. but i dare not take the risk.. but hor... i was thinking that comparing to opening tens of bottles of wine... which can jolly well costs me up to 1000+ i might as well opt for 1 30L barrel of beer and 1 wine per table.. but hor.. at the same time i am worried that if the situation requires me to open another barrel... arg.... and the guests only consume a bit of it? imagine jugs of beer being sent to the hotel suite.... my goodness....btw, when is ur wedding??

 

[cheekybee]

Hi bubblebell...at my time our guests also consumed 4 bottles of hard liquor...and I had 25 tables only...I find it really amazing too...so for you did you get to verify the number of empty bottles after the banquet? How about the extra barrel of beer?

We had an issue with the coordinator over our hard liquor consumption cos' we were not careful enough...we din't foresee how to handle this before the banquet...so i hope future brides do take note and don't follow in our footsteps lor...fortunately they managed to resolve it and appease our parents...haha...

 

[cheekybee]

hi moon...pleased to be of some help!

you are right...we opened 2 barrels beer + about 27 bottles wine + 4 bottles hard liquor...unbelievable right? I also have my doubts..to be frank...

actual consumption depends on the people you invite to your banquet...if you know some are hard core drinkers then beer should be more...if more old folks maybe will drink more hard liquor...youngsters may drink more wine...hee...hard to predict oso la...

well michelle...don't worry too much first...maybe your guests won't drink as much as you think...hee...wedding expenses are always like beyond our control...sometimes got to close one eye...but very heartache lor!!

 

[xuer21]

hi cheekybee... ya lor..think think only.. i already heart pain... btw hor... how do u pay for ur banquet? credit card?

 

[lara]

michelle n moon, i oso cannot decide whether to take free flow beer or 1 bottle wine coz my relatives will drink more wine but my hb's colleagues (army guys) will drink more beer... headache..

 

[suzgal]

Thanks cheekybee

Hi Queenly, can share ur package obtained as I am also looking at AD in 2009,..promise to keep it to myself..pls email me at [email protected].

Also, does anyone knows if the 2nd night stay is only avail for those sign up at wedding show or usually will throw in if we request?

Thank you.

Rgds

 

[bubblebell]

Hi All,
I have 35 tables, my guests finish 2 barrels of beer, 4 bottles of hard liquor and 36 bottles of red wine. abit hard to believe loh..
So far, they just show you the empty bottles after the banquet.
I think most of my guests drink beer during the cocktail, end up they did not drink the red wine during the dinner, that's y the consumption of the red wine is not high. In fact, my 1st barrel finish during the commence of the first dish. So the manager ask for our permission before they open the 2nd barrel.
Remember to tell the manager to inform you guys when they open extra barrel or extra bottle of red wine, otherwise the bill will be be shocked at the end of the banquet.

 

[bubblebell]

Hi Cheekybee,
Same here, I have problems with them over hard liquor problems

 

[xuer21]

hi suzgal, the second night stay is only avaliable during their wedding show...

 

[lara]

issit very bad if i only instruct them to serve beer n wine after the guests r seated? i.e. only soft drinks will be served during cocktail

 

[xuer21]

hi lara, i am intending to do that.. and i am being much worse.. as i am intending only to serve upon request....

 

[lara]

hi michelle.. good idea hor.. shall tell my hb tat.. see wat he say.. luckily mine is on a weekday so i think alcohol consumption wun b so high compared to weekends

 

[rjwedding]

i'm also taking the 1 btl of wine per table and 1 barrel free of beer.. my fren told me not to open up the wine or beer during the cocktail, only when requested by the guest.. think this way will save more on beer n wine.. will have to instruct ncq to do so.. but overall i will try to accomodate to my guest's needs too..

 

[xuer21]

hi lara.. ya ... so gd.. mine is on weekend.. somemore on sat... pengz.. pray hard my alcohol consumption wont be that high...

 

[lara]

michelle, mayb u can tell ur guests the police might conduct road checks ard clarke quay area then they will limit their alcohol intake hahah..

 

[xuer21]

haha those that drink hor seldom drive... but i think i will do that haha.. no choice budget tight..

 

[sushi347]

Hi cheekybee

Understand that you were a cinnamon room bride. We are thinking of having Table No. 1 & Table No. 2 (tables at left hand corner of the room) be the 2 reserved tables. Is it a good choice?

 

[diva79]

gals, we opt for free flow of beer. so far no probs..consumption of wine is like 20+ for 28-29 tables? i need to check thou..

but ours on a weekday. maybe that is why consumption of beer is lower...but my hb did warn me that beer consumption is higher in banquets..dunno y he think dat way thou

 

[xuer21]

ya.. surprisingly hor.. many of my frens although they say wine is more popular now but they say beer is preferred.. dunno y le.. is it becuase drinking beer is like drinking water? pengz.. if thats the case.. i really dunno to take free flow beer? or 1 wine and 1 barrel of beer......

 

[queenly]

i opted for the 1 barrel plus 1 wine per table....i oso dunno if beer consumption will b higher or wine hmm but mine is on a sunday so if mon got to work maybe the consumption will b lower

 

[cheekybee]

Hi jiahui...i just sent you the checklist liao!

Hi michelle...we paid by credit card upon checkout....if the credit limit is not enough...you can ask for a temporary extension from the bank...i think they also allow two credit cards being used....

Hi bubblebell....i seriously have my doubts that this might be happening quite frequently...pm me on what happened for you okie...

Gals...thinking back i might have chosen free flow beer instead....but corkage for the wine at that time put us off....but at least for wine i know how many bottles i bring and can verify how many are consumed at the end of the banquet...

Hey sushi...i forgot the seating arrangement liao...but if you are referring to the tables near the wall...i did seat some people there...cos' i had only one reserve table and i chose the one that is blocked slightly by the pillar....however the people i arrange to seat there are not so close ones lor...

 

[moon_27]

Hi Michelle,

Same here. My frens also comment that ppl drink more red wine nowadays. Mmm, now also in dilemma. when do we need to confirm with NCQ?

 

[xuer21]

hi moon,

i guess 3 mths b4? or when during tasting of the food... i also dunno... headache le... now so many doubts .. i also worry like siao..

 

[xuer21]

btw.. anyone here taking phoenix ballroom but only have ard 28 tables?

 

[lara]

hi moon n michelle, i think 2 weeks ba.. when's ur weddingS?

i thot phoenix min is 30 tables?

 

[diva79]

Moon (moon_27) >> u need to confirm like 4-5 days before the event..so no worries..

we didn't regret taking the beer. becoz lots of ppl drinking beer. maybe a lot of uncles dats y? so far i know that most gals prefer wines ba. but not a lot drink wine at our wedding..

 

[diva79]

Michelle (xuer21) >> u can try 28 tables but with 2-3 tables additional as reserved? that way u might get the phoenix ballroom.

 

[pannie]

Hi girls.

How have all of you been? 10 more months to my wedding and I am rather lazy to do anything. Hehe!!

Or should I say I dunno where to start. Any advice?

By the way, anyone tried to get a piano in to the ballroom before? Trying to get my hubby to play a song for me but then not too sure whether NCQ do provide piano.

 

[eemoo]

hi divasan!! Hi Ann!! And Hi to all the gals here...

for the wine/beer thing, i think you all don't have to worry much. for me, i took 1 free barrel and 1 wine per table. i have 30tbls.

in the end, i opened another barrel and an extra 26 bottles of wine. but at the end of the night, i wasn't charged for all these extras. so i think it applies to everybody right? they don't state in the contract and don't allow you to bargain but i think they will waive it off as a good gesture. not sure if other brides got this treatment?

 

[pannie]

Hi eemoo.

Woah... sounds very good lei.

 

[diva79]

eemoo (eemoo) >> alamak..no they didn't lei. they charged for every bottle they opened for our case. no wavier nothing lei.

 

[rjwedding]

hi ann.. i'm also getting a piano for my wedding.. NCQ said they don't provide piano, we have to get the piano ourselves.. so i'm also sourcing for piano..

 

[eemoo]

ohh... i thought it was the case for everybody... but they did ask me not to tell anyone though..

 

[pannie]

Hi R&J.

We keep each other updated if we have any good deals. So far, do u know what's the pricing like?

Hi eemoo.
You are so lucky. How I wish I was so lucky too.

 

[cheekybee]

Eemoo...i think you were lucky...haha...we were all charged! Heartache leh...

 

[moon_27]

Hi Eemoo,

you are very lucky not to be charged!!... But I dun think this will applies to most of us...

Hi Lara,

My wedding is in Sept. Hence I tink have ample time for me to select the drinks option. But seems like those who opt for the free barrel + 1 bottle per table needs to open another barrel... cos I have ard 38 -40 tables, hence prob i need to open 3 barrel in all...

Hi all,
usually do you start the serving of beer during cocktail? or when the guests are seated inside or when the dinner starts?

 

[xuer21]

ya lor eemoo... u very very lucky le....

Hi divasan.. when i sign the contract it state the phoenix room le... but now i only got abt 28 tables only... dunno they will reject the contract anot le ....

 

[lara]

1 barrel of beer is $600+?

i hope i wun incur too much extra cost for the dinner.. as it is i oredi haf 3 pax vegetarian n they r a headache

Hi moon, i guess we still haf ample time to make a decision!

 

[eemoo]

hi gals...

but i think i'm not the only one ley..

Michelle, i booked the Phoenix room too for 30+2 tables. then nearer the date, we can't fill up the 30 tbls (due to 2 families cannot come coz clash,those chinese things). you have to tell your coordinator early and i'm sure she will accomodate to your requests.
i told them to set 28+2 tables and said we will pay for the 30tbls but consume within a month. but in the end, we had 30tbls so it solved the prob eventually.

Moon - most will opt to start serving beer and liquor/wine when the guests are seated. if you start serving cocktail, you will run out very soon.

 

[rjwedding]

hi ann.. no idea for piano yet.. but got one lobang from my fren.. he said he going to look for one electronic piano.. so if he buys it on time for my wedding.. then i will borrow from him.. but he says he needs to save money 1st.. meantime still looking around.. alot of company i asked they come with sound systems n etc.. which i don't find necessary, cos quite ex.. i only need piano..