Raffles Hotel

terrapin

New Member
Hi pepper,

Have paid the deposit in Jan this year, although my AD will only be Jun 2005. This is to ensure I get the date I want.

I have seen the wedding invites, think it was quite new when I placed my booking 7 months ago. Think it depends on individual's taste, because I like the design very much as it's simple and elegant.

By the way, I have chosen the hotel as one of the locations to do my outdoor photo shoot. Anyone has suggestions for any nice spots in the hotel?
 


pepper

Member
Hi terrapin

the main reason for choosing RH for my wedding venue was because i very much wanted to take my photos there. so i engaged image garden to do both my PS for the studio and outdoor as well as the AD. There are so many nice places in RH to take photos. actually i like the fountain very much as a reception area but the chinese dinner can only be served at the raffles ballroom and the ballroom has very nice chandeliers. at night the lights are very elegant and victorian i think.
 

bochup

New Member
hihi,

my AD is Jan 05 and wish i read the posts here earlier =D anyhow, i haven't heard from sharul since signing up in february... is this normal? or am i supposed to contact him?

really have no clue what should be done by this point cos have been busy working on other wedding related issues.

Wen: yr AD is same period as me and u already doing food tasting ar? can tell me what else u settled so i dun do too much last minute stuff? hehe thank u!
 

erizen

New Member
Hi Bochup,
Actually did food tasting a little earlier so that my sis could join us before she gives birth
happy.gif
So far, i have done:
1) First Fitting :secind fitting in 2 weeks time and after that will be photo shoot
2)Met florist and will be meeting her second time next week for modifications
3)Shortlisted wedding favours
4)Preparing guest lists now

Hmm..think that is abt it actually . U ?
 

pepper

Member
did anyone managed to get cards for 80% of the guaranteed attendance?

Hi Wen

Is the florist is also the person doing the deco for the stage and walls? Are there any hidden costs?

what are the wedding favours available?

How did the food tasting go? is the food good?
thanks!
 

bochup

New Member
wen,

WOW! you are really well-prepared man! i haven't done ANYTHING u've mentioned... i am in so much trouble! sniff

the most i've done is
1. shortlist the guests... but still gotta confirm that with parents this week.
2. chose WG/EG/TD and waiting for first fitting in early Nov (photoshoot on 1 Dec)
3. planning to have food tasting in late november when my FH and his parents visit SG (he based in SF and the parents are based in colorado).

did u choose edible favors? when is your photoshoot? how come need to meet florist so soon? gosh... i feel even more panicked now. will be meeting sharul next thurs. hope he can help calm me down... =D *hyperventilate*
 

cookies_gal

New Member
Hi wen,

Wow, your wedding is in Jan and you've already met the florist! What type of flowers do we get to choose from?

BTW, have you collected your invitation cards yet? How are the designs like?
 

terrapin

New Member
Hi,

Did our photoshoot at RH a few weeks ago. The photos turned up wonderful. Overall, the experience was pleasant, and the hotel staff even served us cold water when they saw how hot we were.
 

bochup

New Member
terrapin, pepper and cookie's gal
when are your ADs?
So far...
Wen: Jan 05
Bochup: Jan 05

terrapin, was yr photoshoot also done by Inspire or only yr AD photos done by them? did u go anywhere else besides RH for outdoor shoot?
 

terrapin

New Member
Hi Bochup,

Cookie's gal and I will be having our AD in Jun 05.

Inspire Production only does the photo and videography for the AD. Studio and outdoor shots were done by the BS.

Besides RH, we also did the photo shoot at St Andrew's Cathedral, Botanical Garden, and night shots near Singapore River area.
 

bochup

New Member
Latest Updates =)
Wen: Jan 05
Bochup: Jan 05
Pepper: May 05
Terrapin: Jun 05
Cookie's gal: Jun 05

Terrapin: icic that's alot of places you went for outdoors. may i know which BS/photographer you went with? did you have to pay more for more locations? and how come u do PS so early? =) thanks!
 

terrapin

New Member
Hi Bochup,

We went with Bridal Concept. We didn't have to top up for the locations, as we told them beforehand that we will most probably be taking 2 albums. In the end, we selected 85 photos 15R... I guess the amount we pay more than covers their petrol cost.

Did the PS so early to get it out of the way. Also wanted to avoid the rainy season towards the end of the year, and start of next year.
 

erizen

New Member
Hi All,
Well..I thought i better do whatever I can now cos expect all the last minute stuff to come in. And also doing up house at the same time so not stressed ourselves out by cramming too many things together. So whatever i can do earlier, I will
happy.gif


For the florist, they will take care of the stage decor/table centrepieces/ reception table piece as well as those floral stands along the aisle. There is no top up necessary unless we choose 'special' flowers, i was told. Was told that flowers like peonies/hydrangeas all require top-ups. Usually what the florist will do is to do a mock-up in time for food tasting so that you can see and feedback.For me i chose roses and cymbidiums.

Wedding favours, there are alot. So many that we did not know what to choose. Off the top of my head , they had :
1)teddy bears
2) pot porri stuff
3)chopsticks
4) little clay figurines
5) matchsticks ( sounds weird but very very cute)
6) edible stuff- honey/candies/chocolates

As for wedding invites, haven't collected them yet. And i really cannot remember what they look like.

Food-wise..not bad. Some dishes nicer than the others. For eg. we preferred the abalone soup to the sharks fin and the cold dessert to the hot dessert.

Just wondering..are u all gng to RH for your photoshoot??
 

pepper

Member
Hi Wen

yes i would go to RH for photoshoot.

Is it possible to have two wedding favours u think? i think people like to have something to eat however it is rather boring so if we could choose to give both then it will be ideal. Afterall i don think the wedding favours are very ex, moreover the price per table is so high.

anyone will be ordering ur own red wine or buying additional from the hotel?

Wen, how did u know that the abalone soup is nicer than sharks fin soup? u mean u could try both?
 

erizen

New Member
Hi pepper,
According to what i was told, we could choose up to 2 favours, subject to availability.

What i did for the food tasting was that for certain dishes, we tried half half ( i.e 4 portions of each). Of course for some like the chicken/fish then not possible. But for soup /dessert, they were nice enough to let us try half half...
 

bochup

New Member
hi wen,
we are really lucky to have u in the forum sharing your experience =) really good to know little things like up to 2 favors (subject to availabiility) and the option of trying half half during food tasting. That's a really good idea and definitely smart of you to be so well-prepared. =) I should pull up my socks too cos I will be immigrating to the US shortly after the dinner so it will be quite hectic overall.

I am getting my photos taken at RH as well. We should share our photos when done! =D my email addy is [email protected].

I am getting the house wine. calculated that if we order our own and pay corkage works out to be more expensive. Also the hotel bears the cost of wine not consumed since I have no idea how many bottles I'll be needing.
have any of u seen the bridal suite? and anyone getting a day room foc or know how much it will cost approximately?
 
hi gals!

I'm contemplating on having my AD at RH. My AD Sep 2005. Does an1 have the pkg and menu? Would be most appreciative if u can share wif me? RH gives me the impression very ex. Wat's the chrg like per table for wkend? Is there a bridal suite provided? pls forward to : [email protected]
thx!
 

bochup

New Member
hi yw,
i think u can find the package details on raffles website. http://www.raffleshotel.com/weddinner.html In general i am quite impressed with raffles hotel package... i was considering between four seasons and raffles... and i felt that FS was very inflexible (eg. no other wedding favors except chocolates). further, RH package is pretty comprehensive and already includes bridal suite. I think the winning point for me was that it included a bottle of wine per table PLUS a barrel of beer (on top of the usual things u see in a package). And this to me is value for money because i don't think many hotels of their standard have alcohol included in such a generous manner.
p.s Their corkage is on the high side though.
 
Bochup,

thx alot for ur info. I just chked out their package. initially, I thot of RH coz it's the oldest hotel in SIN, and very classy and elegant, that's y I chose RH. But now that I saw the website, I fell in love immediately with how the ballroom looks. The free btl of wine per table and free 30 litre barrel is indeed enticing. Problem is that they oredi got tentative booking. The other couple have up till 9th Oct to decide, if not I going to place deposit liao! Very excited. Just 1 2 chk wif u, how much is their wine? I thk I would need more than 1btl per table,but wouldlike to know how much r their wines. Now waiting for their menu.
btw, how high is their corkage for BYO wines? hard liquors? Thx!
 

terrapin

New Member
Hi YW,
Have you decided on the AD yet? Is RH tentatively booked on your selected date, or for the whole of September (I presume weekends)?

If I didn't remember wrongly, the corkage is $35, while a bottle of house wine cost about $50 plus. Need to check my contract for the actual figures.
 
terrapin,

would appreciate if u can share u pkg with me. My AD nxt yr 18sep,its a Sunday. But some1 else got tentative booking liao. they put me on wait list, and would chk with the other couple, say they will give the other couple up to 9th oct to decide if they 1 to firm.if they dun, I would run there to place my deposit. But I choose an alternative 11sep nxt yr(oso Sunday), and they placed a tentative booking for me liao.

wah....their wines so ex ah? coz max I have 25 tables, but chances are less than that, prob obi abt 22 tables. was thking other than the free btl of wine per table, would buy from them another 25 btls. I allocating abt 2 btls per table, coz my guests are mostly wine drinkers. Do u thk if there's any chance of neg for 2 free btls per table? Maybe do away with some other perks like invites, I can DIY my invites.
happy.gif
And ard the hotel got a lot of parking avail, maybe tell them I dun need so many car passes? Wedding favours oso can dun 1, I intend to DIY oso, if possible.hehe!
happy.gif


Who did u liaise with? Was told to look for Jenn, heard that she nice and helpful. The other planner there Sharul rite? How do u personally find him? Saw on some RH threads that he not so nice leh...
 

terrapin

New Member
Hi YW,
My package is the same as what you saw on the website. As mentioned above, cockage is $35, a bottle of house white is $50, and a bottle of champagne is $110. A barrel of 30 litre beer cost $675. Note that all prices are subjected to +++.

Unlikely that you will have much success negotiating for 2 free bottles of wine per table, but you can always try. Raffles Hotel is a hotel that you can't really negotiate for anything, and most of their customers don't try very hard either. Just be glad if you can get your AD on your preferred day.

I liaise with Sharul. He was the only wedding planner when I placed my deposit at the beginning of this year. Sharul is quite friendly, and I don't quite agree with some of the bad remarks that he got in the forum. Anyway, everyone is entitled to their own opinions. At the end of the day, I just want my AD to go smoothly.

My two cents worth.
 

erizen

New Member
hi all,
U are most welcome. Think i have learnt a lot from this forum too. Besides, it is alwauys nice to share info. Just wondering, which bridal studios are u all using??
 

bochup

New Member
hi YW
agree with terrapin that unlikely u can negotiate for 2 bottles per table. as is, i find it a bonus to have 1 per table for a hotel of their price. some one in the forum is negotiating for a bundled corkage fee... maybe u can do that too (up to x number of bottles for a lump sum).
i liaise with Sharul as well and so far, besides his noticeable sarcastic edge, he's a pretty decent fella. will be meeting him on thurs noon to discuss my dinner details.

Sweetpea,
u know my FH goes by Wen too hehe... cos noticed u changed it to sweetpea. =D
anyhow, mine is with ted wu. photos with photolanguage. how abt the rest of u?
 

caitlin

New Member
Hi gals,

I am new to this thread. Just received my proposal from RH and like you all, am attracted by the unique ambience of the hotel.

Have read on another forum that if you go with RH, you must be prepared for food that is so-so only? (Although there are others who say that with Royal China now, things have improved.) Can anyone tell me more about how they found the food? Thanks so much!
happy.gif
 

erizen

New Member
Hi Bochup,
Haha..so it is just as well I changed it then
happy.gif
I am with Silhouette and photos with The Edge. My second fitting next week so hope i have not put on weight :p

Hi Caitlin: The food is OK, like i previously mentioned, some dishes better than the others. But think that for RH, we are also paying for the ambience and overall experience rather than for the food alone
happy.gif
 

bochup

New Member
sweetpea,
yeah hehe... oh my gf went with same package as u. think her photographer was andrew tay...? her wedding was jus less than 2 weeks ago. are u having a videographer? any to recommend if so?

caitlin,
yeah agree with sweetpea. =) when will yr wedding be?
 

pepper

Member
Hi Bochup

my good friend is also choosing ted wu with photolanguage. i am very sure u gown will turn out fabulous. so what is ur design like?

any other girls have finalised their gown design yet?

mine is with wedding present and image garden.
 

bochup

New Member
Hi pepper,
thanks! i think so too. i like ted wu.. been posting in that thread too hehe. i've heard good things abt wedding present as well. that's the one at bukit pasoh rite? patrick is a nice guy. i went to check out the place too. =)

so here's my favorite list... please feel free to add yr own data in. hehe...

Sweetpea: Jan 05 BS-Silhouette PS-The Edge
Bochup: Jan 05 BS-Ted Wu PS-Photolanguage
Pepper: May 05 BS-Wedding Present PS-Image Garden
Terrapin: Jun 05 BS/PS-Bridal Concept
Cookie's gal: Jun 05
 

cookies_gal

New Member
Hi ladies!

Sounds like we're all eagerly counting down to celebrating our AD @ RH!!! kekeke...

Bochup,
Terrapin is my FH so let me amend the list a bit so that it looks more correct ...

Sweetpea: Jan 05 BS-Silhouette PS-The Edge
Bochup: Jan 05 BS-Ted Wu PS-Photolanguage
Pepper: May 05 BS-Wedding Present PS-Image Garden
Terrapin & Cookie's gal: Jun 05 BS/PS-Bridal Concept

And here's a little something for us BTB to go "awww..."

165872.jpg
 

caitlin

New Member
Hi Bochup,

My wedding will be in Sep 05. I am considering Hyatt and RH for my wedding reception.

My bridal studio is Blush Blush. PS undecided- will either use Bats Production (which comes with the Blush Blush package) or Montage Studios.
happy.gif
 

bochup

New Member
oops hehehe sorrie cookie's gal... i had no idea. good to have an active FH posting too. hehe in the other thread i'm in (ted wu bridal), there's one groom but dun tink his bride posts.

is that photo belonging to sweetpea (cos of the name of yr image)? that is so sweet! =)

anyhow this shld be interesting. we all got different PS and we're all planning to take photo in RH. will be fun to see the different settings our photographers select. =D
 

bochup

New Member
oh! wait... we gotta add the date of our PS too! hehe
Sweetpea: Jan 05 BS-Silhouette PS-The Edge
Bochup: 1Dec04/Jan05 BS-Ted Wu PS-Photolanguage
Pepper: May 05 BS-Wedding Present PS-Image Garden
Terrapin & Cookie's gal: Jun 05 BS/PS-Bridal Concept

caitlin,
hyatt food is quite good but u might be sharing the wedding glam with a few other couples. i was also checking out hyatt. have u been to several hotels? i actually had a list of hotels that i visited... one saturday i visited 5 hotels in the morning alone... (one hour each including driving between the places). it really helps u to be more certain in what u prefer. cos at the end of the day u might also need to consider your parents' preferences?
 

terrapin

New Member
Hi Bochup,
I don't usually post in the wedding threads... that's under the "jurisdiction" of cookies_gal. I am in charge of the home reno, hence I post there quite frequently.

Speaking of date of PS, ours was done last month, ie. Aug 04. RH is a wonderful place to take your PS, and is meaningful in that you will be having the banquet there.

Wow, you actually visited quite a number of hotels. We didn't visit any other hotels, as we knew right from the start that it has to be RH. Besides, it's of close proximity to our church.
 

cookies_gal

New Member
Hi Bochup,

Yep, that photo is dedicated to Sweetpea. That's a bouquet of sweetpea the bride is holding there. When I saw it, I suddenly understood why so many brides here in this forum are called "Sweetpea".
 

caitlin

New Member
Hi Bochup,

Which other hotels did you visit?

Since all of you are having your wedding recep in 05, do you know the rates for 05 as my proposal only states the rates for 04.
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I like RH. The only drawback is that my FH and I are looking at about 25 tables but are worried that last minute there might be increases...E.g. people whose partners you did not invite but RSVP with additional guests.
 

pepper

Member
Hi Caitlin

i think with 20 tables, it might be quite tight already, the aisle for walking maybe rather narrow don u think?

Bochup and Sweetpea, what music did u both choose for ur 1st march in? how abt the first dish? since RH is nto a very big ballroom, is ur train also shortened?
 

caitlin

New Member
Hi Pepper,

Hmmm...I have not seen the ballroom yet. The coordinator who is meeting me is Jenn and she said 25 is comfortable. Anyway, I am meeting her this Saturday. There are apparently a few weddings there this Sat, in the different rooms available. So I would be able to see how tight the ballroom would be with 25 tables.
happy.gif


What attracted me to Raffles Hotel was the ambience and the fact that I can take PS there.
happy.gif
I liked Goodwood too but their capacity is even smaller. Only 23 max.
 

pepper

Member
Hi Caitlin

i was attracted to the same reasons as u have cited
happy.gif
anyway each table can sit 11 people if u really need to have more than 25 tables.
 

bochup

New Member
Sweetpea: Jan 05 BS-Silhouette PS-The Edge
Bochup: 1Dec04/Jan05 BS-Ted Wu PS-Photolanguage
Pepper: May 05 BS-Wedding Present PS-Image Garden
Terrapin & Cookie's gal: Aug04/Jun 05 BS/PS-Bridal Concept

terrapin/cookie's gal: "jurisdiction" hehe... my FH is in charge of planning our small wedding in Boulder CO, where he grew up. so have u got yr photos yet? do u have a website we can look at? =D and u know when i saw the bouquet, i really liked it and tot of my blue evening gown immediately! =)

caitlin: went to carlton, fourseasons, grand copthorne, grandhyatt, orchard, orchardparade (this is my least favorite bcos of the shape of the ballroom; low ceiling and lots of pillars), and regent. u should definitely look for a place with room to expand if u already have 250 names. unless u are prepared to cut it down. i have too many names as well but i decided on cutting it down (for raffles) since my sis is also having her wedding just 2 months before mine at shangri-la. for 30 tables, u might want to consider fourseasons or grandhyatt. one of my favorite place was orchard hotel (famous restnt and beautiful high ceiling/pillarless ballroom) but it's only good if u have enough ppl to fill all 3 ballrooms (60-100 tables) cos otherwise u gotta share reception area with another wedding. i sourced for my rates in feb so i don't think i have anymore recent rates than if u were to just email them and ask for it. they are usually pretty straightforward abt emailing packages n rates.

pepper: die la... i got 280 names trying hard to squeeze down. u mean 24 (+1 spare) tables really too many ar? have u seen the layout in the ballroom for a wedding yet? i haven't really chose music yet but think the 1st march in will be to Con te partiro (cos i am immigrating to US in march). and i also know that first dish will NOT be "be my guest" hehe... train should not be a problem. i asked for a short train from the start bcos i not having church wedding (both FH and me are more inclined to buddhism).
 

bochup

New Member
caitlin,
oops now that u mention, i also went to goodwood. =D forgot abt that. i found it a little old and musty. maybe it was too early in the morning when i went... 9am i think hehe. also it has two pillars... they can sit another 3 tables along the corridor.. but that would be so wrong.
ooh i wanna see the ballroom this sat too! hmmm think i shall ask sharul when i see him tmrw noon. who knows i might meet u there! hehe...
 

pepper

Member
Bochup

i have seen a layout for 16 tables and it looks just nice. in the latest female brides magazine, there was a photo of a wedding dinner in RH, i counted like 20 tables and the aisle looks quite narrow.
 

caitlin

New Member
Hi Bochup!

Thanks for the info! I looked at Regent too. But their minimum is 35 tables and I certainly did not have that many.

So far, Hyatt seems to offer the best room in terms of capacity, 25 to 30 tables. I was looking at the Sir Stamford Room.

I looked at the Four Seasons quotation but thought that the menu was so so only for the price that they were charging.
 

erizen

New Member
Hi all,
Wow...so many new posts even such a short period
happy.gif
I will also be having 25 tables..think it is Ok actually. Anything more than that will be a no no. Saw one dinner with 27 tables and that was really squeezy. Am also worried about those who will suddenly turn up with their kids.

Hi Bochup : yup my photographer is Andrew Tay. We are also using him for our actual day.
 

bochup

New Member
ok confirm i must go n take a look at the setup this weekend =D

pepper: one thing i read (in some mags) is that in order to breakeven, u should try to fit in the maximum number of tables given. so anything below the minimum of 20 tables (stated in my contract) is definitely not viable for financial reasons. more imptly right now we having trouble just reducing to 250 names... so most likely will have abt 25 tables.

caitlin: hyatt one thing i didn't like was that the food tasting u gotta pay for it (albeit discounted). most places offer free food tasting. also the favors seem rather limited (if that's impt to u). other than that i think they have 2 rooms with space for 30 tables and both are pretty decent. note that ONLY ONE has direct access to the bridal suite. the other one u gotta take escalator up/down and possibly go pass another couple's wedding (have a feeling that is the Stamford one). finally... you can't compare photoshoot at RH with Hyatt =D hope i haven't confused u further.

sweetpea: u sent out yr invites yet? andrew seems like a nice guy. quite easy-going =) will be taking a look at my friend's AD photos soon (also by him). Her PS ones are pretty good. most impt is the chemistry so that the couple feels comfortable. =)
 

pepper

Member
Hi Bochup

for RH if u take below 20 tables, will have to pay about $150 +++ more per table .

i am not expecting to break even for this wedding, per person is almost $100 right? i can;t expect those people who are bringing the whole family to give me such a big ang bao.
 

erizen

New Member
Hi Bochup,
Nope..not sent invites out yet.In fact the wedding invites are not even designed yet. We need to design one apart from those the hotel is giving us cos we are also having a church wedding. So must cater to those going to church and not to the wedding dinner.

Nice and assuring to hear that he is good. We chose him rather than the rest cos felt more comfortable with him.

I am also keeping my fingers crossed that can break even. Yeah...each must give at least $100

We did consider Hyatt too and met the coordinator for a short while. He was supposed to get back to us again to confirm another appointment but never did. So we just struck them off our list. We visited a few as well....the other on our list was Beaufort which we really liked. But another couple paid the deposit before us. So in the end settled on RH.
 


bochup

New Member
hi pepper,

i am hoping to breakeven but prepared for the worst. got three wedding budgets to consider altogether (singapore, kaoshiung and colorado) so must watch the wallet tighter. =) also hoping that the smaller wedding translates into inviting only the closer friends and family who are generally more generous.
 

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