Raffles Hotel

[stefanie]

Hi all! I've officially signed up with raffles! Was talking to Michelle most of the time (found out she was from Intercon - think she is mentioned in the intercon thread - and just joined Raffles) and she's on leave so I spoke to Tom for a bit. Find Tom very good when I speak to him - like he would try to accomodate and would be very patient when I ask him dozens of questions.

Michelle advised me to use original cds when I tried asking if I can use ipod. I'm a bit ks so I'll proabbly prepare both.

Not sure of the sound system even though I've attended wedding there like 3 years ago? I've spoken to some bands and raffles is not on the list when i ask which hotels have good sound systems...

By the way, are any of you getting seats for the wedding photographers? I think it's very sad if they don't get to eat right?

 

[stefanie]

By the way, has anyone sourced for additional flowers for their wedding at raffles? Care to share?

I'm having solemnization @ the lawn (just rental) and would like to have more flowers on top of the reuse of ballroom flowers....Not sure if I should use hotel's florist... Heard is expensive?

 

[thesamboras]

it would be very expensive to use raffler's florist. I think outsourcing might be cheaper.

 

[lyons]

<font color="119911">hi girls,

Raffles Hotel has a sound system. You need to provide your own laptop to play your slideshows but the sound system will be connected to your laptop. They have CD players for the sound system as well so don't need to play from laptop.

Don't worry about the sound system. To be frank, why do you need such a good sound system? The ballroom is not big, max 24-25 tables only so sure can hear the speakers one, don't worry

My wedding's in a few weeks' time so I'll come back and let you girls know how it went.

As for invitation cards, I also did normal printing. It's good enough. Save money also.</font>

 

[zenith]

hi all,

i've just confirmed my wedding with raffles! so happy!

i'm having my solemnization &amp; wedding lunch at east india room though. luv the look &amp; feel of the room.

 

[stefanie]

Thanks samboras! Do you have any recommendations for florists? I like the drapes for the lawn but it's sooooo expensive! 1k! *jaw drop*

Thanks lyons! Your feedback have been most useful! Especially the food section! Don't know what I'd do without all the info here.

Hmmm, I guess I am an audiophile at heart. I'm hiring a band to sing so I'd like them to sound good also. I guess most systems are acceptable. The really good ones can improve the singing I think?

By the way, for those who recently signed up at the wedding show, did you get the additional perk of 12 bottles corkage waiver mentioned in earlier posts? I tried asking for it and Michelle said cannot, coz I got the wedding show perks already.....

 

[vanadis82]

Hi Bride,

Congratulations again and really wish that everything will go smoothly on your wedding day!!! Wish you and ur hubby a blissful marriage!

So glad that the few of us have been following this forum and come so far together.

So nervous that the big day is nearing. Do let us know how your wedding went, and share with me ur pics again okie?

Good luck all the brides and grooms to be too!

 

[lilo_stitch]

Hi Bride,
thanks for your infor. congratulations on your special day.

Hi min,
i'm a bit confused btw hotstamp n normal printing, can normal printing done like what appear on e card? i dont want to add another paper to tie gold string. i'm still not sure which printer to go with as i will leave it to my in law to source as i' not in town, getting a bit impatient as i cant do much due to it. can u share with me card sample and Tdragon charges?

anyone only print english words on invites wout chinese? also do we need to include map?

 

[groom_bride]

hi kim,

thanks, will try to drop by email see if i still can catch up with e peaks i miss ;p how is their ballroom deco? i remember e last wedding i attend it look very standard like red roses only.

bride n min, what any types of flower arrange n flowers they allow u to choose?

 

[stefanie]

Thanks for the well wishes minmin! I'm quite worried - my wedding is 23 Dec and Michelle hasn't given me the contract....

Hi Bella, Here's some pictures I took at the bridal fair. Hope it helps.

Hi Lilo, I think hot stamp is like having sunken gold letterings...Normal printing is like normal black ink? I'm not very sure...I'm thinking of having normal printing though.

My friend printed hers in English only on the Raffles card. But I'll probably have 2 sets - 1 in chinese and the other in english? Doesn't seem like there's enough space for both lang?

 

[stefanie]

Did anyone try printing both English and Chinese in one card?

 

[lilo_stitch]

hi jazz, their card very small cant fit both lang, if both i thk e words very tiny n ugly. i'm thk e same as u one chinese n eng as some of our parents friends or relative know chinese but not english. have u found any printer? which card did u choose? how's ur wedding preparation? mine will be 5days after urs ;p

 

[shaz1211]

hi i am new to this forum and would like to organise my solemnisation &amp; wedding dinner at the raffles hotel in june 08. I have read the previous messages posted in this forum in relation to perks provided at the wedding show. Could anyone who is aware of them please list them for my reference?

Michelle has also been assigned as my wedding coordinator. I am unsure if she is flexible with negotiations and in providing additional perks/freebies for both the solemnisation and the wedding dinner.

I have yet to view the ballroom and the casuarina suite, where I will be having my solemnisation. I have a query in relation to the ballroom. Is there enoough space for a red carpet for the wedding couple to enter into the ballroom?

 

[vanadis82]

Hi All,
wah, so many replies since the weekend!
Ok, regarding printing, normal printing means ink printing, but you can do it in different colours. For mine since I took the oriental design card, I asked my printer to match the wordings to the card design. Either pale red or grey looks good on the card.
On the other hand, those who took the western design cards could do gold printing or any colour you like.
Normal printing gives a more matt look, and I think it looks really elegant.
For hotstamping as far as i know they only do gold. And its the shiny kind of gold.
I haven't collected my cards yet so don't have a sample to share yet.
Yes and I'm printing both English and Chinese on the card, without the map. I am pretty sure most pple know where raffles hotel is.
T dragon is very professional in their service and they actually have a few samples and layouts. For those interested, you could actually go directly to them to see. Dont really have to do it with them though.

 

[stefanie]

Hi Minmin, Thanks for your advice!

Hi Lilo, your AD is on 28? All the best!

My prep is coming along slowly...quite scary....going to meet the hotel director Elizabeth (her name matches the Victorian hotel!) later to iron out some venue issues. I hope to get my contract today....sob sob....very stress ah, could not sleep after i read email from Michelle about my venue issue.

Hi Sharon! there are 4 perks - you can choose only 2. first, 12 bottles of free wine, second corkage waiver for 24 bottles of duty paid and sealed wine or champagne or hard liquor 75ml size, third 30l beer, fourth butler passed canapes for 150pcs pre dinner cocktail. Hope you get the perks! No harm harming bah...

I think got space for red carpet - I attended a wedding there before with 23 chinese banquet round tables.

 

[lyons]

<font color="119911">hi jazz and lilo, the best is to approach one printer who knows how to word the wordings on the invitation card properly. I went to Acepro Link. Look for Veronica. I gave her contact above. She's good and rates are cheap. I paid about $80 for 170 cards. Can't really remember the ezact price though. But it's reasonable.

Go for normal printing as minmin suggested. Don't go for hotstamp. Not needed for Raffles Cards cos there is no need for inserts. Don't waste money. Inserts are additional thin pieces of paper tied with a string in normal two-fold cards but raffles cards are three-fold so print directly onto the card. MUCH MUCH cheaper. Plus, guests don't really notice whether or not the words are hotstamped.

Hey jazz, maybe don't need red carpet cos the whole ballroom carpet's red!

Too red not nice

I'm having 24 tables. Think the ballroom's max is 25.

If you need anymore help, just post here. I try to help if I can

Thanks minmin for the well wishes! I'm getting so nervous now!</font>

 

[lyons]

<center><table border=1><tr><td>

Sample of Raffles' invitation card wordings. Just change the names and dates accordingly but make sure you check and double-check!
raffles hotel invitation wording template.pdf (39.5 k)</td></tr></table></center>

 

[lyons]

 

[lyons]

 

[lyons]

<font color="119911">the red card is the chinese themed one and the gold is the western-themed one. Dunno if they changed their designs but this is what I had to choose from. I chose the gold ones. Then my wordings are matching the same gold colour as the box. Turned out very nice and elegant</font>

 

[stefanie]

Hi bride, thanks so much for sharing, they're excellent tips and contacts - all the best for your wedding! I'm sure you'll make a truly lovely bride!

Hi Sharon, sorry for my typo - I meant "no harm asking", not "no harm harming"

 

[lilo_stitch]

hi bride, many thanks for the infor,. now got better pic of the style of printing, will give her a ring.

hi jazz, i'm very slow too, i have not even got my EG talior

what color theme are u gals having? cant decide if i should go with ivory/green or ivory/pink flower, any suggestion?

 

[lyons]

<font color="119911">hi jazz and lilo, no problem. I had a scanned copy of the invitation cards so can post for you all to see.

Hey lilo, maybe you should consider the colour of Raffles Ballroom because Linus from Sir Charles Florist told me that a lot of brides forget that the ballroom is very rich in colour (i.e. lots of red and gold) and somehow pastel colours will not complement the ballroom colour. Something for you to consider.

If I may suggest, it looks ivory is the common colour so maybe you can consider ivory/red (ivory to tone down the richness of the red colour, have more ivory and red to add a splash of colour) OR ivory/dark green (to avoid too pastel a colour)</font>

 

[stefanie]

hi lilo, when is your AD? Don't worry lar, about 3 months is a comfortable date for MTM gown. However I've heard of girls who've made gowns in one month or even 3 weeks. No stress!

Raffles ballroom....I only remember lots of brown and the lighting is such that whole interior is orange? Personally I prefer the white/green look...

hope this helps!

 

[xtrogal]

Hi Sharon,

I am also in the midst of booking with Raffles hotel but having some problems.

can you pls email me at [email protected]?

Thanks!

 

[xtrogal]

Jazz,

what issues do you have on the venue?

 

[shaz1211]

hi jazz,
thanks for your help. i will be viewing the ballroom this friday and am keeping my fingers crossed. i've seen the pics on the raffles hotel website and have read the comments that the ballroom is very rich in red &amp; gold colour. i'm hoping that i will fall in love with it.

 

[castle1]

Hi girls,

Trying to select songs for the march in.. anyone knows how many minutes of the song will be ideal?

By the way, usually how many pieces of music do we need? ! Beside Ist &amp; 2nd march in &amp; montage, do we also need to arrange pieces for champagne pouring &amp; cake cutting?

Thanks all!!

 

[lyons]

<font color="119911">hi castle, you can use the same song for 1st march in + cake cutting. Then the song for 2nd march in can last until the point where you pop the champagne and pour the fountain</font>

 

[castle1]

Hi brides,
Thank you, in this case we will proceed directly to the stage &amp; do the cake cutting for 1st march in &amp; 2nd march in without going to our seats first right? After all that then we will go to our tables?

Btw, is 5 mins sufficient for the songs?

Thank!

 

[lyons]

<font color="119911">yes, castle, I think that's the way it should be. I'll let you know whether or not 5min is sufficient after my wedding this weekend! haha!

wish me luck!</font>

 

[castle1]

Hi bride,

Sure, thank you!!
Wow, your AD this weekend..All the best for your wedding!! Enjoy your Big Day!!

 

[lyons]

<font color="119911">hi castle, thanks!

</font>

 

[stefanie]

Hi bride, thanks for sharing so much info and all the best for your wedding!

I've finally made some progress - signed the contract today and printing cards now. Chose the western style cards and went to Acepro Veronica as recommended by bride.

Veronica is nice and accomodating. She gives me the impression there aren't many cursive font types to choose from and I am fussy about font as I am a very visual person. However she was nice to revise the approval artwork a few times. She charges $80 for 200 cards - so if you have 200 cards and below it will only cost $80. I only had 100+ to print.

Hi xtrogal, tried to PM you but you cannot accept PM? I've spoken to Elizabeth before: She is the director of catering sales and she strikes me as very sincere and capable lady - not sure if she would be able to help you?

Hi Shazzy, did you fall for the ballroom?

 

[pr1s]

hi ... considering raffles and four seasons for our wedding dinner. however, we noticed that four seasons doesn't provide one complimentary bottle of wine but they have 9 course instead of 8 course dinner at raffles. does anyone has any comments on this?

another thing, anyone can feedback about raffles solemnization before dinner at the lawn? what will happen if it rains? thanks in advance ...

 

[lyons]

<font color="119911">hi girls! My AD is finally over! PHEW! I had a wonderful wonderful time in Raffles Hotel and the service is top-notch! Save for a few mistakes they made like not turning on the lights in time for our walk-in and popping our champagne for us! My advice to you all is to make them standby another bottle of champagne just in case the bottle pops before you can even touch it! For us, we didn't really mind so we just took the popped bottle and started pouring the champagne. If the old folks mind then you might have a bit of trouble.

Hi jazz, glad you went with Veron. She's really accommodating right? Nice lady. Tell her 27 Oct, Raffles' bride says hi. She should know who I am

Hi Pinky, my guests feedback to me that they were very full after dinner. The portions aren't small and though it was 8 course, it's filling enough for the guests so don't worry. I can't comment on four seasons but if you hold your wedding at either one of these good hotels, you should be safe. As for solemnization in raffles, my goodness... the lawn is beautiful! There was a wedding at the same time as mine and the lawn was done up really nicely but it's costly so keep that in mind. I think you can raise your concerns to the coordinator. If I"m not wrong, they will reserve one of their smaller ballrooms for your solemnization in case it rains. Request for East India Room cos it's gorgeous!</font>

 

[pr1s]

bride, thanks for ur reply

glad that your AD was great!

how was the food btw? i saw that their type of food is actually quite different from other hotels such as wasabi mayonaise prawn ... four seasons' menu is quite standard

regarding lawn if it rains, they replied and told me that we can use the ballroom instead if it rains, which is the place for our dinner itself

 

[vanadis82]

Hi Bride!! So happy for you that everything went smoothly! Are you going for honeymoon anytime soon?
Just some advice i need from you. May I know who are the ones who coordinate the music and the lights? Is it the hotel staff or your own helpers?
How was the sound system there?
I know the stage is kind of small. If we are intending to have a live band, you think its possible??

 

[lyons]

<font color="119911">Hi pinky, yes, my guests loved the dishes! They thought the dishes were unique and wasabi prawn was the hot favourite!

Raffles is not the best hotel in terms of their food but quality, service and not-too-bad food combined, raffles is a good choice.

Hi minmin! thank you

I'm happy too! Leaving for honeymoon this sat... so have lots to pack

The people coordinating the music and lights are raffles staff but you need people on your side to coordinate the timing and music CD (if you have your own compilation). Operation of the equipment is by the raffles staff. Bear in mind that you have to bring and operate your own laptop.

The sound system was ok, not the best but it's not too bad also la. It's acceptable. Yes! I had a live band! It is possible. Not too big band though. They will be at the side of the stage. Mine was a 3-piece.</font>

 

[pr1s]

hi bride! wow, good to hear that ur guests enjoyed the food

u are convincing me to choose raffles even though my htb actually prefers four seasons :|

did u actually considered four seasons before choosing raffles? what were ur pro and cons?

abt the band, i'm also considering to have a small band for wedding but maybe classical one like 4 string quartets or just rent a piano and have someone play the piano during dinner

would u mind sharing how much did it cost and which band did u hire? also feedback on the band itself, thx so much!!

 

[castle1]

Hi bride,

Very happy to hear that all went very well for your wedding.

Hee..did your dinner start before 8pm? And what time did it roughly end? btw, can I check how is the alcohol cusumption? I am trying to estimate.. quite clueless.

 

[lyons]

<font color="119911">hi pinky, yes, I did consider four seasons before choosing raffles. In fact, I was going to place deposit for four seasons but someone beat me to it. I preferred four seasons because their ballroom is much nicer than raffles' (to me) and food supposed to be from jiang nan chun, which is a good restaurant. raffles is much better in terms of service and name so it's really which is more impt to you.

Both are good hotels but raffles seems to give a more "wow" feel than four seasons.

There is no piano in raffles ballroom and you won't be able to squeeze in one unless it's an electronic piano. My band's A Little Dream and I have nothing to say but good good things about them. Hsin Yeow has been really nice and helpful throughout the wedding prep process and on that day, my guests loved the music. They said it set a different tone to the whole wedding. I paid $900 for a 3-piece band to play for 2 x 45min segments. hsin yeow sung for the 1st segment. 2nd segment only sax &amp; piano. You can supplement with your own music if you wish. Raffles offered their sentimental music if you want it. On my wedding day, A Little Dream had 2 functions in raffles hotel itself! One's mine and the other's in the smaller casuarina suite

Hi castle, yes, my dinner started at 8pm sharp. Very surprised people were early. They actually came before 7.30pm for cocktail! Given that it was a sat and bridge road always jammed, we feel really blessed that god must be looking down upon us and giving us his blessings. As for alcohol consumption, that's another blessing in disguise. We only utilised raffles' complimentary wines! That worked out to be 1.5 bottle per table only! What a surprise. I think not many guests drank. Must be the "drink cannot drive" police message

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[pr1s]

hi bride, thanks a lot for ur info

i also think that four seasons' ballroom is nicer, that's why i'm still in dilemma ... we are afraid that the guests behind can't see the lcd projector clearly coz of raffles' ballroom layout ... or there is a way to put the projector at the side instead of in front?

i will check out the band u recommend ...

 

[lyons]

<font color="119911">they will put the projector screen by the side of the stage. It's those standing up type. Go with what you're comfortable with because at the end of the day, you're the ones who must like the place

Yup, let hsin yeow know 27 oct raffles bride recommended you

</font>

 

[castle1]

Hi bride

Thanks for sharing, great that you had a wonderful time at your wedding. It is so nice that all your guests arrived in time.. what time did your banguet end? Speaking of a band, I have been considering one as well for a long time.. may I know what type of music does A Little Dream specialises in? I might not need a singer though. What type of instruments do they play? Is it a must to prepare a function room for them?

By the way, does every table has a waiter to serve the guests &amp; distribute the food to individual? How is their florists? Does the ballroom looked well decorated or a bit "bare" esp their stage? My coordinator suggested that we can speak to her about the flower arrangement, but they only have 2 standard ones if I remembered correctly. Hmm..thinking would it be better to discuss it with the florist instead?

 

[lilo_stitch]

hi bride,

thanks for sharing so much infor after your wedding.
i also got some prob with castle abt flowers. do u know e florist design different deco for different couple or they keep using the same design? i remember last time e coordinator show me e pic it look very standard.

did u use their dummy cakes or real cake?

where part of the world u going for honeymoon?
have a nice n wonderful trip!

 

[lyons]

<font color="119911">hi girls, leaving for my honeymoon to Italy soon! So quick one...

hey castle, banquet ended at 11pm cos we had quite a few surprises by our friends. What we were pleasantly surprised about was that all our guests were still around at the dessert dish! A Little Dream specialises in many types of music. They can sing chinese I think. You should contact them better cos mine was jazz only. no need to prepare function room for them.

Yes, 1 waiter to 1 table. They will distribute individually. Florist is Sir Charles florist in Raffles Hotel. Erm, the ballroom is already very decorated and rich in colour so it's better to leave the centrepieces simple. Unless you're willing to top up for candelabres (wrong spelling I think), those tall tall flower stands to put on the table. Very grand but very ex. The florist will give you 3-4 designs to choose from. You can change a little here and there, they were quite accommodating for mine.

Hi lilo, i got my own cupcake-cake

Each guest was served 1 cupcake each. They brought the top tier cake to my room. Yummy brownie!

Ok, talk more when I get back girls! Have fun with the preps! Treasure it now cos you'll miss it like I do now

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[gabriellek]

Hi ladies

Congrats on all your upcoming weddings!

I got a quick question – we like raffles hotel, but their rates for 2008 is around $1162, after including GST, service charge, etc. My budget is about $1,000 per table (after all the GST etc) so I am wondering whether anyone managed to get a discount from Raffles hotel?

Please let me know otherwise we have to give up RH as our choice.. ïŒ

Thanks for your help in advance!

 

[pr1s]

hi gab,

raffles is very strict on their package, so dun think that u can bring down from 1162 to less than 1000 per table, i think that's not possible unless you want to take wedding lunch instead

if u want below 1000 for table of 10 for 2008, there are rendezvouz, traders, rasa sentosa, regent, and sheraton

other hotels such as four seasons, hyatt, hilton, intercontinental, oriental, goodwood park, fullerton, and ritz are all above 1K per table for 2008, hope it helps

 

[cactus_79]

Hi Gabrielle, I believe hotels are very strict on package price. But you can try get them to throw in freebees such as extra bottles of wine or waiver of free corkage. It's not easy to get a discount. Even in a restaurant, it may only be possbile to get a discount if you negotiate a change inthe menu because you dun quite like a certain dish.