Raffles Hotel

[shoegirl]

Hi everyone,

I am wondering if anyone hold their banquets at RH Casuarina Suite B and what were your experiences like?
The ballroom is already taken on the date we want and Tracey recommended this suite for us.

Greatly appreciate if you could share any information with me!

 

[emilyteo]

Dog lovier, i am upset and siappointed... however, i looked on the positive side.... and treat it as blessing in disguise - then after the small disount we managed to break even our banquet.. so that means we save some $$.

meimei, as for the sound system,.... i did not bring up to them as there are other further issues in my mind....hopefully those new brides can bring it to the management.

THC> yes... jason is very good. very helpful.

Xtrogal> i have emailed you my multiply ID. add me to your list and you can view my wedding gown photo. as for the flowers etc... i will email soon once i managed to reduce the file of my photo. my photographer has given me very high resolution photos so the files are huge!

 

[missdaffy]

Hi ET,

I am sorry to hear about that. Really hope RH will make the badly needed improvements. Kinda worried about my wedding at RH liao. But good that the flowers are fresh and pretty!

Add me in multiply too? id: missdaffy
thanks!

 

[esther_c]

miss daffy:when your wedding ah?

I love RH flowers -so fresh and pretty!i feel in love with the flowers when i went to the wedding show.It is a big plus for RH in this area.

 

[guekchuen83]

I love their flowers too...

Until today, i still miss my wedding...

 

[overseasbtb]

hi ET,
Thanks for your feedback! I am kind of worried now. I live overseas but saw the pictures on raffles website and we fell in love with it. We have been corresponding with tracey. Her service is okay but it has not been impressive. I have reserved RH for my solemnisation and dinner banquet ( but not paid yet) My cousin just went to meet tracey last Sat to look at the ballroom, and we found out that hotel guests CANNOT even walk through the raffles hotel lobby, etc. Kind of disappointing! Does it mean that if my guests arrive at the front entrance, they will be stopped and asked to walk around beach road/seah street/other entrances? My worry is that my guests might not know, and turn up at the main hotel entrance, and then be refused entry. Will be kind of embarassing for us if that happens..

From the above threads, you guys also mentioned that we cannot take photos with bridal car at the hotel's entrance? Is that serious? That might pose a problem. How did you all find out about the policy?

RH/Tracey has been pretty inflexible so far. Been told that we need to buy additional wine bottle from them ( buy one, get a free corkgage), etc.. I might need to rethink RH. I am really sad, because I thought I had found the right place.

We have many friends from overseas who would be flying in for our wedding, so we found that RH would be the perfect place ( colonial hotel with a great past), but we also care about service tremendously, etc, esp when RH is expensive too. How can it be classy hotel with substandard service??

I attended a wedding in Conrad hotel recently, and realised that they use alot of foreign servers who does not speak english. We asked for red wine 3 times, and the server did not seem to understand us. I enquired about this with Tracey, she confirmed that RH does use foreign part time workers, but says that they use the same servers over and over, so those workers are quite well-trained. Argh! About 30-40% of our guests are from overseas, so english-speaking servers should be a must.

ARGH... I was stressed a few months back, found RH on the web, and was so relieved to have found such an idyllic place. Now, it seems like our hopes are dashed... cry cry. Does anyone think if there is hope?

Uh, does anyone know if I can switch co-ordinator if I am not satisfied? Just in case...

 

[overseasbtb]

blue monkey, since you used a wedding coordinator, would you recommend her or him? I live in Hong Kong, was thinking of getting one, but been warned by friends that they usually charge a % of total spending, so they usually try to get us to spend as much as possible? Is that a myth? ( I am crossing my fingers). Any comments etc would be great!

Thanks,

 

[emilyteo]

Hi Yumla, Raffles hotel is ok but not Tracey. She is just very careless and unprofessional. The Director Elizabeth seems to be more professional.

I lived in Australia and prepared my wedding all the way from here myself. Due to time factor, I got my gowns from Asutralia. But all other services I engagaed in Singapore and only meet up with them 2 weeks prior to the wedding.

Wedding planner only help to organise service providers which you can do yourself via email. And they can charged up to $1000.I am happy to share my experience with you. It is important to get good and understanding service providers. My photoigrapher, videographer, make-up artist, florist and bridal car are excellent!! My mum who is very fussy highly praised their service . I can give you their contact if you are interested.

Do you have multiply account? you can view my studio photo there. email me at [email protected]. email me, I am happy to share my experience about planning wedding from overseas with you..

 

[edazz]

Hi ET,

Thanks for sharing your experience in detail. Now all of us are getting a bit panicky! haha...could you also add me in multiply? ID: esteeho

 

[overseasbtb]

Hi ET, thanks for your advice and help. I have just subscribed to Multiply account, not sure how to find my ID, but I have 'invited' you..

 

[annix]

Hi all, I'm pretty interested in raffles hotel as my wedding venue. Can any kind soul email me their wedding package to my email at [email protected]?

Thanks a million?

 

[blue_monkey]

Yumla >> yes, i would strongly recommend a wedding planner if you're organizing it from overseas. I did a lot of work prior to engaging the planner - had already selected all my suppliers and etc before. Joelle from Sedan of Love did not charge on % spending of the wedding. But having Joelle around was fantastic, she coordinated the wedding rehearsal, stayed on top of arrangements for the entire day and we didn't have to worry about anything.

If for anything else, i would rather pay for my own peace of mind rather than having to worry about issues like if we wanted to open more alcohol, guests bringing more people, switching guests around tables and etc. All that was taken care of by Joelle and she ensured suppliers / schedule was adhered.

Ah Yumla, now i understand why you mentioned about % of fees charged by Wedding Planners. Wedding Planners here in HK do that...its not done in SGP yet.

 

[overseasbtb]

Thanks Blue monkey. I will certainly check Sedan of Love out..

 

[overseasbtb]

Blue monkey, btw, you mentioned in earlier thread that you had 21 tables and also a dance floor? How big was your dance floor? I was surprised because Tracey told me there might not be much space for dancefloor? Did you do a wedding dance? ;-p

 

[sparkless]

Hello,

Like to know the email contact for Raffles Hotel. Had actually used the email contact listed in the singaporebrides' fine dining listing but my email got bounced back.

Thanks

 

[ednix]

One of the Contact:

Tracey Heng: [email protected]

 

[shermie]

Hi all I am planning for my wedding at East India room in Nov. Has anyone tried the sound system there? And wondering how many songs we need for the banquet other than the march in...any advice? Thanks! My co-ordinator is also Tracey but so far she is alright..but would love to hear more from all of you so I can be careful when dealing with her.

 

[bubblymilktea]

Hi Everyone

We are planning our wedding ceremony in 2009. Raffles is the top choice in our list, with the beautiful lawn and Gazebo, perfect for our wedding theme.
However, we came across some negative comments regarding the wedding coordinators. Any advice when we meet the RH coordinators?

 

[blue_monkey]

Yumla >> had 20 tables and 1 as reserved. and a fairly big dance floor as well. More than enough space in my opinion and we did our 1st dance. We chose for the stage to be at the side of the room rather than right at the end (directly opposite from the main entrance). its a shorter walk for march in which we weren't fussy about, but having the stage in the middle meant more tables around and closer to the stage. You know how parents are, their older siblings should sit near the front and close to the stage.

EdNix >> i was in touch with Pauline. She can be reached at [email protected]. Pauline tries to be as flexible as she can, she didn't give in to all my requests but gave in to some of it with some gentle pushing and nudging. She's also quite prompt with her replies, usually within a day unless she's away.

Yumla >> there's definitely still hope! Don't give up on Raffles. You are right, its a perfect venue and setting - the gazebo, colonial feel of the place, it'll be fab for guests.
hope this helps with all your planning. If you're unhappy with Tracy, request for a change of coordinator. I'm sure Raffles would value your business more.

At the end of the day, there will be some glitches at any wedding or issues that you will be unhappy about. Whilst we can complain and let it mar the experience of 1 of the biggest and happiest days of our life, i still prefer to look back and think of the happy and wonderful moments instead

I still do strongly recommend a Wedding Planner because when the AD arrives, you just leave everything to the planner. The Planner ensured that we had everything we needed from the additional items needed from banquet staff, florist and suppliers to switching guests around tables. I just let her deal with the day..and then i relaxed after having been a kancheong spider for months

The best part about hiring a wedding planner - you can give him / her grief as you're paying for their services. if its a good friend helping you out, you can't really give them any grief or complain as they're in essence doing you a big favour. I preferred to have someone else to moan at if things go wrong.

Happy Planning Everyone!!

 

[tingshen]

anybody forward this to the respective person so that he/she could improve on his/her services/attitude?

 

[edazz]

Hi everyone,

Can anyone recall the colours of the settings available at raffles? Am thinking of themes now and kindda need to recall the settings! Help pls!

 

[xiaoqi]

Hey ladies! Just saw the last Sunday Times in the Life Section and there is a Raffles Hotel Wedding Show!

Venue: Raffles Hotel, The Ballroom
Date: Sunday, 24th August 2008
Time: 1200 to 1630 hours
Bridal House: Sillouette The Atelier
Jewellary: Tiffany & Co.

Just called the hotel to find out more and they will be throwing in more perks on top of the current package! Unfortunately, they did not share the perks when I requested for it. A sit-down lunch will also be available for tasting. I think this is a good opportunity to taste their food and bring back photographs of their function room set-ups.

The bridal house is also giving away one bridal gown during the lucky draw. Crossing my fingers on it! Heard that there is limited seats so I've quickly signed up for it! Hope it's fruitful!

 

[tingshen]

xiaoqi, is it FREE?!! I remember we need to pay a fee to join their wedding show.

 

[xiaoqi]

I paid $68nett for 2 persons for the lunch. Found that affordable for only $34 per person. I am treating it as a lunch outing plus additional perks involved!

hmmm but I saw in the advert that if you wish to opt out lunch, can pay only $40nett per couple for the whole show + cocktail.

 

[gingerbread_gal]

Hi,
how do you get the tickets to the bridal show?

 

[sg_sc]

Hi all, sorry for hijacking this thread. Any idea hw much issit per table for a sat dinner banquet at the Grand Ballroom? Tks..

Coz im attending a fren's wedding in Oct and we r not sure wat's the AP rate..dun wanna the couple to kui too...

 

[tingshen]

sg_sc, you just give whatever amount you're comfortable. Why would the venue be the key factor of the angpau amount? If he/she is a good friend of mine, I will give big ang pau even if they just treat me to a normal restaurant buffet.

if they are prepared to host their banquet in Raffles Hotel, they should be prepared to cover whatever amount they should incur. If not, why choose Raffles Hotel? A bit funny right?

anyway, banquet menu ranges from $85++ all the way to $130++

 

[doggielurver]

The price of the banquet could also depend on when they signed the contract with the hotel. When I signed my package this year, the banquets this year cost at least $98.8+++ per head, up to something like $138.8+++ per head.

 

[sg_sc]

TS> Yeah...coz we dun wanna give too much or too little..we have not seen tis fren since sec sch...so at least enuf for them to recuperate bah.

Dog lover> tink they signed up last yr, but things r definitely getting more n more pricey..

anyway thanks for the heads-up ladies! i have an 'ah-garation' liao...

 

[tatsumi_asato]

Hi, I have booked my solemenisation follow by high tea at RH as well. Will be holding the ceremony at The Lawn follow by high tea in the function room.

 

[esther_c]

hello mine will be solemnisation at the LAWN then cocktails then banquet.when is urs?im so excited

 

[tatsumi_asato]

I have just changed to the Palm Garden and released the Lawn. Will have the ceremony at the Palm Garden follow by wedding lunch at the East India room.

Mine is on 21 Nov 2009. What about you?

 

[missdaffy]

Hi, how much did you girls booked the lawn for solemnisation for? Mine is also on Nov 2009. =) But have not settled on the solemnisation venue yet. =(

 

[pineapplepie]

Hi, do u gers have pics of the hotel? was thinking whether to consider raffles or gwc or the regent?

 

[blanc]

Hey gals, I would like to know which wedding coordinators in raffles do u recommend? I am not v happy with sheraton service. I have to call up 3 times to call to ask for the package.

 

[mingkeong]

I was there recently and took some photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mingkeong/sets/72157608267443274/

Do note that the rooms were not with the wedding setting in the photos.

 

[shermie]

Hi all,I just finished my wedding at the East India Room on 9 November with solemnisation at the outdoor fountain near Bar and Billard room. We had an amazing wedding and everyone loved it, the food, the music, the service and the ambience!! Our co-ordinator was Tracy Heng and she was very responsive and made everything such a breeze for us. She was also very accomodative in terms of our request for putting up our own posters, changing of guest list and main courses at last minute, adding place cards for individual guests and having a rehearsal etc. She gave us many good suggestions as well for our wedding. Both hubby and I had a really good experience at Raffles hotel, not to mention the butler service that comes with the free wedding suite. The only thing to note is that sound system in the East India room is not fantastic so i would suggest investing in getting additional speakers etc which we paid about $700 for the night. It made a huge difference to the ambience. Overall, I felt it was well worth the money as it had a very different feel to any normal ball room hotel wedding. Let me know if you need any help and I can try to share my experience.

 

[shermie]

Sorry to mention my email is [email protected]
Since my wedding is over now..I hadly log into the forum these days =)
All the best for the future brides out there!

 

[esther_c]

hello shermie ,my coordinator is tracey too!she has acceded to my requests as much as she can too!

happy you had a great experience at RH.

 

[ahboyahbao]

hi all, so when the person meets u for the site inspection of the ballroom and go through the package, is this person the coordinator? or we could still opt to for a coordinator?

we're meeting this sales catering coordinator, Richie this week. not sure if sales catering coordinator and the wedding coordinator meant the same?

 

[esther_c]

yes ahboy & ahbao.You can opt for another coordinator if for some reason you would like to do that.

 

[ahboyahbao]

thanks. our coordinator is tracey heng. dunno good or bad since she has a lot of mixed reviews here.

 

[ahboyahbao]

Photos of the ballroom, reception area & wedding favors can be seen here http://picasaweb.google.com/romulus.lee/RafflesHotel#

 

[ahbui]

I'm going to get married at Raffles next year. I was wondering if anyone could share recent wedding stories with me so I would know what to look out for?

 

[doggielurver]

I just had my wedding at Raffles Hotel on the weekend and the entire experience was like a dream.

My guests and I were very impressed with their service, the quality of the food. They delivered everything according the expectations. Everything went according to plan, they had a banquent manager to co-ordinate things, and not only that, they also assigned me a staff just to assist the bride (prompting me when to go and change, personally escorting me to and from the bridal suite, and also keeping in touch with people inside the ballroom to ensure timing was right). We also had one waitress per table which is not always the case in other hotels.

They were extremely professional in all aspects. My co-ordinator Liang May was brilliant - she was very helpful and patient with us. We really couldn't have anyone better.

Well done, Raffles Hotel. I am so glad I chose to hold my wedding there.

 

[shingirl]

im planning my wedding here too..... but my concern is the sound system...... heard its not good....

did u pay extra for the projector thingy?

 

[doggielurver]

The sound system was OK, I didn't notice anything amiss, and none of my helpers noticed anything.

No, we didn't have to pay for any projector thing. In fact, we were not aware we had to bring a lap top for the express video highlights, so at last minute, my co-ordinator scrambled around to find me a spare computer to lend me (without charge), and she did all that ungrudgingly and with a smile on her face.

I didn't have my own wedding music, I was going to use some of the hotel's pre-made disc. On the day itself, at 5pm, I requested for Canon-in-D as my march in music, they also sent someone to find the disc.

Overall the service way surpassed my expectations, they really went all out to please.

I think the way to have a good wedding is not to sweat the small stuff. Your guests really won't notice the little things. But what they will notice is whether you're smiling and enjoying yourself, which you can't if you're worrying about the small things all the time

 

[white7]

HI Bluemonkey,

Plan to have my rom and dinner at RH

Can share some of your pic at RH? can email me at [email protected]

Greatly appreciate.

 

[white7]

Hi Dog Lover,

Congrats to u. U have any pic? mind sharing?

Can email [email protected]

Tks

 

[pompompurin]

how much is raffles' package?