The Sentosa, A Beaufort Hotel

[denisek]

hey queen n racherlle

thanks loads for your advice! def very helpful for me! Hee unfortunately I am not Denise Keller, not as pretty as her!

Guess I shall do it in the Ballroom then! At least I feel more sure of my choice now. Queen if you dont mind, I wouldnt mind to just take a look at the Ginger Terrace too. My email is [email protected]. No hurries, take yr time.

I heard that there is two 7th mth next year? oh dear...thanks for telling me.Maybe i mite stick with my June date then...

One setback abt the beaufort package was that there is no wedding cards and beer. You gals source for your own?

Tks! have a good weekend too..

 

[ellen]

hi babysummer,
what u mean by makeshift room?

hi deniseK,
yup we gotta source our own beer and cards. my BS is bringing in some wedding cards from overseas. so we will prob get it from them. as for beer we are still tinking of whether to buy cartons (cans) or barrel.

 

[gambit]

Hi gals!

Was just wondering, do u negotiate the items on the menu before or after u sign the contract? Have made a tentative booking with Josiah.

We're thinking of doing away of Shark's Fin soup (ethnical reasons), but want the replacement to be just as "valuable" in the eyes of the older folks. Also, am a bit worried that the fish, sea bass, would taste "muddy" as some other thread has said sea bass tend to taste. Or that it is the "wrong" fish to serve during the banquet. Has anyone used that fish b4? Or is it possible to "upgrade" the fish? How much would that usually cost? Am totally clueless abt the "ranking" of fish, but dont wanna displease the older folks.

Thanks!

 

[racherlle]

hi DeniseK!

no worries!

we are all here to help one another! juz ask any questions.. if we can help/advise, we will..

yup as for wedding cards.. i bought mine from Bangkok.. hav to source for printing though.. dun worrie as Beaufort will provide u a few printers whom u can ask for quotes if u wan..
i've the contacts with me if u wan.. juz let me noe..

yup have to pay extra for the beers and wines.. looking at an extra 1k or so..

hi gambit!
sigh.. haha i've already signed on the dotted line.. before negotiating for anyting.. coz Sunsun told me she doesn't wan to put a fixed quantity or amount of corkage waiver for my no of tables until at a later stage... but now she has left.. hopefully the new co-ordinator will be all rite.. but so far dun tink there's anyting significant (in terms of cost) we can negotiate with Beaufort.. they are quite firm with their perks..

gambit.. when did u make the tentative booking? did Josiah inform you of the increase in pricing? i was shocked that they are increasing the price by another $50 per table.. so i quickly confirmed with them in June..

oh as for the fish u r able to upgrade..
tink you wil hav to pay $20 or 30 per table to upgrade to Soon Hock.. and $30 or 40 per table to upgrade to Garoupa.. hehe sorrie can't remember the actual amount.. but it's roughly this range..

hmmm my dad and aunt were telling me.. sea bass is a pretty gd fish itself already.. so dun have to get too worried abt the "mud" taste.. if u really mind.. u might wan to get Soon Hock..

 

[gambit]

Hi racherlle!

Increase in prices??

I went to them sometime in June, so I think I already got quoted the new price, right?

Thanks for the tip abt the fish. Good to hear ur dad and aunt think it's fine! In that case, I will probably wait till the food tasting b4 making up my mind about the fish.

Yeah, am not really negotiating for perks. Josiah was quite firm abt not giving me any waiver for wine corkage.

Just wanna make sure I get a fair replacement for the Shark's Fin b4 signing on the dotted line.

oh can u share where in bangkok u got the cards? are they much cheaper than in singapore? could u send me the quotes for printing? my email is [email protected]

btw, u're at the dang thread too, arent u?

 

[racherlle]

hi gambit!

errr oh.. i guess they have quoted u the new price already
mine was $50 lesser per table than the price they quoted u..

yup.. i'm also planning to wait for food tasting before deciding on whether to change the fish..

btw hw many tables are u having? and when is ur big day??

ohh i got my wedding cards from a card shop in Siam Square.. i paid 70c per card.. my wedding card is pinkish in colour with 2 layer.. one is translucent.. another is the card itself..

ok no prob... will send u the contact for printing that is given to me by Sunsun..

hehe yup i'm considering between Dang and Flamingo.. went down to Flamingo already but haven't got a chance to visit Dang yet.. hehe
saw the wedding show.. but grrrhhh i won't be in SG during that period.. so will give it a miss..
u signed up with Dang already rite?

 

[gambit]

hi racherlle!

wow that's a good deal! do u rem the name of the shop? one of my friends go to Bangkok pretty often so should tell her to look out for me!

my dinner is in Nov 06...still a long way off! but i want to wear the wg for my solemnization (Mar 06) as I feel that is when I actually get married and is more meaningful to both me and my fh. the banquet itself is more a chance for friends and family to celebrate and get together, i guess. i have only 10 tables cos my fh is not local, so will be having it in the ballroom.

hehe, i went to Flamingo too! actually i went to like 18 bs b4 making up my mind. i really like Shirley cos she is so warm and friendly right? u should visit dang, she has great cs! i prob wont be in singapore during that period either!! haha.

 

[racherlle]

hi gambit

ok i will check out the name of the shop and let u noe again

ohhh ok nov 06.. hehe so i will get married off first haha
hey my fh is not local too.. tat's y we r having like 20 tables only.. hehe all our friends and some of my relatives..

hehe okie.. wow u went to 18 bs ah.. hehe
so u finally chose dang ya?
hehee

 

[gambit]

hi racherlle,

are u going to have both the solemnization and wedding dinner on the same day? if so i'll get married off first leh, cos i'm getting married in march mah.

wow, 20 tables sounds like a lot to me! haha. i guess we only have 10 cos i didnt go to university in singapore and fh is not living here and hasnt got many friends here. would have done away with the dinner totally if not for my parents. it was a real headache looking for places with that few tables.

yeah i finally chose dang after going to so many places. it's a huge load off my mind now.

 

[racherlle]

hi gambit!

ohhh yaaaa haha so u will be married off first!
hehe yup i'm having my solemnization together with my AD.. keke

ya agree with u.. not many hotels provide banquet for a few tables.. some even require min 30 tables..

btw which studio did u choose for ur photoshoot?
hehe i'm going to get Utopia.. really love Travis style...

 

[gambit]

hi racherlle!

i chose The Pond. we like his style very much and bf more or less decided on the spot after we chanced upon his portfolio.

am still looking ard for a photographer for the solemnization and dinner banquet... u found any yet?

btw, are u getting ur wedding favours from bkk too? wondering if i should do that and exchange the beaufort one for my fish upgrade if needed.

 

[racherlle]

hi gambit!

wow the Pond.. geee.. high end PS.. hehe
so did u get Fabian for ur VG?
hehe

hmmm as for actual day photography, i like Eulee and Pentaserve.. but kuang frm pentaserve is taken up on my actual day already.. so most likely i would be getting Eulee..

hw abt urself?? hv u seen anyone? any other gd recommendations? hehe

nope i'm not getting any wedding favours from BKK.. the other time i was there i didn't see any nice stuff.. hmm ya u can do that if u wan.. and get a upgrade for ur dishes..

 

[gambit]

hi racherlle!

well, i think the pond is pretty ex, but since we both like them, and bf is the limiting factor when it comes to ps (cos he doesnt really like to pose and smile for the camera) and this whole ps concept is so foreign and new to him, i'd better let him choose the photographer!

nope, not having a vg for the dinner... we're not having any customary, just a dinner so it's just ppl sitting and eating, no point making an mtv or whatever out of it. in fact am pretty tempted to get my freelance friend to take pics at the dinner itself, for those "table shots" that the older folks like. haha.

am considering pentaserve, hilarion goh and the pond for the solemnization at the moment. will be meeting with hilarion this sat. any recs for other photographers from ur side?

 

[racherlle]

hi gambit!!

hehe since u have the budget.. i tink u shld really got for Pentaserve.. nice! Kuang is really gd...

hmmm oh ya i heard that kuang doesn't do table shots.. so u might wan to double check and confirm with him..

i haven't really seen a lot of PGs yet..
i find that Eulee is quite gd too.. u might wan to meet up with him..

 

[gambit]

hi racherlle,

yeah, read that kuang doesnt do table shots, and neither do the main photographers at the pond, which is why i'm considering them only for solemnization at the moment.

as for the dinner itself, i will just get my freelance friend to do the table shots if i get kuang or the pond (it's just say cheese and click anyway so i dont think it can go too wrong, can always retake it immediately if the first shot is unsuccessful since they are posed). it would be a waste of their talents to ask them to go around taking those table shots, in my humble opinion, when their time could have been used better to capture the more candid moments.

am still looking ard and trying to think if there is any nice moments to be captured during the dinner itself that is worth the price of those pros! otherwise any photographer will do!

 

[gambit]

hi racherlle,

i checked out eulee's website and emailed him. got a quote from him for 3 hours for solemnization and 6 hours for covering the dinner. out of curiosity, can i know how much he quoted u for a full day AD? u can email me at [email protected]

thanks!

 

[racherlle]

hi gambit!

i've replied you!
check ur mail

 

[gambit]

Hi all Beaufort brides and BTBs,

I have not had my food tasting yet and my parents are concerned abt the quality of the food when they found out they didnt have any in-house chinese chef.

Can someone please comment abt the quality of the food there?

Thanks!

 

[denisek]

Hi gals,

I'm back. Disappeared for about a week or so for a short summer holiday.

racherlle & gambit, read that your FHs are not locals. mine neither. hence having some 'headaches' at the moment to sort out the various culture differences at a wedding. Are you gals also holding another wedding in your husband's country?

sorry to ask, I am just wondering if you gals have any rough idea how much we would be able to cover up for the expenses for the wedding banquet at beaufort with the ang-baos given by guests? would we be able to get back around at least 60%?

thanks heaps!
Denise

 

[gambit]

hi deniseK,

in my case, the wedding is in singapore, and is not on the same day as the chinese banquet. and we will be having another dinner for those close to us in his country. in other words, i will have 1 wedding(in sing) and 2 dinners (one in sing, one in his country).

i'm still fighting a (losing) battle with my parents to hold it at beaufort.

as for the ang pows, it will depend on ur guest profile. some ppl give according to venue (but not sure if the older folks know that it's actually a 5 star. some of them only know of the older "brand names", never mind they are actually less expensive. but the younger ones will know), others give according to how close they are to the couple. oh and of course if u have foreign (western) guests, they will give u a present instead of cash as usual. so it's really hard to say.

 

[racherlle]

hi DeniseK!!

oh! hw was ur holiday??

where did u go?
hehee

yup i will be having another banquet in my hubby's country.. expenses would be paid by my FH's dad..

hmmm we shld be able to get back at least 60%..
i tink a gd gauge is to take an average ang pow of $80 per person.. then u can estimate the loss u r going to make... hope this helps!

hi gambit!
hope u r able to settle the hotel issue with ur parents and hold it in beaufort!!

 

[queen]

Hi all BTBs,
The chinese food quality is not bad. Most of my guests have good comments about them. The only thing is, the kitchen is offsite, somewhere near the roundabout leading to the hotel. What they do is, they will transport the food to the ballroom and then heat them up. So must plan your schedule well. The captain will usually ask when you are ready to start so they will warm up the food JIT.

As for covering costs, I think with the prices you are getting now, minimum angbow should be at least $100. Just drop hints to your friends & colleagues along the way loh. That's what I did. I complain subtlely about having to save hard for the wedding in general and my friends and colleagues will usually ask me how much the banquet costs per table. Ask your parents to spread the word to your relatives. But you know, the reason for inviting guests is so that they could share in your joy. How much they give in angbows should be secondary. So if you decide to hold it at Beaufort, just approach it with the attitude that you are prepared to 'lose' money to have a wonderful wedding. Me and my HB are prepared and willing to lose a few thousand. But in the end, we are quite lucky to lose only a few hundreds (not counting the 2 tables given to my parents). If you want to save some money, suggest you find your own cards, beer and favours. I managed to get Beaufort to discount almost a thousand dollars for not taking their favours, cake and flowers.

 

[ellen]

Hi,

I agree with queen. it's a big celebration for us! so long as we enjoy the day, losing a few K is really nothing despite the fact that we save so hard.

Me and hb are ready to lose couple of thousands for this wedding even though we have pumped in so much funds for our new house. sometimes, we may think... why are we bringing so much 'pains' to ourselves! hahaha ..but we know for sure, the wedding day is something that we will really enjoy and still smile about after years

As for the food, i heard pple saying that the quality is not bad. not much complains. but one negative comment i heard from a colleague is that the quantity is not enuff. some guests still hungry at the end of dinner. this is a concern loh.

 

[denisek]

Hi gals

Thanks for your advices, it really helps. We just wanted to roughly have an idea how much we will need to spend for most probably 2 weddings -one in Spore and the other in my FH's country.

We are prepared to suffer loses but just would like to know to which extend ;-p. Well its also my Fh's parents and my parents getting involved etc. you gals know how it is like when the folks gets worried!

Gambit, hope you could convince your parents to hold your wedding in Beaufort! Me too, I have to convince my mum.

Glad to hear that the food is not too bad, at least not much complains.

Thanks Queen for your advice. Beer charges at Beaufort are really too steep! You got a good bargain! I shall try my luck!

Anyone knows about their flowers arrangements and themed decos? Are they nice? Any one have any pixs to share? Is it recommendable to use the flowers done by the florist of Beaufort?

 

[denisek]

Hi racherlle

Its nice that your FH's dad is paying for the banquet in his country. It's at least a big burden off isn't it? When are you having your wedding banquet in Spore and the other one in his country?

Is his parents also helping out to coordinate the entire wedding there?

As we are in France, we just went few cities in northen France and also to visit my FH's parents. Only 1 week of holiday too short. Can't really visit all the places we would like to.

 

[racherlle]

hi DeniseK!

yup.. as we dun really hav any friends over at my bf's country.. he stayed in SG since he was young.. so it's mostly all my FIL's business associates and friends..

i would b having my wedding on 14th May 2006!

can't wait for the day to come! as for the other wedding.. most likely it would be before the actual wedding in SG...

have u decide on ur bridal shop???

hi gambit!
i went Dang today! haha can't wait for nxt friday! hehe.. had a gd time there! Dang is very friendly.. but i dun like her assistant.. as you say, she's quite pretentious.. dun like her attitude and the way she smile.. so fake!

 

[gambit]

hi racherlle!

glad that u had a nice time. i think dang looks very motherly. as for her assistant, i guess she needs some getting used to. hehe. she's not the one designing the dresses anyway. so it's down to flamingo and dang for u huh?

 

[racherlle]

hi gambit!

hehe i'm going to look at Divine this coming Monday! hoho quite excited!

i hav to decide soon coz the designing of the gowns will be in October.. hehe not much time left!!

 

[gambit]

Hi racherlle!

i went to divine too! haha. but found their gowns too flowy, and didnt like those small silver flower shaped thingies they pasted to the trains.

yeah better hurry with divine, i was told by helen the other time that the waiting time for first fitting was 3 months!

when will u be needing the dresses? in may?

oops then shouldnt i start now since i will be needing them in march?

 

[queen]

DeniseK,
My flowers were done by a freelance florist. And I thought she did a good job with the limited budget that I had. Didn't like Beaufort's appointed florist cos when I visited their shop, they were preparing for a wedding and the flowers used looks a bit wilted. Plus their portfolio seemed ordinary. But I guess different people have different expectations and I guess it is best to judge for yourself.
As for themed decos, my banquet is a normal affair with no specific theme. You can always tell the florist the theme you have in mind and they can do up suitable floral arrangments for you. If you look at the past threads, there was an ex-Beaufort bride who adopted a winter theme and her deco was pretty damn fabulous but she spent a bomb on her banquet. So decide on your budget and hire a wedding planner to do all these theme decos or if you have creative ideas, you may even design yourself without having to spend too much. Else just be like most wedding couples and have a simple and cosy dinner.

By the way, if you like, you can leave me your email, I can send you some pictures of my wedding setup. Think some of the BTBs here have seen it already.

 

[denisek]

Queen, thanks a lot for your advice. Def very helpful indeed. Yeah I was worried that sourcing for my florist mite cost a lot hence i was looking at what beaufort could offer.

There are so many things to worry about. Getting a bit stressed now! I have nothing much planned!
My email address is [email protected]. Thanks a lot.

Racherlle, I have not even decided and choose my gown. cos i am not in Spore now, I was thinking of looking at it when I am back. I was intending to check out Divine and others that you gals were discussing about.

By the way, you gals have checked out your dates through the Tong-shu? So both Aug and Sep 05 are the ghost festival - 7th months?

 

[racherlle]

hi gambit!!

ohh ok hehe yup Divine's speciality is in flowy romantic gowns... hehee
i went down to Silhouette on Friday.. hmmm
the materials they used are good but the designs are so so only... hmmm

ahh wow urs is in March ah.. hehe Dang was telling me i can start designing my gown now! hehe
u still haven't started ah? hehe
my PS would be in February.. so i would need to start the design of my gown in Oct..
oh ya! will let u noe whether i will be joining u as one of Dang's bride!

hi deniseK,
nope i didn't get my wedding date from the Tong Shu.. my wedding day is the date we started as a couple 6 years ago! hehe so both my bf and i would like to keep this day special by getting hitched on this date too..

i saw some gals in the other threads saying that there would be 2 months of ghost festival nxt year.. but for the actual month i'm not sure.. tink u gotta check the tongshu..

 

[gambit]

hi racherlle!

yeah, i didnt really see any designs i liked at silhouette either. but their service is great huh? they are so nice and friendly.

i saw u wrote ur wedding day is on ur 6th year anniversary!! mine is also on our 6th year anniversary!! hehe

nope ... still waiting for her assistant to contact me. i think her assistant said something abt not doing it in the 7th month. haha. so i didnt insist. i emailed them last week to tell them i will be out of the country for one week in mid sept... so that they could take note of it, and i reminded them of the date i needed the dresses.

hi deniseK,
my date was not from the Tong Shu either. my wedding day is our 6th year anniversary

as for my banquet dinner date, to please the older folks, we chose a day in the chinese 9th month, but without looking at the Tong Shu either. hehe.

 

[touraco]

hi gals
seem like the thread has come alive again.

elle+kc
how come need to book a room for PS? i had my PS in the hotel, i used the handicap toilets for change in my clothes for the PS.

a view of ginger terrace on my wedding for anyone who is interested

 

[racherlle]

hi gambit!

hehe oh no hehe i tink u are mistaken.. or did i type wrongly.. hehe we are in our 6th year now.. so by the time we get married nxt year it will be the 7th year!

ya better to start everyday after the 7th month..

hehe can't wait to get started too

 

[denisek]

Hi queen, thanks a million for the pixs. They look great, I like the floral arrangements done by your florist. You mentioned that you had a limited budget given to her, so I guessed you didnt have to spend a lot for it? Your pixs did gave me a good view of the ginger terrace. Did you have to pay extra rental for using both the Ginger room and the Grand Salon?

Thanks Touraco for your pix. Did you have your wedding banquet at the ginger room too?

Seems like you gals are all choosing dates of your anniversary. That's really nice and romantic! Easy to remember your anniversary too!

 

[touraco]

hi denisek
i had my dinner at the grand salon but i had my solemnisation at the ginger terrace. when u book edthe ginger terrace, the ginger room comes along with it in case of wet weather.
there is supposed to be a charge for using ginger terrace but since no one is using, they had it waived for me.

 

[gambit]

hi touraco,

do u know how much they charge for the usage of the ginger terrace?? am thinking of holding my solemnization there.

thanks!

 

[touraco]

hi gambit
i was quoted $1000+++ for the ginger terrace that time.

 

[gambit]

hi touraco!

thanks for the info. do u know if they provide tables and chairs etc? I only want close friends and family to be ard, so it prob wouldnt be more than 10 ppl

 

[touraco]

hi gambit
yup,they provide chairs and tables. just tell them how many u need.

 

[queen]

Touraco,
You are so lucky to get the waiver!

DeniseK,
I had to pay $1000+++ for the rental of Ginger Terrace (& Ginger Room) cos someone else wanted to book the place on my wedding date. As it wasn't raining, I managed to have my solemnization done at the lawn (Ginger Terrace), the Ginger Room is only there for me to march out into. My banquet was held at the biggest ballroom, Grand Salon. No need to pay rental for the ballroom lah, it's packaged into the overall banquet costs.
As for my flowers, I paid all in all ~$1500 which includes setup for the lawn, ballroom and my day flowers such as hand bouquets, car deco (real flowers) and corsages. I can give you her contacts, if you want. I think because she is a freelance florist, she doesn't have much overheads. And the flowers that she gave me are all really big and fresh. Beautiful. I love her work. But I'm not sure how she is for special themes.

In any case, should you all want to engage your own florist, buy your owh wedding favours, etc. Must get Beaufort to exchange or waived off some costs or upgrade the dishes. For not taking their florist, I got them to give me the beer free, discount for the Ginger Terrace rental etc. In the end, managed to shave off slightly more than $1000 from them.

 

[racherlle]

hi gals!

i'm confused..
so u mean u can book the Ginger terrace without paying for the booking of Ginger room?
touraco.. u mean u didn't pay the extra 1k for the rental?

if tat's the case! i also wan! haha

 

[queen]

Rachelle,
Ginger Terrace & Ginger Room comes had-in-hand. Meaning it is a package deal so that you'll have Ginger Room as an indoor backup should there is bad weather. The rental for Ginger Terrace (including the Ginger Room) is $1000+++. If there is no one else who is interested in holding any function in either the Ginger Terrace or Ginger Room, then the $100)+++ rental can be waived for you at the discretion of Beaufort sincw you will be holding your wedding banquet there. For me and Touraco, I think Sun Sun agreed to do so as long as there is no other interested party. But unlucky for me, about 2 months before my wedding, Sun Sun told me that a company is interested in booking Ginger Room for a function and the Terrace for their buffet dinner. So told me I had to put down the $1000++ to secure the place. So boh bian for me.
Think Touraco was lucky. She got the place free!

 

[touraco]

hi rachelle
what queen said is correct, as long as no one is using the ginger room, they can waive it for you.of course, subject to their own discretion

btw, i have a wedding favours lobang if you are interested. do PM me.

 

[racherlle]

hi Queen!

ohh okie tat's great!
tink i have to go and speak to the new co-ordinator abt this!
hehehe

thanks gals!

 

[jeanie]

hi gals,

do u all know that sun sun has left

 

[racherlle]

hi jeanie!

yup i've already posted above stating that Sunsun has left earlier on..

haven't met up with the new co-ordinator yet..dunno how is she like..

 

[ellen]

hi ladies,
how's wedding preparation?!
mine's happening soon... suddenly like quite alot of things to do! any one has recommendation for wedding cards?

 

[touraco]

hi elle
when is ur big day? i had mine done at aceproclink.