Ever since I attended a wedding at the Lower Terrace lawn at The Sentosa Resort & Spa some six years ago, I knew that would be the place I'd want to get married at. The area has a small but perfectly manicured lawn with the sea and lush tropical plants as the backdrop.
Most people in Singapore hold their wedding dinners at hotel ballrooms, where guests who may or may not know each other sit down at tables and waited to be served. When the time is right, the couple will then walk into the ballroom when the dramatic music starts, the spotlights shine and the dry ice fogs up. With usually over 200 guests gathered at the occasion, the couple barely has enough time to speak to everyone.
After attending a few dinners, you soon realise they are all pretty well executed in the same format. My girlfriends and I discussed about this. Why aren't Singaporeans interested in doing something different? Don't they want their wedding receptions to be unique? Why do the decor and style always look the same?
I suppose when you have so many guests, what's most important is ensuring that the food is good. And when you have to set aside a bigger budget to ensure the food is of the best quality, you are often left with little money to play around with the decor. Or perhaps, Singaporeans just aren't that fussed about decoration and themes.
By having a small reception, I've realised I am able to customise many details. The idea is to have something fun, something interesting, something cute and pretty, and definitely something different. An event where people can relax and enjoy, rather than feel awkward and out of place.
I draw my inspiration from the US, which has a very well-developed wedding industry, leading the world with its innovative ideas and trends. A typical wedding in the States costs US$50,000 but I have a very small budget.
The materials needed to create the cosy vintage feel I so much desire are hard to come by in Singapore, or even in the UK. I try my best to source items of the closest match to the style I want, and when it is simply too expensive to do so, DIY is my alternative.
With me being so far away from the venue yet still needing to come up with decoration ideas, I have to rely on my imagination quite a lot of the time. That, plus my sketches to help put a rough visual together.
I'm not sure if we'll be able to pull off my big plans but I suppose if all else fails, at least we can still bask in the company of our close friends and family, over bucks' fizz, chatter and a sumptuous spread.
hi there, excited about your new blog. i am engaged and getting married too. date is feb 2010. we can share tips - i love your wedding theme to begin with. pretty!
ReplyDeleteI think also with a lot of singaporean weddings, it's more for the parents less for the bride and groom themselves, hence the huge guestlist.
ReplyDeletePS: love this new blog of yours.
love your blog babe!! xx
ReplyDeleteGood idea to have a blog dedicated to the Day... it has also been my dream to have a wedding out of the traditional but... the groom had elderly parents and my folks had many relatives... though finances didnt come from the older folks, we had to respect their wishes... as u know u don't marry the man, u marry the family and the rest of the gang.
ReplyDeleteU are so blessed to have a mum who is understanding.
Btw... will we be having dancing?
Hey... my cousin had a string quartet playing at the dinner.
ReplyDeleteZatfee: My mum actually told me not to even have a wedding reception, just ROM. My aunt was the one who suggested buffet. No dancing unfortunately but you can dance for all of us if you want! :) Singers or bands would be nice but sadly that's out of our budget! :)
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