You have found your perfect match, the proposal was more than ‘just perfect’ and now you hope for that perfect wedding. Don’t you? But if only it was that easy!
Often enough, it is tricky to get that intangible idea of ‘perfection’ from your imagination and out in to the real world. Big, small, outdoor, indoors, pastel, floral, restaurant, caterers, the decisions seem endless. With so many details to take care of and so many service providers to choose from, the most daunting task, it would seem, is selecting what you need from the sheer variety that the wedding industry generously offers. Being spoilt for choice might be a heady feeling, but it is also confusing. Where do you even begin?
Ideally, it should begin with an armful of gathered information, websites, and recommendations and finally, with that one big chart comparing all these collected details. What else? We asked Kim Tay, who is the Operations Director and the Principal Wedding Consultant of ‘Heaven’s Gift Wedding Concierge.’ According to Kim, you should engage with wedding vendors who understand what you are looking for and can give you expert advise based on their experiences. Not just that, you also have to trust that you have done the necessary homework needed to create the kind of magic that you deserve on your special day.
Wedding Consultants – What to Expect?
Wedding consultants might be the first service provider that you will meet. Kim, who has been in the industry for 12 years and counts many Indonesians as her clients, describes a wedding consultant as the one whose chief role is to guide the soon-to-be-married couple, advising them not only on new ideas and trends available, but also helping them to shortlist and engage services and products suited to their needs. In short, wedding consultants guide the couple through the “nitty- gritty details of the wedding.” They ensure that nothing is “missed out.”
Their scope of wedding services usually include:
- Wedding planning and budget analysis
- Selections of venues and service providers
- Recommendation of wedding details such as floral décor, wedding stationery, etc
- Wedding favours
- On-the-day coordination
Singapore Wedding
According to Kim, Singapore is popular with couples going for a cosmopolitan event. Couples here usually prefer a romantic and quaint wedding and although a traditional ceremony followed by ‘Solemnisation’ and a ballroom banquet is the most common wedding seen, Singapore does boast of its fair share of interesting weddings as well. Kim herself has organised a few of these. One such wedding was a ‘carnival themed’ wedding of a musician couple, where the centre-pieces consisted of musical instruments rather than the traditional floral arrangements. The backdrop was a white ‘park-like setting,’ which was “sprinkled with rainbow coloured blankets, kites and helium balloons.” Even the bride and bridesmaid’s gowns and quirky headpieces were talking-points. But the ultimate finale, Kim says, was the couple’s performance with their band, which had caught their guests by surprise. Another ‘out of the box’ wedding had a jar full of butterflies that were released just before the ceremony!
Budget
On an average, a medium sized wedding of about 300 guests could cost up to S$80,000. This includes apparels and services like photographers, videographers, stylists, decorations etc.
Usually, a wedding consultant’s team helps in the selection of the venue, caterer, florist etc., but it is always helpful to have some prior idea of the services that suit your personality and your budget.
Venue
Hotels like Amara create unforgettable wedding experiences and places like Wave House, Sentosa, with its private club, water- park, bar and restaurant, offer a perfect beachfront venue.
The Sentosa, a Beaufort Hotel is perched atop a cliff with a stunning view of the South China Sea and offers multiple venue choices, overlooking either the sea, the gardens, by the poolside or surrounded by the water lily ponds.
Dress & Make Up
With the countless designs and the bespoke experiences available at a varied price range, finding the perfect dress is just a matter of time. Bringing a friend to the bridal shop for the final fitting of the dress is a recommendation so that the friend can get a first hand training of arranging the bustle on the actual day. Finally, most women with experience will tell you that a perfect dress is the one, that not only makes you look good, but it also ensures that you can walk, twirl and dance without any discomfort or malfunction.
Caterers
The Singaporean love of food is an established fact and so it comes as no surprise that almost half of the wedding budget gets spread on the banquet tables here, dressed as delectable food. Most venues provide their own catering and you can taste the food before deciding the menu. The Sentosa at Beaufort, for example allows food tasting for 10 people and the Wedding Cake is included in their package.
Wedding Cake
at The Sentosa, at Beaufort
Seasoned hosts always advise to opt for a wider variety of dishes when hosting a larger gathering. This will satisfy the varying and discerning taste buds of your guests. Do also keep the dietary requirements of your guests in mind before you make your selections.
Flowers, Accessories
and All Things Beautiful
When it comes to a wedding, each bud, each flower and each floral arrangement is of utmost importance- the perfect display can add unbeatable charm and magic to the moment.Your wedding consultant can recommend a florist suited to your taste and there are online shops and service providers who can supply accessories, mementos and gifts to add that personal touch to your wedding.
Wedding Photography
Many couples prefer to go to exotic locations for a wedding shoot but Singapore with its luscious greenery, heritage sites and edgy skylines can provide enough character to a photo shoot as well. Locations like Arab Street, Marina Bay Sands, and Botanic gardens are some of the popular spots that serve as backdrops to the posing couple.
Making the Wedding a Reality
After having gone through the list of service providers and options available, you may choose the ones that match your ideas, but it is worth remembering that at the end, you have to keep the channels of communications open with these providers, to ensure that there are no sudden surprises on your wedding day. The service providers are waiting to work on your dreams, provided they know what these dreams are.
Having organised countless weddings, Kim Tay offers two practical hints for the final day:
- Do not fret about the ‘small stuff’ and the ‘impossibles’ (for example, worrying about the weather on the day of the wedding or the menu cards not being placed at the correct angle).
- Do not wait till the last minute to do your guest list or obtain RSVPs or to do your seating plan.
‘Perfect’ means different things to different people. So, whether you are looking for an intimate gathering of close friends or an extravagant celebration let it be about YOU BOTH. Weddings as such require a fair bit of thought, effort and a team of credible service providers to make it ‘perfect,’ but it all falls in place eventually. Planning a wedding is half the fun and the other half is of course, the actual wedding. So, go on, have fun! After all, you deserve a perfect wedding!
[widgetkit id=23]
