Location, Location, Location Part 1

One of the first discussions Jhon and I had for our wedding was where should it be held? As a Malay, my first answer was void deck. It's a standard location because...

1. It's convenient (your house is a lift ride away)
2. Depending your your block, you have an open space to work with.
3. Cheaper location
4. It has a personal touch because of the idea of getting married in the place we had call home,
just like the olden times.

Jhon has been to a lot of void deck weddings and even photograph/video them so he has knowledge. He agrees if decorated properly, a void deck wedding can look pretty grand. Despite accepting it, he still prefers a "nicer" location. Which lead me to almost obsessively research frenzy on all possible wedding locations that would fit our budget.

From hotel weddings to restaurant weddings to park weddings to a mixture of both. To over the top, day dreaming locations like S.E.A Aquarium sea gallery to Lagun Sari. Here are the places we have narrowed our eyes with it's pros and cons.

The Halia at Singapore Botanic Gardens
The Halia website

Pros:
Look at the picture! BARGH! Garden wedding! We love the outdoors.
It has somewhat a homely and cosy feeling.
Beautiful decorations.
It's far from our homes but generally central for all guests.

Cons:
It's obvious, it's most probably costly.
Need to find another location for solemnization.
Do not serve pork but serves wine. I doubt their meat are halal too.

Therefore:
A big no no.

Furama Riverfront Hotel
Furama Riverfront website

Pros:
Wedding cards, favours, 2 room stay in hotel, projector etc are included.
Halal Indonesian food is served by Kintamani Restaurant.
Possible of having solemnization and light lunch only.
Beautiful place in town.

Cons:
Clearly expensive from $70 to $75 per head.
Personally, I feel like it's over the top, having a hotel wedding. Who are we trying to prove here? It's different if we have plenty of excess of money to spare.

Therefore:
We got to stick to being humble and realistic to our lifestyle so no.

[do you notice as the list goes down, so are the price ranges? lol]

Lagun Sari Wedding
Lagun Sari website

Pros:
It's all you want from a restaurant and hotel but CHEAPER.
Food is quite delicious but some may disagree.

Cons:
Lacking of parking spots for guests.
As the guests starts to roll in, it can get pretty crowded and stuffy.
Maybe an odd opinion from a bride but I find they have poor lighting. Sure, a pro photographer can fix that but I am talking about the ambiance.

Therefore:
The lighting bothers me more than it should and I dislike cramped venues. Sorry, Lagun Sari.
Cerewet lah minah ni.

Charisma D'venue
Charisma D'venue FB page

Pros:
This place is known for their delicious wide variety food. I have not tasted before but they are known for their yummy reputation especially their Nasi Briyani. I got to come down and have a taste test.
Location is easily accessible with parking.
Affordable especially for food that is widely recommended.
Simple and sleek deco.
Sub-par night lighting but not an issue for afternoon weddings because they have big windows to let natural light in.
They have indoor and outdoor seating so guests can get fresh air without missing the ceremony.

Cons:
I feel that the area in front of the 'pelamin' has a little space constraint. Personally, I prefer a larger space around the 'pelamin' to allow it to stand out.
Although it has a decent layout, it still can be quite crowded.

Therefore:
Obviously, Jhon and I are quite into Charisma D'venue but that area at the 'pelamin' lah. Again, bother me more than it should. It also affects photography angles. But if we ever turn out to have a void deck wedding, their food catering is where I am aiming for. (belum try makan dah nak book catering lol)

Oh, and mom suddenly felt bad that I am going for a 'budget' wedding when I showed her the place but quite decent what. Great food, good ambiance and save money but she felt bad and cried because my elder sis and bro had a big wedding. Plus, I am the youngest daughter so she had imagined something different for me. Seriously, I don't mind at all. I don't feel neglected or felt like I was getting the short end of the stick. Anyways, I was just researching and sharing info. But you know how it is, no matter how understanding your mom can be, she still have that ideal wedding for her children.

Okay, side tracked a little but her reaction already gave us a big hint that she is not very keen on such places because in her opinion, its too budget and low class. ?_? I really don't mean to paint a dark picture of my mom but I feel I should share this. Through reading forums, if not all, most BTB experience these question mark and frustrating conversations with their parents and in laws. By sharing, other BTB feel a little better because they are not alone. And sometimes it sets your problems in a perspective in a way it does not seem that bad after all.

Anyways, my list is not yet done, a few more locations coming up in another post.