Sentosa 2D1N Staycation Part 1

Bro and family has been avid fans of stay cations and this time, they asked mak, Jhon and I to tag along. I couldn't wait because it would my first stay cation. SIL managed to get a great deal at Festive Hotel and we said yes without skipping a beat.

On Friday afternoon, we went to the car park near opposite VIVO for late lunch and 'tao pao' to the hotel. lol Very classy huh? There was quite a crowd. I guess quite a number of people are on their stay cations too especially it's the school holidays.

We had booked 2 separate rooms and bro's room was fun because they had Deluxe Family King that has a loft bed for the kids! Syiok! and yes, I had my fair share of climbing up and down the bed. hehehe

They also had a balcony with a great view of the pool and we spent most of our hotel time at their room. I guess the down side for the kids was there was no bathtub. They are avid fans of bathtubs but who cares when you have a pool just a few floors down?

We settled down, had our lunch and slacked around. Half of us watched a movie while half of us played in the room.If you know me well, you should know which half I belong to. hehhehee

As for the other room, it's a Deluxe room which was pretty decent too. It has more of a greenery view with twin beds and sofa bed. The sofa bed was meant for Jhon but Mak wanted to 'hide' from the direct blast of the aircon and Jhon is too tall for the sofa bed anyways.

About 4-5pm, we headed out to the Merlion. It would be the first for the kids and I think it would be fun for them especially Shibly. Naturally, photo taking time while on the way there.

 

Luckily, there were not many people so getting in the Merlion was a breeze. They have made several changes in the Merlion such as having a short clip on founding Singapore and Merlion. The lighting was whack for photography so Jhon had to monochrome the photos but it turned out well. =)

Since it was rainy in the morning to noon, we were gifted with a beautiful view on top of the merlion. The clouds also gave us a natural soft box and lighting was perfect for photo taking.

I don't want to over load photos in one post so to be continued in part 2.

   

Location, Location, Location Part 2

If you missed part 1, click here.

I have covered 4 wedding venues worth sharing so I am left 3 to go.

Community Center Wedding
PA CC list

Pros:
AIRCON!
Big area to work with a stage just for your pelamin.
With good decorations, ceremony can look pretty grand.

Cons:
Depending on your nearest CC, it may cost up to $3500++
Caterer has no allocated space to cook so extra charges needed.
With budget decorations, the place may look bald.

Therefore:
I don't like additional costs to add this and that. If not planned properly, the end result might give me a heart attack. I've checked Eunos CC and it's about $2200. In my opinion, not really worth it because need to work extra hard to turn the place beautiful.

Gurame Garden Wedding
Gurame Resturant website

[photo credit: Simplifai Studios]

Pros:
BEAUTIFUL with cabanas, garden feel, next to the sea.
Inclusive of indoor and outdoor dining.
Gurame even throws in 3D2N chalet or 2D1N hotel stay.
Delicious food.
Transport available for guests.

Cons:
Everything beautiful comes with a price.
Unless solemnization to be held somewhere else, additional hours (and costs) needed for the venue.

Therefore:
It's obvious. The only thing that stops us from this one is $$$ because we LOVE this location. It's perfect in terms of venue, ambiance, the chalet stay so that our family can comfortably stay and food is good. Initially, I thought we can fit it in our budget but after punching in the costs, not really. Unless we get get real lucky money wise, this maybe just a dream away.... (ah kan.. dah emo)

After much researching, we are back to square one.

Void Deck Wedding
Town Councils website

Pros:
House is less than 1 minute away. Convenient if anyone forget something.
Within the budget range, it can fit in mid point.
As mentioned in part 1 intro, there is a homely kampung feeling

Cons:
Unless we book packaged wedding deals, we have many vendors to deal with.
Humidity may ruin the day but nothing fans can't fix.
No "class" to non-Malays but who the hell cares? lol

Therefore:
I have no qualms on this one because it's a place that has been celebrated in for decades. Budget wise, it is also controllable although more thorough research on each vendor is needed.

Final Conclusion

At the moment, it has been narrowed down to Gurame Restarant and void deck wedding. It boils down on money, I guess. Yes, yes.. No point of having a "big" wedding when it all ends up to debt etc. Thank you for your concern but we got it under control. I am so thrifty to a point it may misconstrue as stingy; even to myself. =P

Although locations may uplift the ceremony in their own ways, it's definitely not top priority. There are way more issues to focus on.

Update (2015):
Thanks to Syazwani for updating me with recent (2015) Gurame's packages so I can share with other BTB readers! I understand sometimes you just want to know prices without the commitment of discussing with the vendor.

Update (Feb 2016):
Thanks to Dya Reza for the 2016 packages!


   

The Superbly Delayed Hari Raya Post

The post says it all. Hari Raya was on August 2013 and it's almost December. I'll spare the boring details why and start with the post.

Actually, I didn't celebrate Hari Raya as most would. Along with Abg Jamil, Jhon and my mom, we spent eve and actual hari raya at Adventure Cove and watch the NDP fireworks. To read the posts, click here and here. 

It's not that boycott Hari Raya or anything. Our doors are still open but somehow mom had her priorities a little different this year. First people to visit was of course my bro and his family. He also brought along nephews on SIL's side.

The standard 'mintak maaf ' moments.

More guests came by as days passed by. On days Jhon is around, there are photo evidence, for others, too bad huh...

Abrupt End.

   

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.