[VDL - Part 6] The Wedding Venue

This, is going to be a heavy post.

Picture heavy I mean :)

Finally, I can gladly (and with great relief) declare that OUR VENUE IS CONFIRMED~!

This item took us such a long time to settle (relative to the other items), I have no idea where to start sharing with you guys what exactly happened.

Ok, let's start with my 'dream' wedding venue.

I've always wanted to have a wedding lunch. With sunlight, breeze and pretty flowers in a lovely backyard of sorts :) 

But backyard not possible, because  it either rains or it'll be so warm and humid in Sg wether. And the parents wanted dinner. And the relatives wanted convenience. And some pretty places are just too small or too expensive or too out of the way.

And when the date is finally set, we were more concerned about not being able to secure a wedding venue because we were less than 10 months away from the wedding date! So out of desperation, we emailed (almost) all the hotels listed on SgBrides to check on their availability.

It turns out, that we have 3 hotels still available on our date. And it so happens, that all of them are located on happy island - Sentosa. 

Honestly, it has never crossed my mind that we will be holding our wedding in Sentosa. It's not the most convenient, and it's not the most value-for-money places to hold a wedding. But seriously, we've got 'no choice'!

So over several weeks, we went for site visits at the various hotels. And I totally enjoyed them!

Rasa Sentosa

I liked the view from the ballroom, but didn't like the ballroom itself. There are pillars and the ceiling is relatively low. And the hotel is a tad old, so the deco is a little tacky for our liking...

And I think the solemnization area  is really gorgeous, but I'm looking more for a garden wedding than a beach wedding.

But their service, A-ma-zing :)

Capella

This place is pure sophistication and class - country club style. Their service is the best we've experienced and the place is such an architectural eye-candy. 

But this place cost a bomb, with a heap of additional costs which you have to take into serious consideration (you have to pay extra not just for the valet parking, but of the shuttle service as well!). And it felt... pretentious. Furthermore, we were (extremely unfortunately) greeted by numerous spoilt kids wailing their lungs out all over the hotel so it was quite an uncomfortable experience.

It's a lovely hotel for a luxurious staycation, but not on my list for a wedding banquet.

But honestly, their bridal room is to-die-for!!

Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa

And here's the hotel which we visited first because they were one of the first few hotels to get back to us on their availability. A place I've always found beautiful but it has never really crossed my mind that I will ever have my wedding there.

This place made me feel a lot more comfortable and relaxed, with all the sun shine flooding into the entire lobby while the air-con keeps it nice and cool.

And the lush greenery all the around the place!

The picturesque little lane leading to the solemnization area.

And the glass pavilion for the solemnization! When I first saw it, it was like a dream come true for me :) It felt like a garden wedding without the elements of the weather. I LOVE IT! 

Lined with Philippe Starck's Ghost Chairs! I'm already imagining the wedding florals :p

And a bell on top of the pavilion which we'll get to ring after the ceremony if the weather permits :) 

The sales manager drove us to look at the suite on a buggy, but we didn't take any photos of the suite. 

I like how the ballroom is located at a different building from the hotel lobby so the guests and the couple will have the entire lobby to themselves during the special day :)

And a nice toilet is important too~! Best that it came with diffuser rather than the normal air freshener to exude the resort feel :D

And the ballroom with high ceiling and big enough space to accommodate up to 44 tables. Not that we are looking at anything that goes beyond 40 :S

With the number of photos, I think you guys can very well guess which venue we went for :p We went to Amara for a total of 3 times and negotiated quite a bit before confirming the place. I almost freaked out when my VG told me that the place is super popular and doesn't have to worry about not being able to get a booking for my date -_-

We went to sign our contract for the banquet on 21 Apr and we brought mummy along so she can take a look at the place :)

And with that, we settled our venue~!!! Can't believe it, but when we look back... this venue is exactly how I envisioned the wedding to be. And I would have never thought about holding the wedding here, not until we had "no choice". Not until God swerved us back to His plans and opened up our eyes to see what He has in mind for us :) It's SO AMAZING! And did I mention? They are only available for wedding lunch :p

Next up, will be preparation for our pre-wed shoot and exciting things like wedding florals, invitation customization, actual gown selection and many more~!!! 

And I still thought we have more or less settled everything for the wedding -_-

Oh well, more VDL posts to come :)