Wedding venue, affordable ideas needed!

[JR8]

Thanks @JR8, do I understand it correctly and you hired just the lawn for the solemnization without the lunch package from Raffles?

I checked my archive (thanks for reminding me to put our anniversary in my diary )
2009
'Raffles Wedding Ceremony Package'
$1999++ for max 20 pax
Additional guests @ $48++
Includes free-flow of soft drinks (no juices) and mixers throughout event.
Additional beverages will be charged on a consumption basis'
Corkage at $40/bottle for liquor/wine/champagne. For one bottle corkage you pay, you can bring in one of your own with no fee 'as a gesture of goodwill'.

One bottle of champagne was provided in the package cost. IIRC that was the only alcohol that we (and our guests) had there. After all it was around lunch-time...

It also notes 'Enjoy continuous flow of drinks for as long as two hours while a tantalising selection of canapes is butler-passed during the cocktail reception [An average of five canapes per person]'.

And as I recall those canapes were really good, things like fresh from the oven mini-quiches and so on... [edit/add: To be clear the canapes were enough that 5 might equal a light lunch in itself AFAIR. But some guests had none, or just one or two, so even the hungriest ended up getting their fill]

Obviously prices are likely to have changed, but hope that provides some ball-park for you...

[JR8]

We had a small event, about 30-35 IIRC. Understandably my relatives with the time and money to fly over was quite limited. So my wife also restricted her invitees to core family+friends.

It was when we had the catered dinner event later in the condo events hall that we invited a wider audience, all those from the ceremony + a much wider circle of her friends, colleagues, and so on.

Worth keeping in mind: These days this 'wider circle' do not presume they'll be at the ceremony itself. Being invited to separate reception is often a generous enough gesture...

[yellowveggiez]

Should check out the Star Performing Arts Centre. They have a nice venue on the 11th (top) floor.

[aaakker]

Thank you @yellowveggiez for the suggestion.

Unfortunately, the website says that the maximum capacity is only 110 people. With an expected 150 people this would be too small.

[aaakker]

So far I have found a great place for the Solemnization. Yay!

But Im still looking for a venue for the Dinner/Party. One thing is for certain, I cannot get what I was looking for with my original budget. Either my/my fiancées demands are too high, the venues are to expensive, or both.

So After going to all the usual suspects, I'm focusing more on restaurants to rent out. Anybody a good out of the box suggestion?
- Preference for a place that is romantic/stylish (like white rabbit, colonial style house, etc)
- Can seat 150 people in a single room (I want everybody to be part of it)

[the lynx]

So far I have found a great place for the Solemnization. Yay!

But Im still looking for a venue for the Dinner/Party. One thing is for certain, I cannot get what I was looking for with my original budget. Either my/my fiancées demands are too high, the venues are to expensive, or both.

So After going to all the usual suspects, I'm focusing more on restaurants to rent out. Anybody a good out of the box suggestion?
- Preference for a place that is romantic/stylish (like white rabbit, colonial style house, etc)
- Can seat 150 people in a single room (I want everybody to be part of it)

Weddings are always expensive. The more requirement you have about class and style, the more you have to pay. The more unconventional you want, the more effort, time and money you have to put in. In any event preparation, there is always a rule - you can only choose to sacrifice one from these three: money, time, style. In fact hotel ballroom weddings are the cheapest because it is so cookie-cutter, it is very predictable and hence, the hotel is able to manage inventory for weddings and get cheaper materials required.

Anyway you have not mentioned what your budget is. But I can assure you that unique locations like White Rabbit either have no private rooms or not enough space for 150 people (speaking from my experience of holding events).

If you want to have a brief idea, here's the website to help you out: http://www.weddingangbao.com/wedding-an ... ates-2016/

Mind you that this is for the red packet guideline based on the restaurant/hotel wedding package, so just reverse engineer it by multiplying by 10 and you get the cost per table, at the very minimum. Throw in wedding band, wedding dance floor setup, flowers, alcohol (you said you want to do it BYO style? then throw in corkage charges) and you have the final amount.

[sundaymorningstaple]

And if you lucky, your wife or one of her extended family members might have a band who will play for free. booze. Ours did - In fact we had two bands alternating all night (my wife's band "Bandwagon" and her brother's band "Gingerbread" but this was back in the day (33 years ago).

[aaakker]

Weddings are always expensive. The more requirement you have about class and style, the more you have to pay. The more unconventional you want, the more effort, time and money you have to put in. In any event preparation, there is always a rule - you can only choose to sacrifice one from these three: money, time, style. In fact hotel ballroom weddings are the cheapest because it is so cookie-cutter, it is very predictable and hence, the hotel is able to manage inventory for weddings and get cheaper materials required.

Anyway you have not mentioned what your budget is. But I can assure you that unique locations like White Rabbit either have no private rooms or not enough space for 150 people (speaking from my experience of holding events).

If you want to have a brief idea, here's the website to help you out: http://www.weddingangbao.com/wedding-an ... ates-2016/

Mind you that this is for the red packet guideline based on the restaurant/hotel wedding package, so just reverse engineer it by multiplying by 10 and you get the cost per table, at the very minimum. Throw in wedding band, wedding dance floor setup, flowers, alcohol (you said you want to do it BYO style? then throw in corkage charges) and you have the final amount.

Thank you for the suggestion! Very helpful.

[aaakker]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I have just booked a venue. Unfortunately it was not a cheap one, but you pay for what you get. I was just not happy with any potential relatively cheap venues: there are just no nice cheap venues in Singapore.

So thank you for all the suggestions.

[the lynx]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I have just booked a venue. Unfortunately it was not a cheap one, but you pay for what you get. I was just not happy with any potential relatively cheap venues: there are just no nice cheap venues in Singapore.

So thank you for all the suggestions.

Haha like I said before, there's no such thing as nice + cheap venue anywhere, unless you go for unconventional route and spend time creating your own wedding space for cheap.

So which location did you go for? Hope you don't mind me asking.

[aaakker]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I have just booked a venue. Unfortunately it was not a cheap one, but you pay for what you get. I was just not happy with any potential relatively cheap venues: there are just no nice cheap venues in Singapore.

So thank you for all the suggestions.

Haha like I said before, there's no such thing as nice + cheap venue anywhere, unless you go for unconventional route and spend time creating your own wedding space for cheap.

So which location did you go for? Hope you don't mind me asking.

I chose the Artshouse. Nice, less expensive than most places and very nice location. Wedding/solumnization in "The chamber". Diner elsewhere.

[samanthayee]

Try getting quotes from <advertising removed> wedding services! Im sure you'll find something useful from their site!

[PNGMK]

Try getting quotes from <advertising removed> wedding services! Im sure you'll find something useful from their site!

Please tell me you have regular sex with a donkey.

[aaakker]

Thank you for the suggestions! In the end the wedding was less "affordable" than projected, but the results were amazing.

Thank you again (and naturally, no more suggestions are needed .