Wedding Location

It has been a while since I last shared a post about our upcoming wedding! Yes! Our wedding is still on! And it is happening in approximately six months time! OMG! In this post, I would like to share with you guys my church solemnization venue! Yes! I am finally revealing my church venue! I booked it a long long ago and had to keep it a secret! But I read Nez’s sharing of our church location (which is the same as mine!), I just had to share it! HAH.

It will be held at a National monument and the oldest church in Singapore. The Armenian Church of St. Gregory is built by Armenian pioneers of Singapore e.g Agnes Joaquiam (an Armenian). More history of this church can be found here in Nez’s blog or at Armenian Church’s blog.

Source: Nez’s

Source: Nez’s

Source: Nez’s

Source: Nez’s

There are many reasons why this church is finally picked and here are some pros and cons of this cosy little church!

Pros

• Location: It is right smack in town and accessible by MRT which is 10 minutes walking distance from Cityhall MRT
• Ambience: Previously I always wanted an outdoor wedding, but most of the outdoor location in Singapore is either out of the way or extremely pricey when you need to book both indoor and outdoor. Also being a pessimist, I need an indoor area just in case it rains (BAH). I love the exterior of the church and the little lawn is simply perfect!
• Religion: I guess a commercial outdoor area will not justify the importance of a holy matrimony! Even though the history and culture of Armenian Christian are very different from our usual Catholic / Protestant church, what it matters is that they all started from Jesus.

Cons

• Price: It is one of the more costly church venues we came across, standing at $1600 for a maximum of 100 pax, that is almost 3 times the cost compared to other churches if you compare cost per head! But it doesn’t matter, because this ceremony will only be for friends and direct family who created an impact in both of our lives.
• Capacity: This tiny little church can usually hold 80 pax and a maximum of 100 – 120 pax when more chairs are added! Freth not, this is perfect for our little cosy event!
• No air con: If you don’t mind, this old building comes only with electric fans! But that also means, all my guest can dress casually and comfortably!
• Memorial tombstone: For the traditional and pang dan couple, the memorial tombstone may give you goosebumps! But not to worry, there are no grave below those tombstones! They are purely memorial tombstone or moved from other locations! And anyway, if you are Christian, you should have faith that God’s blessing and grace will be on you!

At the end of the day, the venue is a place where all my love ones gather to witness the covenant we have with God. In rain or shine, I will wear my brightest smile because it is through His blessings that brought us so far!

I think I have no luck in lucky draw! I won a pair of tickets to the wedding show but I will be in Taiwan! HMPH. Wine sampling, buffet spread and a mock solemnization ceremony with a view sounds too good.

Being one of the nicest brides-to-be around (HAHAHA), I’ve decided to compile a list of what fellow BTBs can negotiate for in your wedding banquet (or at least that was what I got from the hotel we picked!).

Of course these freebies will affect your decision in selecting your wedding venue but what matters most is the location, ambience and love for the hotel above all else!

BTBs, are you ready to sharpen your negotiation skills?

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A couple of days back; we made a trip down to Grand Copthorne Waterfront with the intention to view their grand ballroom and to check out their wedding banquet packages. It was a great disappointment.

For the benefits of any brides-to-be out there, here’s my personal review on GCW.

Location: Inaccessible as it is not located near any train station.

Grand Ballroom: Pillerless with a high ceiling is a reason why most couples choose them. However, their much hyped about view from the glass panel is not something I would rave about. Perhaps some couple likes the surprise element of revealing the glass panel in the middle of their banquet dinner, but the view of a man-made garden has little wow factor in my opinion.

Food: Pictures of the banquet food shown looks like “Zi Char”.

Décor: Unlike other hotels, there are no décor themes for GCW. They prefer to provide “customized look” for the couples with the available materials. However, their decorative materials look dated.

Price: Affordable and reasonable.

Service: Prompt, friendly and helpful in answering our queries.

The bottom-line, Grand Copthorne Waterfront is not at all grand as the name proclaims.

We were at HortPark a while ago. It’s a beautiful place! Spacious and green! The thing is, he thinks it’s too common, not cool enough and too wedding-ee. HAHA. Besides, there are too many restrictions by their park management. The couple have to select food caterer and logistic company from a list of their approved vendors! Also, the area that is for rent does not include the area on the steps! SIGH.

We went to check out OMSQ. Love the place except the heat, the soil (I can’t wear stiletto on my wedding day if I hold my wedding there! It will definitely sink into the soil!), the mosquitoes (I was bitten thrice within 2 minutes, if I’m holding my wedding there, I need to wear five anti-mosquito patches at the same time!), the lack of parking lots, the distance we had to walk from the parking lot and the inaccessible location (which is not near any train station)! Other than that, it’s a perfect place to hold an outdoor wedding; I love the greens, the big old tree, the space and the potential of being a perfect outdoor wedding!

I know I know, I’m being cynical! I’m just trying to rationalize my thoughts and evaluate the location before I jump into it. Oh gosh. I may have to drop the idea of an outdoor wedding in Singapore.