Planning a wedding is no easy task and after choosing a date, is time to scout for the wedding location!!
This post is going to be about the wedding venues comparison! After seeing both Singapore and Japan venues, I want to share with you all my experience! By making this post, I feel that it will help couples who are thinking of having a destination wedding in Japan or Singapore. So far, I have chosen my location for my wedding and I had a really fun time going around seeing new places and different styles. It was really exciting as this is not something you will do on a daily basis.
Singapore
Most Singapore weddings are held in a hotel banquet hall and the price usually depends on how big the hotel brand is, location or number of stars they have. One thing for sure, Singapore doesn't really have many designated wedding venues like they do in other countries. Besides places like Chijmes, most of the places I visit was hotel banquet halls or meeting rooms. There are cafes and restaurants that also do wedding parties, however, I didn't have much time during my break, so I skip them.
One thing I notice is that their wedding halls are not really done up unless there is a wedding the next day or there is a bridal show. So having the image of a full setting on a wedding day is usually hard to imagine or you have to just make do with the photos. Usually, the halls are empty and there are no tables or chairs inside. Chijmes was one of the few places we went that had a minimum setup. Most of them will show you the hall and then give you a brief of their plans and site. They will also tell you the highlights of their ballrooms/halls and what makes them special. They usually do not bring you to their office and is always most likely that you wait for them in the lobby. Being a very time conscious society, most appointments usually finish in 30 mins to an hour (It can be way faster too). Depending on how far the halls are and the question session after that.
The thing about Singapore wedding halls is that most of the basic decorations they gave you are really minimum and if you want to make it more extravagant, you will either need to hire an external vendor. Singapore banquet halls are also usually either underground or in an area where there are no windows. So they usually focus more on their lighting and light show to impress people.
Most of the hotels I went to have a great staff that makes you feel welcome. However, there were a couple that gives you a weird vibe that shows that they are not that interested in their job (which I find is sad, You can totally feel it when they talk to you are show you around) and how they explained the area was not as good as the others. For me, this first impression makes a lot of difference because it will show how interested or willing you will be to plan my wedding. I will probably get half baked answers or shut down situations that they probably think they cannot handle.
The photos shown below are to show you basically what a wedding hall usually looks like. I do not want to show the rest that I took because it was really messy and I feel it will be bad to show an ugly side of a hotel banquet hall. The halls usually have a standard theme or a feeling, so sometimes is up to you on how you want to change the place to make it your own. One thing for sure, Singapore has glamorous venues with sparkly chandelier for that grand wedding you dream of.
PS: I went to many Singapore venues, but the ballrooms were either really messy or setting up so I couldn't really take photos or post them up. These are just a few I choose.
My photos and comparison photo from their website is also shown to show how different it looks and it's not as gloomy as my photos as I'm not professional.
Japan
In Japan, holding your wedding in a hotel is not really common, but there are people who have done it. Most regions and areas have designated wedding venues that are meant for weddings and sometimes parties. One big difference from Singapore is that these venues usually have a one-stop all-in package for your wedding.
The wedding venues usually compile of reception area, a chapel, wedding hall (sometimes a few halls are available. This also includes the different themes.), dressing rooms, garden, pool or outdoor space area (depending on the place), restaurants, bridal boutique (sometimes) and an office. Due to this layout that most venues have, it is really easy to get everything done in one place. The downside will be that if you like two places and different themes, it will be hard to go to two places at once and most people usually just stick to one.
Comparing the first impression of Singapore, Japan is definitely more professional. There was only a hand full of Singapore venues that can match up to their standard. It is a must to make an appointment and most appointments last for 2 - 3 hours. This includes visiting the site, doing a questionnaire (is a must), question session and food tasting (Yes! Food tasting during the first appointment!! That is definitely a plus point, but they are luring you with their food!). They are very enthusiastic about their job and they take notice of what you like and dislike, which I find this admirable. When a staff notice that you don't really like their wedding venue, they find ways to help you look for your venue instead of pushing you to pick theirs.
The wedding halls are almost usually set up even if is on a weekday, and if there is a party or event going on, they will tell you that you cannot disturb the event and you will have to come back another day. This gives a whole different impression when I view their wedding halls because everything was set up and you can totally imagine your big days with minimum effort. You know how the table setting will be like and how many tables can be fitted in the hall which is really useful. As the wedding halls are usually set up, it is very easy to say yes to the wedding venue if it matches with your theme or to your liking. As most of the wedding venues, I went to have a distinctive uniqueness about their setup. One will be more retro than the other or more naturalistic vibe or more princess feeling.
These are the photos of the party halls that I took, I didn't put up the reception and other areas is because I want to give a good comparison to the Singapore venues. Japan wedding halls also have standard setup and decorations that are included and if you want something more than that, then you will have to pay more to the venue.
Ps: My photos and comparison photo from their website is also shown to show how different it looks and it's not as gloomy as my photos as I'm not professional.
Overall, Singapore and Japan have very different approaches to weddings. As wedding is a huge industry all over the world, you can tell how a society values which point and what kind of weddings is usually is held. I would say that I am currently spoilt by the Japanese service that they have given me. I know is dissing Singapore service, but from the way I look at it and having experienced both of them, I rather give my money to the one that is more professional.
In case anyone is wondering. No, this is not a sponsored post or whatever. I'm posting my own experience because is a fun one!