Wedding banquet venue hunting

By Edna:

Although, Master Tong had shortlisted a few dates for us, only 2 dates (22 Nov 08 & 28 Dec 08) were more suitable to us. Many of us would prefer the former because it is on a Saturday and all of us can get a rest next day.

I tried our luck on the 1st date. I had dream venue in mind which was Noble House but they were already booked on both days. My husband and myself decided to get the wedding venues around Havelock, Outram, Singapore River area. We shortlisted and arranged to view 3 venues which were Orient Ocean restaurant, River View hotel and Furama Riverfront hotel.

Personal reviews:

Orient Ocean Restaurant ~ It has a typical Chinese restaurant setup and is able to accommodate more than 50 tables with 6 pillars. The cost of each table booked, is quite affordable. A lot of parking space available.
We did not choose it because we did not like the Chinese restaurant setup.

Riverview hotel ~ First thing, I must comment that the coordinator, Ms Lee Kim Peng whom we met is very friendly, sincere, accommodating and helpful. I like the suite bathroom in particular. As for the ballroom, it is small, old and can accommodate up to 35 tables. There are 2 pillars in the ballroom. The price of a table for a hotel is considered to be very affordable. There are very few parking space available
We did not choose it because of the ballroom capacity. We had planned for approximately 30 tables and worried that the number of tables would increase as time goes by. Maximum capacity would be very cramp.


Furama Riverfront hotel ~ It has 3 ballrooms: Jupiter, Mercury and Venus. The venus ballroom is very spacious and is able to accommodated more that 50 tables. The ceiling is considered to be quite high and this ballroom is pillarless! It has a big foyer outside the ballroom for cocktail reception. It’s pricing and package is very competitive and attractive. There is ample parking space during weekends. Therefore, we decided to sign up with our coordinator, Albert Liew to book the Venus ballroom.

I felt a little uneasy when we paid the deposit because the price was much higher than the other 2 venues and started to worried about our budget. In the end, I thought of it more positively, this is the best venue and we like it here best. I’m looking forward to it and going to make my dream wedding come true here on 22 Nov 2008!