style:weddings Presents Chinois Elegance at Marina Mandarin

Sunday 12 April was the beginning of a really long day of 3 wedding showcases. 

I do not understand why so many hotels want to throw their showcases on the same day but yeah, someone mentioned it might be because the hotels want to compete with each other and draw the crowd. To me, it makes more sense to hold it on separate days so it's easier for bride-to-be(BTB) like me to look around slowly instead of rushing about like a mad woman. 

Anyway, on the 12 of April, there were four known wedding showcases, Fairmount, Concorde, Marina Mandarin and Goodwood Park. 

As time is a factor, we can only go for three instead of all four, we decided to go for Concorde, Marina Mandarin and Goodwood Park.

I decided to cut the wedding show cases into 3 separate blog posts so I can collect my thoughts and properly review the venue. Before I begin, let me remind you, this is only due to my own PERSONAL opinion. Everyone have different experiences and opinions, so do take what I write with a pinch of salt. 

So here goes, the first location we headed to was Marina Mandarin which was presented by style:weddings. 

We arrived at 11.45am and we understood that the place was open for registration at 12 noon. The main ballrooms at the lobby was not hard to find, just exit from Marina Square Link Mall exit (where the famous Llao Llao is), turn to the right and you will see Marina Mandarin. 

The ballroom is not very hard to find as well, after you enter the main lobby just turn to your left and viola! There it is. 

The entrance to their biggest ballroom

One thing I can't help but notice about this place. It was set to open at 12 noon, but at a little past 12, the registration was not opened yet. When we entered without registering as it still wasn't open (other couples entered too), we were served by a sales coordinator who told us to look around first. We also noticed the food was not ready, staff were sporadically running about still setting up the place.

And it was past 12. I felt a bit concerned because this is their own open house event. If they cannot get things prim, proper and ready by the starting time, then is the same thing going to happen for my wedding?

I decided to give it a benefit of a doubt and my fiance and I decided to take a look around first.

Classic Oriental Theme, we really love this theme.

Classic Oriental, how it will look on stage. 

 We really love the Classic Oriental decor as it gives a very gothic yet surreal theme to the place. And I love blood red roses. Gives a very Alice in Wonderland feel too. We decided this will be our confirmed theme if we were to choose Marina Mandarin.

Dazzling Crystal Theme, second choice for us if somehow Classic Oriental wasn't available.

Backdrop on the stage for Dazzling Crystal. 

Third theme, we didn't quite fancy it and felt it didn't stand out.

A sales manager sat down with us and explained the packages (view the wedding packages here). We opted for lunch banquet in 2016 as we have many relatives who are above 70 years and many children who are from 1 to 10 years. So a dinner banquet will be tiring for the elderly, the adults caring for the children, the children and for us. Lunch will definitely be better for all our sanity.

Anyway, the sales manager took initiative, noticed we haven't registered cause the booth wasn't ready, took a goodie bag for us, offered to handle and coordinate everything for us at the banquet and throw in a few perks. But as my family is quite superstitious, we haven't gotten an auspicious date ready from the fortuneteller/medium yet. He said it's better if he has a date so he can serve us better and told us to call him soon. But I can't help but notice he tends to interrupt me when I try to talk and he seemed very rushed (which I viewed as enthusiastic maybe because it's a busy day). I also noticed whatever perks he promised us, he didn't really jot it down on our form in his file. So how is he going to remember what he promised us if we were to call him back and confirm with him? I was a bit uncomfortable about that.

Otherwise, I felt he was not bad and I liked that he took initiative. However, after visiting all the open houses, when  I went home and checked up a bit on him on Google, I found out this dude was well, not an easy person to work with and many brides like me, felt he was rushed and tend to interrupt. As planning a wedding without a planner's help is already stressful enough, I personally, decided not to go with him if we were to choose this place... after discussing these pointers with my fiance first, of course.

After that, we went to see the wedding favours and the cards. We really really liked the cards. Especially the one that looks like the old school calender. Felt it was a nice and unique touch.

Wedding Invitation Cards samples (inserts not included with wedding package)

Wedding favours samples

 We liked the portable fork, spoon and chopsticks. Felt it made a really good favour as people can carry the portable utensils to work or when they travel. They allow you to choose two favours to alternate.

Sample of their five tier cake, but at an added cost outside of the package.

Vanda Ballroom on level 5 for smaller weddings with a special theme that comes at an additional cost on top of the wedding package. 

Decorations from an external agent that costs additional if you want to make your reception area more photogenic.

WE LOVE THEIR WEDDING ANG BAO BOXES. So cute!

The grand ballroom in panoramic view. TBH. I am not very comfortable with the low ceiling.

But nice chandelier though.

The goodie bag given to us also included external agents with old school wedding favours.

Interior of the hotel. Can be seen clearly on level 4.

One thing fantastic about this open house was, they gave us a tour of the hotel, showing us the indoor and outdoor solemnisation venues and the bridal suite.

Aquamarine buffet and Ruth Chris Steakhouse are located here too.

Outdoors. I spy a potential outdoor solemnisation location.

Buffet reception near their swimming pool.

Outdoor wedding solemnisation. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with the decors. The decors comes at an additional cost. And if you didn't book with them on the open house date, the venue also comes at an additional cost. 

Indoor solemnisation room.

 As my parents and fiance are not heat resistant and they melt easily, an outdoor wedding solemnisation is out of the question. So we were brought to the indoor solemnisation room held in one of the meeting rooms on level 6. The good thing is, level 1-6 are available to public. Levels 7 onwards, need the card key. So there is no need to worry about allocating one card key to a sister or brother to guide and bring people up and down in the lifts to the rooms. And I liked that the meeting rooms have a small reception desk outside, so we can put decors and plant a sister and brother to sit outside to usher people in.

Bridal Suite

Bridal Suite living room, sadly this sofa is not a fold out double bed in disguise. 

Sisters' and brothers' washroom

 The bridal suite, well to me was somewhat disappointing. It is actually two hotel rooms converted into a bridal suite. So you will have three doors in the room. One door each to the hotel corridor for the bedroom and the living room and a connecting room door in the center.

I like the bed but I find that the dressing table area was somewhat small and cramped for me. The 'living room' didn't look like it has much space too. The sales coordinator told me that if I wanted my sisters'  to sleep there, then they can convert the sofa to a bed, but at an extra cost. She said that I might as well book an extra room at a special cost. I was a bit disappointed as I was a bridesmaid for a friend last year and it was at York Hotel. The suite was HUGE. So huge that she held her solemnisation there, and two of us slept on a sofa bed, and the other two sisters slept on another portable bed provided by the hotel in the suite living room. We even did the gate crashing in the York Hotel suite with plenty of space to spare. Basically, the bridal suite at Marina Mandarin was not up to my expectations because I was already expecting something.

View from the bridal suite floor.

We were ushered down to the main floor. And we noticed the food was still not ready. It was almost 1pm at that time. As we have another open house to head to, we decided to grab a drink, look at the changing room the sales person mentioned next to the main ballroom before we leave.

Special mocktail for the openhouse

Vetta quartet for hire for your wedding if you are into classical music for your wedding!

This is the changing room that the bride can use for her second march in if she wants to change. It's quite spacious and cosy. This was another added point for us as after we saw how cramped the bridal suite was, this changing room will be good.

Aries changing room

Dressing table in the Aries room.

Overall verdict? We might consider Marina Mandarin because we like that the ballroom, solemnisation/tea ceremony room and changing room can all be on the same level so it's convenient for the guests to move around and that it's a private area. WEDDING PACKAGE PRICES ARE IN NETT. Meaning no GST, the price you see on the package list is what you get which is good. It is also convenient, near Esplanade MRT.

Food wise, we didn't get to sample at the openhouse as they were not ready. This was actually a major factor as to why I was not 100% keen on the place because I was worried they might delay on the day of the banquet too. To be fair, it could be one of those days where things just went wrong for them. I was also not comfortable with the low ceiling in the ballroom and the bridal suite. Otherwise, this place is one of our short listed venue for our wedding banquet next year.

Next up, will be Goodwood Park.