On choosing the wedding reception venue
Choosing a reception venue in Malaysia or any tropical-weather countries for that matter, is no easy task. I'm sure a lot of you who are either going through this process or have gone through it, would agree with this. There are many things to consider when choosing the venue, and sometimes, couples get thrown off because they end up choosing somewhere that does not measure up to their "dream venue" standards.
Yes, most brides and some grooms do have high expectations on how the reception venue should be. This is not wrong, but it has to be realistic. So setting the expectations right at the very start will help avoid disappointments in the planning process.
Here are a few tips and highlights when choosing the venue.
1. Budget
Before making trips to visit any venues at all, take a step back, think and discuss on the budget. How much are you willing to spend on each of your guests. Put a price range on the reception budget, and stand firm on it. Before going any further, be sure that you are comfortable with the budget because reception cost makes up 50 percent of the entire wedding budget, and 50 percent is a big portion. So it is really worth spending more time here. Once you've identified the budget, then you can start narrowing down the list of options available, based on the proposals from individual venues. See wedding budget article on budgeting tips.
2. Garden or Beach venue
2.1 The weather
The big question is what happens if it rains? Normally, the resort would reserve an indoor function room or ballroom for you if that happens. So it's really a 50-50 chance that you will have a garden or beach wedding on that day. You'll have to ask yourself, "Am I willing to take that risk, to compromise on the entire setting if it rains on that day?", "Am I afraid of the heat?", "Do I sweat easily?", "Do I have sensitive skin?", "My guests and I might face the threat of sand flies. Can I take that risk?", "Will my guests feel uneasy?"
2.2 The guest list
Outdoor weddings normally cannot cater to a big group due to space constraint. So if your estimated guest list is bigger than 200 pax, the venue options to having an outdoor wedding reception gets narrower.
2.3 The menu
All hotels or resorts that cater to outdoor weddings will only do buffet or barbeque setting. This will create a very light and informal setup for the whole reception. If your idea is to have a formal sit-down dinner banquet, then it is almost guaranteed that your requirement will not be met here.
2.4 Logistics
Consider where will the majority of your guests be coming from. This point is particularly important if it is a destination wedding. Your guests are important because they are witnesses to your big day, so do have them in mind when you think about travel and accomodation arrangements.
3. Non-hotel venue
3.1 The guest list
Aside from the bigger Chinese restaurants, there are not many restaurants that can cater to a wedding of guest list more than 200 pax. Some of the restaurants operating in bungalows might even require you to split your guests to two levels in order to fit everyone in.
3.2 The menu
If you are someone particular about the food, you would have to consider a higher budget per pax for the wedding menu. There are so many types of cuisine to choose from, for instance, Chinese, Malay, Indian, Italian, French, Western, etc. Make visits to these places and try out their food before making a decision.
3.3 The service
Unlike hotel banquets, restaurant may have lesser staff to serve at a dinner banquet. Make sure you check with the restaurant on staffing so that there is no delay in food and beverage service for the night. It is important that your guests feel comfortable during the reception.
4. Hotel or Resort
Not much elaboration is needed on this type of venue because they are already very used to holding wedding functions. Apart from the budget and the size of your guest list, the other important point to consider is making the reservation as early as possible because hotels and resorts are also very common targets for corporate events.
Yes, most brides and some grooms do have high expectations on how the reception venue should be. This is not wrong, but it has to be realistic. So setting the expectations right at the very start will help avoid disappointments in the planning process.
Here are a few tips and highlights when choosing the venue.
1. Budget
Before making trips to visit any venues at all, take a step back, think and discuss on the budget. How much are you willing to spend on each of your guests. Put a price range on the reception budget, and stand firm on it. Before going any further, be sure that you are comfortable with the budget because reception cost makes up 50 percent of the entire wedding budget, and 50 percent is a big portion. So it is really worth spending more time here. Once you've identified the budget, then you can start narrowing down the list of options available, based on the proposals from individual venues. See wedding budget article on budgeting tips.
2. Garden or Beach venue
2.1 The weather
The big question is what happens if it rains? Normally, the resort would reserve an indoor function room or ballroom for you if that happens. So it's really a 50-50 chance that you will have a garden or beach wedding on that day. You'll have to ask yourself, "Am I willing to take that risk, to compromise on the entire setting if it rains on that day?", "Am I afraid of the heat?", "Do I sweat easily?", "Do I have sensitive skin?", "My guests and I might face the threat of sand flies. Can I take that risk?", "Will my guests feel uneasy?"
2.2 The guest list
Outdoor weddings normally cannot cater to a big group due to space constraint. So if your estimated guest list is bigger than 200 pax, the venue options to having an outdoor wedding reception gets narrower.
2.3 The menu
All hotels or resorts that cater to outdoor weddings will only do buffet or barbeque setting. This will create a very light and informal setup for the whole reception. If your idea is to have a formal sit-down dinner banquet, then it is almost guaranteed that your requirement will not be met here.
2.4 Logistics
Consider where will the majority of your guests be coming from. This point is particularly important if it is a destination wedding. Your guests are important because they are witnesses to your big day, so do have them in mind when you think about travel and accomodation arrangements.
3. Non-hotel venue
3.1 The guest list
Aside from the bigger Chinese restaurants, there are not many restaurants that can cater to a wedding of guest list more than 200 pax. Some of the restaurants operating in bungalows might even require you to split your guests to two levels in order to fit everyone in.
3.2 The menu
If you are someone particular about the food, you would have to consider a higher budget per pax for the wedding menu. There are so many types of cuisine to choose from, for instance, Chinese, Malay, Indian, Italian, French, Western, etc. Make visits to these places and try out their food before making a decision.
3.3 The service
Unlike hotel banquets, restaurant may have lesser staff to serve at a dinner banquet. Make sure you check with the restaurant on staffing so that there is no delay in food and beverage service for the night. It is important that your guests feel comfortable during the reception.
4. Hotel or Resort
Not much elaboration is needed on this type of venue because they are already very used to holding wedding functions. Apart from the budget and the size of your guest list, the other important point to consider is making the reservation as early as possible because hotels and resorts are also very common targets for corporate events.
When you are looking to choose wedding venue, planning is important & make sure that venue you are choosing can provide services according to your needs.
ReplyDeletesydney function room
http://www.waterviewvenue.com.au/