What do you look for in a wedding venue? For me, there were a few things:
- The venue has to be able to fit all my guests. Both hubby and I came from a big family. And to us, it was important to invite them all. Hence, all the smaller venues were struck off the list immediately.
- Preferably, the hotel should have only 1 ballroom. Why? This is so that chances of staff getting overwhelmed is lowered, especially on super auspicious days where many people choose to get married! Ours happened to be 1 of those days.
- A designated reception area that’s not shared with another ballroom. Haven’t we been to weddings whose reception area is shared with other weddings and almost landed ourselves at the wrong ballroom?!
- Nice ambience. Come on, who would not want to hold their wedding in a pretty place right?
- Located at Sentosa will be a bonus! Yes, I really love Sentosa! I traveled there every day for about 8 months when I was working part-time and continued to go there a few times a year. Sentosa makes me feel like I’m on a holiday. Afterall, it’s across the sea, isn’t it?
In our bid to search for our dream venue, hubby and I visited close to 10 hotels all around Singapore. Well, the reward was that my bargaining skills for complimentary privileges improved and I also got to try the fruit juices of many different hotels too!
Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa will forever hold a very special place in my heart because this is where I married the love of my life…
It is a 5-star heritage hotel. There are various room options ranging from deluxe rooms, suites, villas as well as a mansion. What I felt was special about this place was the lush tropical setting of the resort that even had a spice garden and an old bunker within. Unlike most hotels in Singapore which goes up up up vertically, this resort spans quite a large area. For rooms that were further away, buggy services were available. Oh and did I mention, the free-roaming peacocks are familiar sights among hotel guests?!
To be honest, prior to our wedding, I did not know about this resort. It is about 5 minutes walk away from the Imbiah station. Buses in Sentosa stop outside the resort too. I remember the day when we were supposed to meet the wedding coordinator to find out more about their wedding packages. I had almost wanted to cancel it because I didn’t know it’s exact location then. I’m so glad we went ahead to take a look at the resort. I fell in love with the glass pavilion!
Natural light filled the pavilion. Together with the decorations, the pavilion was gorgeous! We held our solemnization here which could fit up to 50 guests seated. To top it off, I arrived with my dad in a buggy! Hubby and I also got to ring the wedding bell to announce our marriage to everyone! We were so glad the rain stopped just in time for our important moment!
The evening moved on very quickly to our dinner. To be honest, everything flashed past me very quickly. I could hear none of the songs I painstakingly chose for the night; I forgot the faces of people who came to take photos with us; I could not remember the taste of the champange we had… I am thankful for the photos and videos we had to help us remember the day. To sum it up, our guests and us had a wonderful evening.
As our bridal suite was a distance away from the ballroom, we had a changing room (converted from conference room) with an attached toilet just in front of the ballroom. So, it was really very convenient for us to change our outfits and of course use the spacious toilet. After our dinner ended, there was a buggy to send us back to our suite and then deliver our items back to us. For parents bringing young children, do note that there is no nursing room available. A changing station is available in the handicapped toilet. (this was something I found out after attending a wedding there with my baby)
Wedding, fortunately (or unfortunately), is once in a lifetime. There will not be another day where I will get to change into so many pretty gowns and be treated like a princess. Therefore, I will think it is important to chose a venue that will take care of your needs. We were also lucky to have met a very thoughtful coordinator and banquet manager whom we trusted to run the event smoothly. And the team did a wonderful job!
Perrine Travels 