Wow! You've decided to tie the knot... You're ecstatic. Floating in euphoria. Semuanya indah dan wangi, even the aroma of fart IS fragrant and pleasing to you. Then, after the initial 'high', you're back on terra firma. Wham! You panicked. You don't know where to start. Fret not, I'll share my experience planning my wedding... Be warned though, it is not as grand as the space tourist astronaut's wedding. Hehe
1. When is the wedding?
If it's 6 months away, you're still okay. If it's 3 months or less, get a wedding planner. You'll go insane if you try to do everything on your own. We decided on the date in April, so roughly we had 6 months to prepare.
2. What type of ceremony?
I'm having church wedding followed by reception at a local hotel. Traditional reception in both longhouses will be arranged on other dates. So ask yourself, church, formal reception, traditional or etc? Discuss this with both sets of parents. But always bear in mind that this is YOUR big day... Families shouldn't totally dictate how the day should be done. It's you & your future hubby's call. So be firm.
3. Booking the reception venue.
I scouted around for quotations from several venues. Ask around for reviews about the venue from families & friends. Don't be fooled by the grand deco of a venue, if the food sucks or the service bad, you'll end up frowning in your wedding photos. If you have Muslim guests, ensure that your caterer/venue serves halal food. Oh ya, make sure they understand the 'halal' concept. A friend once attended a reception and ended up just sipping soft drink as the caterer thought that 'halal' just mean 'no pork'. My friend had to leave early to eat somewhere else. So, to avoid this incident from ruining your big day, book a venue that serves 'halal' food or get another caterer to serve your Muslim guests.
Once you decide on the venue, enquire about the seating capacity of the hall that you'll be using.
I forgot to do so with the salespeople so I'm stuck with a hall that can only squeeze in 20 tables max. When I want to increase the number of tables (use the ballroom), I can't since the ballroom is being renovated. *sigh* my mistake also la.
Moral of the story: Make sure you know the deal that you're getting. For example, if you're serving liquor/beer (bring your own), check if they charge you the corkage fee. Get the full list of the things that they provide/able to provide. Don't be afraid to ask. ask, ask. You don't want any surprises.
... to be continued
