Couples seek cheaper alternatives as banquet prices soar.
SINGAPORE – Ms Dana Ho and Mr Marco Placidi’s wedding in August cost less than $5,000, was planned in two weeks, and had a guest list so small their parents did not even make the cut.
Like Ms Ho, many Singaporeans are eschewing the traditional pomp and circumstance for smaller, more intimate ceremonies.The Wedding Atelier, which offers event planning services, says interest in micro weddings – attended by 50 people or fewer – has grown. Meanwhile, Little Island Brewing Co, a gastropub with outlets in Changi Village and at South Beach and Gillman Barracks, now receives an estimated 30 per cent more inquiries for weddings with 30 to 80 guests. The minimum spend starts at $4,000 for the indoor beer hall or beer garden at South Beach, which seats about 40.
One Farrer Hotel did the same in 2022, launching an intimate wedding package which is cheaper than its traditional bundles. It costs $1,388++ a table for a seven-course Chinese set menu, working out to $138.80++ a head. Regular banquet prices begin at $1,418++ a table for a seven-course weekday Chinese lunch.
“Family expectations are changing. Covid-19 made people realise you can do things out of the box,” says the 41-year-old creative director of Rosette Designs & Co, an event planning and styling company. Mr Uday Duggal and Ms Aditi Ravi had a wedding for 45 people at Indian restaurant Revolver. PHOTO: TIMOTHY SIM
These are usually smaller, ranging from around 60 to 100 guests in size, says local wedding photographer Lydia Koh, 33, who occasionally travels for overseas jobs. That was why senior communications manager Deon Toh, 37, and PhD student Nura Wong, 27, decided to get married in the presence of their 24 closest friends and family in Phuket in May.
For some couples, it can be hard to capture that ineffable sense of matrimonial magic in a place where they have lived and worked their entire lives. It is why Singaporeans jet to countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia to seal the deal. “My fiance visited a few years back and loved the country, making it his top choice for our wedding location,” she says, adding that he does not have any ties to Singapore either.
Ms J.M. Tiongco and Mr Abbie Caram’s wedding was inspired by the movie Crazy Rich Asians. PHOTO: RR PRODUCTIONS The 150-person ceremony cost the Filipino couple, who both work in real estate, six figures. Ms Tiongco declines to reveal the exact sum.
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