The wedding rush begins...

Updated 20th June 2013 *Thanks to everyone who have been reading my blog or lead to this post in some way or other. This post is now more than 1 year old and since I highly doubt that the packages/ rates are the same, I would advise you to contact the hotel directly for the latest package/rate. However, if you would still like an outdated quotation or price list, please drop me an email/comment. If I don't reply after 1 week, please send me another email/ comment as some emails have been diverted to junk mail. peace :) *

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Looking around for wedding dinner wasn't easy. The things we considered important were the ambiance and the entire package provided. Some hotels seems great at first but upon viewing the ballroom... we went *erm*... instead of *wow*. Some had everything in it but the price is to high. Some had the venue but the service wasn't that good *I know I'm hard-to-please*. Oh, and the 1 thing we were very aware of its the additional cost such as additional RM4K per hour if you exceed 11pm, or extra RM15 per person if you want soft drinks or the RM12K if you want LED screen and stuff like that. 

So for brides-to-be, here are our list of wedding venues, wedding packages for 2012 and our conclusion on it:

1. Shangri-La Hotel
- Elegance Package - RM2,188++
- Glamour Package - RM2,388++
- Indulgence Package - RM2,588++

Our take : Really awesome ballroom, gorgeous and grand. But price too high. Event Executive English and service was so bad that she brought down the whole luxury and class of the brand *this shows how important staffs are*. And if you want your dinner on weekends, you have to rent the entire grand ballroom which is a minimum of I think 70-80 tables.

2. Mandarin Oriental 
- RM1,888++
- RM2,888++
- RM3,188++

Our take : Their package is 1 of the cheapest offered. They have 2 ballroom - Diamond (max 30 tables) and Grand (max of 110 tables). Not so good part - minimum spending of RM80,000 for Diamond Ballroom and RM150,000 for Grand Ballroom. So if I take RM1,888 + 16% tax * 50 tables, it will only come up to RM110,000+. Which also mean I have to add in another RM40,000 for other stuff.

3. The Westin Kuala Lumpur
- RM2,188++
- RM2,388++

Our take : Westin was my first choice. Their Asst. Director of Sales is a really nice guy. Their package is good meaning it includes everything, no additional charges, no hidden cost. However, the ballroom did not have the *wow* factor for me.

4. The Ritz-Carton, Kuala Lumpur

Our take : No quotes provided as we have to select the menu first. But their ballroom could only accommodate 35 tables and it has pillars *I'm against pillars in a ballroom*.

5. JW Marriott, Kuala Lumpur

Our tale : Proposal was RM1,950 due to our food selection. According to the Sales Personel, price normally range from RM1,600-RM1,800 depending on menu. Ballroom looks good, food is good, package also good.

6. Palace of the Golden Horses
- RM1,288++
- RM1,488++
- RM1.688++

Our take : Prices good but nah, it wasn't really up for our consideration. Just saja email them and ask :)

7. Sime Darby Convention Center
- RM988++
- RM1,199++
- RM1,388++

Our take : Everything same as hotel. Food is good. Package is good. They even have a roof garden and 2 suites up there which is included in the package. The only deciding factor is the 'convention center' vs 'hotel'.

8. Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel
- RM1,888++
- RM2,088++
- RM2,288++

Our take : Old hotel, old ballroom but have a sense of old charm and class. Best value package. Really good service provided by the Catering Sales Manager. She even 'belanja' us buffet lunch when we visited the ballroom. And then we found out we graduated from the same university, meaning additional benefits for us :)

9. Doubletree by Hilton
- RM2,088++

Our take: New hotel. Contemporary design. Ballroom is big and new. But i didn't like the escalators right in front of the ballroom entrance.

10. The Pullman Kuala Lumpur, Bangsar
- Passion - RM1,588++
- Desire - RM1,788++

Our take : Brand new hotel. Biggest Pullman Hotel in SEA. We would have consider this if not for the uncertainty. It will only be expected to open mid of this year. :( At the moment, they cannot give us a guarantee, and there is no visual/photos/artist impression of the ballroom.

We also did check The Grand Hyatt, Kuala Lumpur. But same as The Pullman Hotel, it will only be expected to open mid of this year.

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For brides-to-be who are interested, the ++ on the prices means include 10% for service charge and 6% for governement tax. Please email me if you want the quotes/proposal.

So that's it, today Rockstar and I 'pulled the trigger' as he so aptly *erm* put it. We put a deposit for it, signed up for a pre-wedding shoot and booked our flights for honeymoon - all in 1 day. Yeah,  I know I was so against pre-wedding shoots as I find it a waste of time and money but well, there is a long story to it - which will be explain in another post. So here goes our wedding planning....

So which hotel did you think we finally picked? :)

* addition info anded on 15.1.2013

10. Oriental Banquet, Section 10, Petaling Jaya

'The Everlasting Love'
RM 888 nett (Mon-Thurs)
RM 988 nett (Fridays, weekend, Public Holidays)

Other packages available
- RM 768 nett (only Mon-Thurs, excluding Public Holds)
- RM 888 nett (valid for 20 tables && above)
- RM 1088 nett
- RM 1238 nett (valid for 20 tables && above)