Tried and tested
Catherine Chan got married last November. Despite the difficulties she and her husband faced in finding the right venue, their wedding turned out to be satisfactory. She shares her experience:
'We started looking at venues one year before our planned wedding day. Originally, we wanted to book 50 tables because our families have many friends and business acquaintances.'
Ms Chan and her husband considered several options before settling on the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
'We considered having an outdoor wedding because we thought it would be more casual, but we could not find a venue that was either big enough for us, or in the right location.
'Finally, we fixed our target on hotels on Hong Kong Island. There are not many venues that can accommodate 50 tables in Hong Kong, and some of these were not worth considering because we knew the food was not good enough. We wanted the best quality food possible, because we wanted to provide the best experience for our guests.
'We thought one year in advance was pretty early, but actually it wasn't. The day we originally chose was a very popular day. Many venues were booked. Some salespeople we talked to said their venues were booked two years in advance.'
Feeling desperate, and hearing that some venues were holding reservations until the annual Summer Wedding Expo at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, the couple went to the expo primarily to book a venue.
While there, they booked the Convention and Exhibition Centre itself. 'My company had annual dinners there, and I had good experiences.
'We were very happy with the venue. Its service was excellent. We wanted the wedding to be palatial and the venue was very flexible and provided us with many suggestions of styles. The package covered pretty much everything.'
