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SCMP Reporter

Busy Hong Kong couples are turning to the professionals  to ensure that their special day lives up to their dreams
Rather than juggle vast guest lists, catering plans and venue co-ordination headaches with a full-time career and overseas travel demands, many Hong Kong couples are seeking professional support when arranging their weddings.
As a result, according to Michele Li,  a wedding planner and co-owner of The Wedding Company,  the wedding planning industry is enjoying a boom in Hong Kong.
'When we started five years ago, we had to explain to couples what we did and how it would add value,' Ms Li said. 'Nowadays, couples know what it is and give us a list of what they want to do.'
Today, requests are for far more than a traditional wedding banquet, thanks to inspiration from beautiful weddings on reality shows, movies or lifestyle magazines.
'Couples [also] get the opportunity to see things when they are [working or studying] in the United States or Britain,' Ms Li said.
Daigo Watanabe,  the Hong Kong director of Watabe Wedding Hong Kong,  a Japanese wedding planning company which has set up shop here, said that work was getting busier because engaged couples no longer had the time to devote to wedding preparations.
Although the biggest trend in the business is to get married at a memorable venue, finding something original is a challenge.
'In Hong Kong, which is the size of a postage stamp, it's very difficult as venues are not just about space but also about making sure there's a proper kitchen and electricity, or, if you're on the beach, that there's proper licensing, no mosquitoes and air conditioning,' Ms Li said. 'The challenge is then to recreate a venue that has been used many times before into something that is very different.'
This can be achieved via beautifully-thought-out invitations, matching colours and moods and a feeling of greater personalisation and luxury.
One option, according to Mr Watanabe, is to go abroad. His company specialises in overseas weddings and has over 70 branches worldwide. Venue choices range from Japan, where most of Watabe Wedding's branches are based, to Hawaii, Paris, London or Valencia. Satisfying customer requirements depends not only on choosing a prime location, however, but also on an array of resources and excellent contacts with suppliers.
The Wedding Company, for example, organises an annual high-end wedding fair at Hong Kong's Grand Hyatt hotel, which allows it to connect with current and up-and-coming suppliers. Knowing your clients is also important, with most local business coming from busy working professionals, although overseas-based Hongkongers are also signing up.
The consensus is that there is more than enough business to go around, with wedding planning companies even referring couples to each other, depending on their specialist needs. One challenge is price-dumping, especially in the overseas wedding business.
'Our discovery while doing business in Hong Kong is that some companies have started working on the overseas wedding business, but are dumping the price,' Mr Watanabe said. 'Some Hong Kong agents might not care about the quality of the service and people in Hong Kong like to compare prices, so this is causing a little trouble for us.'
As a result, 'Our target has to be clearly stated and our service has to have a strong foundation of quality and measure up to standards,' Mr Watanabe said.
That said, business opportunities remain good here. 'There's definitely a need for more wedding-related services,' Ms Li said. 'There's so much that can be offered, like in the US or Britain, so it's not saturated yet.'
On the mainland, meanwhile, relaxed travel regulations mean that more couples can choose to get married overseas.
'One reason we are in Hong Kong is that we aim to get into the mainland; this is like a preparation [process], one step before going there,' Mr Watanabe said. 'Now that the [mainland] government has relaxed its restrictions, people want to go out of the country and we are prepared for this movement.'
In future, wherever the location, the challenge would be to make weddings even more personal, said Caroline Shaw,  a wedding planner and the co-owner of The Wedding Company.
'A lot of people who come to us are trying to buy a look or a mood and we need to help them to create that,' Ms Shaw said.
Anyone wishing to join this burgeoning industry is advised that it requires a great deal of experience.
Although wedding planning courses are offered locally, it is more important to be a well-rounded person who can handle a huge amount of paperwork and accounting, in Ms Li's opinion.
'We feel that what we are doing can be learned on the job,' she said.
That said, Mr Watanabe noted that openings existed for wedding planners, marketing executives, photographers and beauticians as the industry continued to grow.
Key players
Event co-ordinator
Event manager
Banquet manager
Beautician
Administrative assistant
Marketing executive
Photographer
Jargon
Mock-up is a sample of a floral centrepiece for the client's comments and approval before the wedding
Officiant is someone who officiates at a ceremony or leads a service, such as a lawyer or a priest
Backdrop is what is behind the stage, typically a large panel that includes the bridal couples? names or initials and other decorations
Boutonniere is a floral decoration worn by men, typically a single flower worn on the lapel
De-bossing is a popular method of heat-pressing the invitation lettering onto the surface of paper, creating depressions of letters and images rather than raised impressions
Menu tasting is the process of tasting and sampling several dish choices for comments before the selection is confirmed for the final wedding menu



Heavenly marriages