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Wedding planners and venue operators have received a number of overnight inquiries from couples looking to increase the number of guests they can invite to their weddings.
However, while these operators hope to accommodate requests, some of them are still figuring out the logistics of separating guests into different zones and implementing staggered schedules to ensure they adhere to secure management measures.
The Health Ministry announced Wednesday that starting Oct.3, up to 100 unique attendees, including the wedding couple, but excluding vendors and service providers, will be able to attend receptions, above the current limit of 50. Guests must be divided into multiple zones of up to 50 people each, or divided by staggered schedules, with up to 50 people in each time slot.
At least 30 minutes should be allocated between time slots for cleaning and disinfecting the space.
With restrictions relaxed, some couples hope to expand their guest lists for their wedding ceremonies.
Fullerton Hotels and Resorts received more than 30 inquiries from couples to increase the number of guests at their weddings since the announcement, said its general manager, the Cavaliere Giovanni Viterale.
Wedding planning company Arches & Co said four out of five couples who have weddings scheduled for the next month through December are looking to invite more guests.
Its founder, Ms Michelle Lau, said: “However, they are also concerned whether their venues will be able to accommodate such rules, given the safe distancing measures in place and staggered hours.
“But for new inquiries, most are looking to the second half of next year and are hopeful that guest limits will continue to increase.”
Hotels and venue operators are looking for ways to increase capacity limits while ensuring safe distancing measures are upheld.
One Farrer Hotel in Farrer Park is preparing a package to broadcast the event live from the main banquet hall with 50 attendees to private dining rooms within the premises.
Each dining room is likely to seat five, “which can be expanded in line with further changes in health safety regulations,” said CEO Gilbert Madhavan.
At Capella Singapore in Sentosa, couples wishing to expand their guest list to more than 50 people can hold the ceremony over lunch and dinner to stagger their guests’ schedules, or even have the event on two dates, their spokesperson said. .
Spreading the celebrations over lunch and dinner is also something the Wedding Diary wedding planning company is considering.
Lily Lu, its lead planner, said the company is also looking to split guest lists of more than 50 into separate receptions.
Venue also plays a role, he added. “Zoning really depends on the layout and flow of the space. For example, some venues may allow us to host 50 guests indoors and 50 outdoors, but others may not,” he noted.
Despite being able to invite more people, some couples stick to their plan of having 50 guests.
Hellen Lie, creative director at wedding planner Rosette Designs & Co, said 12 of her 13 couples will not change their plans to have 50 guests, as they are “off” by the staggered schedules that come with doubled capacity.
Bride-to-be Kelly Cheng, 25, who had planned to celebrate her wedding on October 4, decided to hold her solemnization ceremony on that date and postpone the banquet to May next year.
“We are still sticking to our original plan of having 30 guests at our solemnization as it is too close to the actual date,” said Ms Cheng, product manager.
“I don’t mind having a smaller session with a close group of friends and family. But we hope to host a banquet with at least 200 people next year, when I hope my relatives in Hong Kong can fly in to attend my wedding.” . she said.
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