The Venue

Confirming the perfect venue and the availability is a bitchy affair. Popular venues are always pre booked 8-12 months in advance and we only have 3 months to hunt and secure our wedding venue.

I always wanted a garden wedding – dreamy, romantic and casual. I had a casual discussion with my fiancé way before the proposal and pregnancy, he himself favor a much for relaxed and casual dinner where everyone including the bride and the groom can mingle. But when it comes to picking the perfect venue, there are so many things we had to consider.

There are hotels that provide beautiful garden wedding venue. Cyberview Lodge and Equatorial Bangi are lovely choices but the distance may be a something our parents and guests will bitch about for months after the wedding.

There are some KL hotels and restaurants that have garden wedding venue but their sitting capacity is pretty limited and the menu rates are chart high and if it’s not for a wedding, it’s not worth paying for it. Here are some of the venue I came across

1. Casa Jardin - Bungalow but I didnt have much luck securing the details

2. Carcosa Seri Negara, KL

2. Courtyard Garden, Damansara Height - limited capacity. hard for guests to move around 

3. Ciao Restaurant, KL. Italian menu, lovely setting, good capacity. 

4. Villa Danielli, Sheraton Imperial

After going through countless reviews, photos and forums, we found Passion Road in KL. It’s a bungalow convert into a restaurant and specializes in garden wedding. The wedding reception photos posted on forums were breathtakingly beautiful and ooze romance.

Here are some of the links

-Joandra.wordpress.com

-Munkeat

-BTS Creative Planner

Romantic isn’t it? The owner of the place has done a wonderful job in bringing out the right ambiance. My fiancé saw and made an appointment to view the place and discuss on the details. I didn't go as I was tied down with work. On his first visit he loved the vibe and could picture our wedding being held there. We got hold of the wedding menu and it’s pretty reasonable. The food reviews there were mixed – good and bad. There are other optional costs like – more elaborated flower arrangements and rental of outdoor air conditioning units.

Back and forth for a couple of times and we have set our eyes on Passion Road. 

My fiancé was thinking of showing the place to his parents since we will be straying away from the popular chinese wedding dinner, and at the same time pay the required deposit. So we went and checked out the place.

They didn’t like the place.

We were shattered and we thought they were not used to it. His dad pointed out several issues we were too blinded to realize

The parking – limited space and currently manage by third party and the vicinity is surrounded by other restaurants. Our guest will have to fight for parking with other diners. The uneven pavement is not elderly friendly. Not booking and first come first serve basis.

The weather – we have been experiencing unpredictable weather and we may not know if it will be a good calm night or a stormy one.

IF it rains, guests will have a hard time moving from the parking to the restaurant. Even if the place is fitted with tents, our guest may not be able to enjoy themselves if heavy rain happens. They won’t be able to hear us or may be too cold if the rain accompany by strong wind.

IF it a hot and humid night, be prepared to have grumpy guests dying to leave the place. Not forgetting the mosquito and other pesky insects. 

Overall – Parent In Law agreed the place is romantic but it's not classy enough.

We do agree with some of their points. Our relatives may not be as agile as our younger friends and there are visible inconveniences. They asked our permission to check out and request quotation from other venue. And the next day, they came back with a quotation from Holiday Villa, Subang (Efficient or not?) 

Pity my fiancé that he had to bend two ways for this – one is my dream wedding and the other is my PIL’s request. Anyway, the deal offered by Holiday Villa was pretty good. Did a google image search before visiting the place and the venue is not too bad.

We were shown the Victorian Ballroom, the most popular among the 3 other ballrooms there, by one of the in house event planners. Well, we viewed the place under broad daylight and it’s a bit run down. The curtains are a bit dirty and I could see cracks on the wall. But I guess once they dim the lights and if the bride and groom enters the ballroom before anyone could spot the flaws, things will be just fine. My PIL like the place and we just too tired to going back and forth so we agreed with their choice.

PIL – 1, Us - 0. 

Good bye Passion Road. Since I can't have my wedding there, I might plot for a 1st year wedding anniversary party there. 

By the way, for those out there who has ample of time to prepare for your dream wedding, do visit Bridal/Wedding Fairs. You get great offers on hotel or restaurants, bridal shop and even honeymoon. But be prepared to sign packages on the spot and lengthy negotiation with the merchants. Be very clear on what you want for your wedding and make sure they spell out the term and conditions.

Happy hunting