Venue Review: Holiday Villa Subang

Holiday Villa... that name brings many happy memories to my mind.

My wife and I had our wedding reception in December 2007 at the Victorian and I acknowledge that the staff were very punctual, efficient, professional and courteous. Our meeting with Ms. Devaki, Event Manager was pleasant and in-depth. All the better to get things running smoothly.

At the time, we did not have to pay any corkage charges and we had 25 bottles of Frontera Chilean wine complimentary of the hotel. Furthermore, since we brought our own projector, we could make use of the HUGE projector screen that was smack right in the middle of the stage. It was so huge, I could notice the smallest details even if I was seated at the last table.

Since we are in the video production line, we prepared a video presentation that was to be played on the night itself. I was given the freedom to test the video with our projector and DVD player a week before the event. They even had an AV technician on standby to make sure I faced no difficulties. NO EXTRA CHARGE.

The banquet staff was always at our beck and call. Our banquet coordinator was Ridzwan and he made sure that at least one of his staff was within earshot of us. On that night, my wife developed a headache and our waiter wasted no time in running out to get her aspirin tablets.

The venue was clean and the food especially, deserves special comment: our relatives and friends gave beaming compliments about the food, saying that the food was even better than many restaurants they've attended. Some who were present during the food tasting claimed that their feedback to the chef regarding the food was actually followed through! Quite a feat, considering they have so many chefs.

We had a rather time-sensitive presentation for our march-in: professional violinist Genervie Kam will lead us in just as the video presentation ends. The AV technician must immediately play a musical piece that will sync with our violinist's tunes. That went so well, no one thought there were so much anxiety involved in the march-in. Again, being in the video production industry, I must say their technicians know their stuff.

Another thing worth mentioning is the way the Victorian is structured. You get a nice cocktail area outside the dining hall that comes complete with a small waterfall and lined with sculptures. For the tea ceremony, there is also a large enough hall right next to the ballroom where a small buffet can be served after the formalities. We were given 2 complimentary rooms which were only a few floors up, accessible by elevator.

The car park is also just a short walk away from the Victorian ballroom. All are these locations are centred around the ballroom making last-minute visits to any other rooms a short walk away. Plus, there is a very small lounge tucked away in the ballroom that can double as a dressing room and as a room to prepare payment at the end of the dinner.

As a professional wedding videographer, the Victorian is an ideal location to shoot a wedding dinner. With their beautiful painted ceiling and romantic surroundings, it's easy to do good work in Holiday Villa.

Wedding Wisdom: Foot Ball

My wife and I started shopping for her pair of wedding shoes six months before our wedding. We wanted a pair of shoes for her that would embody her personality and style. We didn't want to leave that responsibility to the bridal studio. The issue wasn't a question of their competency or their collection of foot attire, we wanted shoes that she could keep after our wedding both as a souvenir and for her wardrobe.

We visited more than 10 boutiques in town, some of them speacilising in bridal foot wear before settling for 2 pairs of shoes that would go with her wedding gown and her dinner gown.

Now, as a professional wedding videographer, I have had the opportunity to record on video many brides slipping on their high-heels on their wedding day. This segment is an integral part of a wedding video. Oftentimes, we also record the groom donning his suit and fastening his corsage. We want to show the bride getting ready to receive her groom and the groom preparing to meet his bride.

There was one video we did where part of the door game required the groom to look for his bride's shoe which was hidden somewhere in the house. After an exhaustive search, he had to slip the shoes onto her feet.

As you might have expected, for the exquisite, bejeweled, perfect-fit shoes to show up on camera, the bride's bare feet will be clearly visible in the video too. Which is why as a bride, you must never forget to have a complete pedicure.

I strongly advice that future brides get a pedicure at least 3 days before their wedding day. A pedicure by a professional is meant to be relaxing and relatively inexpensive. Grooming your feet or any part of your body, for that matter is never a waste of time. If you can spend on your shoes, you might as well spend a little on your feet. After all, they've brought you this far!

Wedding Wisdom: Sleeping Beauty

I got married last year. Our wedding, as it turned out was a fun and memorable event, punctuated by Genervie Kam's violin rhapsody and our MC, Angie Ng whose husky voice charmed everyone.

Although the events unfolded like clockwork, smooth as silk, through it all, my wife's lack of sleep the previous day made me anxious for her.

Both of us being professionals in the Video Production industry, know what it's like being behind the video camera. We've recorded numerous corporate and personal events but this time, we were in front of the camera, a very interesting about face.

A good night's sleep before your wedding is essential to guarantee a fresh start the following day. Granted we are no stranger to sleepless nights sometimes required in our profession, the average adult should be getting about 8 hours of sleep daily to function at optimum the next day.

Without a restful sleep, a bride will be edgy and easily irritated. She is anxious and gets worried easily about the most mundane things. This in turn will cast a dark cloud over the entire wedding proceedings. Your wedding day is meant to be enjoyed by the both of you, don't let lack of sleep rob you of this joy.

Insufficient sleep will also give you a pale and dry complexion. Your make-up artist has to work hard to earn her keep! But why put on an extra layer of make-up to conceal the dullness of your face when a good night's sleep will do the trick?

If you've been planning earnestly for your wedding, there should be no more last minute details that requires your attention. Leave the rest to your wedding team, after all that's what they're paid for and if they are your friends and relatives,your plans should be in good hands... after all, you appointed them!

Remember, it is highly unlikely you will be able to get another wink of sleep the entire day. I spent my afternoon going back to our new house with our videographer and photographer, getting stuck in the jam returning to the hotel, helping her remove the pins and clips from her hair, checking up on the AV system and live band etc. Before I realised it, I was slipping on my tux.

My wife had to be up at dawn for her make-up artist to work her magic. She had to remain stationary until her make-up was finished... try doing that without nodding off! Then it was time to strap on her heavy wedding gown.

Being sleep deprived will make you look worse for wear on camera and especially on video. It's not just your complexion that's at stake, it's your expression that will give the game away. Your listless, frowning stare into space is not a pretty sight!

It was rough for us, we had to manage many things ourselves but we had friends who were reliable and steadfast to whom we are grateful for. The key here is to trust your friends and the professionals you've hired to help you. Insufficient sleep does not allow you to do that, you'll end up micro-managing everyone.

In the end, you have to stay awake to breathe it all in, your wedding day! There will not be another day like this! Savour every waking moment, enjoy every sight and sound and remember every emotion!