It was just a few months ago when I was looking for a suitable ROM wedding venue. Right now, I’m less than a month away from my solemnization wedding party. I was super focused on crossing things off my list, so the first wedding task I focused on was venue-related.
From the get-go, I was crystal clear on how I’d like the wedding party to be Intimate, Open, and Casual. Our initial plan was to do a super casual lunch reception after the solemnization ceremony. One of my challenges was finding a suitable centrally-located, easily accessible restaurant that could accommodate 60 pax at a reasonable cost.
Our wedding date is a Friday, so location was one of the important considerations. I shortlisted several ROM wedding venues, in hopes of finding a winning combination for location, suitable size, and menu that would work within our budget.
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This article was originally posted on 31 May 2017. It was updated on 5 May 2021 to include a note that Boufe Boutique Cafe was permanently closed.
Peony Jade at Keppel Club
Peony Jade at Keppel Club was one of the first few places I emailed for quotes. I knew if we wanted to please our parents, this wouldn’t be a bad choice. The food is apparently pretty good. The place is so huat, and the banquet menu packages are really affordable. It comes with a simple ROM setup outdoors as well.
Location-wise, it’s not super central and that was definitely a consideration. I wanted to do a recce, but I didn’t end up arranging for one.
We knew we would probably have to do a traditional banquet lunch or dinner. So we decided to save Peony Jade at Keppel Club for further consideration in 2018 when we did our ceremonial wedding.
Location – Maybe, Maybe not
Size – Yes
Menu – Yes
Cost – Yes
Peony Jade at Keppel Club Address
- Peony Jade at Keppel Club, 10 Bukit Chermin Road, Keppel Club, Singapore 109918
EMPRESS at ACM
EMPRESS at the Asian Civilisation Museum is a stunning venue. The restaurant is housed in a historical building and sits just by the riverside. In the daytime, the indoor dining area is brightly lit and the restaurant offers a few set-up variations including a more Western-style setup with long tables if round tables are not preferred.
The photogenic restaurant has also hosted a couple of weddings even if it is fairly new and I’ve heard nice things about the contemporary Chinese menu.
Initially, I was really set on having a Chinese menu for the solemnization lunch reception, so EMPRESS really fit the bill. Plus, it wasn’t such a formal setting as an established Chinese restaurant such as Peony Jade or Lei Garden, and this modernity was what I really liked about it.
The fiance is a Chinese boy through and through, even down to his food preference, so EMPRESS was definitely approved. We were pretty close to confirming EMPRESS, but after many nights of using my “abacus” and evaluating the cost involved for a lunch wedding event and taking into consideration that even after paying a premium it was not exclusive usage of both the al fresco and indoor, we decided it was still too much of a splurge.
Location – Yes
Size – Yes
Menu – Yes
Cost – Maybe Not
EMPRESS at ACM Address
- EMPRESS at ACM, 1 Empress Place, #01-03, Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore 17955
Boufe Boutique Cafe (Permanently Closed)
Boufe is a super minimalist, hipster-approved boutique cafe. (I mean, these guys have unicorn and galaxy cakes and all that jazz.) When I was researching affordable wedding venues and using Wedever to shortlist locations, this was definitely a top choice.
This cafe photographs beautifully and is bathed in plenty of natural light during the day. They offered a pretty comprehensive ROM event package with a Western wedding buffet menu, free parking for 40 guests, a music system, decor, and set up. Man, the value was unbeatable for this venue.
While I did want a Chinese menu, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea to just do a buffet since we were trying to make our budget work. However, the location at Phoenix Park would make this really hard to travel to if friends were skipping out of work for a quick lunch. The F Man had also been here for a work event before and confirmed that, because of location, we should move on to the next ROM wedding venue restaurant on the shortlist.
Location – No
Size – Yes
Menu – Will do
Cost – Yes
AURA
You can probably tell by now that we were widening the search a little. I was really hitting a wall with Chinese restaurants since I didn’t want the setting to be too traditional as well. It’s not easy to find a nice contemporary restaurant that will fit 60 pax with a budget like ours!
I sent Aura an email regarding their wedding packages after recalling that I did a launch there last year and the venue was gorgeous on the day overlooking the Marina Bay skyline. Yes, it’s really, really pretty.
The price was also right for a 4-course meal and free-flow drinks, beer, and wine for lunch. I was ready to end my wedding venue search, but the F Man wasn’t so convinced about the food there and raised some concerns that maybe our parents wouldn’t enjoy it so much, so we didn’t end up booking Aura. By the way, if you’re considering this ROM wedding venue, look for Gene. He’s a really nice guy.
Location – Yes
Size – Yes
Menu – No
Cost – Yes
AURA Address
- AURA, 1 St. Andrews Road, #06-02, National Gallery Singapore, Singapore 178957
The Armoury
I was kind of lost by this point because I just couldn’t think of anywhere that would suit our really specific requirements, but for some reason, I decided to check with one of my friends on whether his restaurant, The Armoury, was available on my date and if they had wedding packages.
Apparently, they have never had a wedding before, so we would be their first wedding couple. Honestly, I had only gone to recce one or two restaurants, because I’m really lazy and too busy at work. The best part? Because we’re friends, I ended up doing a recce, since it meant I’d be able to catch up with him.
I enjoy the menu items served at The Armoury. Of course, even more so after they changed the very American gastro bar menu to include more local flavor. (Think salted egg yolk burgers.)
When it came to deciding on our menu, we worked off an existing events package menu. Chef Ben was really accommodating. We discussed possible items we could swap in and out and customized it to our preference.
So The Armoury was chosen as my ROM wedding venue. There are definitely perks of working with a friend. It felt much less stressful to work with someone I know well and trust and who understood my budget-conscious approach. Vallence knows me well. I don’t like spending excessively on anything that doesn’t really matter.
We also ended up choosing to do a dinner party instead of a lunch. It was all well within our budget with a hearty selection of food items, free-flow beer, and house pours too.
The Armoury Address
- The Armoury, 36 Beach Road, Singapore 189677
If you find this guide useful, you can buy me pasta!
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