Page 13 - Sphere No.23 (Dec 2008)

ILLUSTRATIONS: HENRY CHAN SPHERE 11
Discovering the love
of your life is a major milestone for
anyone. As Harry Burns noted in the
romanti comedy “When Harry M t
Sally”, after it finally dawned on him
that his best friend Sally was the wom-
an of his dreams: “When you realise
you want to spend the rest of your life
with somebody, you want the rest of
your life to start as soon as possible.”
For most, this journey begins with a
wedding, a day that for many married
couples is the happiest day of their
lives. Everyone naturally wants their
big day to be as close to perfection as
is humanly possible, and engaged cou-
ples can ensure that everything goes
without a hitch by planning ahead.
Good forward planning allows the
bride and groom to carefully research
every detail of their wedding, from
the bridal bouquets and the band, to
the guest list and the honeymoon. It’s
a complicated business that should
never be underestimated.
“We require a minimum of six to
nine months to plan a wedding, al-
though we recommend that clients ide-
ally give themselves a year,” says Hong
Kong-based wedding planner Evelyn
Mills, founder and creative director of
Marriage Maestros.
BernardChan, Senior Vice President
at ComPass Visa, the first credit card
in Hong Kong to offer wedding related
services, agrees. “It’s best to book the
venue at least a year in advance, as
auspicious dates in particular are all
too quickly reserved,” he says. Indeed,
some couples are already booking ven-
ues for 2010 via the newly launched
ComPass Visa Wedding Portal.
Ms Mills notes that the main prob-
lem couples experience is working
within their budget. “It’s always cre-
ative versus budget, but creativity and
costs do not always go hand in hand,”
she laughs. Ensuring that her custom-
ers get what they want – within their
monetary limits – is a challenge she
thrives on. “We really cater to every