Page 14 - Sphere No.23 (Dec 2008)

12 SPHERE
single whim of our clients, and we try to make it
fun for them. It requires a huge amount of trust on
both parts. We need to be able to read them really
well. The bride and groom should both be happy
and relaxed, not worrying about little details.”
That is often easier said thandone inHongKong,
where weddings can present more challenges than
in other countries. For example, wedding dates
have to be booked more than a year in advance to
guarantee auspicious dates and the availability of
the desired venue for the banquet. Weddings also
tend to mix traditions from both the East and the
West, so the big day may feature a flowing white
wedding dress and matching bridesmaids as well
as a series of Chinese rituals such as the traditional
picking up of the bride and the tea ceremonies.
And let’s not forget the banquet, which may
include hundreds, even thousands of guests. Ac-
cording to an online survey by the ESD life wed-
ding portal, Hong Kong’s most comprehensive
source for wedding-related information and
services (wedding.esdlife.com), the average Hong
Kong wedding banquet now costs HKD140,200
(USD17,975).The survey also revealed that the to-
Chinese
 The colour red is a
central theme, signifying
love, joy and prosperity. The
bride’s wedding gown is
often red, as are the wedding
invitations and wedding
gift boxes or envelopes for
cash gifts. Even the bride
and groom’s homes are
decorated in red on
the wedding day.
 It is auspicious for the
wedding ceremony to take
place on the half hour. This
way, the couple can begin
their new lives together
on an upswing.
ILLY WAN, Senior Sales Manager at the Harbour Plaza Hong Kong, chose to get married in
his place of work,tying the knot at the group’s flagship hotel in December last year. Almost
a year on, it is a day he remembers with
obvious enthusiasm.
“One of the best things about the hotel is the
grand ballroom, which has a huge stage and is
also big on atmosphere,” he says.“Plus the foyer
is a great location for photographs, as the har-
bour views and the staircase provide the perfect
backdrop.”
Mr Wan chose to decorate the hotel’s grand
marble stairs with crystal lights for added effect.
Besides having the freedom to select their own
décor inside the hotel, and the arresting views
from its harbour side location, the couple en-
joyed a traditional Chinese banquet on their big
day. “It was all delicious!” he says with a smile.
“Everyone had a great time!”
tal amount of money spent on weddings in Hong
Kong in 2008 would be a staggering HKD11.2 bil-
lion (see tables on Pages 14 and 15).
Once a couple has made the decision to get
married, they will need to think about how they
will finance it, which is where ComPass Visa
comes in. The co-branded credit card of DBS and
Hutchison Whampoa, the card offers exclusive
merchant promotions, ComPass Dollar instant
cash rebates and financial consultation services.
In addition to enjoying ComPass Visa’s many
benefits, couples can also log onto the ComPass
Lifestyle Club (club.compassvisa.com.hk).Launched this year, it is an on-
line portal specifically aimed at young couples,
and is the first in Hong Kong to combine wed-
ding-related information with innovative online
tools and a variety of financial services within one
online platform. The banquet search, for example,
provides members with details of over 450 differ-
ent wedding venues, and the budgeting tool allows
couples to keep an eye on every area of spending,
from invitations to the honeymoon (according
HAPPY MEMORIES
Wedding
traditionsfrom around
the world

The skyline view at the
HarbourPlaza
Hong Kongprovides
the perfectsetting
B