Page 16 - Sphere No.23 (Dec 2008)

14 SPHERE
Philippines
 As a symbolic promise
of faithfulness and prosperity,
the groom presents his bride
with 13 gold coins which
have been blessed by priests.
England
 The term honeymoon
comes from the tradition
of the bride drinking mead
(a fermented drink made of
honey) to encourage fertility .
Colombia
 The bride and groom
each light a candle, represent-
ing their lives. They then light
another candle and blow
out the other two.
Denmark
 The groom disappears
during the reception so the
unmarried young men can
kiss the bride – then the
single girls kiss the groom.
to ESDlife, the average wedding budget in Hong
Kong is HKD234,00). For those looking for a little
extra cash, application forms for credit cards, loans
and mortgages are also available online.
“The budget calculator lets couples regularly check
if they are still on budget. In essence, it’s a one-stop
shop for all things wedding-related, meaning that
couples don’t have to go from one merchant to an-
other to evaluate their services and their respective
costs,” Mr Chan explains. “Members can even send
out ‘e-vites’ to their wedding via the portal, but one of
the most popular aspects of the site is the guest seat-
ing planner, which allows members to work out the
best seating arrangements for their wedding guests.”
The Phase II enhancement has just been rolled
out, and one new initiative that members will be
able to benefit from is the Wedding Angel, a hot-
line service offering advice on all things wedding-
related. A chat room is another feature that may
be added at a later date, so members can compare
wedding notes with other couples.
Another developing trend is location, as the
regulations have been relaxed in Hong Kong to
allow couples to get married in places other than
traditional registry offices and churches. Accord-
ing to ESDlife, about 12 per cent of couples now
prefer to have their wedding ceremony in a hotel.
One hotel group that has plenty of experience
in catering for wedding parties is the Harbour
Plaza Group, which has hotels in several areas
across the city (North Point, Hung Hom, Wham-
poa Garden, Tin Shui Wai and Tsim Sha Tsui).
“We’re most busy with weddings around Sep-
tember to December because of the good weath-
er, and also before Chinese New Year. That is our
peak season, particularly the month of Decem-
ber,” says Director of Catering Ada Ho, who is
based at the group’s flagship hotel, the Harbour
Plaza Hong Kong in Whampoa Garden. “We also
offer competitive packages during our low season
to entice couples, so it can make financial sense to
consider getting married off season.”
Based in Hung Hom, the Metropolis Harbour
Plaza’s major selling point is its outdoor marquee,
whereas bothNorth Point and Tin ShuiWai Resort
City have sizeable grand ballrooms. “Our flagship
hotel in Whampoa Garden also has an impressive
grand ballroom, with high ceilings; it’s pillarless
and, at 4,500 square feet, it’s a great space that’s
able to accommodate a lot of people,” says Ms Ho.
“Then there’s our famous marble staircase with a
stunning harbour view. Many couples don’t ask
about the capacity of the ballroom once they’ve
seen this. They select us purely on this feature.”
Most couples also request the hotel’s help when
it comes to planning other aspects of their wed-
ding and, from the photography to the wedding
gown, this is a service the hotel is only too happy
to assist with. “We have to build a very good re-
lationship with merchants and we are on hand to
give our clients suggestions with anything wed-
ding related,” says Ms Ho.In a vibrant city like Hong Kong,
trends are always changing, even when it comes to
weddings. “Clients are becoming more environ-
mentally aware; they don’t want to have shark’s fin
soup on the menu, so we have to give them alter-
natives,” she says. “For the banquet, many couples
take a ‘fusion’ approach; they may follow the tra-
ditional menu for the main course, but then have
a dessert buffet, for example, which the chef can
design according to their culinary tastes.”
HK WEDDINGS: BIG BUSINESS

The budget
calculator
lets couplesregularlycheck if
they arestill onbudget
Data is based on ESDlife’s online survey of 1,738 people preparing to get married in 2008-10.
in millions in millions
2008 (HKD) 2007 (HKD) Increase
Banquet 6,660 5,270 26%
Honeymoon travel 1,300 990 31%
Pre-wedding photo 870 960 -9%
Jewellery 830 620 34%
Gowns rental/purchase 440 620 -29%
On site photography
video shooting 380 540 -30%
Make up and
hair styling 240 350 -31%
Venue decoration 150 200 -25%
Others 250 390 -36%
Wedding Market 11,120 9,940 12%