Hunting, Picking, and Choosing the wedding venue in Jakarta

The Wedding Venue

Since we both live in West Jakarta, we are considering the wedding venue should be nearby our guests' house. Actually what comes first in my mind is to have a garden party and only invite some friends and families, kind  of an intimate wedding party. But then I remember when I held my sweet seventeen party in swimming pool (outdoor party), what we afraid is what if it is raining. So I decide that my wedding should be held in a ballroom.

I have 3 requirements about what kind of ballroom I really wish could be our wedding venue:
1. Full Carpet
2. High Ceiling
3. Beautiful Chandelier

what a childish requirement, isn't it? :P *but I don't care*

While my partner, have some of conditions that has to be fulfilled:
1. Location
2. Have enough parking lots
3. Affordable

At first, we decide to have approximately around 350 invitations max. So we are looking for a venue that is not only big enough, but also spacious to accommodate our guests. We want them to feel comfortable.

My partner and I do love Rafflesia Grandballroom (around 1.300 sqm) in Balai Kartini, it has spacious ballroom and we love the foods. But, when I call the marketing, they require us to have a huge wedding, with up to at least 1.250 pax for using the venue at night. According to the amount of our invitations, they suggest us to see Mawar Room (around 768 sqm). Mawar Room is actually not bad, but we both do not like it. And for other reason, the price is exceed our budget and price point so we move to search another venue. The price is only for foods and we have to pay a lot of charges to use their decoration, entertainment, and photography vendors.

Rafflesia Grand Ballroom

Mawar Room

As our discussion with our parent, we decide to add more invitations so we will have around 500 invitations and we need a venue for around 1.000++ people. In our wedding preparation, I fall in love with these 6 beautiful ballroom:

1. Sun City Restaurant.

They only provide foods and we have to achieve their minimum charge for a half of ballroom (around 960sqm). We only need half of their ballroom because the grand ballroom is too big for us. After that, we can choose whoever vendors (decoration and entertainment vendors) as long as the vendors we choose are not in their black list vendors. I love this venue and it is still within our budget but unfortunately my partner doesn’t like the location and the connotation of this venue. This venue is popular and well known for its “plus plus spa” and "prostitution", while actually their food are delicious. In the other hand, I also consider some of my invitation from University are Muslims so I am afraid that foods provided here are not halal for them. That’s why we don’t choose this as our wedding venue. 

2. Emporium Ballroom.

Another beautiful ballroom is in Emporium Mall. They have 2 packages: for 500 pax they will open 2 halls and for 1.000 pax they will open 3 halls (around 1.000 sqm). The package that is within our budget is only for 2 halls and it is around 700sqm. I have once received a wedding invitation which held in here, and when I confirm to the one who invites us, she said they have 400 invitations, and they choose the 500pax package, means only 2 halls are opened. On her wedding day, it is too crowded and it is difficult for us to walk around and eating. In the other hand, the parking space is not enough. Those reasons made us –again- not choosing this venue as our wedding venue. But now, I heard that Emporium has extended their parking lots. In my honest opinion, I think it is lilbit similar with Bali room of Kempinski Hotel.

The Skenoo Ballroom in Emporium

The pre-function

the Baliroom in Kempinski as below picture

3. The Luxus

They have 1 grand ballroom contains of hall A + hall B. For 1.000 pax, you only need whether Hall A or Hall B (does not need to open both halls because it is spacious already, if I am not wrong for one hall is around 1.000 sqm). It is too pricy for us (the main package is still on our budget but we know everything provided in the package is basic and standard so it is needed to be upgraded) so we are not choosing this venue and the location is lil bit far. In my honest opinion, I think it is lilbit similar with Grand Ballroom of Kempinski Hotel. The Luxus also has a very beautiful foyer in my opinion but I cant find any pictures of it. For more information, as long as I know, The Luxus and The Golf is in one management.

compare it with the grand ballroom in Kempinski, quite similar, rite?

4. The Golf

They have 3 wedding halls and 3 package. For around 500 pax, they will open just 1 hall, for around 1000 pax they will open only 2 halls, and for 1.500 pax they will open the wholly hall (grand ballroom). Having the same reason with Emporium Ballroom, the package which is affordable for us does not allow us to open the wholly grand ballroom, so we decide to strike out this as our wedding venue. I also heard a lot of issues that the package they provide is a very basic and standard package which has to be upgraded a lot. What a waste. I forgot the specification of each room but if I am not wrong, 2 halls are about +- 1.000sqm.

5. Plaza Bapindo Assembly Hall 9^th or 10^th floor and Dhanapala

Both of our parent disagree to have our wedding here because it is too far from our houses and our guests’ house.

Actually both of them are very good. Correct me if I am wrong: Dhanapala is around 1.312 sqm (41 x 32 x 7), Assembly hall Bapindo 10th floor is around 1.200 sqm and Assembly Hall Bapindo 9th floor is around 900 something sqm.

Plaza Bapindo offers us a modern ballroom (without chandelier and crystal lamp that blow my mind, but still is beautiful on its own way)

Plaza Bapindo:

10th Floor

9th Floor

Dhanapala:

Finally, the wedding venue we choose is:

Megasa Hall – Nafiri Convention Hall in APL Tower 8^th floor, Central Park Mall

The reasons why we finally chose this venue are:

1. The Location. Everyone knows where Central Park is. They also have enough parking lot. A lot of mass transportation can be used to go to Central Park.

2. They have spacious ballroom (even without chandelier and crystal lamp but still they have modern and unique ambiance). The ballroom itself is around 1.002 sqm and the function hall in front of the ballroom is around 357sqm. We can use the function hall for the “angpao” entrance, photobooth, mini gallery, and foodstall (I put chocolate fountain in the function hall).

3. Affordable Price. Actually the price we paid at the end is might be the same with Sun City (half ballroom included foods, decoration, and entertainment), the upgrade for foods package in Emporium (2 halls package with upgrading additional food stall and buffet pax but without any upgrading to the entertainment and decoration, but basically the standard entertainment and decorarion provided by the 2 halls package is good and decent enough so does not need any upgrading), the standard package in The Luxus (1 ballroom) and The Golf (1 hall) - in Luxus and the Golf they provide a very standard package and after upgrading I am sure it will be out of budget, Dhanapala (included foods, decorations, and entertainment), and Bapindo (standard package for foods, entertainment, and decoration, also got for documentation on the wedding day, which makes bapindo is worthier). For the same price, in Megasa hall it is included upgrading decoration and entertainment vendor,  hiring lighting vendor and upgrade menus (including another additional of food stalls and dessert stalls for total amount of 10 food stalls, 4 desserts stalls, and 960 pax buffet) already. It might be slightly cheaper if we do not use the lighting vendor and not upgrading our menus.

The minus are:

1. One and only Caterer is available if we want to choose this venue (their exclusive/in house catering);

2. the traffic is so scary if it is concurrently with midnight sale. But fortunately my wedding day and the midnight sale is not at the same time.

3. the access to the ballroom is lilbit confusing. And after putting my down payment there, I have just realized they still charged us a lot of things such as electricity charge and the screen charge.

Here are the pictures taken from another wedding:

One of "mirroring" type decoration from another couple by Amazing Decoration, love it!

This venue is only available on Saturday because on Sunday, it is used for church.

Megasa Hall pre function