ONE couple chose their wedding day to coincide with Singapore's Formula One race weekend.

Another couple were worried when they found out their special day coincided with the race.

As it turned out, both had happy endings, despite concerns about traffic jams and guests arriving late. Many guests showed up early, perhaps because of traffic concerns.

Both couples had selected Fairmont Singapore (formerly Raffles The Plaza) for their wedding dinners last night.

Bank executive Damien Chew, 30, and his bride, Ms Maggy Toh, 27, wanted their wedding to be part of the F1 excitement.

Mr Chew, whose wedding was in Stamford Ballroom, said last night: 'When it was announced that Singapore would host an F1 race, I decided to hold my wedding on this date.

'We checked the Chinese calendar and learnt that Friday is auspicious. Everything just fitted nicely into place, so why not?'

He added that he was hoping to get a ballroom and suite overlooking the circuit - it is common practice for hotels to give free rooms with wedding packages.

'Of course, that didn't happen,' MrChew said, 'because the hotel planned to sell those suites at a premium.'

The hotel's convention centre has sold six meeting rooms overlooking the circuit, with each suite costing at least $12,000.

Track-view rooms were sold for at least $1,700 a night.

Concerned

While the couple were enthusiastic about holding their nuptials in a trackside hotel during the race, their guests were concerned.

Ms Toh, who is between jobs, said: 'Those with children found it inconvenient to take the train. We also told our guests to come early and avoid driving, because the hotel said it could not guarantee enough parking lots.'

Their 350 guests seemed to have heeded their advice and by 8.15pm, almost all of them had arrived.

One of their friends, Ms Christine Wee, 30, said: 'I think it's cool for them to hold the wedding during the F1 race, because we get to feel the heat of the event.

'I think it's a pity they couldn't get a ballroom with a track view.'

She had driven to the hotel without any problems.

She said: 'Taking the East Coast Parkway (ECP) is easy as you can just drive into Bras Basah Road after exiting at Rochor Road.'

It was different story for the other couple, Mr Elson See, 27, an airforce regular, and his bride, Ms Ong Chai Fern, 25, an administrative executive.

They had booked their wedding dinner at the Canning Ballroom a few months before the F1 race was announced.

Mr See said: 'I chose Fairmont as it was just above City Hall MRT station, making it very accessible. My sister had also attended a wedding dinner here and she told me the food was good.

'But when the F1 announcement came, I was worried that guests would find it difficult to get here.'

So concerned was Mr See that he went to the hotel on Tuesday to check out the road closures.

He said: 'I found that people could still drive in from Bras Basah Road so it wasn't as bad as I thought.'

Like Mr Chew and Ms Toh, Mr See was disappointed not to get a suite overlooking the circuit.

He said: 'I had asked the hotel if it was possible to get a room with track views, but these suites had been sold out.'

One of Mr See's 280 guests, Mr Gerald Chong, 27, an engineer, had made it a point to come early, in view of the road closures.

Checked map

He said: 'I checked out the map of the road closures and I found it was still possible to drive if I went by the ECP.'

Mr William Goh, 36, Mr See's wedding photographer, said it was still convenient to reach Fairmont as it was just above City Hall MRT station.

A spokesman for Fairmont Singapore said another couple will be holding their wedding at the hotel today.

She said: 'It's auspicious to hold wedding dinners in September, as it falls on the eighth month of the lunar calendar.

'However, due to the road closures, many couples decided to hold their wedding dinner on other days.'

The spokesman added that prices for wedding banquets during the F1 period were unchanged.

This story was first published in The New Paper on 27 September 2008.