More couples choose parks to hold weddings

Dylan Loh, Channel NewsAsia 20 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE: More couples are choosing to hold weddings in parks, with some 170 couples tying the knot this year.

The National Parks Board said that since 2007, there has been a steady increase in the number of people applying to get married in parks.

It added that there was a 30 per cent increase in applications this year compared to 2008.

While applying to get married on park grounds is free, the cost of using facilities like tents and other equipment may come to about S$3,500.

Places like the Botanic Gardens and parks near residential and seaside areas are hotspots for weddings. Applications can be made online.

"We choose a park to be the wedding venue because we wanted to do something out of the box. And moreover, the hotel way of wedding is a bit boring and mundane for us, so we wanted to do something different," said Nicholas Teo and Lynda Tan, a recently married couple.

- CNA/sc