Two Minutes with Wedding Venue | Ms Nguyen Hiep Thai Hoa, PR & Marketing Supervisor for the Six Senses Group Vietnam

If you’re planning a beach wedding, THIS is definitely a great place to start your journey as man and wife. The ambiance of the Six Senses Ninh Van Bay is not just romantic but the privacy and secluded resort is also one where "Green Is In" - additional value for couples who are serious about conservation and the environment.

To help you get more acquainted with the two resorts and about general weddings in Vietnam, we speak to Ms Nguyen Hiep Thai Hoa, the PR & Marketing Supervisor for the Six Senses Group Vietnam.

How long have you been with the Six Senses Group?
5 years now


Can you give us some background about the Evason & Six Senses properties? This is for our readers who may not be acquainted with your properties.


Evason Ana Mandara Nha Trang

The Infinity Pool at Evason Ana Mandara - great for Pre-Dinner Cocktails

Ana Mandara means beautiful home for guests—a sentiment that is reflected at the resort with its warm, Vietnamese hospitality combined with peaceful surroundings. It is Nha Trang’s only beachfront resort with 600m of private beach, offering simplicity, serenity and refinement, together with spectacular views of Nha Trang Bay. Cam Ranh, the airport serving Nha Trang, is just thirty-minutes away. There are 74 semi-detached garden villas and these villas combine traditional Vietnamese touches with locally-inspired architecture and modern conveniences. Rooms are either situated at the lush, tropical gardens or with breathtaking, sea views across the bay.

The Six Senses Spa at Evason Ana Mandara presents a Vietnamese experience of specialty treatments and programmes, in addition to the traditional menu of holistic rejuvenation and pampering. Offering guests a variety of activities, the resort also offers tennis, beach volleyball, a water-activity centre, plus a PADI Scuba Diving Centre. In terms of wedding locations, there are plenty to choose from – be it on the beach front, at the private floating jetty or at one of the numerous F&B outlets that we have.

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay sits on a dramatic bay, taking full advantage of the superb setting. Impressive rock formations, white sand beach, a playful stream and the towering mountains behind, all add to the senses of being luxuriously at one with nature here. Ninh Van Bay is accessible only by water. It is a 20-minute boat trip from the Six Senses private jetty in Nha Trang.

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay Beach Villa

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay comprises 58 pool villas situated on the beach front, on the hillside, and over water amongst rock formations into which private swimming pools have been crafted. Several hilltop villas located near the Six Senses Spa have personal Spa Suites with massage champas and steam showers.
The Six Senses Spa is blended into the rocks beside a gentle waterfall. It provides signature treatments together with individual rejuvenation specialties of the region. Other activities include tennis, watersports and snorkeling and diving facilities, a gym, and nature trails that take advantage of the resort’s unique location. There is also a unique wine-cellar cave in which special “Cave Dining” can be created for an experience of a lifetime.
For weddings, there is a wedding chapel right at the hilltop overlooking the entire Ninh Van Bay which is very popular for our wedding clients. Other locations that are great for having your wedding ceremony would be the Floating Deck or on the beach itself. The entire island is private so, take your pick!

Ah, yes. I’ve seen the stunningly gorgeous vista of the Ninh Van Bay from the Wedding Chapel. Breath-taking indeed! Chi Hoa, you see, for Malaysians, very often, when it comes to beach destination weddings outside of Malaysia, the first location that pops to mind is Bali. But I’m pretty sure Nha Trang here is also a popular destination for weddings. Can you elaborate more on this?

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay Water Villa - with direct access to the sea!

Well, to start with, Nha Trang is one of the 29 most beautiful bays in the world. And there are plenty of world-class hotels and resorts along the beaches that can accommodate your wedding celebrations. I would say that the wedding packages offered at these resorts are very reasonable as well and the Vietnamese people are warm, friendly and helpful. What’s more – you get to enjoy and relish authentic Vietnamese cuisine that is prepared fresh from local ingredients by well-trained Vietnamese chefs.

Amongst your resorts in Vietnam, which property is the most popular one for weddings? Why?

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay is very popular for weddings because of the beautiful views and the privacy, exclusivity and the service.

In all the years, what has been the most memorable wedding that you have done at the Evason or Six Senses properties?

This was for a wedding at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay. It was a very touching wedding for our team to witness. The couple and their families had all traveled a long way for the wedding so it was a really close group and very intimate as well. During the ceremony, the groom was really nervous. He was shaking so badly and couldn’t really put the ring on the bride’s finger! *grin* and as for the couple, they were shedding so much tears of joy, especially when they declared their love for each other. Truly a very romantic and touching love story. Very memorable.

Encountered any particularly difficult clients? If so, share the experience with us!

Well, we do have some difficult clients, but we are happy to assist them in every way to help arrange a perfect wedding. Most of our clients are from abroad and we can understand how stressful it must be to plan a wedding from afar.

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay Wedding Chapel

Oh, for sure! I agree. Do share with us more on the Vietnamese culture and how these translates to how the resort is run, how the Vietnamese people are and how does this affect wedding tourism for Vietnam.

*smiles*The Vietnamese people are very warm and friendly and at our resorts – both Six Senses and Evason, we believe in ensuring guests feel very welcomed and at home when they stay with us. As much as we possibly can, we see to their every need – be it big or small. Of course, there are sometimes certain things that we just cannot help, but if we can, we will. I think in terms of service and destination, Vietnam does not lag behind other countries, you agree?

Yes, yes, I do agree. I think your tourism authorities are pretty serious when it comes to wooing tourists. Anyway, as a Vietnamese yourself, are there any beautiful and exotic locations in Vietnam that you would recommend for destination weddings besides Nha Trang and Ninh Van Bay? It doesn’t necessarily have to be a location that has Evason / Six Senses properties.

The charming World Heritage sites of Halong Bay and Hoi An is definitely perfect for weddings. Otherwise, there are also the beautiful beach resorts in Phu Quoc and Mui Ne (Phan Thiet). We also have a Six Senses in Con Dao and ever since Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie took a trip here, Con Dao is seeing an increase of tourists!

Ooooh! I must visit Con Dao one of these days! Chi Hoa, with the convenience of low-cost airlines, do you see Vietnam getting increasingly popular for destination weddings? Is this a lucrative market for your country’s tourism ministry?

Yes, even on our properties, we are noticing the increasing trend. Last year, on the average, we recorded about 1 to 2 weddings per month. This year, since January till now, we are already averaging 2 to 3 weddings per month.

Oh, that’s nice to hear. Before we part – can you share 5 Top Tips when choosing a wedding venue for destination weddings?

Do avoid high or peak season at the resort. It just doesn’t seem as intimate when there are a hundred other guests walking around the resort.

Choose a spectacular resort not just for the views, but for the great cuisine they serve. Food is part of the experience for you and your guests.

Choose a resort that is also convenient for family and guests to walk-about – not with too many steps, and if the resort is huge, be sure they have great buggy services.

Do also check on weather in the area of your choice. You don’t want to plan your wedding right in the middle of monsoon season.

Do hire a wedding planner and have them plan everything for you so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the day!

Thank you Thai Hoa for your time! And to our readers, please enjoy some of the resort photos of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay as well as for Evason Ana Mandara Nha Trang!
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Private Dinner on the Floating Jetty at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay

Presidential Villa at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay

The glorious view of Ninh Van Bay

The white-sand beach of Evason Ana Mandara Nha Trang

Romantic Dinner for Two on the beach at Evason Ana Mandara Nha Trang

Destination Weddings Feature on Vanity Shack : Discovering Vietnam

Hi all !!

Happy Monday to you - and for those thinking of beginning the walk down marital bliss and celebrating via destination weddings....... let the charms of Vietnam lure you into her crevices :)

Enjoy the read below!

http://www.vanityshack.my/2012/05/01/14/lifestyle-and-entertainment/the-search-for-that-perfect-wedding-location-discovering-vietnam-3-2254/

How much is you SANITY worth ?

Engagements always start out exciting and new, but that feeling often wears off when the reality of all the responsibilities sets in. A wedding can be a logistic nightmare; between setting a budget, sticking to it, arranging for the venue, and catering, guests’ accommodation and gifts, etc. It’s not surprising that 40% of couple “can’t wait for the wedding to be over and done with”.
Many couples, especially those on a tight budget, never think about hiring a wedding planner, assuming it’s a luxury service they don’t need or could never afford. What they don’t realize is that having outside help can save you time, aggravation, and even money. Sure, wedding planners charge you a service fee, but the discounts and expertise they can provide during the planning process, usually more than pay for itself.

If you’re on the fence as to whether you should hire a professional wedding planner, some important questions you can ask yourself to help you decide.

• Are you way behind on your checklist and schedule? (If you’re trying to plan your wedding without a checklist or schedule, just skip to down below, because you are definitely in need of help!)
• Have you set a budget but are unsure if you can stay within that budget while hiring vendors that gel with your personality? (If you haven’t set a budget, again, just skip down, you definitely can’t do this on your own! Or, you are lucky enough to an unlimited budget, where you’ll definitely want help coordinating all of the expensive details.)
• Do you and your fiancée both work full-time jobs that will prevent you from meeting or corresponding with vendors on weekdays?
• Can you envision your wedding, but have no idea how to achieve it?
• Are you just looking in wedding magazines and big-name wedding websites for vendor recommendations? (Hint – most of these “recommended” vendors pay for that title, which means they have a big marketing budget, but doesn’t necessarily mean they are the best.)
• Do you want to avoid having to ask your bridesmaids to spend hours setting up important details like table cards, centerpieces, etc. on your wedding day?
• Are you having a short engagement (anything less than 9 months)?
• Are you having a destination wedding?
• Are you feeling overwhelmed and wishing you had decided to elope?
• Do you actually want to enjoy your wedding and not worry that something might go wrong that you can’t fix?

If you answered yes to one or more of the questions above, you should at least meet with a wedding planner for a free consultation. It’s easy to assume that if you’re looking to cut your budget, this is an expense to avoid, but keep in mind that hiring someone with experience can help you avoid common, and costly, mistakes that add stress.

One major advantage of hiring a professional wedding planner is that they usually have an established list of local vendors. More specifically, most wedding planners have a network of resources to recommend who are truly allies to the community; this can work to your benefit because you get reputable services without having to go through the trouble of testing several different companies and risk having some awkward moments.
The average bride spends 250 hours on wedding planning without the help of a professional.

The amount of time you spend planning your wedding can be cut dramatically with the help of a wedding planner and the time you do spend planning will be more efficient and not wasted with indecision and inexperience.

Like the yarn tree in the photo above, the responsibilities keep piling on until you don't even see the tree anymore.

What is your time, not to mention your sanity, worth to you?

How to Avoid Being a Bridezilla

In the world of wedding planning, stress levels are high, immune systems are low and the number of victims keep increasing by the year, there is no cure. Its been dubbed various clinical names: Multiple Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia, Temporary Insanity, but in my world, this "illness" is more commonly termed "Bridezilla Syndrome" or 'BS" .

So how do you avoid "catching" the bug ?

I tried reciting a mantra "Zen! Zen! Zen!" (it didn't work), friends tried taking me on spa trips, food trips and shopping trips (enjoyed every bit of it, but it still didn't work). Here's some tips I hope will work for you :

1. Bridezillas are made, not born. Wedding planning is like taking on a part time job (sometimes its full time), the stress of deadlines, demands of the family, the content decision making, managing vendors and the emotional roller coaster you go through, its no wonder you catch the BS bug.

Antidote : Chill out ! Remember the wedding is about two people who are in love who want to be together forever and THAT is what matters. Not the shade of red you want your roses to grow into. Take time off from the wedding, catch a movie, go for a manicure, do something un-wedding and you'll come back with a fresh perspective and in a much better mood. You might even be inspired by what you see in the non wedding world.

2. Everyone has something to say about everything. Among congratulatory wishes, you will get unsolicited advice, bombarded with horror stories and negative vibes from friends and family who think their helping (but their not)

Antidote : Decide what the both (yes both of you, include the groom in the process – please) want and stay centered. Set clear boundaries about what you want and stick to it. Some weddings are for the sake of other people (sad to say) but the marriage is for the two of you , focus on what it means to you. Who cares that your distant cousin has the same flowers for her bouquet.

3. Getting married can stir up a lot of emotions. You'll be surprise at how emotional you can get on and before the wedding day (I told myself that I will not shed a tear, but Nigara falls came climbing down and for a -some would say- stupid reason). The process itself sets forth a period of growth and change that can be nerve wracking.

Antidote : You can embrace this as the next chapter in your journey and realize that it can only get better from here. Try to stay on top of your emotions and be honest with yourself during this time, resolve any unresolved issues and you'll see everything in a much better light. Believe that there is a happily ever after.

4. Wedding planning can be a crisis . There is so much focus on how to make the wedding look beautiful, making the wedding be the talk of town and providing the guests with a party of a lifetime, the bridezilla loses herself and the reason she is getting married in the first place.

Antidote : Remember that the wedding although its the most important party you will throw, it is exactly only that – a party. The reason you are getting married in the first place is because you love each other and want to start a new chapter of your life together. Guests are inspired by the love they feel in the room, who cares whether you had 28 cupcakes which had exactly 28 hearts that are 100% identical.

5. Perfect Wedding = Perfect Life (NOT!), some bride's give the wedding day too much power. They believe that the perfect wedding will mean the perfect marriage and the perfect life. There is an underlying fear that if something goes wrong with the wedding, it is a sign that will make or break the marriage.

Antidote : Step back, breathe. Now look at it from a fresh set of eyes, the wedding day, while important, is only one of the many experiences and memories you will share together. The most important part is when you walked down the aisle into the arms of the person you love (so don't stare at your bridesmaids if they are not standing in a perfect formation)

Bride-Zilla

The bridezilla; is not a mystical creature or even related to the movie icon Godzilla, but beware the bridezilla is a very real and terrifying creature. The sweetest and most understanding girl can turn out to be a bridezilla overnight.

I should know , I was definitely one. Ask any of my wedding vendors, my bridal party, my friends and family they will all agree I was a 100% bridezilla on a rampage during my wedding plans. They shivered whenever I called to ask a question.

The bridezillas natural habitat is the ballroom of a grand hotel, she eats bridesmaids for breakfast and if you tell her that you won't be able to get the right shade of red roses she wants, her icy stare will turn you to stone.

Here are some tell tale signs :

- She wants a shade of "happy" green that only she knows and feels, when you've shown her the 100th shade of green and she still screams that its not "happy" enough, you, by sheer luck show her the very first green shade and she loves it.

- She makes her bridesmaids agree to lose weight for her wedding and then weighs them periodically

- Bridezilla makes you wear gloves to protect the invitations you are stuffing them into envelopes

- She chooses the ugliest bridesmaid dresses in history so that she'll look extra beautiful by comparison

- The wedding ceremony is at noon, but the reception doesn't start until 6pm. Whatever. Its her special day, so everyone else can just deal with it

- Bridezilla gets mad if guests don't dress up to her standard on her wedding day

- Bridezillas were born the day the first bride-to-be asked for the reception venue to be painted to match her colors, the chandeliers to be more cheery and the carpets to match her eyes.

- She demands to have 3 types of nuts in her wedding cake, even though the poor groom is allergic to nuts

- She tried 6 makeup artist (no matter the cost) before deciding on one for the morning and one for the evening.

- Although no one else can see that 1mm discrepancy in the way the branch on her tree is tilted more to the left than the other branch (on her invitation card), she spots it and reprints the entire batch of cards

- She bought, customized and shipped every little detail you can think of from all over the world. From faux diamonds to strew on the tables, to a customized parasol that costs USD 250 just to use for photos, to handmade candies for her candy bar, to even flying the right scent of essential oil just for the restrooms.

- The last but not least easiest way to spot a bridezilla (super fast too), they tell you, “I’m getting married!” – This is the best and quickest way to figure out if you’re dealing with a bridezilla. When they tell you they are getting married, if they never mention their husband, it’s a good sign that she’s a bridezilla. First of all, “she” isn’t getting married,“they’re” getting married. Second of all, “I’m getting married!” is almost always followed by, “I’ve got so much work to do now.” There’s goes that “I” word again. Remember, “Never I, never me, always us, always we” … wait, I mean, “Our marriage, their wedding” … wait, well you know what I mean.

The bridezilla's main aim is (in her terms) to have a flawless wedding, perfect (according to her) to the tee. As a friend, just stand back so that you won't get burnt, as the groom, this is a true test of whether you love her or not, if you can survive this, you can survive anything.

If you have any of these traits you're a BRIDEZILLA - Bless us all ..

Guest Hospitality Management

We just completed our first full-scale Guest Hospitality Management assignment over in Siem Reap, Cambodia. And much like our associate partner Nupts & Such, GHM is something we offer to our clients - especially clients who are doing destination weddings over in Indochina.

Do CLICK HERE for more information about what GHM entails. But in a nutshell :

GHM Workscope includes :

- Handling guest RSVPs after your invitations have been sent out
- Sorting out guests’ accommodation at the destination
- Organising guests’ transportation and logistics – this could be their flights to and from the destination, including airport transfers, as well as transfers from accommodation to wedding venue for guests who aren’t staying at the wedding venue
- Answering any guests’ enquiries regarding the wedding in terms of itinerary/schedule, dress code, do’s and don’ts
- Managing any other guests’ requirements eg. travel and tour bookings, hair and make-up arrangements for guests, obtaining local SIM cards, etc.

We have to say that whilst GHM entails logistics (and managing these logistics in the most effective and efficient manner), the end objective of GHM is to ensure that all your guests are happy campers. The GHM team is on board to ensure that all your guests' needs are taken care of and help is extended to them in every ways possible.

Over in Siem Reap, we had the nicest guests ever and some of them were such darlings that on the day we departed, they came to say Thank You to us, bearing gifts and pressies. Awww.... that's so sweet. And that just makes our day!

If you'd like to enquire about GHM with us, do drop us a line!
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The TWP GHM Team in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Expatriates On The Team eases communication barriers

Sorting out Guest Welcome Notes

Airport Pick-Ups for All Guests

Organizing Tours for Guests

GHM Desk to assist in Guests Enquiries

Simple, Chic and Fabulous !

Isn’t it fabulous when something so cheap, so easy and so simple can turn out so fabulous? Here was a wedding where the bride’s request was to use what the environment could give us.

Our challenge started a few months before when the bride and I went snorkeling for stones, shells and other sea worthy items to use. Yes the things wedding planners had to do to please the bride. We even had to canoe to find the resident shark so that we were assured that when the boys were given a task to snap a photo of the shark , they would actually find it !

So we used what we could get from nature and made wonders with it , I was actually quite surprised that the guests really enjoyed our DIY décor and the photos were stunning.

Here are some easy ideas for you to follow :

Noise Makers : For the guests to make noise during the festivities. We put dead corals into mineral bottles and tie ribbons around the neck.

Centerpiece : We used shells, sand, stones, leaves and added a bit of candles to create a unique centerpiece for every table

Beach Décor : Use paper bags, add a candle in it and light up the beach with your homemade luminaries

Escort Card : We used stones and wrote the guests names on it to act as escort cards

Place Card : We use sturdy leaves from trees to write the guests names on it

So think about it, what do you have that will make your wedding more YOU..