Sealed with a kiss:
Wan Yim and Stanley Lee celebrate after exchanging vows in the assembly hall.
Venerable edifice:
Built in the 1930s, the assembly hall at Lei Yue Mun Park & Holiday Village has been deemed a Grade 2 historic building.
Simple but solemn:
The assembly hall’s stained glass windows and elegant chandeliers enhance the romantic atmosphere.
Scenic venues in demand for weddings
March 11, 2012
Among the first, and most exciting, decisions a couple about to be married must make is where to have their wedding ceremony.
Bride-to-be Wan Yim sought a small church for her wedding to Stanley Lee. They are not religious, but they did want to exchange vows in a chapel. A friend suggested the assembly hall at the Lei Yue Mun Park & Holiday Village in Chai Wan. The couple were smitten with this historic venue and booked it for their special day.
The Leisure & Cultural Services Department opened six of its scenic venues for wedding ceremonies in 2007. Among them, this assembly hall, overlooking Lei Yue Mun Channel, is the most popular.
Historic value
“It was a former British barracks modelled on 20th century European architecture and it [the assembly hall] is converted from the chapel,” Lei Yue Mun Park & Holiday Village Assistant Manager Yau Ka-man said.
The Antiquities Advisory Board has deemed the hall a Grade 2 historic building. This means it is a building of special merit and efforts should be made to preserve it. Those who hire the hall must guard against damages when decorating it.
The solemn 250-square-metre assembly hall can accommodate up to 120 people. Management provides benches, a public address system, a red carpet and a digital piano. There is also a changing room for the bride.
After their ceremony, a couple can hold a small wedding reception at the open area outside, surrounded by nature. The landscape provides a convenient backdrop for wedding photos.
The assembly hall is an indoor venue, so worries about inclement weather can be checked at the door.
Since August 2007, 252 couples have been married in the hall, and more than 30,000 guests have attended the nuptials.
Great outdoors
The five other Leisure & Cultural Services Department-managed venues available for wedding ceremonies are: the Six Arts Terrace at Kowloon Walled City Park; Tai Po Waterfront Park’s lawn and amphitheatre; Kowloon Tsai Park’s Bauhinia Garden; Sai Kung Waterfront Park; and Repulse Bay Beach.
Each venue has its own special qualities. The Kowloon Walled City Park, with landscaped features that resemble gardens of southern China, is a good choice for couples who prefer traditional Chinese wedding ceremonies.
At wave-lapped Repulse Bay, couples can receive blessings from friends on the shoreline, or turn their celebration into a beach carnival.
The six designated wedding areas range in size from 400 to 3,750 square metres. The fee to hire a venue for the first four hours ranges from $2,500 to $2,900, with extra fees charged for each hour thereafter.
An application may be submitted up to 12 months before the intended wedding day.
For details, click
here.
