In June we held our wedding in Bali. These are our planning tips.
1. Negotiate every price. Bargaining is part of the Bali culture...
2. Enlist the help of a wedding planner. It's far easier to leverage a local who knows everything. Starting at US$500, they will organise everything from entertainment, menu tastings, decorations, and the little touches you often forget about. Some villas only work with approved wedding planners, so check this first. We used Yola from Fabulous Bali weddings, she was nothing short of exceptional!
Be very specific with what you want. Put a mood board together to set the theme.
3. Consider the type of drinks your guests will consume in a tropical climate. I find it's more refreshing to drink cocktails as wine gets warm quickly. We discovered the three best ways to buy Alcohol for a villa wedding...
I. Purchase a drink package through your caterer. These are typically 5-8 hour packages (from US$50 per-head) and include unlimited beer, wine and soft drink. For our wedding, we swapped wine for cocktails and spirits. All wine is imported, so a good drop will always be more expensive; plus wine gets warm quickly and is not refreshing in a humid climate. We kept champagne on the menu.
II. Buy in bulk from a wholesaler (or Carrefour) and hire a barman to serve it. This is slightly cheaper than option (I) and a better option if the whole party won't drink as much.
III. Pay for drinks on consumption through the caterer. Good option if you have more non-drinkers.
Non-alcohol packages typically start from $20-$30 per-head. The cost p/head includes everything, i.e. bar equipment (caterers set-up their own bar in the villa), service staff, glasses, etc.
4. Food: For our wedding we chose canapés followed by a banquet-style option. This is most popular because it provides guests with choice (particularly if guests are not used to Asian or Indonesian cuisines). Prices start ~US$50 per-head from Kori.
We had a food tasting session where Kori cooked everything on the menu and we picked each dish - it was amazing (thank you Max)!!!! Other options include a sit-down set menu. The cost p/head includes tables, chairs, cutlery, plates, service staff, cleaning etc.
Bali Catering company is also very good, we chose Kori because of its traditional Balinese dishes and Kori's punch. We enjoy good food and good wine... you can't go wrong with either of these choices.
5. If you can, visit Bali six months before the wedding to see the villa, planner, photographer, taste food, etc.
6. Use a wedding website to give your guests as much information as possible. We used wedsite.com - nothing else looks or feels as personal and professional. I was contemplating building a site myself (self-confessed IT geek) before finding this. Here you can track RSVP's, publish updates and let guests interact. Price starts at US$39 (cheap!)
I still sent out paper Save-The-Date cards, Invitations, personalised Itineraries and Bali guides to our guests, then designed our wedsite to match our theme.
7. Other costs: Before booking your villa ask about the 'Function fee' and 'Banjar Fee'. Some villas charge their function fees based on the number of guests, others have a set rate (starting at US$1000 up to US$5000) - again, negotiate. This fee goes to villa management to cover wear and tear. The Banjar fee goes to the local community and is typically US$400.
8. Under Australian law you must submit an Intent to Marry form at least one month and a day before the ceremony for it to be legal - it must be signed by your celebrant - so leave time for this. We chose a civil ceremony (non-legal as we officially married in Oz first) followed by a traditional Balinese ceremony which went for 30mins in total, cost ~$900.
9. Organise a mini bus or cars to transfer guests to your villa. We also organised airport pick-up, which is especially good for guests who have not travelled to Bali before.
10. Organise a nanny for guests bringing children. Cost is approx. US$5-$10 per nanny and all villas have recommendations.
11. Book music early and see your band/musicians live first. There are a few good bands who get booked up quickly. We had three types of music - an acoustic guitarist (Riwin) for the ceremony, a traditional Bali set with dancers, and a fabulous cover band called Solid Dev - who were ~US$1200.
Note: We learnt that if you have your wedding at a resort you must use musicians off their list.
12. You need to consider hair and make-up for a tropical climate. Have a hair trial as many Balinese hairdressers aren't used to Western hair... ensure the hairdresser understands your hair type. I can highly recommend Rob Peetom in Seminyak, who can come to your villa - I found this salon after my wedding and wished I used them.
13. From November-March you will get rain, so have a wet weather back up. May-August is the perfect time for a Bali wedding. Humidity rises from September. Keep that in mind when planning make-up, hair, and a tan (especially with a white dress).
14. Spend at least 5 days at the villa. Lighting and set-up starts the day before the wedding. You also want a couple of days after the wedding day to relax before packing up for your next destination.
 |
| Photos by Ferry Tjoe Photography - a fabulous recommendation! |
No comments:
Post a Comment