Hey There!! I haven’t done a wedding blog post in a couple of weeks with all the holidays and events in February! I hope you guys all had a fun and loving Valentine’s Day! Whether you were with your gals or man, I hope it was amaze! I’m veering from the original schedule and dedicating this blog post as my Wedding Blog Special: Getting Married in Bali!
I’ve mentioned it before but my husband and I got married in September 2016 in Bali, just us two! It was seriously perfect! We then got married in the states in September 2017 which are the photos and story I’ve been sharing about my wedding up to this point. For any of my readers that are doing a destination wedding, this post is for you!!
If you’re interested in learning more about Bali, I’ve blogged my 2016 trips and linked them for you below!
Exploring All Things Ubud, Mini Post: 3-Story Treehouse in Bali, Oh Kuta, You Beach!, Nusa Dua-Uluwatu
First Things First
Pros and Cons of Destination Wedding
Cons:
Let’s start with the cons and get them out of the way! First, if you have a big family and are getting married (not in your family’s home country) it may be hard to transport everyone to your destination, particularly elders.
Potential language barriers with wedding staff
I can’t think of any others, but please share if anything comes to mind.
Pros:
Usually costs significantly less with a lot more included. You will tend to find that destination weddings cost significantly less than a wedding in the States. However this is entirely dependent on the location!
Save more by combining your wedding and honeymoon destination into one. We got married and honeymooned in Bali! Doesn’t sound like a bad option to me!
Beautiful destination and scenery- I’m assuming that one of the main reasons you picked your destination is because there were epic views of some sort there that you couldn’t get back at home.
If you’re looking to keep your guest list short, destination weddings tend to have about 50% attendance compared to 80+% attendance for at-home weddings.
Wedding Coordinator
If you are planning on a destination wedding, you will need a wedding coordinator at the destination who is familiar with government rules and regulations (as it pertains to international marriages), local venues and vendors, and will be your eyes and ears abroad.
There are several ways to go about finding a wedding coordinator abroad;
There are a TON of companies out there that specialize in destination wedding planning start with a simple google search
Wedding Planner Love, Colin Cowie (large wedding planning company with experience all over the world), Destination Wedding Mag
However I would recommend that you set your destination FIRST and then dig a little deeper and find the perfect planner at your destination. I truly believe you’ll get the more bang for your buck this way.
Another way to find your destination planner is through your venue. If you have a venue(s) in mind, reach out to them and see who they recommend. Make sure this person has done weddings there in the past. Don’t be afraid to ask for photos, etc.
*If you have family that live at your wedding destination then I would recommend including them in the process! Never hurts to have more people that have your back, especially when it comes to your wedding.
If you’re headed to Bali then I recommend none other than Bali For Two
Water Wedding
I love almost all bodies of water! Oceans, lakes, rivers, creeks, you name it and I like to do something there. Bali’s scenery is absolutely breathtaking so you have a variety of wedding types to from including; beach, garden, cliff, water, etc. Given that I love water, I thought it was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen!!
Literally, they put a transparent platform over a pool that overlooks the beach! LIFE!
The coordinators at Bali For Two was our point of contact in Bali and communicated with me often about flower arrangements, service requests, music selection, hair and makeup, and whatever else you could think of! Best part, you can book a wedding and request for their services for a little over $1,300, depending on the type of venue and location. We got married at the Sakala Resort and chose the water wedding option which is currently (Feb 2018) listed for starting price of $3,388. I’m not going to list everything it includes in the base price, but it’s ALOT! Almost everything except photographer and videographer.
I definitely recommend checking out their site because they’ve done wedding’s at some of the most luxurious hotels around Bali, many of which you’ve probably seen scrolling through social media. Check out their “Real Weddings” tab to see examples of some of their work. Hashtag Wedding Goals!
As always, thank you so much for reading!
<3 Kayla
Wow! What a beautiful place to get married! Stunning views!