FlickrAfter a decade of happiness as Mr and Miss, my childhood sweetheart Mark finally popped the question at Christmas. As soon as I gave him a ‘yes’ I was so excited to tell my friends and family the good news and begin planning our dream wedding.
Everyone has their own idea of the perfect day, ranging from a lavish venue with hundreds of guests, right down to an intimate wedding with close friends and family. Mark and I very much favour the latter, and it’s a good job too because we don’t want to wed in the UK, we’re dreaming of getting married in Asia.
Before settling on Asia, we had to weigh up the pros and cons of marrying abroad. We were drawn to the idea of guaranteed sunshine, an exotic tropical setting in which to exchange our vows and combining the wedding and honeymoon into one memorable trip. Our only con was deciding who to invite, and ascertaining who would actually be able to come, as it is a lot to ask of people. We have a large family, and we can’t afford to ship every aunt, uncle and distant cousin to the other side of the world. And then there’s the grandparents. They would never cope with the long flight. We love our family dearly, but all we wanted was a small gathering. Although there were some serious setbacks, the pro list was far too tempting to resist.
So here we are, twelve weeks on from the pro and con meeting. We’ve researched the expanse of Asia and handpicked our dream destination: Bali. I could write an essay explaining why we chose this beautiful island. It ticked all our boxes on our search for intimacy, offering silent mountains, spiritual culture and stunning wildlife. Bali was top of our list, but after reading a guide I found about getting married abroad, I saw the most beautiful venue and we were completely sold on the idea! I loved the article, The Island of the Gods and how different religions which are incorporated into everyday life. I’m most interested in their Buddhist practices and we’re planning a honeymoon trip to the spiritual capital of Ubud to experience the healing powers of the land and explore the magical temples.
Luckily Mark and I are on the same page when it comes to organising the wedding. We’re only going to get married once so we’ve decided to invest in a wedding at the luxury hotel I found in the guide, called The Legian Bali. They have great experience in sorting out ceremonies, so we’ve decided to put our wedding in their hands and let a planner do all the hard work! They don’t just give you a venue at this hotel, it’s the full works! Yes, our wedding will be small, but our close family won’t forget it. Our lovely wedding planner has booked the hotel’s Sunset Garden for our ceremony. The pictures are just stunning, here’s one below. It looks through palm trees and out across the Indian Ocean – how romantic! We’ve also chosen Balinese flower girls, traditional music and a gourmet menu for our reception.
GHM Hotels When the wedding is over, we’ll say goodbye to our families and start our honeymoon. We’ll be staying in one of the Legian’s luxury suites which overlook the ocean. We’re quite a way off finishing our itinerary but so far we’ve pencilled in a Balinese massage, scuba diving offshore, a tour through the rice paddies and tickets for a showing of their famous dance performance. I think you’ll agree, it’s quite the opposite of our modest ceremony, but when in Rome!
I can’t believe my dream of an intimate wedding in Asia is going to come true. With the help of the wonderful people of Bali, anything is possible!