Wedding Fever

Ok, who here has planned a wedding? If you have, I take my veil off to you. I feel as though I'm all wedding'd out and all we've done is book a venue & write up a draft guest list. Not even a definite list- a bloody draft! The venue is probably the biggest decision to make (besides the dress) though so I am hugely relieved that part is sorted...

Oli & I talked about having a destination wedding well before we ever got engaged. The idea of having everyone we love partake in a week-long celebration with us was beyond appealing. We felt like it was the perfect excuse for a holiday & a honeymoon in one, and to be honest - an easy way to cut numbers & have the small wedding we were after. Bali was the most obvious destination choice as it was the place where we first holidayed together 6 years ago and fell head over heels in love with. The weather, beaches, people, culture & not-to-mention value for your dollar were all big selling points in our decision, so when we went over last November we had a wee browse for a venue. Semara Villas in Uluwatu literally took my breath away upon arrival, the view in itself brought tears to my eyes;

Yes that is a bar right on the water in which you take an elevator down the cliff face to access

Can you actually imagine your wedding with that view? I couldn't, we were so sure it would be well out of our price range - so we felt a little silly even just browsing. Turns out, although it's not considered cheap, it wasn't over-the-top expensive, so the seed was planted in our minds & over the past 5 months the idea grew by the day. We knew we had to get married here.

Fast forward to last week, and we are officially booked and confirmed for next May. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! 

Now comes the hard part... To say I totally underestimated everything that goes into a wedding is an understatement;

Photographer/ Videographer 

Invites

Wedding gown 

Bridesmaids dresses & accessories

Groomsmen suits & accessories 

Hair & Make Up / Nails

Tables & Chairs

Decorations 

Lighting

Sound 

Music choices (so hard to pick a first dance song!!!)

Food & alcohol 

Cake 

Rings 

Flowers 

Flower girl's outfit (crucial)

Speeches

Celebrant 

Vows

And on top of all of this, for a destination wedding we need to organise flights, accommodation, and nannies for the rest of the trip too. 

Luckily, the normal procedure with Bali weddings is to hire a wedding planner for your big day. Thank goodness as I don't think I would be capable of organising all of this myself. So they will have loads of experience in Bali weddings which will be a massive help- as I feel like I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head, but whether they would all work together? Probably not. It's a bit like a mixed bag of m n m's up there. 

I can't even decide whether to go for coloured or plain lanterns? Votes?

Pinterest is running hot on my phone at the mo & we're slowly piecing together some plans. I fear the next 12 months willl whizz by & before we know it, I'll be a blubbering mess next to my handsome hubby. In all honesty- I cannot wait... not only for the huge celebration, but to be Olis wife and share the last name of my children, it sounds so surreal. 

Anyway, one thing at a time- firstly I want to find my dress. My friend Tali recommended an amazing Australian designer Anna Campbell & she makes exquisite dresses that still have a 'beachy' feel, I tried some on on Saturday & although they were beautiful, I didn't find 'the one'. She has a new range coming out shortly though so I'm holding out for that, I'll let you know how I go! Meanwhile, no maccas for me!

I'll keep you in the loop with the planning in the coming months & ask for many opinions too- feel free to throw any ideas my way.... Please!

Thought of the day "Pinterest pics would be a lot different to reality" 

Gemma