Louisa & Chris

After a whirlwind romance and carefully planned proposal, Louisa & Chris celebrated their wedding in true Bali style – beachfront at beautiful Seminyak!

Wanting to extend their celebrations over more than just one night, it made sense for Louisa & Chris to host a destination wedding in Bali to make the most of their time with family and friends.

With a specific styling vision in mind, these lovebirds enlisted the help of the talented Tash from Plan A to help bring their dream wedding to life. The brief: a luxe, elegant and glamorous affair that still reflected the gorgeous Bali backdrop. After months of Pinterest-planning, back and forth emails and pre-wedding visits, it’s safe to say every minute was worth it when you see the end result!

Every detail of this wedding was thoughtfully considered, from the romantic flower-filled tablescape to the hundreds of glowing candles that made an appearance throughout the day. Following a total beachfront ceremony in front of a palm-topped macrame arbour, guests were then treated to an intimate dinner under the stars.

The scene was set with beautiful decor pieces from Bali Event Styling, with linen clothed tables, sleek ghost chairs and gold cutlery. Lush pink florals and subtle hints of greenery helped to tie it all together, creating a sophisticated look that completely nailed the brief by complementing the natural surroundings of their Seminyak resort.

Set at the luxurious private hotel Luna2, there was truly no shortage of showstopping photo opportunities throughout the grounds of the hotel. From the oceanfront location through to the lush green courtyard, it was the perfect Bali venue for this glamorous celebration.

Dubbed by the bride and groom as a ‘Lovefest’, the expressions on their faces really do say it all. Beautifully captured by Eyecon, it’s evident through the imagery how much fun, happiness and laughter was shared on the day (particularly on the dance floor!).

Keep reading for words of wisdom from Louisa & Chris, as we chat about the secret to planning a Bali wedding and the incredible team that helped to make it all happen.

How we met: The old saying “timing is everything” really rings true in our case. Despite crossing paths some 10 years earlier during the infamous ‘Circus’ days, it took for the modern advancements in technology and the iPhone for us to eventually meet. Cutting through a swathe of social media and dating apps our interested enough in one another to lock in that ever fateful first date. Despite Louisa’s fashionably late arrival and my slight awkwardness, there were plenty of signs to suggest some special energy was at play that evening. Fast forward 7 (crazy yet amazing) months and we arrive at the proposal.

The proposal: The Mission: Surprise the girl who does not allow surprises. The scene was set beautifully. Enlist the best friend’s help to lock in a Sunday double date lunch at the desired riverside restaurant and simply rock up and do the bended knee thing whilst waiting for the bestie to arrive. Sounds simple enough, right? Ever the entertainer, Louisa managed to contract a slight strain of ebola virus on the Friday and was housebound the entire weekend. After LOTS of encouraging and prodding I managed to get her down to the restaurant and seated long enough to catch her off-guard and get the “yes” answer to the most important question I have ever posed. The excitement was capped off with one last surprise – Louisa walking into her house filled with champagne and her family. Winning.

The Details…
Wedding date: 15 April 2017
Wedding Ceremony & Reception Venue: Luna2 Private Hotel – Seminyak
Total Guests: 30

Our style/inspiration: I had a very set idea of how I wanted everything! From the arbor, to the number of candles/flowers (which was A LOT)!!! I wanted it to be glamourous however still tie in with the amazing beachfront location of Bali. Pinterest became my best friend although stripped me of many hours of sleep.

Who we couldn’t have done it without: Tash from Plan A – that girl never sleeps! She gave the best advice on everything – a true professional in her field

Advice for future Bali Brides: Get a planner! And still do a couple of pre-wedding visits to meet with suppliers, venue and your planner. Start a Pinterest board and don’t be afraid to ask for whatever you want. You’ll be surprised how industrious they are.

Our Wedding Day…
Wedding Planner/Stylist:Tash from Plan A
Décor/Furniture: Bali Event Styling
Flowers/Florist: Bali Event Styling
Hair & Make-up: Glo Spa
Photography & Videography: Tino and the team from Eyecon (the photography and videography were hands down the best money we ever spent)
Favours: We had a good friends mum make us the most amazing smelling French Pear candles in black glass. In hindsight carting over 30 heavy candles was probably not the smartest but they looked beautiful.
Celebrant: Because we were officially married in Perth the weekend before we had a dear friend Aaron Bryant officiate the Bali celebration.
Catering: Luna2 Private Hotel – Seminyak
Cake/Dessert: Butter Bali
Stationery/Invitations: We decided to do everything online via www.blissandbone.com
Entertainment: Lydia Rose Music (she has two saxophonists – amazing)!!
Wedding Songs:
Down the Aisle – Latch by Sam Smith
First kiss – Let’s Dance by David Bowie
Walking up the aisle – Happy by Pharrel
Walking into reception – Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson / Bruno Mars
First dance – Marry You by Bruno Mars

The Bridal Party Details…

Bride’s Dress: Top: Sass & Bide, Skirt: By Kinsman (Melbourne based) – I have quite a particularly unique style and I’m not the most traditional (kept that for the Perth wedding) so opted for a skirt and top. The top was white silk which I knotted at the front. The skirt was just amazing. I knew exactly what I wanted and Steph created it perfectly, even being based in Melbourne. The fabric was a thicker silk with a texture. Half way through the night I changed skirts to a short Aje, gold sequin one and Scanlan Theodore heels
Bride’s Shoes: Giuseppe Zanotti from Net-A-Porter– the highest I could find!
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: One Fell Swoop – a beautiful dusty rose and each girl wore a different style.
Bridemaid’s Shoes: Nude from Coco and Lola
Groom’s Attire & Shoes: Calibre / Aquila
Groomsmen outfits: Politix / Industrie
Jewellery: Christie Nicolaides – these were huge but exactly my style.
The rings: Linneys

Honeymoon Details: New York City

What was the hardest part about planning a destination wedding?
To be honest not that much! Having Tash was the life saver and we flew over to Bali December and March in the lead up.

Why did you choose Bali as your wedding destination?
The main thing for us was not having our celebration over in one night so we thought the best thing was a destination wedding and let’s face it, Bali is another suburb within Perth! Most guests stayed with us at The Colony in Seminyak during the lead up which was so special. (We moved with the bridal party to Luna2 for 2 nights). We had a welcome dinner on the Thursday at Bistrot, the wedding on the Saturday at Luna2 and the recovery pool party the next day was also there.

How did you stay organised while planning a destination wedding?
Having a spreadsheet to keep track of all the ins and outs with the money was super important. That way we could see where we had more room to play. Also keeping the lines of communication open with your planner / suppliers.