Veena & Yuchen’s Classic Tropical Wedding at Villa Bayuh Sabbah, Bali

With a Bali proposal in a quaint little resort on the sandy black beaches of Canggu, it was inevitable that Veena and Yuchen chose to bring their loved ones back to where it all began for their Bali Wedding. Joined by their closest family and friends they decided to treat their loved ones on their special day to a view overlooking the ocean at Villa Bayuh Sabbah.

Planned by the creative Henny from The Wedding Mood, this tropical celebration was filled with endless greenery, classic styling and the sweetest touches of dusty and fuschia pinks. Even the music selections reflected the couple being huge fans of the band Queen, and them playing all of their top tracks at every major part in their day. And we particularly love how they chose to wow guests with the local Indonesian cuisine. (Because when else would you have the chance?)

Veena & Yuchen began their day with a clifftop ceremony with continuous ocean views as far as the eyes could see. From there, guests made their way to the reception in the villa grounds to enjoy welcome cocktails with some guests getting in early with shots in front of the custom pink neon sign.

Guests were wowed with the decor and styling with endless cascading greenery from the above canopies complemented by beautiful Edison lightbulbs hanging overhead. As the sun faded all of the lights stole the show twinkling everywhere only adding to the romantic candlelight. Paired with wooden tables and chairs from Bali Event Hire, cream roses and rose gold tableware creating the most beautiful, dream setting.

To see more from this classic, tropical Bali wedding adorned with so much greenery keep on scrolling. Plus Veena & Yuchen share 7 of their top tips for planning a Bali Wedding. All the magic below…

About Us…

Bride’s Name: Veena Nair
Groom’s Name: Yuchen Ang

How we met: At a Halloween party at a mutual friend’s house. He was dressed as Hern the Hunter, a mythical manifestation of the Wild Huntsman with antlers on his head and festooned with deer skulls. I was Little Red Riding Hood. Both with a love of writing, he told me one of the stories he wrote, and the rest is history.

The proposal: He took me on a surprise trip to Bali to a place along the black sandy beaches of Canggu. Tucked away in a little resort by the sea, he proposed.

The Details: Well, he was nervous and disappointed that our horse-riding by the beach trip which we were supposed to go to before the proposal was cancelled. I didn’t see the big deal since we could go the following day. Little did I know he was trying to distract me while our lovely hotel, Waka Gangga, decorated their pavilion with flowers. He managed to convince me to take a bike ride to visit the surrounding quaint villages. We came back to a lovely pavilion decorated with flowers and of course I said YES!

Wedding date: 21.09.2019
Wedding Ceremony Venue: Villa Bayuh Sabbah
Wedding Reception Venue: Villa Bayuh Sabbah
Total Guests: 55
Our style/Inspiration
Theme: Wild Elegance: Rustic and bohemian, with a touch of class
Colour theme: Rose gold, cream, wood & Earthy tones with tropical greens
Who we couldn’t have done it without: The Wedding Mood!
We contacted many wedding planners before we met Henny from The Wedding Mood. She was the only one who gave us the security and confidence in planning a destination wedding. She was always encouraging and supportive and willing to discuss all our ideas. She was there for us from start to finish and went above and beyond to make it a very special day.

Advice for future Bali Brides:
1. Do your research in terms of venue and décor. Bali has many beautiful places and with a little bit of searching, you can find your ideal place within your budget too. Clifftop wedding anyone?
2. Pick a wedding planner who makes you feel heard and comfortable and who can advise you on vendors.
3. Go with Indonesian food at your wedding. You are in Bali after all!!
4. Have your wedding at a villa over a resort. The relaxed atmosphere at a villa surround by nature lends a different atmosphere hard to replace.
5. For your flowers and decoration, have a dry run with your vendor so you have an idea of the overall look and can make adjustments if needed. WIB flowers did a mock-up of our centrepiece so I was able to make a slight adjustment and have exactly the look I needed. My wedding arch was also adjusted to match!
6. Since we chose Bali we went with the local flowers and Balinese décor which brought down the price point and infused a bit of the magic of Bali into the wedding.
7. Plan more time for hair and make-up on your actual day! It always takes longer than expected.

Our Wedding Day…

Wedding Planner/Stylist: Henny, The Wedding Mood
Henny was the most friendly and straightforward of the vendors we spoke to. She was also very experienced with the local culture in Bali and was able to advise us on vendors, wedding favours, décor and what to expect. She also ran a tight ship on the actual day.

Décor/Furniture: Bali Event Hire

Flowers/Florist: WIB – We did a mock-up of the centre-pieces and improved it so it closely aligned to our theme of wild elegance.

Hair & Make-up: Yeanne Make-Up Art – My hair and make-up was on-point.

Photography: Fire Wood & Earth – Beautiful photos make me think the wedding was even more magical than I remember.

Videography: Richard Watson – I loved our custom wedding trailer and video.

Favours: Vintage shabby-chic white tin boxes with little Ylang Ylang scented floating candles by IndoCandle Bali

Celebrant: Ericht
Ericht was dignified, calm and held the attention of the crowd.

Catering: Dijon, Mr. Pong (dinner reception) El Merkat (Breakfast after Indian wedding ceremony)
Mr Pong made us custom cocktails which our guests loved.

Cake/Dessert: Butter Bali

Stationery/Invitations: My husband designed the invitation based on our favourite birds, the Collared Kingfisher. We would always see them when visiting our local parks.

Entertainment: DJ Arshad (KuDeTa) – He had impeccable timing!

Wedding Songs: Queen themed wedding! My all-time favourite band.
• Groom’s Entrance: Another One Bites the Dust by Queen
• Bridal Entrance: Queen’s Bridal March
• Signing Song: La Vie En Rose by Michael Bublé feat. Cécile McLorin Salvant
• Married / Announcement Song: We Are the Champions by Queen
• Grand Entrance: Wo Yao Ni De Ai by Grace Chang
• Cake Cutting: You’re My Best Friend by Queen
• First Dance: Song: Book of Love by Peter Gabriel, followed into Lahu Munh Lag Gaya by Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram from the leela movie
• Bouquet Toss: Song: Move Bitch get outta the way by Ludacris
• Garter Toss: Song: Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer (when the groom is getting the garter) / Move Bitch get outta the way – Ludacris (when tossing the garter)
• Last Song: A night like This by Caro Emerald

The Bridal Party Details…

Bride’s Dress: Sasha by Made with Love
Bride’s Shoes: Peony printed heels in gold by Harriet Wilde. Peonies are my favourite flowers and I wanted them for my bouquet but they were out of season. So, I got these amazing peony engraved heels instead.
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: JJ’s House
Bridemaid’s Shoes: Bridesmaids’ own in pastel shades
Groom’s Attire & Shoes: Custom-made at Best Tailor, Bangkok
Jewelry: Chelsea’s flower crowns
The rings: Wedding rings, Tasaki LaBello Rings in sakuragold. The engagement ring was custom made by Ciel Jewels, we didn’t want a diamond due to the controversies surrounding it.
Honeymoon Details: Bali again… The Menjagan Resort at the West Bali National Park. Natural Hot Spring and wild deer. What’s not to love!

The Final Part…

Where did you find your styling inspiration for your Bali wedding?
I looked through a tonne of wedding features, just like The Bali Bride, to figure out what I wanted. In many cases, like our gorgeous lighting, it was a mix of what I saw in many other weddings pieced together to create a look that spoke to our theme – tons of greenery lashed together and cascading down with chandeliers and Edison lightbulbs twinkling between them.
We already had a love Balinese fixtures and furniture especially rattan and woodcraft. Basing our decoration around this look, we added cream roses and rose gold tableware for a touch of class amidst the wood and tropical greens.

What was the hardest part of planning a destination wedding?
Not being able to be there to choose! We went to Bali a month before the wedding for food tasting and to see the centrepieces. But everything else from the venue to the wedding favours had to be done online. I didn’t see the venue in person till the day before the wedding, though our lovely wedding planner, Henny, visited it way in advance and sent us videos.

Why did you choose Bali as your wedding destination?
Bali was where my husband proposed. And we wanted a relaxed setting away from the crowds with an Asian flavour. Also, where else can one get a clifftop wedding with a view of the ocean?

How did you stay organised while planning a destination wedding?
I’ll have to thank my wedding planner, Henny, for helping keep us on a timeline to ensure we made the right decision in the months leading up to the wedding. We also set up a separate email account and had a detailed checklist to help us stay focused. For the theme and look I had a PowerPoint we could all refer to make sure all the selections matched the theme.