The Thailand Wedding that changed my life.

Having just returned from another fact finding mission to Thailand, I can officially declare that Thailand is back on track to be the number one, insurmountable , unsurpassable, Destination Wedding Capital of the world.

Things have really stepped up a notch or two since my last visit to Thailand and the level of professionalism I encountered from the sidelines of some very cool weddings, was refreshing or to be more accurate, utterly staggering.

While all of the weddings were pretty swish, one particular wedding really caught my eye and has very much adjusted my perspective of what a Destination Wedding should be.
The other thing that this wedding also did, was open my eyes to what I now believe to be the strongest asset an Overseas Wedding has to offer.

The particular Wedding I am talking about was in fact an Indian Sikh or Punjabi Wedding.
But wait for it!
While the wedding was based on tradition, these guys totally made it their own and took what I feared was going to be a painfully long and drawn out event, into three days of absolute fun and madness.

And that made me think.

This is exactly what a Destination Wedding should be.

Tradition or Religion aside, under what other set of circumstances could would two people ever successfully gather their closest friends and loved ones and have them all to yourself, without distraction, for several days?

A Destination Wedding!

Family and friends, some of whom may never have met are suddenly thrust together to celebrate your marriage. But unlike a wedding at home, they are not just briefly introduced during the ceremony and reception, they have a number of days to really get to know one and other.
What I witnessed at the Punjabi Wedding, was how they took advantage of this time, to develop strong family bonds from both the Bride and Grooms family and friends.

Over the course of three days the couple hosted lots of smaller events that led up to the big day. There was dancing, drinking (lots of drinking), challenges, competitions, there were games, including the most ridiculous game of hide and seek I have ever seen.

But it was great fun!

With very little effort, these gatherings enabled the guests to closely interact and build some wonderful relationships that simply would not have happened at a brief wedding ceremony at the local church.

So when you are planning your big day, be it in Thailand or where-ever, don't waste such a wonderful opportunity to strengthen family bonds. You don't need to be a Sikh or follow any particular faith to appreciate the value of a strong family and you will be amazed how much fun it is!

For more information on getting married in Thailand, check out The Official Thailand Tourism Website below. 

Tourism Thailand

Wedding Destinations gets make over

If you read my post last week, you would have seen that I was just a little excited. Well, I can finally let the cat out of the bag. Yes, the Southern Hemispheres biggest and post popular Destination Wedding planner has just got even better, with a brand new, wizz-bang website. 

Based in Melbourne Australia and offering complete Destination Wedding Packages almost anywhere in world, Wedding Destinations have just relaunched their website and let me tell you, this website makes choosing your dream wedding location and absolute breeze.

The team at Wedding Destinations have been around since way before getting married overseas was in the mind of any bride. They have pretty much single handedly driven the Destination Wedding phenomenon in Australia, planning literally thousands of Weddings in destinations all over the world.
Being in Australia, the girls have a number of long term relationships with every wedding professional a bride could ever want, in destinations across the world, all of whom are tried, tested and most of all, trusted. They have partners across the Asia Pacific region and beyond.

While they have strong teams placed in the obvious locations such Bali, Thailand, Fiji and Vanutatu, Wedding Destinations are truly global and have similar set ups in Greece, Hawaii and the United States.

I really would urge any 'would be Destination Bride' to take a look at the all new Wedding Destinations website, as quite honestly, I don't think you will find a better resource on the web, to start planning your dream wedding.

Enjoy!

Some exciting news

I have just found out something really exciting and am just dying to tell you.
Problem is I can't!
Well, not quite yet anyway.

All I can say is watch this space for the most exciting thing to ever happen for Aussie brides considering a destination wedding.

Back soon...

Bali Destination Wedding Special Part 2

In Part one of my Bali Wedding Destination Special, I wrote about my wedding adventures on the tranquil island of Nusa Lembongan, where small to medium sized weddings can be held for a very attractive price. Having enjoyed five days relaxing and getting married at Nusa Villa, it was time to get to work and plunge headfirst into one of the worlds fastest growing, Destination Wedding wonderlands. Bali.

In the most simple of terms, a wedding in Bali can be incredibly cheap or it can be insanely expensive and pretty much anything in between.

Weddings are performed all over the island of Bali and each location has its own charm. While many brides dream of a cliff top wedding in Uluwatu, most may struggle with the cost of this location. Uluwatu is to my mind the most stunning wedding location in Bali, but I'm not sure that justifies an average sized wedding price tag at around $20,000 to $25,000. I guess it is down to the individual and if you are happy to pay for this premium location, you will certainly get a stunning backdrop.
Most clifftop weddings in Uluwatu are performed in the spectacular Villas that line the cliffs edge and caterers, entertainers and other wedding vendors can be hired to your taste and budget.

As with most Weddings Abroad though, I would always recommend using a reputable Wedding Planner, who knows the location and has tried, tested and most of all trusted people on the ground.  One such company is Wedding Destinations who while based in Australia, have an extremely large network of wedding vendors in Bali. From Photographers to Make Up Artists, even Baby-Sitters and Villa hire, it is worth touching base with these guys, if you are thinking about tying the knot in Bali.

Another great place to find Destination Wedding Planners in Bali is of course Wedsaway as I have mentioned in previous posts.


Anyway, enough plugging and  back to the weddings. On my travels it became blatantly obvious that Bali really is the Villa Wedding Capital of the world. I checked out a number of Villas from Seminyak to Cunggu and Bali simply cannot be beaten for it's endless choice of Wedding Villas. There are literally thousands of them and prices vary based upon location and size.


Not to be overlooked however are the resorts in Bali and boy, are there some special Wedding Resorts and Venues to be found. 'The W' in Karobokan, near Seminyak springs to mind and it is pure class.


The 'W' is very modern and attracts the more stylish of travellers and Wedding groups The restaurant is quite simply second to none and the wedding locations on site are equally as impressive.



While the super venues of Seminyak blew me away, I have to say that the place that really made me sit back and think was the restaurant Majoly in South Kuta. Now like most people, when Kuta and Bali are mentioned, I kind of switch off and for Destination Weddings Kuta is not really what  I would call a hot spot. Far from it! However, just a few minutes down the road in South Kuta, I found a pretty cool Restaurant called Majoly, which to my amazement boasted a perfect sandy beach, ideal for a wedding, as well as guest rooms and reception area. This venue had it all and whats more, is a snip of the price of most Villa Wedding Venues.

Majoly Beach Wedding

I see hundreds of wedding venues around the world and while it is easy to report on the most spectacular, it is not always quite so easy to find ideal venues at a realistic cost. Majoly is one of them which is why for me, it was one of my favourite Destination Wedding Venues in Bali.

To summarise, Bali is a true Destination Wedding giant and regardless of where you come from, Bali should be top of your Wedding Destinations. Indonesia is serviced by lots of Airlines from most of the world Capital Cities.

You'll find more ideas and services in Bali by clicking main image of this article.

Bali Destination Wedding Special Part 1 - Nusa Lembongan

Destination Wedding in Nusa Lembongan

My recent travels to Bali, Indonesia really have brought home to me, what a diverse Wedding Destination Bali and it's surrounding islands really are.

It Part 2 I will talk about Bali, but as my Destination Wedding adventure started in Nusa Lembongan, it's only right I start where the journey began.

Getting there

My flight arrived on time at 2:30PM at Denpasar Airport in Bali and after the usual shemozzels travellers face coming through Bali's international airport, my wife and I were finally in a cab and heading to the boat across to Nusa Lambongan.

Now 6 hours earlier I had left a very chilly Melbourne, Australia, so was appropriately dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-Shirt. On arriving at the boat however, it quickly dawned upon me that jeans may not be the most appropriate item of clothing for this adventure, since I had to wade into the sea in order to board my vessel, while incidentally my bags were chaotically whisked away by some seemingly random locals who carried them to one of the waiting speed boats. I took a deep breath, rolled up my jeans as best I could and plunged into the lapping waves, making my way to the waiting boat. Fortunately the day was a warm one, so I dried out quickly as we smashed across the angry sea for the 30 minute 'white knuckle' crossing to the Island of Nusa Lembongan.
On arrival we plunged back into the drink with some of our bags, while again, a group of seemingly random locals scurried off with rest of our luggage.

Despite all of the worry, confusion and somewhat scary boat crossing, the relief of feeling sand between my toes left me feeling happy to be alive. Whats more, all of my luggage was neatly piled up waiting with a friendly smiling driver. It was clear that my ordeal was over and my concerns unfounded, so I could now begin to explore just what Nusa Lembongan had to offer the would-be Bride and Groom considering a wedding on this peaceful Island, a stone throw from Bali, Indonesia.

Accomodation

Knowing very little about the Island I chose to play it safe and stay at the breath-taking Villa Nusa, located just 5 minutes from town. Perched on the side of a hill, Nusa Villa looks over town and across to Bali, boasting awe inspiring views of Bali's Gunung Agung Volcano, which towers menacingly above the clouds in the distance. Being up on the hill is also nice and quiet, but conveniently close enough to pop into town on one of a handful of small buses,  Motor Scooter or Golf Buggy. I opted for the Golf Buggy.

Surprise!

Unbeknown to me, some friends who were meeting us in Lembongan, decided to throw an
impromptu wedding. Even more unbeknown to me, it was I that was getting married, AGAIN, renewing vows with my wife.


Don't ya just love surprises!


Getting married in Lembongan

Nusa Lembongan suits a particular kind of wedding to my mind and the small, intimate ceremony that we enjoyed with close friends, seemed to be just the ticket for this quiet and relaxing location.
Unlike Bali, wedding events are pretty limited by the services available on the island, such as catering, entertainment etc and when I say "limited",  I mean  you will not find the variety or top end quality that can be found in Bali. Yes, you can ship stuff across from the mainland, but you will see the price of your wedding soar if you try ferrying people and goods across the high seas. Whats more, it kind of defeats the purpose of choosing Lembongan for a Destination Wedding, for here a simple wedding can be held for just a fist full of dollars.
That aside though, we enjoyed an amazing dinner, served up by a local chef who cooked up an absolute storm in the Villa, worthy of even the more refined of wedding receptions.

The big day

With the aid of the amazing Donna who owns the Villa Nusa, we were able to throw our little wedding in paradise for...

wait for it...

...you might want to sit down...

Under $1000.

This included the daily rate on the villa, Celebrant, Drinks, Catering and Entertainment.
Even if we include the flights for 2 adults from Melbourne Australia, the Wedding does not crack $2000.

Admittedly, it was a very basic wedding with just 10 guests, but was nonetheless beautiful, warm and rather special.

Places to tie the knot

Having now experienced first hand the perfect Lembongan Wedding, I decide to go exploring in my Golf Buggy and check out some of the other Destination Wedding Hot Spots on the island.



Possibly the most popular wedding location is The Beach Club at Sandy Bay. This resort is well catered and boasts draw dropping sunsets. The entire location seems naturally sculptured to accommodate the perfect wedding venue, where beautiful beach ceremonies can be held followed by a fun dinner and reception.

Arguably next in line would be the Batu Karang Lembongan Resort and Day Spa. The big draw card for this venue is that you and your guests can hire the entire resort for your Wedding, should you have a wedding party nudging up to 48 people. Accommodation is top notch, the cliff side location for a wedding is stunning and you are just a 5 minute walk from the town and restaurants.


Other resorts offer Wedding packages and some pretty special locations, but I was impressed mostly by some of the Villa Wedding possibilities on this island.

Summary

Nusa Lembongan and Bali are very different animals. The quality of food and level of service on the island is not as can be found in Bali. There are no late night bars or disco's and shopping is minimal.
However, there is no hustle and bustle on Lembongan, so what it does exceptionally well, is discrete, civilised weddings for small wedding parties. What is more, such events can be achieved insanely cheap, yet still result in the happiest day of your life.

... Oh, one more thing though.
They really need to build some piers for those damn boats!

Watch this space for Part 2 where I will be exploring some very cool Destination Wedding locations on the Island of Bali.

You can find out more about getting married in Bali by visiting my friends at Wedsaway, the worlds largest Destination Wedding Directory.
www.wedsaway.com

Why a Thailand Wedding?

Why choose a Thailand Wedding?

For the past two decades, Destination Weddings have been an ever growing trend in Thailand. With the commercialisation of Thailand’s Travel Industry, strongly supported by its government, Thailand has open up unimaginable opportunities for brides from around the world to put on equally unimaginably stunning weddings.

In the grand scheme of things, Thailand is perfectly positioned on our lovely planet to make it accessible to Europeans, Americans, Australians and New Zealanders. Since Bangkok boast a major International airport and Travel hub, it is also serviced by most of the worlds major Airlines, creating competition and ultimately, cheap fares. Thai Airways are of course a popular choice and are usually pretty hard to beat price wise, offering one of the better flying experiences too.

So getting there really is a synch and for most us Thailand offers a welcome contrast from the nations we live in.

For unlike Europe, the Americas and Oceania, Thailand presents the ultimate in Asian culture and of course, amazing weather. 

Phuket

For many brides-to-be researching Weddings Abroad, Phuket is highly likely to appear on the radar early on in the piece. Phuket and neighbouring Krabi are the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand, so it stands to reason that Weddings in Phuket are the most popular.

Koh Samui

Not far behind Phuket Weddings comes the beautiful Island of Koh Samui. Once again, Samui is a tourist hot spot and weddings in Koh Samui are by default, also extremely popular.

Regardless of where in Thailand you decide upon, one thing you can be sure of, is ‘Bang for your buck’. 

In my opinion Thailand as a wedding destination beats all the competition when it comes to value for money. As I said, getting there is relatively cheap, accommodation is reasonable and magnificent overseas weddings can be achieved, even with a fairly low budget.

If you are thinking about getting married in Thailand and need to get a few ideas, here are a couple of destination wedding websites that might help.

Wedsaway have absolutely stacks of Destination Wedding locations and Wedding professionals listed in their directory, so it is definitely worth checking these links out.

Thailand Weddings  

A Real Wedding in Koh Samui 

Also, the worlds largest planner of Destination Weddings in Thailand is Wedding Destinations Australia. Even if you are not from Australia, their website is definitely worth a browse.

Weddings Thailand 

Why are Weddings in Fiji so popular?

Weddings in Fiji