EVER THINE, EVER MINE, EVER OURS
Preparing for a destination wedding can be a highly stressful affair. Eve Tedja talks to two couples and and discovers how they pull off their dream nuptials in Bali with great aplomb and minimum fuss.
Tying the knot with a destination wedding
Finding love on the dance floor sounds a lot like a song, but it was the case with the lovely Russian and Swedish couple, Anna Suprun, 37, and Rachid Malki, 40.
The professional ballroom dancers met in Norway almost 20 years ago. They were competitors and dance partners before they dated. Together, they danced, taught and competed around the world until they finished their competitive careers in 2015 and settled down in Hong Kong in 2018. On a spontaneous trip to Madrid last year, Malki proposed to Suprun while they were boating on a lake. Needless to say, she said yes, and the rest happened in Bali.
Why did you choose Bali as your wedding destination? We have never been to Bali before we decided to get married there. All we knew is that we wanted to have the wedding in Southeast Asia. Then, we saw Tirtha Bridal’s website in Bali and fell in love with the estate, the variety of set-up options it provided and the opportunity to have all of our guests staying together in their beautiful villa, Stone House, which is located next door.
What kind of wedding did you have in mind?
There were only 30 closest families and friends at our wedding because we want it to be a very personal and intimate celebration. We are very grateful that they travelled from all around the world to be with us on our wedding day. The pre-wedding dinner was at the nearby Ulu Cliffhouse because we love the view, ambience and F&B offerings, while the ceremony and reception were held at Tirtha Uluwatu.
We chose all the songs and had a choir perform during the ceremony. We wrote our own vows and said our ‘I do’s’ in the beautiful glass chapel decorated with orchids and fragrant frangipanis. There was a five-course sit-down dinner on the lawn, plus a stunning ocean view. The Tirtha Bridal team made sure that all of our wishes and requests came true and we were very pleased to see everything was exactly as we wanted it to be. Our photographer, Gusmank, did a very good job capturing all the moments and emotions of the day.
What was your most memorable moment during the wedding?
The whole wedding was one big memorable moment as we didn’t have any expectations of how it should be, so for it to have turned out so beautiful and emotional was really touching for us. One of our friends was the emcee who made the atmosphere more personal as he knew most of our guests. Our guests made touching speeches and prepared surprise dance performances for us, where everyone participated from our three-year-old niece to Anna’s 90-year-old grandmother. We don’t think the staff at Tirtha Bridal ever saw that much dancing in one wedding!
When Vanda Isfandari met Sho Kuwata for the first time, they were both international students from Singapore’s Overseas Family School. Then, Kuwata asked Isfandari to be his prom date; the prom night marked the beginning of their love story. After seven years of dating and exploring 24 countries together, Sho popped the question to Vanda. Bali is the only destination the couple, both 28, has in mind for a dream wedding. Isfandari is Indonesian and Kuwata, who adores Bali, wanted to have his Japanese family and friends come and experience the island together.
What was your wedding theme like?
Both of us are big on simplicity and elegance. We wanted a clean Scandinavian colour palette (mainly light gray) and an Indonesian vibe. We introduced elements of our cultures - Indonesian and Japanese - in the celebration. This was why we decided to go with montsuki (black formal kimono) for the groom and kebaya for the bride. Vanda also felt that it was right to incorporate senbazuru or paper cranes in the decorations, a metaphor for her love of airplanes and flying and a symbol of good luck. Overall, we kept to a clean, minimalistic look for our wedding.
The Indonesian touch came from just being in Bali itself, the catering (the fare was mainly Indonesian), and from the architecture of Villa Plenilunio.
What was the inspiration behind your kebaya design?
Out of all the batik patterns in Indonesia, my favourite is the Javanese Parang Rusak, which is fitting since I am half Javanese. It was paired with other Javanese patterns like Kutu Baru and Jumpatan. I added modern touches, making the kebaya floor length with a slight train at the back. I chose the veil, the lace of the kebaya, right down to the shade of Parang Rusak.
Why did you choose the Glass House for your ceremony and the Villa Plenilunio as the reception venue?
One of Vanda’s biggest obsessions is glass houses and when she found Glass House at Tirtha Bridal, we knew that was the place for us to exchange our wedding vows. When we imagined our Bali wedding, we pictured the blue sky and the sea and we just felt it in our hearts when we walked into Villa Plenilunio. The ocean view, white washed colour palette, its contrast with the clear blue water of the pool and the sea, and the stunning wooden joglo gave us that modern yet traditional feeling. Our guests said that it was one of the most memorable weddings that they had ever attended, which truly means a lot to us!
What is your advice when planning an overseas wedding?
Since you can’t be in the another country physically, your wedding planner has to be your eyes, so find someone who understands you, shares your vision and will keep you in the loop. It’s impossible to be in control of everything, so hire people you fully trust, let loose and try to enjoy each step. Give yourself ample time to prepare for the wedding so you can breathe and think straight. Lastly, preparing for a wedding can be challenging, which can lead to arguments and fights. Focus less on the wedding and more on why you are marrying each another.