You have finally met the person of your dreams and you are ready to take the plunge. You both agree that you would love to be able to have a wedding in a romantic, exotic destination, and feel that the island of Bali is going to be the perfect destination for your Bali Wedding. But you are also worried about the costs and feel that it could be out of your reach. Well relax. Getting married in Bali is cheaper than you think and over all very affordable. So read on and you will find that you just may be pleasantly surprised.
In all honesty, planning your future wedding in Bali is really less expensive than you would expect to be paying, especially if you follow some of our awesome, money saving advice! ( and for all your ladies out there stressing that compromising on cost will mean a less glamorous wedding…well forget about it….you will still have that special wedding that you have so longed for).
SAVE LOTS of MONEY and GET MARRIED IN BALI
The most important thing is to hire a wedding planner in Bali. You may get a little surprised at the upfront fee for this, and feel that you may save yourself a few dollars by handling everything on your own, but believe me when I tell you that the money paid here will save you lots down the track, It is truly money well spent.
Over time, your Bali wedding coordinator will be able to save you time and money as they have the contacts in place already and will be able to pass these savings over to you. These people know all the suppliers ( they have tried most of them so you will end up getting the best of the best), saving you heaps of leg work. Think about the language barrier as well. Most Balinese can speak OK English, but you do not want to risk anything getting lost in translation for your wedding day.
Your wedding coordinator will also be able to guide you through the Balinese marriage laws that you need to be aware of.
You marriage coordinator will also be able to work within your budget. All you have to do is give them an idea of how much you want to spend and they will come back to you with a tailor made, customised wedding package, with heaps of options and alternatives that will fit nicely within your budget. This is what they do best so take advantage of this.
CHOOSE YOUR LOCATION WISELY
Bali is such a stunning back drop for your wedding that choosing a location can often be the hardest part of the wedding process. There are so many stunning private beaches, gardens, and villa retreats that you head will literally spin.
This is where your wedding coordinator will be able to help out most. They will look at your budget and choose the best location for you. If you want a sunset wedding, then they will be able to organise this for you on a remote, exclusive beach, have it totally catered for and even organise the villa accommodation for you and your guests. Location is really the key to your wedding in Bali so do your homework, research everything thoroughly and then make your decision based on the type of ceremony you are looking for. You wedding planner will sit down with you and go through all the options and tell you the pros and cons of each location. This is where the real value comes in. Paying for this service will mean you can relax just that bit more on your special day.
You will be able to have the ceremony, exchange your vows, relax, have a few drinks and then its back to your private villa.
THE BALI WEDDING RECEPTION
I strongly recommend to avoid pricey over-the-top hotels that offer all inclusive wedding packages. These can get really expensive and more often that not it’s not real value for money. Your wedding coordinator will be able to organise everything for you especially the catering side of things. Once the ceremony is over you can either have the reception at the venue ( beach, garden etc etc) or you can all go back to your villa where everything will be set up ready for a night of fun.
An added advantage of having the reception at your villa is the travel time for your guests. Keeping it local will avoid the Balinese traffic jams, which is something you really don’t want to put your guests and yourself through.
Having it fully catered for at your villa means that you can control the menu, drinks and especially the costs. This is a great money saving tip! Large hotels can often have huge mark ups and hidden fees that will not be fully disclosed to you upfront. Trust me, you do not want to be shocked when you get the bill at the end of your wedding day and spoil everything. Wedding resorts are notorious for this, especially in Bali. Let your wedding coordinator handle all of these things and you WILL SAVE BIG TIME.
IF you are planning a really big night for your wedding, then your coordinator will be able to set up a bar fully stocked with imported wines and alcohol. If your budget is somewhat slimmer then they will be able to provide you with local spirits and wines. These are A LOT cheaper, but be warned, the hangovers are a killer. Local arak or rice wine, so popular in Bali and so easy to know back, is going to provide all the fun you need, but bring those panadol.
Visitors to Bali are allowed to bring in 1 bottle of alcohol, so your guest may like to contribute their 1 bottle each to the party mix.
Bali has a massive over supply of vendors who can cater for all aspects of your wedding. From flower suppliers right through to wedding cakes. They are generally world class and know what they are doing. If you want to add that Balinese theme to your wedding, have the florist use indigenous Balinese plants and flowers to brighten up the occasion. There are heaps of these vendors in Seminyak and Denpasar, but your wedding coordinator will have this fully sorted for you.
BE WARNED – PRICES GO UP WHEN YOU SAY WEDDING!
Like in so many countries, you mention the word ‘wedding’ and ker ching the price goes way up. This holds true in Bali as well. Don’t mention the word wedding if you are doing things on your own. Ask for the price upfront for cakes, flowers etc, lock it in and then you can mention weddings. Again, keep quiet with other vendors including hair and make up and stylists.
Most of all the best advice I can give you is to enjoy the moment. Bali is one on the best location in the world to have a wedding so make the most of it. These memories will last a lifetime.