Let me introduce Tash from the amazing Plan A Events Company. With cupids arrow in the air I thought we would ask to Tash give us some advice on some important wedding topics.
Location, Location, Location
One of the toughest choices my clients have is choosing the location for their wedding. Everyone has their favourite spots in Bali, but having an event somewhere is quite different to staying somewhere for a holiday. Your event has a schedule so you have to consider things like traffic, accessibility and surrounding accommodation. I thought I’d do a breakdown the each of the most frequently asked about areas: Seminyak, Canggu (Perenenan, Berawa and Seseh areas included), Uluwatu, Sanur and Nusa Dua.
Seminyak
One of the most popular areas by far, Seminyak has a lot going for it. Most people come to stay in this area anyway so are familiar with all the restaurants, shops and hotels. Having it here allows your guests the ease of walking about to do some shopping, sip drinks at beach clubs and dine at different new night spots on the days prior and post wedding festivities. As most people stay here anyway, having your wedding here would eliminate the need for minibuses to transport your guests to the wedding location on time as there are plentiful taxis and most villas are well known so guests can judge their arrival time well, unlike trying to find a lesser known villa in a further away area.
One downside though of having it in Seminyak is it is becoming increasingly cramped, more and more villas are on land that has been subdivided so that you don’t get either ocean or rice paddy views. Moreover, because they are more cramped, they have smaller maximum numbers and space, which is not ideal for larger wedding parties. For those wanting to wed on the beach, most of the beaches are owned by the hotels, so you’d need to see if you can get permission.
Canggu
Canggu and the areas within it (mentioned above) is a great place to have an event. The villas are large and spacious, and most still offer beautiful views of Bali. Being larger villas, you can fit more people in it, so you can split the sometimes hefty price tag that comes along with them. A thing to keep in mind though is that because Canggu is so spread out, you will need to be aware of timing for your guests to arrive. Unless everyone is staying in the same area and have transport of their own, it’s wise to organise minibuses to collect guests from a meeting spot and bring them to the villa so everyone arrives at once. This is also something to consider if guests want to go home early. Its very difficult to arrange taxis in Canggu and you often have to use the local transport which cost an arm and a leg. Buses are the solution but of course this incurs an additional cost. Peak hour traffic is usually around the time most people want to get married too, so good to bare that in mind when organising the timing of your day.
Uluwatu
I’d say Uluwatu has the most unbeatable views from all the areas. Cliff sunsets with wedding photos to be had at the beach is what most couples envision their Bali wedding to reflect. Uluwatu is known for their extravagant villas, and because of the view, you can save money by not having to put too much into decoration as the setting speaks for itself. However, similarly to Canggu, distance and traffic is a factor. Unless you’re guests love surfing and the surf culture, most will probably stay in Seminyak, where everything is walking distance, so again, you’d have to invest in transport to get everyone up, and because of traffic unpredictability of going up the hill, you’ll need to be flexible with your timing. A lot of the villas here are quite expensive too.
Sanur
While not the most popular spot, we have had a couple weddings here and like the rest, they come with pros and cons. Sanur is on the opposite side of the island to Seminyak, so for those who like to stay in Seminyak, they often think Sanur is so far away. It’s only 14km away from Seminyak, half of how far Uluwatu is from Seminyak. In addition, the relatively new toll road makes for quick and easy access to Sanur from the airport, avoiding the heavy traffic that normally occurs in Tuban.
Sanur is quiet and family friendly, with shops and restaurants all in walking distance from the hotels, although not nearly as much or as vibrant as the west side of the island. If all your guests are staying in Sanur, then you can eliminate transport costs as Sanur is so small, taxi fares will be cheap to get to and from the wedding. However guests staying in Seminyak will need to plan their trip wisely in case of traffic on Sunset Road, or if there are a lot of guests staying in Seminyak, a bus will be required. Another thing to note is that many of the villas are a lot older and dated to reflect a more Balinese look, rather than modern, so you will need to decide what look you would like to feature at your wedding.
Nusa Dua
Last but not least is Nusa Dua. Nusa Dua is known to have all the big international resorts, so usually weddings that take place there are at a hotel. Most hotels also have their own in-house event organisers so it’ll be far easier to deal with them direct than to hire your own and go that way. By having your own vendors, you’ll probably incur an extra cost. Nusa Dua is a hub of its own, so if you decide to choose this area, more than likely most of your guests will stay in the same area for convenience.
Hope that helps! x
For more info just head to Plan A Events.
