Erin Hearts Court + Bali is hands down my new favorite combo so you know a huge amount of gushing is about to ensue. It’s all out glamour meets tropical oasis with a heavenly surplus of pretty paper courtesy of Hello Tenfold. A snippet of these gorgeous destination nuptials was featured on Martha Stewart Weddings and we decided this day was way too fabulous to pass up so we are throwing caution to the wind and joining in on the pretty party. Care to spend the afternoon dreaming of far off locales? Then click here for the FULL wedding gallery and a cameo from a monkey or two.
Click here to see the entire image gallery!
Our wedding could only be a travel theme! I’d grown up in five countries, my husband and I were long-distance for two years, and when I finally moved to Singapore, where I was born and he grew up, we both took jobs that sent us out of the country five days a week. In the six years before we got engaged, I worked in ten countries, and he worked in five. We’d have dates at the airport lounge and buy household toiletries in duty-free. He proposed in International Arrivals after I got off a 16-hour flight, with a five-meter red banner that read, “AMY WILL YOU MARRY ME?” Finally, we were making our guests fly to Bali with us for a destination wedding. We had to laugh at it all!
We set a lighthearted mood with a Save-the-Date that read, “After Chasing Each Other Around the World, Amy and TQ are Finally Settling Down.” A map tracked our various travels together, with a big heart over Bali. Our invitation told our story over three accordion folds, fastened with an airplane sticker. Guests’ welcome bags held, amongst other goodies, a bottle of citronella oil to ward off tropical mosquitoes. Our welcome dinner featured a pub quiz organized around cities we’d visited. As favors, we designed a CD mix called “Around the World with TQ and Amy,” featuring our favorite world music with personalized liner notes. We had programs shaped like luggage tags and airplane confetti, punched out of map pages, at our Western ceremony. Lastly, at the reception, we had a photo booth with travel props like suitcases. Our tables were named after cities, and our menu was divided into “Take-off” (appetizers), “Cruising” (mains), and “Landing” (desserts).
Indonesia was significant to us because TQ had been a diplomat in Jakarta, and I had worked in the country for a few years. In addition to our colors – chartreuse, charcoal, and plum – we incorporated a traditional Yogyakarta batik print into our paper goods, table settings, and groomsmen’s custom shirts. Even though our ceremony was very modern, we added some Indonesian touches in the rindik music at our ceremony (well, before the Beatles came on), the family-style Indonesian-Western reception dinner, and a coffee bar with joe from all over Indonesia. We unexpectedly had to draw on a very traditional Balinese resource too: the tukang terang, a rain-stopping mystic, who worked miracles in pushing the looming rainclouds away from our ceremony site. Being ethnic Chinese, we also worked in a Chinese tea ceremony and traditional yam seng toast, punctuated by fireworks.
A vacation in Bali, we hoped, would be a great way for loved ones from different parts of our lives to befriend one another. We booked the entire resort for our wedding party, which contributed to an unhurried feel. Our guests went on organized outings together, like elephant rides and a volcano trek. By the end of the wedding, they were taking vacations together. Almost a year on, my husband and I have moved from Singapore to Boston, and are continuing our adventures!
Wedding Photography: Erin Hearts Court / Wedding Venue: Alila Ubud / Paper Products: Hello Tenfold / Printer: Intrapress / Floral Design: Gloriosa Flower House / Makeup: Eka of Bali Makeup Artists / Bridesmaid Dresses: Butter by Nadia / Wedding Dress: Anna Maier-Ulla Maija Couture (“Regine”) / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Bride’s Head Piece: Jenny Packham (“Acacia II”) / Necklace: J.Crew / Earrings: Christopher Larry / Groom’s Suit: Kingsmen / Groom’s Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo / Groom’s Shirt: Custom by CYC The Custom Shop
