Fiona and Gary had always dreamed of an outdoor wedding and what better way to celebrate than with an elegant and romantic beach from celebration in Bali?! The beautiful day at Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts was designed in full by Paper Diamonds—planning, flowers, styling, décor—and filled with blush details with calligraphy by Steady Hands Creative and a reception accented by stunning, suspended gold faceted glass fixtures. We’re especially loving that the ceremony isle juts out into the sea for especially intimate “i-do’s” for the couple. Govinda Rumi with the Terralogical is responsible for the lovely, dreamlike photography of Fiona and Gary’s wedding day and we know you’ll be as inspired and we are.
What made the wedding special and unique?
We had always dreamed of an outdoor destination wedding in an exotic island with an ocean view. As we were both living in Hong Kong, my immediate family was in Australia, we decided that Bali was the perfect location as it was geographically right in between Hong Kong and Australia. During my research on locations, the moment I saw the water-wedding venue at Bvlgari, I instantly knew it was the place I wanted to exchange our vows as it is such a unique and beautiful setting. The altar was set upon a glass-floating platform with a rose-strewn aisle over a water pond, perched along the cliffside of Uluwatu with a spectacular and breathtaking view overlooking the Indian Ocean. It was a such unique experience for us and our guests on one of the most beautiful and luxurious resorts in Bali.
Following the ceremony, the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour with canapés by the lower pool cliff during sunset time, then moved to the pavilion terrace for the dinner reception. Our wedding planner, Paper Diamonds, transformed the semi-open space into a romantic scene that was filled with fresh flowers, candles and gold hanging gilded lights from the trellis. We had a formal sit-down dinner, which was accompanied with an exceptional live band, delicious Balinese food and touching speeches. The night ended with a sparklers send off by our guests. The entire night was simply magical and so special to us, and overall it was truly a dream wedding come true.
Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!
For the wedding dress, I love lace and decided to go for La Sposa’s Denia which is a tulle and lace mermaid dress with a long train. The dress was very light and delicate with layering and draping. Having in mind that our ceremony was on an altar set upon a glass-floating platform on a cliff top, the dress seemed to be the perfect match to the dramatic and spectacular setting.
For the reception, I want something completely different and chose a dress that had more volume but also easy to move in. I fell in love with the blush Watter’s Carina Corset with Ashan shirt the first time I spotted it at Miss Bride Wedding shop in Hong Kong. The two piece dress had a sweetheart neckline lace corset and a soft net ball gown skirt which was flowy and romantic. The blush pink color of the dress was exactly the tone I wanted to use as the theme color.
What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?
With a certain budget in mind, we wanted to create a more unique and personal wedding and therefore incorporated many DIY elements such as Mr. & Mrs. chair signs, wedding signage and a family wedding photo display. Before the wedding, I went through a series of old photo albums to find wedding photos of our parents and grandparents, and was so happy to find a photo from 1938 with my grandma in a wedding dress. Paper Diamonds created the beautiful display by hanging a series of blush satin ribbons from the timber trellis with the black and white photos attached to it. All the guests enjoyed looking at the display.
We were also extremely lucky to have my talented dear friend, Gigi Tang from Steady Hands Creative to help us design our whole wedding suite with her calligraphy. The invitations were printed in matte gold foil on textured paper, and each envelope was individually addressed with grey Ecoline ink. The place cards, wedding signs, programs, menus, and seating charts and all other stationery continued the whimsical calligraphy style to add a personal touch. The place cards were finished with gold speckled edges.
Every small detail of the wedding was carefully thought through and custom designed to add a personal touch and uniqueness to the wedding.
My favorite crafted detail:
The ‘Here comes the bride’ and the ‘Mr. and Mrs.’ signs was my favorite crafted detail. The wood panels were sourced from a local timber shop in Hong Kong, then cut to size, sanded and hand painted with calligraphy by Gigi.
Other details like flowers, favors, cake, etc.
Paper diamonds designed a beautiful nosegay bouquet with a mix of imported flowers together with astilbes, garden roses and peonies in pastel colors that gave a soft and whimsical look.
The wedding favors were blush colored macaroons in a clear box tied with satin ribbons for our guests to enjoy.
Made by Butter, the wedding cake was a two-tier white chocolate ganache, designed with ruffles that were topped with fresh flowers with coconut flavor and blush pink ombre inside.
What was the most memorable part of the day?
My favorite moment was the sparklers send off. It was towards the end of the wedding when the magical moment appeared. All the sparklers lit up, forming an aisle where we were sent off as the newly weds. It was the most relaxing part of the day where you realize the whole day has just been so amazing.
Tell us how you met and became engaged.
We both met through a mutual friend in Melbourne. I was a local and Gary was an international student studying in Australia. We started to date in 2006 and have been together for almost a decade. During the most unexpected time and day, he surprised me with the most beautiful ring at my home. It was special and the sweetest moment for me.
F&G Wedding Teaser by Axioo (Robby) from Fiona Louey on Vimeo.
Photographer: Terralogical, Govinda Rumi // Planning / Flowers / Styling / Décor Paper Diamonds // Calligraphy / Invitation Suite Design / Wedding Signs / Place Cards: Gigi Tang of Steady Hands Creative // Venue & Catering: Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts, Bali // Videographer: Axioo, Robby Susanto // Wedding Cake and Favors: Butter // Dresses: Miss Bride Wedding Shop / Wedding: La sposa Denia / Reception: Watters Carina Corset with Ashan Skirt // Groom’s Suit: Prada // Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo // Groom’s Tie: Valentino Butterfly Motif Silk Tie // Bridesmaids Dresses: Custom Made in HK // Hair & Makeup: Jess Yeung // Bridesmaids’ Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar // Sound & Lighting: Hillmas Pro Audio & Visual // Live Acoustic Band: GLO Band Bali // Rings: Cartier // Flower Girl Dresses: Monsoon // Hair Accessory Jennifer Behr