Will and Jen’s Private Villa wedding in Thailand

You guys—Will and Jen’s destination wedding is SO FUN! The Australian couple chose a private villa in Phang Nga for their Thai wedding celebration with guests flying in from all over the world. The weekend was filled with festivities and a day-after pool party, and a joyously colorful seaside ceremony and reception planned and designed by  The Wedding Bliss Thailand. The florals by IAMFLOWER are bright and cheeky and perfectly compliment the adorable styling of the lively blue-on-blue-on-blue bridal party. We’re also loving the way that Blush Photography captured all the beautiful moment sof the day in her dreamy film photographs.

What made the wedding special and unique?

Our wedding venue was in a private villa in Phang Nga (just north of Phuket in Thailand). It was such a perfect location because you get the sun, sand and sea with the added bonus of a luxurious villa to stay in. Having our family and friends fly in from around the world to celebrate with us in Thailand really meant a lot to us. We had guests attending from Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, London, New York, Portland, Hong Kong, Japan and Vietnam. As it was a destination wedding we made it a weekend of festivities, including welcome drinks and a pool party the day after.

What made it special was our amazing wedding entourage. Our very helpful family and friends.

Then there’s our superstar vendors like Blush Photography and Joncu. They were so professional and snapped away tirelessly (even though Kristy was 7 months pregnant) trying to keep up with a very animated wedding party.

Our wedding planners, The Wedding Bliss team, turned our vision into a reality. Everything from styling, sourcing props, managing suppliers, printing, setting up an outdoor beachfront photobooth, creating our donut cake dreams. They were like magicians and seamlessly turned our venue from ceremony into a beautiful dinner reception in less than an hour. It really went so smoothly that we struggle to think how we could have done it without them!!

We had our ceremony on the grass lawn overlooking the sea, followed by sunset drinks and canapés on the beachfront and then an outdoor reception complete with fairy lights. It felt like a magical dream. We really had the best day ever!!

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

My wedding dress is from Pallas Couture, one of the best Australian couture wedding dress designers. I found it on the secondhand website Still White. I trusted my instincts on picking the dress. I wanted a dress that accentuates my figure but is also relaxed and flowy enough for me to spin, dance and run along the beach.

A little unconventional (and probably breaking all bride-to-be rule books out there) but I bought the dress while I was living overseas in Amsterdam. I got my sister try it on, take photos, got measurements and bought it without trying it on. When I moved back home to Sydney I got it custom fitted by a family friend. I knew what I wanted and I also knew I didn’t want to build so much hype about finding that dress that is ‘the one’. The wedding is definitely more than just a dress for me. It’s crazy when I think back about it but it all worked out perfectly. I felt beautiful, the dress fit like a glove and my groom said I looked perfect.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

In lieu of a traditional wedding guest book, we designed and printed a wedding cookbook which we got our guests to sign and stick in Polaroid stickers. The book contained favorite recipes sent in from each and every one of our wedding guests (even the ones that couldn’t make it). And it included our family and friends message on love and marriage for us. In place of engagement photos, we included our favorite travel photos instead which completes the 190 page book! This book became very personal and special to us and we are both so proud of the outcome. Our guests also loved the idea too. Now that we’re married, we plan to cook the recipes and continue to celebrate, cooking and sharing a meal with our family and friends beyond just the wedding day.

Every aspect of our wedding day felt personal because we had our close family and friends invoked and helping out a lot. From making turtle magnets as place card holders, ring pillows and program fans. They stepped in and went above and beyond to make our day special, always calm and fun for us. As cheesy as it sounds, we never felt more loved.

Our wedding ceremony was officiated by our really good friend. She did such a great job in making it super personal and uniquely us. We wrote our own vows, exchanged wedding rings that we made, had readings from our loved ones. We even ‘Thai-d the knot’ as our unity ritual to keep in theme.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

I was reluctant but our first look was one of the most memorable parts of the wedding day. We exchanged a letter we wrote to each other while we were back to back. We hadn’t seen each other at that time but before we could even finish reading the letter, both of us were already tearing up. When we were done, we took 3 steps forward and turned around to see each other for the first time. It’s not something you can explain but it was just special, intimate and real. It was just us. It was definitely a lot more emotional and heartfelt than we had anticipated! Lots of ugly crying involved.

The wedding day from start to finish had so many memorable parts. I’m so thankful we got to start the morning right with a yoga session on the beachfront.

I loved the getting ready part of the day because it was such a girly family affair. My sisters did my hair and makeup and my cousins helped too. My bridesmaids and I all got ready with my mom, sisters-in-law and cousins in the room.

Other memorable parts of the day includes having drinks and canapés on the beach with a live acoustic band playing, a photobooth that looks into the ocean waves, sunset and feet in the sand. That moment was so perfect and I wish it could have gone on longer.

The reception was so much fun. We had bride and groom games, whiskey bottle chugging with a GoPro camera strapped to it, great speeches and amazing Thai food. We finished off with a soul train dance off which prompted our groomsmen, bridesmaids, parents and siblings to all dance in. It was such a great way to get everyone dancing and everyone did!

Last but not least, a very memorable way to end the night – all that dancing made us so hot so we ended up having an impromptu pool party once the formalities were done. All the guests, including the groom started jumping in the pool. Once I saw the bridesmaids jump in, I knew what I had to do – I jumped into the pool, in my sequined wedding dress!!

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

We met at a night club/bar in Sydney. Little did he know, I was only there as a wing-woman for my girlfriend who liked one of his friends. I didn’t know any of his friends but seemed to blend in so he thought I was one of the group when he approached me. He was friendly and one of the most genuine guys I’ve ever met. There was something very honest, endearing and special about him, so when the night ended and he asked for my number, I gave it to him (Note: I NEVER give out numbers to a guy I meet at a bar!!). After that he pursued me for over a year while I was studying overseas in USA. This was back in 2006 (I think)!

When it came to the proposal, I thought it was going to be in Oxford, UK as he very suspiciously booked a weekend trip for us there. He tried to disguise it as a visit to his friend’s place but he’s not a good liar so I told him, I know something’s up.

He completely threw me off as it happened on our Lisbon trip (Portugal) a few weeks before while we were traveling with friends. We were visiting Sintra, (a castle) and he made me go up a tower which overlooks Lisbon to ‘take photos’. I hesitated at first but went up with him. We took photos together. He said “let’s take a selfie” which is so unlike him, so I should have known at that point but was too happy snapping away to realize. When I took one last photo of the scenery overlooking the city, I turned around and there he was on his knees, asking me to marry him. It was so cute seeing how nervous he was (which he never is!) I said YES and we celebrated our engagement in a romantic weekend in Oxford after. It was all very luxurious and special!!

Planning and Styling: The Wedding Bliss Thailand // Photography: Blush Photography // Flowers: IAMFLOWER // Venue: Private Villa // Wedding Gown: Pallas Couture // Wedding Bands: Larsen Jewellery // Engagement Ring: Verragio // Invitation Suite, Calligraphy and Wedding Favors: Handmade by the Bride // Brides Dress & Veil: Pallas Couture // Bride’s Shoes: Kurt Geiger // Hair and Makeup: Jessica Ngu (Bride’s sister) // Bride’s Earrings: by Elsa Corsi // Bridal Clutch Bag: The Daily Edited // Ring box: Mrs Box // Bridesmaids’ Gowns: Twist Wrap Etsy Shop // Groom’s Suit / Groomsmen’s Outfits: Country Road // Suspenders: Scotch & Soda