When Ashley and Ali decided to have a destination wedding, they knew The Amari Phuket in Thailand was just the place. Ashley had traveled there multiple times with her family growing up, and it held so many beautiful memories for her. With 30 of their friends and family they turned their ‘day’ into a week-long celebration. The gorgeous floral design by Pennae Floral and skillful planning by The Wedding Bliss Thailand brought everything together to create this stunning wedding. And we’re so glad that Grey Likes Weddings Collective member Terralogical flew in to photograph all the unique details with creativity and excellence.
What made the wedding special and unique?
Ali & I decided to have a destination wedding as we wanted a small, intimate ceremony and to ‘be in the moment’ and surrounded by our loved ones. When looking at destinations, we knew The Amari at Phuket, Thailand was perfect. I had traveled there 6 times with my family growing up, and it held so many beautiful memories. My Dad had mentioned many years before that he could see me getting married on The Jetty there one day while the sun set, and Ali & I couldn’t agree more. With 30 of our friends and family loving the idea of attending our destination wedding, we all booked our flights from Sydney to Phuket. The week leading up to the wedding was just as beautiful as the day itself; we watched as all our friends became family over the week-long celebration.
Being a venue with so many beautiful memories, having our wedding day there made it feel complete. The Jetty is a secluded part of The Amari and a hidden oasis in Phuket. It overlooks Patong Beach, and it takes you on a beautiful 10-minute walk through a rainforest to get there. The view on the way there and when you arrive is absolutely stunning, and when the sun sets, the views just get better. The location and venue of the wedding, alongside The Wedding Bliss’ vendors is what really made our wedding day unique.
We told our family and friends that there was another special guest that was yet to join us, but would meet them on the wedding day. As they gathered to walk along the rainforest to The Jetty, a gorgeous baby elephant appeared – our special guest! The baby elephant played with the guests, stole bananas from them, and smothered everyone in kisses. The baby elephant was a highlight for so many of our guests, and we can totally understand why because we fell head over heels in love with him too.
We were also lucky enough to have the best vendors possible. The Wedding Bliss took away all our stress, and delivered far beyond our greatest dreams. Terralogical, our photographers, flew to Phuket from Bali and captured our special day in a way that has made us laugh and cry while gazing at the photos 24/7. The Amari Team provided the most beautiful venue, but their staff were so incredible that they felt like guests. Tan Pla Up Band allowed us to personally select all the music, and they really set the atmosphere of the night. The Wedding Bliss coordinated all of the vendors, recommended the best of the best, and ensured everything ran so smoothly. We were so lucky to have them be part of our special day.
Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!
As soon as I saw the Hollie 2.0 on the Grace Loves Lace website, I knew it was the one for me. My Mum and I flew from Sydney to the Gold Coast to visit their beautiful boutique. The moment I put the dress on, I lit up, it was the perfect match. It reflected my personality and I knew it would complement the wedding venue and climate in Thailand perfectly. It was important to me that the dress was Australian made with amazing quality, and all Grace Loves Lace dresses are made on the Gold Coast using French lace and silk!
What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?
I designed all the invites from start to finish, and I made sure that everything else on the day had the same look and feel, from our welcome bags each guest received, through personalized coasters, photos and signs; everything was designed and created through my eyes.
Given we had 30 guests, we threw tradition out the window to make the night as intimate as possible. We had a long table with every person sitting with either their partner, family or friends to ensure everyone loved who they were with and simply had fun. The bridal party (in particular) were so happy to get the opportunity to enjoy every moment with their loved ones, rather than having to sit in a bridal party pair.
We ordered a personalized swing from ‘Fibreshack’ with both our names on it so our guests could enjoy photos on it or just relax. The exact swing now hangs in our home, and we feel like we bought a piece of our wedding day back with us. Rather than having a guestbook, we created advice cards with envelopes ranging from 1 – 20 years. Each year, we will open an advice card from one of our guests to remind us of who was there with us on our special day. Overall, we wanted our wedding day to reflect us, and we were involved in every little detail and step of the way to ensure our personalities and love for one another was reflected throughout the day.
What was the most memorable part of the day?
One moment is far too hard to pick! From dancing with my bridesmaids to The Spice Girls while we got ready, to seeing my husband’s face as I walked down the aisle, having the baby elephant walk us back down the jetty and smother us in kisses, through to spending the night laughing and creating memories with our family and friends, it was all truly so special.
Something I will always remember will be sneaking away to the end of the jetty to privately dance with my husband, under our arch, surrounded by the sea and looking back at all our family and friends dancing on the dance floor! It is a snapshot in my mind that we got to spend an intimate moment together and just stop and reflect and appreciate the whirlwind of emotions we had experienced on our wedding day.
Tell us how you met and became engaged.
We met in a coffee shop through mutual friends on the 7th of February 2012. I didn’t think I would see Ali again, but he tracked me down on Facebook and the rest is history. I still clearly remember the first time I saw him at the coffee shop, as he was attempting to park his car several times, and I don’t think I have ever laughed as hard. Ali then proposed in Noosa National Park on the 10th of February 2016. I was quite upset at having to walk 2km in the rain, and complained the whole way, however it turns out it was the best 2km I ever walked as he got down on one knee at the top of the hill. I practically skipped back down through the park with the biggest smile on my face.
Photography: Terralogical // Planning and Styling: The Wedding Bliss Thailand // Florals: Pennae Floral // Venue + Cake: Amari Phuket // MUAH: Neil Donkin // Wedding Dress: Grace Loves Lace // Wedding Jewelry: Salita Matthews // Bridesmaids Dresses: Sheike // Grooms & Groomsmen: Country Road // Grooms Bow Tie/Suspenders: Woodandbeau