Ayisha and Jekin, Bali, Indonesia

How We Met
Our families have known each other for three generations in Fiji. I was never cool enough to hang out with Jekin because of our five-year age gap. It wasn’t until nine years later that we were finally introduced. I was visiting Fiji from the US where I was pursuing my degree in Biology, and Jekin was visiting from Papua New Guinea (PNG) where he worked in a family business. A year later, we met again at the same place and accompanied each other for New Year’s Eve, and when the fireworks were going off on the beach, Jekin asked me to be his girlfriend. I said ‘Yes’ – but we did not realize that it would take a lot to keep this relationship strong. Jekin went back to PNG and I flew to the US. After a long-distance relationship for around three years, Jekin decided to pursue an MBA degree at INSEAD in France. Once I graduated in 2014, I stayed with him in France until he finished his MBA. Finally, we decided to move to London as we wanted to be with each other in the same city. Currently, I am taking courses in Nutrition and Personal Training so that I can launch my own business at some point. Jekin works for Amazon in London.

Wedding Venue
We got married in Bali, Indonesia, and our vidhi (pre-wedding) ceremonies took place at Peppers Villa in Seminyak, the Hindu wedding at Sanctus Villa in Uluwatu, and the vows ceremony and reception at Phalosa Villa, also in Seminyak.

Wedding Planning
Our four-day celebrations with close family and friends was amazing! We had our ‘Bachelor’s’ and ‘Bachelorette’ parties three days before the wedding and a boat party the day before. When we started to plan the wedding, we knew our loved ones would attend, and since it is a long flight for everyone, we wanted to ensure our #fijibaliwedding felt like a holiday.

It took us a year to plan our wedding which was held on June 22 & 23, 2016. Our main wedding goals were amazing food, a continuous flow of Moet et Chandon and alcohol, great music and a beautiful ambience. We had four main events split into two days.

Our Guests
Guests arriving at Peppers Luxury Villas were greeted by our wedding plannersthe Eventures team and checked into their rooms where a welcome hamper awaited them. It included a customized tote with a calendar marking our wedding dates, havaianas, scented sunscreen, insect repellent, after cooling gel and a newspaper style itinerary with details about the wedding and Bali. The following day, the Eventures team placed a thank you gift for our guests which was a customized air diffuser with reeds. All the scented products included spiced vanilla, bamboo, teak and sandalwood, and were chosen by Jekin and I.

Our Wedding Stationery
Regarding stationery, I wanted everything with our logo or monogram, matching our theme. From our welcome hamper labels, menus to fans and even our welcome green wall décor, it all fit perfectly. During the Hindu wedding, DJ Vishal from Ambiance & Co, played soft acoustic Indian music and for the vows ceremony, we had a guitarist play acoustic western music while guests mingled and sipped their personalized cocktails .

Fusion Cuisine
For food we had Indian and Indonesian food stalls for the cocktail night (after the Hindu wedding) and a modern Asian fusion 3-course sit-down dinner for the reception. Our guests loved our idea of vodka pani puri (even the oldies) and the modern twists to the street food, such as wasabi dhokla, caviar jalebi and coffee barfi.

For our after party, we hired a club called Mint, which had an open bar and DJ Vishal spinning till 5 am. All of this wouldn’t have been perfect if it weren’t for our wedding planners from Eventures and their team. Jekin and I were assigned personal assistants and they were extremely handy. My tip for future brides? Get an amazing wedding planner that you can trust!

Wedding Functions
Jekin and I wanted to have everything outdoors with a view. Bali is so well known for its amazing villas that we had to hold our events in them.

Vidhi
Our vidhi was held in two of the six-bedroom abodes at Peppers Luxury Villas. We wanted a traditional look with lots of hanging marigolds, petals and a marigold backdrop with pink and purple cushions and drapes.

Hindu Wedding
Our Hindu wedding was held in the Sanctus Villa in Uluwatu, which was situated by a cliff, overlooking the ocean. We had the mandap on a floating stage over the infinity pool by the edge of the cliff. The mandap was filled with orchids, roses and carnations in orange, peach, coral colors hues with hints of pink. We also had matching pink and orange chiffon fabric draped around light champagne colored chairs and the aisle decorated with soft pink petals. During my entrance, my brother held an umbrella made of green foliage and roses. Around the garden side of the venue, we had tall and short umbrellas with hanging marigolds, 50 floating candles in the four pools and hanging fairy lights in the trees. It was such a beautiful venue that we didn’t want to overshadow it with too many decorations.

Taking the Vows
The vows ceremony and reception was held at Phalosa Villa by the beach. At the entrance, there was an impressive glass roof with six pillars and water features. We decorated the area with twigs, ivory roses and orchids along the pillars. Near the water feature, we had ivory rose petals scattered along the edge and 30 pillar candles in vases. As you walked along, there was a table on each side. One was a memory table of our loved ones who had passed away, and on the front was our green wall with our gold logo and behind, our guest seating plan.

Our arbor was decorated with white drapes and pink and white roses, orchids and hydrangeas. At the beginning of the aisle, we had two tree trunk flower arrangements with our initials carved into the wood. My wedding bouquet was a posy garden style using mixture of pale pink David Austin roses, soft peach David Austin roses, blush vendella, soft pink baby roses, white baby roses, soft pink ranunculus, soft pink lisianthus and silver dust leaf. Jekin’s boutonniere was made of a baby pink rose with rosemary and leaves.

Reception
Our reception had hints of softer colors such as beige, ivory, gold and soft pinks. The centerpieces were clusters of crystal and gold vases in different sizes, filled with gradual tones of oranges roses (cherry brandy, voodoo, milva, petra roses), David Austin peach coral, soft pink (universe and memoria), deep pink (Lydia) and green foliage. The names on the table were written in gold, on banana leaves to give it a garden feeling.

Above the reception area, we had a large flower chandelier filled with hanging roses, orchids, wisterias and foliage, accompanied with nine other smaller flower chandeliers. We also had fairy lights and green vines flowing across the ceiling. Around the venue, we had 300 banana trunk candles swirling around the corners of each side of the venue and an A & J green foliage sign floating in the pool.

Wedding Looks

Vidhi Ceremony
I wore a yellow, pink and green lehenga with white flowers.

Hindu Wedding
For the Hindu wedding, I wanted Jekin’s and my outfits to blend in with our colour scheme, which was coral, soft pinks, soft oranges and gold, with hints of green. My mum, grandma and aunty and I planned a quick trip to Mumbai for the wedding shopping . In four days we managed to find everything we needed because when I saw the bridal lehenga from Shantanu and Nikhil, I knew it was the one.

I also got the lehenga customized to my taste with intricate matte gold details and Swarovski crystals to give it glamor, a simple designed dupatta with a shiny leather gold border and a princess skirt to finish it. I also customized the jewellery to my taste so we designed a simple yet glamorous necklace with two strands of emeralds and diamonds, along with matching earrings and tikka. Jekin wore an off white silk kurta with gold embroidery along the collar, shoulders and lining of the kurta and matching Punjabi pants – this was designed by Jekin himself.

Taking the Vows
For my vows ceremony outfit, I have always wanted a simple sweetheart neckline, mermaid-cut dress with an impressive trail. This however took a while. After seven months, I managed to find the dress at a boutique in London, called Mirror Mirror. The dress was designed by La Sposa and made of a delicate lace and shimmering beading with a six-feet trail and a long veil. My jewellery comprised diamonds and pearl droplet earrings, bracelet and a diamond and ruby ring. Jekin wore a Perry Ellis linen suit with a floral tie and pocket square and sunnies.

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
I wanted the bridesmaids to compliment my colourful look. I got their sari’s for the Hindu wedding ceremony made from scratch – these were bright teal chiffon saris with gold borders and diamantes, shimmering champagne colour blouses and matching matte gold and diamond earrings, tikkas and bangles. Their makeup was gold smokey eyes look with classic red lipstick and a Mimosa and Cardamom Jo Malone fragrance. The groomsmen wore Perry Ellis linen waistcoats and pants. They all wore floral bow ties and ties to give the wedding a casual and summer tropical look. Their accessories included sunglasses, pocket squares, and brown loafers with no socks!

Advice for couples to wed
· Get really good wedding planners who are well established, trustworthy and understand your visions of each event.
· Be organized as good photographers, planners and venues get booked in advance.
· Have fun! At the end of the day, it would be a very expensive party to stress over. Enjoy the moments as they’ll be lifetime memories.

The Wedding Makers
Venue: Peppers Luxury Villas, Sanctus Villa, Phalosa Villa, Bali, Indonesia
Bridal Trousseau: Shantanu & Nikhil (wedding), Mirror Mirror London (Vows ceremony)
Groom’s Trousseau: Perry Ellis (Vows Ceremony)
Wedding Planner: Eventures
Makeup & Hair: Yeanne Make up Art
Décor Artist: Gloriosa Flower House
Caterering: Queens Catering (Vidhi & Cocktail Night), Bali Catering Company (Cocktail Night & Reception)
Invitation & Stationary Design: Moor Designs by Resham Moorjani
Cake Artist: Crème de la Crème Bali
Cinematographer: Bali Photo Cinema

Photos Courtesy- Ross Harvey

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