The beachfront villa wedding in Bali
of
Mark & Ali
I feel very fortunate that I had been chosen as the wedding photographer for this beachfront villa wedding in Bali because never, ever have I photographed a Bali wedding as emotionally charged as the wedding of Ali & Mark. One could literally feel the ‘electricity’ between the two of them. While I don’t think that one couple’s emotions for each other are stronger than others it is the way people let emotion show or not show. And this was a ‘free-flow’ or proly more aptly named a waterfall of emotions… 🙂
The beachfront villa wedding in Bali of Mark & Ali was held at one of the newer villas popular for weddings, a bit north of Canggu. What I like about this venue is that because of the layout of this villa the couple truly overlooks the ocean while on the altar and so do the attending guests.
When the bride, accompanied by her mother came walking down the stairs heading towards the altar time stood still for a moment and even the crushing sound of the waves ceased for a moment. Laughter and tears came in equal measure during the ceremony and the Mark and Ali obviously enjoyed that their relationship finally ended (I’d actually would prefer to use the word ‘started’, but it kinda sounds funny in this context) in marriage.
For me personally the highlight of this wedding, which poignantly expressed the excitement of the two, was when Mark instead of walking off the altar decided to dance off the altar after the ceremony concluded… you gotta see it to believe it.
Ali is a woman , or should I say a lady, who clearly knows what she wants and shows that she is in charge of things. But surprisingly she completely surrendered control to me when we started the photo session and let me take care of things… The late afternoon sunset light with it’s and yellow – orange hues beautifully amplified the warmth of Ali and Marks deep emotional bond and their love for each other.
Meanwhile guests were treated to cocktails and canapés at the villa’s pool side and the enjoyed a spectacular sunset. Shortly afterwards the dinner reception commenced and the couple plus the bridal party made a spectacular entrance under the cheering applause of their friends and family.
The emotional intensity of this wedding continued throughout the evening and was particularly apparent in the speech of Ali’s mom and when the newlyweds paid tribute to people very dearly held in their hearts, who could not be part of this wedding. It all finally culminated in the couple’s first dance, after which my assignment concluded.
I wish Ali & Mark that their union will remain ‘electrified’ for years to come…
If this article has inspired you to also have such a fabulous villa wedding then you may want to check out this and this article on villa weddings in Bali.
And here is also a video of that Wedding:
Yours Truly – Dominik
UPDATE: Ali, the bride just sent me the following:
Hi Dominik,
We just arrived back in cold Sydney and wishing we were still away…I just wanted to write and say thank you so much for all the photos, the albums and the video – they are fantastic. Being from Australia and deciding to get married in Bali really makes it difficult to know who the best suppliers are, but after some extensive research on the internet and having a plethora of photographers and their galleries to view and browse through, Mark and I landed on your site and chose to go with you as you seemed to have the most perse clientele and all photo galleries were beautiful and I felt you captured each of the weddings you had photographed fabulously.
The end result of both the photographs and the video from our wedding were superb and we couldn’t be happier with what has been produced and the keepsake that represents our wedding and what was such a special and important day for us. Being a “destination wedding” we obviously had friends and family members who were not able to make the trip due to various reasons but the albums and the dvd that you and your team put together accurately showcases the emotion and memories that were formed on the day which we can proudly share with those unable to be there in person.
From our first communication you were very professional and answered all our emails and questions promptly, which was another key determining factor to choosing you as our photographer. We loved how passionate you came across after our meeting a few days prior to the wedding as well as your “no mucking around” attitude…we knew we could count on you to capture what needed to be captivated without wasting an ounce of our time on a day we wanted to enjoy and savour and one which goes so quickly.
The blog story on your website of our wedding is fantastic, thank you so much. It is so nice to see the way you viewed our wedding and how it came across to an outsider and someone not related was exactly how the day came across to us also. This is exactly how the days events came across in the photographs too, so we really appreciate the true representation shown in your work.
I’m thrilled we also decided to do the videography as I think it really caught all the “waterfall of emotions” as well. Your video team did a wonderful job ! Mark and I are truly grateful for this beautiful documentation of our wedding day – your photographs and the video will help us to keep this wonderful day in Bali in our memory forever.
Ali & Mark
FOLLOW ME ON
Please share if you like this
Just wanted to know where this wedding took place. Which villa?
Thank you Fiona. I have already sent you an email to put you in touch with the wedding organizer who planned and coordinated that wedding. Let me know if you require any further assistance.
HI there, I am also interested to find out where this wedding was held, which villa and the organizer. Can you please send me the details? Thanks!
Thx Azura – I alrd replied to you via email. Cheers – Dominik
What a stunning couple!! May I ask what villa this was in and the organiser?
thx.. alrd replied to you on this in private… Dominik
the light is not depended on a particular location… and digital light plays a great role to…
Where about’s was this wedding held/ gorgeous location!
Hi Chloe,
This location is not available for weddings anymore…. 🙁 It was in a villa in Seseh but now they dont accept weddings in one villa only anymore… you have to rent now all of their 4 villas with a complete capacity of over 20 sleeping rooms and you gotta rent it for at least 3 , during high season for 5 days making it prohibitively expensive…
Also dont go by my pictures… I lie with my camera… 😉 making things look better than they are… there are plenty of better options available – see my other villa weddings…
And best if you contact a capable wedding organizer to help you select the right place and safe lots of money in the process… If you need recommendations about good wedding organizers pls. let me know.
Cheers – Dominik
Hi Dominik,
What incredible photo’s, you truly capture the moment.
I was wondering if you would mind sending me a list of your recommended wedding planners for organizing my perfect destination wedding on Bali. 🙂
Hi Roslyn,
Thanks for your comment and your kind words of praise. I will be in touch via email with regard to wedding planners. Meanwhile you may also want to check out the blog of THE SOCIETY OF BALI WEDDING PROFESSIONALS at: http://baliweddingblog.com/
which has a lot of independent advice on how to plan a wedding in Bali and also some vendor listings.
Thanks – Dominik
Hello,
I am also interested in finding a nice beach front venue location without curfew for my wedding. Could you please send me some details ?
Thank you so much
Tx. S for your comment. To make it clear to everyone writing to me about this venue. This venue is part of a 4 or 5 villas complex. At the time of this wedding it was possible to rent one villa only for a wedding. Since 2012 things have changed there – to have a wedding there you now will need to rent all 4 or 5 villas with all together 40 – 50 pax capacity and that for a period of 4-5 days with a day then costing you in excess of 10.000 USD for that complex – so once you hold a wedding there it’ll cost you at the least 40.000 USD or more in venue fees alone. Hence no wedding organizer wants to touch that place and very few clients are willing to rent this whole complex for several days… Since my comments may be perceived as negative and I dont want to stand accused of badmouthing anyone I will not state the name of this place. Suffice to say that there are plenty of alternatives at much better conditions. Also you are well advised not to choose or fall in love with a venue based on my photos. As a commercial photographer who has photographed a lot of architecture and villas I am trained to make things look (much) better than they are… So that villa is proly not as nice as it looks on my photographs.
As always my advise is to seek assistance of a good wedding planner – they can help you finding the right villa for you and safe you some money in the process. If you need my advise on wedding planners pls. contact me directly.
Hope this helps.
Dominik
Cheers – Dominik
Hi Damien
Can you please contact me asap regarding a bali wedding in October 2014. Your photography is exceptional!
Thanks Chantele
Thank you Chantele !! We would be delighted to be part of your wedding. I have already sent you our packages via email.
Miriam
Hi Dominik,
Would you be able to recommend any wedding planners who may be able to help in planning a beachfront villa wedding with a concept similar to this?
Also, I really like your photography and would like to know what would your rates be like?
Looking forward to hearing from you. 🙂
Thx. fr being in touch Sarah. Yes, I recommend the ideal wedding planner for you. Jameela Tey – see her fantastic blog on Bali weddings at:
http://baliweddingblog.com/
Hope this helps… Miriam
Hi Dominik,
You take stunning pictures! Can I ask what your rates are for wedding photography? Also- I love how honest you are about the location and making them appear nicer than they actually are. Is it possible to have a simple but beautiful wedding in Bali for around 10,000 USD?
Look forward to hearing from you!