In Reply to: Protocols for bules at Bali wedding? posted by Filo on Tuesday, 6. July 2004 at 08:49 Bali Time:
From my experiences, I have sometimes received & sometimes not received written invitations yet attended all.
Western style would be appropriate, just nothing over the top, but comfortable & covering legs & arm pits.
Usually as you enter the place where the wedding is being held there will be like a stall for drinks & snack foods, on this will be a pot of some description, this is where guests place money, usually inside an envelope.. This is the couples gift. If you had a certain gift in mind then I would give this to the couple a few days after the wedding, to make sure they actually got it. Usually it is material, rice, glasses, Kopi cups etc... That get taken to the next wedding that the family is invited to etc.
I never got to see any of our wedding gifts they were placed in a room & that was the only time I ever saw them, the ladies from the village came to collect stuff the following Day fortheir help etc, which was fine with me, I already had too much to carry home!
But we kept the money. So I'd suggest giving them a personal gift before if you see them or after, not to be shared! Any gift you like is appropriate, either Balinese style or Western, up to you...
Our wEdding began around 7am & at 2am the following morning we finally got to bed! It is very casual in the morning was the ceremony & the wedding (as such) with the closest of family & friends then a hour break & most people left then another group of 100 or so persons arrived for food & drink etc & stayed about 45 mins then another hour break & so on & so on... So ask the time of the Ceremony!!!! To get the best photo's, as long as you are not in a higher place than the priest etc or getting right up into it you will be fine. Usually the Balinese will encourage you to take many photo's of everything & grab you by the arm to get you into the next best position for photo's just go with the flow.
My Mother & Aunt kissed me as Ddid my Western friends, I am not sure about whether it is Ok, I guess it is! They know we Westerners are weird/different!!!! hee hee hee
Be careful of some of the food you eat as it will be very spicy...
Enjoy, also take plenty of fluids!!!! take note of the symbollic things that the bride & groom are doing you will be surprised at what some of it symbolizes!!!!