JBR Part 2 - Ubud - The Elopement
We had decided on a holiday last year that marriage was on the cards, so we thought we would do some venue research while in Bali at the time. I found Alila Ubud online and we went and had a tour and immediately knew this was the place. I think the stunning infinity pool sold it for us. A couple of emails later and we were booked in. I arranged my own hair and make up and photographer. Simple, easy and stress free!!
So we arrived at the stunning Alila which is about 20 mins drive from Ubud and surrounded by jungle. Quite simply...this place is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!! We were met by the event manager to check in and finalise a few wedding details, and we were advised we would be staying in a private pool villa for the two nights. Yay!!!
OMG - the pool villa was the most beautiful place I have ever stayed. The attention to detail at this hotel was perfect from lovely oversized local organic his and her toiletries to the welcome hamper of homemade drinks and cookies to the farewell gift of signature soap.
We spent some time at the infinity pool and then at our own villa pool before afternoon tea at the poolside cabana where the local students came to practice their Balinese dancing. The girls are so so cute!! We were also entertained by some very active monkeys in nearby trees. We then had a nice dinner at the resort restaurant.
Wedding day and we were up early again, so we had a stroll before breakfast amongst the rice paddies just outside the resort. Breakfast was a la carte tasting size portions, but you could choose as many items as you like. Such a good idea, and yes we pretty much tried nearly everything. We then had a couples Balinese massage at the spa which was the perfect way to relax on a wedding day, and one of the best spa experiences I have encountered.
Back to the villa to relax by our pool and order some room service before my hair and make up girl arrived. I booked this myself through Glo Spa in Sanur. Sarah is from Australia and she did a fantastic job and I highly recommend. I also booked my own photographer, Light and Love, which was probably the only stressful aspect of the wedding arrangements as prior communication was poor and I was actually fearful nobody would even turn up on the day. Luckily, three photographers turned up and they were great, so it all worked out well.
We had some photos around the villa and hotel before the ceremony. This place is so beautiful and picturesque so there were lots of good options. Then it was time for the ceremony which was held in the 'sculpture garden' near sunset.
The sculpture garden overlooks the jungle and was decorated in a simple white theme with lots of flowers. We had local musicians playing gamelan and two of the cutest local girls dressed traditionally as my 'bridesmaids'. This was a commitment ceremony conducted by a celebrant and we just went with the standard service which was very simple but still personal.
Afterwards, we went to the rice paddies for more photos and then to the infinity pool where we had a photo on the floating island in the middle of the pool. The wedding package included a romantic candlelit dinner at a private bale near the pool with private butler. We were able to choose either a Balinese or western menu. The food was lovely and we were lucky to be treated to music from gamelan practice at a nearby village across the river (coincidence!). We had a mini wedding cake and celebrated with a bottle of champagne.
Our wedding experience was so beautiful and carefree, and so much more than we could have ever pictured it to be. It was perfect and I cannot thank Alila enough for the outstanding service and making us feel so special.
The next morning, we started the day with an outdoor bath at our villa watched over by a troop of monkeys sitting on the wall of the villa. Then we contacted those important to us to finally reveal the secret - everyone seems rapt that we did it our way. Finally, it was time to say farewell to this beautiful hotel, although we will definitely be back in the future as this is the best hotel ever!
Time to head down to Seminyak....