Tirtha Bali Wedding Blog

Turning Tanessa and Melvin’s light of hope into a radiant intimate wedding at Tirtha Bali

Ever since the pandemic hit, small-scale ceremonies are increasingly desired and admired. Intimate wedding ceremonies have always left us speechless, as smaller settings allow us to create the space to have any dream wedding complete. Each detail can be curated and attended to a deeply personal level, which rings true for Tanessa and Melvin’s Bali destination wedding.

The wedding date was set for 29th of November, less than two months from the announcement of the giveaway winner! Such limitations just encouraged us even more to do what we love doing: turning dreams into reality. All Tanessa requested was to bring lavender into the décor, initially posing as a challenge as the elegant flower had been out of season, and Bali’s tropical climate makes it hard to incorporate the gentle, pastel tint of lavender’s purple. Time restraints didn’t allow the couple to visit the venue themselves, but the circumstances motivated us to maximize the Tirtha wedding planning experience, breaking the barriers of time and distance.

Every single member of staff at Tirtha Bali has a pivotal part in the wedding works. Each wedding is a collective effort! Together, we spent a whole month folding several thousand origami cranes for the wedding. A few days leading to the event, the decor team supported by engineering and housekeeping teams installed their handmade creations around the venue, creating a gorgeous line-up of dainty dangles. Thousands of origami cranes were installed above the chapel walkway in a riverlike flow.

Knowing that they had to restrict the number of guests due to COVID health protocols, we decided to prepare them a little surprise. Ayu, the wedding planner in charge, contacted the maid of honor and asked her to gather photos and messages from family and friends who couldn’t travel to Bali for the event. These were printed and beautifully displayed at the Glass House for the couple to see when they arrived on the wedding day. Upon arrival on the day itself, needless to say that they were so moved and shed a few tears!

The wedding day started a little gloomy with occasional showers in Uluwatu. Although the original plan was to have the dinner reception outdoors, we decided to set up inside the dining pavilion to be safe. Tables were set, chandeliers were hung, and thousands more origami cranes were suspended above as a dramatic symbol of our hopes and prayers. And prayers indeed were heard because as Tanessa had her makeup done, glimpses of sun started to show.

As time passed, the sky became brighter but the light showers still showed up once in a while. But with a strong request from the couple, we put faith in the forefront and decided to move the dinner setup outdoors. The teams in Tirtha Uluwatu came together and moved the setup from Heaven, the upper floor of the Dining Pavilion, to the Glass Stage terrace down below.

Unfortunately though, it was simply not possible to move all the origami cranes with the limited time we had but even the smaller display intertwined with fairy lights was a striking feature reflecting on the pool.

Guest tables were decorated with fluffy posies — pampas grass, bleached white Italian ruscus, bunny tails and baby’s-breath. Spread over the space, lavender and caspea filled the large mercury vessels wrapped in chiffon and tulle. Elevating the elegant yet modern feel were the milky-white cotton gauze napkin on white crockery along with antique gold flatware, teal blue plates, and blue water goblets.

Even our creative director, Yuka Koreyasu, loves getting hands-on in the celebrations. She designed a magnificent centrepiece for the sweetheart table — it was a garland of flowers and foliages, suspended from the balcony upstairs, flowing all the way down to the centre of the table. A bouquet of dried lavender was scattered around the top, where the scent wafted through the air. The cherry on top was the lingering bright blue hue of the sky and ocean as the sun set, wonderfully overlaid with gorgeous blush roses - the perfect moment to display the lavender pieces.

It was the picture-perfect pastel dream.

Blog Writer : Jummi Ishijima
Wedding Location : Uluwatu, Bali
Wedding Venue : Tirtha Uluwatu
Reception Venue : Tirtha Uluwatu
Wedding Planner : Tirtha Bali
Wedding Decoration : Hanamizuki by Tirtha Bali
Wedding Lighting : Tirtha Bali
Wedding Photography : Gusmank Photography