Lilly and Handi chose to marry in Handi’s home country, opting for the exotic island of Bali, in a ceremony and reception that seemed to hover over the Indian Ocean. Soft peaches and corals were a gorgeous complementary palette to the ocean and green jungle setting. As you would expect, the florals were perfectly suited to the tropical location, combining modern geometric shapes with a little touch of vintage romance in the details. (We love the totally stealable puzzle piece guestbook, too!) Lilly wore a stunning Ines Di Santo gown with an illusion back which fit her like a glove.
Lilly + Handi | May 30, 2015 | Bali, Indonesia | Dress Listing: Ines Di Santo, Damaris
The Ceremony
Handi is from Indonesia and I am from the US and we both currently live in China. With our family and friends located a world apart, we had two weddings so we could celebrate with everyone – one in California and another in Bali.
In Bali, we were married on a private cliffside estate located on the southern tip of the island. Khayangan Estate offers breathtaking, unobstructed views of the Indian Ocean and we feel so lucky to have had this picturesque setting for our ceremony, reception and post wedding pool party and BBQ. We also stayed at the estate throughout the weekend and I can’t tell you how amazing it was to wake up every morning in this spectacular place!
We chose to have our wedding in May because it is generally dry season in Bali and it was – up until our wedding weekend. The days leading up to the big day and even the night before, there were torrential downpours and I was really worried for the event. Our wedding planner suggested we hire a “rain stopper” to try to tame the skies. Generally, she told us, he is effective, so we decided to give it a try.
Magically, on the day of, the rain stopped at mid-morning and Merlin-esque man arrived to finish his ritual to cease the rain for the rest of the day. And it worked! We had sunny, blue skies the entire day!
The Reception
Handi was actively involved throughout the planning process and he had a strong stance about the color theme. He was very adamant about not using pink, so we compromised with a peach, mint and gold palette with pops of coral. We felt we needed to inject some tropical color to fit the Bali setting. I really like unusual flowers and our immensely creative florist really delivered against that desire. Many of our arrangements contained unexpected surprises like exotic fruit.
I scoured the web fanatically for ideas when we started the process, so I was able to craft a pretty clear vision of what I wanted. I actually created a 40-page presentation brief for our planner and florist to work against. I provided them with visual examples inspired from other weddings so that they could really see my aesthetic taste as sometimes words can be visualized differently.
At the time, chandeliers were a big trend, but I wanted something different and was inspired by the use of geometric shapes in one wedding I found online. I worked with our florist to conceive these diamond shaped lanterns and she actually custom constructed all 36 of them for our wedding.
My sister-in-law also surprised us with Polaroids of every guest with their wedding message to us. The amazing thing was she captured all 116 guests and compiled them all onto a large heart all within a two-hour time frame.
Lastly, I think the sign of a good party is when non-drinkers start to drink and when the stories of mischief from the night before escalate into crazier levels with each person’s recap. We had the venue for another day and were able to gather many of guests again at the venue for a BBQ and pool party the day after.
All in all, our wedding was beyond my craziest girlhood dreams of what my wedding day would be like and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to live such an amazing day and truly grateful for all the people who helped make it that way.
Lilly’s Dress Search
I had to find my dress within a week’s time during my annual trip home. Within three days, I visited eight boutiques and tried on close to 50 dresses before finding the dress at The White Dress in Corona Del Mar, California.
You know how everyone always says you just know when you have found the right dress? I finally believed in that statement when I put on this dress. I’m not a particularly emotional person, but I actually teared up because I just couldn’t believe I found the perfect dress, especially because I didn’t envision myself in a strapless gown initially.
I was a bit late in the process and was prepared to pay a rush fee, but this dress had arrived in the store just a couple of days prior to my appointment and since I was the first one to try it on and it was the right size, I was able to buy it right off the rack. It worked out so nicely that it just felt meant to be.
How Lilly Felt in Her Wedding Dress
Unforgettable, perfect, happy.
Why Lilly Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
It is such a beautiful dress — it would be such a waste for it to just hang in my closet! I think another woman should have the opportunity to live one of life’s most memorable moments in it.
