From Romantic Florence to Bali’s Uluwatu Clifftop

A destination wedding was the dream when beautiful Rebecca and her fiancé Chris got engaged in one of the world’s most romantic countries, Italy. One look at the spectacular Ungasan Resort in Uluwatu – and they’re mind was made up – it had to be Bali!

Bride: Rebecca Ricci
Groom: Chris Ricci
Resides in: Perth, Western Australia
Wedding Date: 9 June 2015

What about the engagement story? Can you give us a snapshot?
Chris and I went on a holiday to Europe and we were at the top of Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy. It was a beautiful, sunny, winter’s day and we were sitting on one of the benches looking out over the city. I turned around to look at Chris and he was getting something out of his camera bag and then all of a sudden there was a ring in front of me. He had carried the ring around most of Europe by that stage, just waiting for the right moment!

So you decided to become Mr & Mrs… Why Bali?
We did a search on destination weddings, and came across Semara Luxury Resort (The Ungasan now) and we fell in love. We never thought we would have a destination wedding but then after doing hours of research we thought it would be great for all our guests to be on holiday at our wedding and fully relax and enjoy themselves. It was such a great week.

How did you choose your Bali wedding planner? What was her/his Super Power
Research, research, research! I met with Global Weddings and I felt so comfortable with her. She shared my attention to detail and love of organisation so I knew we were in good hands. The entire team at Global Weddings was amazing. We could not have asked for a better wedding planning team.

Their super power was definitely organisation! No detail was left, they put up with my hundreds of emails and the service was exceptional. I could not recommend them enough.

Did you have a theme for the wedding? And was it a late night Pinterest obsession?!
Fairy lights, natural greens/creams/whites with a touch of coral. Pinterest definitely helped!!! The dark walnut tables and chairs suited the colour theme perfectly.

How involved were you in the creative process?
100% of the way, although Cyra and I had such similar tastes when it came to design and I had trust in her I pretty much just agreed to everything she recommended.

Did you sit down for a formal dinner or party the night away with canapés and cocktails?
Owen was very insistent that weddings should have formal sit down meals. My sister happened to be in Bali 6 months before the wedding so we got her and her husband to do the food tasting for us – they highly recommended Oma Thais Kitchen.

Tell us about your music. Did you have a special song to walk down the aisle to?
We had Owens sister Anthea sing ‘A Thousand Years’ by Christina Perri as I walked down the aisle. It was perfect! Having her sing made it so much more personal and we love watching it back on our wedding video.

What was the most challenging aspect about planning a destination wedding?
Not being there to do food tasting/hair trials/test which spray tanner had the best coloured tan for your skin. And we had never seen the wedding villa until we arrived the day before the wedding!


Did you get to spend much time with your guests who travelled for your wedding? Did you host a day after party or a night before welcome dinner?
Everyone stayed for different amounts of time, some longer before the wedding, some stayed on after the wedding. We had a pre wedding get together at Cocoon 2 nights before the wedding and invited guests back to the Villa the day after where the staff put on a lunch spread. We also had a boys day out before the wedding and a girls day out after the wedding (instead of a Bucks/Hens party).

Talk to us about your hair and make up. Who was your muse?
When I told Cyra that I don’t wear a lot of make up and I wanted to look as natural as possible she said that Yeanne was the person to use. I managed to get some really cheap flights and do a weekend trip to have a hair and make up trial. This was by far the best thing I could have done to calm my nerves. Yeanne was amazing!!!!

Tell us about your D R E S S ?
I came across a styled photography shoot with some Karen Willis Holmes Dresses. One being the ‘Genevieve’ a very sheer lace overlay – I instantly fell in love. The dress was exactly what I wanted, elegant, beautiful and weather appropriate!

What was THE most memorable part of your big day?
There was not one part of the day that has stuck out as being memorable, the entire day was just perfect. Watching Partners Av set up the lighting the night before, the Gloriosa Flower House staff set up the flowers, seeing the table set up with the fairy lights canopy on the day.. all felt like a dream. I had an image in my head on what it was going to look like… but I wasn’t expecting it to be so magical!

If there was one piece of advice you could give a Bali bride planning their big day, what would it be?
Don’t stress over all the finer details. The Bali atmosphere is so relaxed, once you are actually there all of those little things don’t seem to matter anymore! And find a good wedding planner, this will make the entire planning process so much easier!

Did you have a theme for the wedding? And was it a late night Pinterest obsession?!
I wanted the wedding to have a very neutral colour palate with lots of white and green foliage that perfectly matched those stunning Uluwatu clifftop sea views. For the ceremony I didn’t want to take away from the location so I wanted something that was understated but still elegant. I remember when we entered the reception and being blown away with how amazing it looked!

Did you sit down for a formal dinner or party the night away with canapés and cocktails?
We had the best of both worlds. We had canapés and cocktails prior to a sit down dinner.

Tell us about your music. Did you have a special song to walk down the aisle to?
Our ‘special song’ was the recessional song. Roachford “Only to Be with You” is ‘our song’ from when we first met so we wanted to incorporate that into the wedding.

Processional – Charlene Soraia “Wherever You Will Go”
Recessional – Roachford “Only to Be with You”
First Dance – John Mayer “XO”

What was the most challenging aspect about planning a destination wedding?
Having Global Weddings there in Bali really took a lot of the stress away. I don’t think you could plan a destination wedding without a planner!

Did you get to spend much time with your guests who travelled for your wedding? Did you host a day after party or a night before welcome dinner?
This was very important to us to spend time with our guests, they had travelled from all over Australia so we wanted to make sure we got to spend as much time with them as possible. We organised a party prior to the wedding at the rooftop bar at Double Six, we also had a smaller function at Finns Beach Club (Now Sundays Beach Club) with family and finally, a relaxing pool party the day after the wedding.

Tell us about your D R E S S ?
Pallas Couture created the most stunning dress. I knew I wanted something that was slim line and elegant. I always wanted a dress with a low back and I thought it fit perfectly with having a wedding in Bali.

What was THE most memorable part of your big day?
This is probably cliché but walking down the aisle and seeing Chris standing at the end. It was a perfect moment. Also hearing Chris’ vows. We decided to write our own and the words Chris wrote were so incredibly lovely.

If there was one piece of advice you could give a Bali bride planning their big day, what would it be?
Get a planner. Planning a wedding is already overwhelming and then when it is taking place in another country, it really increases those stress levels! Having a team that know the suppliers, can give you guidance and suggestions, makes things much easier.


List of Loves

Cocktails or Bintangs? Cocktails
Wedges, heels or Flats? Heels
Suntan. Fake it or bake it? Fake it
Hotel people watching or Villa alone time? Villa alone time
Nails. Nude or bold? Nude
Sand between your toes or poolside fab? Can’t decide! I love both!
Nalu Bowl & Green Juice or Eggs & Coffee? Can I do a combination…green juice and eggs.
Sunrise or Sunset? Sunset
Bikini or One piece? Bikini
Favourite Instagram account? There are too many to choose just one! I love Beautiful Destinations to look at all the amazing places in the world I want to visit. I also love Bec Judd and Nadia Bartel’s Instagram accounts. I still love looking at Bali Event Hire for the amazing wedding set ups.


Suppliers

Bride Name: Rebecca Ricci
Groom Name: Chris Ricci
Wedding Planner: Global Weddings
Venue: The Ungasan Clifftop Resort (previously Semara Luxury Villa Resort). Villa Tamarama for ceremony and the Selatan Lawn for reception.
Florist: WiB Flowers
Photographer: Terralogical
Caterer: Bali Catering Company
Cake: Ixora Cakes
Furniture Rentals: Bali Event Hire
Hair & Make up: Renee Pettit
Bridal Dress: Pallas Couture
Grooms Suit:
 Calibre