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DWBS brought together Bali’s best stylists, provided them a dream wedding dress, and sent them off with the following instruction: TRASH THE DRESS!

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Our beautiful models set out across the gorgeous landscapes of Bali for some creative and adventurous fashion shots!

Trash the dress is growing more popular as an unconventional wedding style and results in a fun and unique piece of art to showcase in your home. If this isn’t glamour photography, I don’t know what is…

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Trash the Dress was featured in our 3rd Issue of Dream Weddings Bali Style. If you missed it, you can still get your digital copy HERE.

What do you think about TRASH THE DRESS? Do you plan to trash YOUR dress OR have you already? Please leave a comment and tell us your story.

Images by dewandra djelantik photography

After six years spent chasing each other around the world Amy & TQ finally tie the knot in a hillside ceremony in Ubud.

Amy explains, “our wedding could only have a travel theme! We had a long-distance relationship for two years, and when I finally moved to Singapore, we both took jobs that sent us out of the country five days a week. In the first six years before we got engaged, I worked in ten countries, and TQ worked in five. We’d have dates a the airport lounge and buy household toiletries in duty-free!”

Taking a cue from their jet-setting lives, they dreamed up a travel-themed wedding — after all, they’d had many dates in airport lounges; TQ proposed after Amy landed from a 16-hour flight.

On July 3, 2010, they said “I Do” in Bali, with 120 guests a weekend of festivities, and not an airplane in sight.

We knew early on that we wanted a destination wedding within three hours flight of Singapore. Indonesia was a logical choice because TQ and I had both worked in Jakarta, and Ubud held special meaning for us after attending the cremation ceremony of a Hindu high priest in a village near there. It was a very special, National Geographic-type event with a procession of 2,000 villagers in elaborate costumes – and we were the only tourists! We also love the lush rice terraces and the jungle surrounding Ubud.

Ellie Snow of Hello Tenfold worked with the us to create the travel-themed invitation suite. It began with the save-the-date, which was a map that detailed our travels over the years. The text read, “After chasing each other around the world … Amy and TQ are on their way to getting married.”

The invitation itself was formatted like a storybook, outlining the key parts of Amy and TQ’s relationship. Packaged with a band that was sealed with an airplane sticker.

An RSVP insert described logistics and activities for the weekend, such as yoga, volcano tours, elephant rides, and trips to the craft villages.

Guests were welcomed with silk-screened bags filled with goodies, such as a palm-leaf fan, citronella oil, a list of all of the guests and their room numbers, a welcome note, and a program of the weekend’s festivities.

The bag also included a CD of the our favorite music. The mix, dubbed “Around the World with TQ and Amy” included 19 tracks and liner notes, complete with each song’s country of origin, singer, title, and significance. We compiled the album with help from one of our groomsmen and worked with our stationery designer on the packaging. The last song, which was unlisted, was the Singaporean national anthem, composed by our next-door neighbor in Singapore. We placed it at the end of the disc in honor of our guests return home.

A batik pattern appeared throughout the wedding’s decor, in addition to on the invitation’s envelope liners. The traditional hand-printed fabric used in Southeast Asia was near and dear to both of  our hearts, I used to buy bolts of the dyed silk for dresses and linens while staying with TQ when he was studying the Indonesian language in Java. We reproduced the Yogya design on our paper elements; I found a similar fabric on an online quilting shop (in Kentucky, of all places) to use for the guys’ custom shirts, pocket squares, chair swags, centerpiece vessels, and table runners.

I wore an Anna Maier-Ulla Maija Couture ”Regine” dress, which was the first gown I tried on during a whirlwind 24-hour stopover in New York City between Mexico City and Singapore. Amazingly, my return trip to New York coincided with the suggested date for the first fitting.

I accessorized the gown with an “Acacia II” veil by Jenny Packham, Christian Louboutin heels, a pair of diamond earrings borrowed from my friend (who designed the engagement ring and wedding bands), and a J.Crew necklace.

My maid of honor found airplane-shaped confetti punched from old maps. Cones made from banana leaves were filled and handed out along with the programs.

When the hotel, Alila Ubud, got wind of our travel theme saw all of the vintage travel props for the photo booth that were sent over by a friend, they sourced and supplied a moped for it too!

The monkey’s name is Alfie. I found him while I was shopping in Bangkok with my best friend and was so charmed by him! I’ve never seen a big stuffed animal person, neither has TQ, but when he saw Alfie, he immediately grabbed him and said “Mine.” Now Alfie is like the kid we plan to have one day. On the day of our wedding, one of my bridesmaids presented us with the brown monkey and she named him Ogo! The best wedding gift! So we have Alfie and Ogo, mischevous little monkeys and part of our family.

Each table was named after a city of significance during our relationship. Our menu was divided into ‘Take-off’ (appetisers,) ‘Cruising’ (mains,) and ‘Landing’ (desserts.)

We designed stir sticks for the signature cocktails (a watermelon mojito and an “Alila Fresh” containing soda water, cloves, cinnamon, and other spices).

My white-and-green bouquet included lisianthus, gladiolus, hydrangeas, phalaenopsis orchids, dendrobium orchids, spray roses, and snapdragons.

The bridesmaids carried bouquets of mauve ‘Cool Water’ roses, lilac snapdragons, purple hydrangeas, and green dendrobium orchids with white ‘Celesta’ aster and ‘Xanadu’ foliage accents.

Even though our ceremony was very modern, we added some traditional Indonesian touches, with rindik music at our ceremony – before the Beatles came on!

We unexpectedly had to draw on a very traditional Balinese resource too: the pawang hujan, a rain-stopping mystic, who worked miracles in pushing the looming rainclouds away from our ceremony site.

During the emotional exchanging of the vows we’d written ourselves, I used a handkerchief made from spare batik fabric.

Have a talk with your fiancée early in the wedding planning process to discuss specifically what elements of the wedding matter most to both of you, and which you really don’t care about; this helps to avoid conflicts over details,budgeting, and how you allocate your time later on.

You will inevitably have to make trade-offs, but its important to be clear about what you both want. For example, we decided that we cared about venue, photography, graphic design, food, and having everyone together. We didn’t particularly care about a live band, videographer, or elaborate flowers. That made things pretty simple.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Erin Hearts Court

WEDDING VENUE
Alila Ubud

PAPER PRODUCTS
Hello Tenfold

FLORAL DESIGN
Gloriosa Flower House

MAKE UP
Eka of Bali Make Up Artists

WEDDING DRESS
Anna Maier-Ulla Maija Couture (“Regine”)

BRIDES HEADPIECE
Jenny Packham (“Acacia II”)

NECKLACE
J.Crew

BRIDES SHOES
Christian Louboutin

GROOM’S SUIT
Kingsmen

ENTER TO WIN A DREAM HONEYMOON AT CONRAD BALI RESORT – RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY DIGITAL COPY OF DREAM WEDDINGS BALI STYLE!

WANT TO KNOW HOW?? 

In celebration of their 8th Anniversary, Conrad Bali is offering the chance for one lucky couple to win ‘An Ultimate Honeymoon at Conrad Bali’

Simply visit Conrad Bali, click on ‘Beyond Infinity Competition’ Tab and follow instructions.

Then share with us a copy of your dream wedding inspiration board and we’ll send along a free digital version of current Dream Weddings Bali Style issue.

2011 has provided us with countless blessings and keepsake memories, to our beloved readers and brides alike. May 2012 be the year your dreams come true!

Happiest of Holidays from Bali’s Dream Team!!