Vincent & Karmen with their bridal entourage

Being one of the most romantic places in the world to tie the knot, weddings in Bali tend to carry a certain air of glamour and enchantment with them. But newlyweds Vincent & Karmen had a whole different idea – instead of bringing their wedding to Bali, they brought Bali to them!

With the help of decorator La Flaire, WGA vendor Nupts & Such perfectly encapsulated their vision for a garden wedding ceremony and gave it a double theme too. The bride had a Balinese-themed garden tea ceremony in her backyard, and the groom had the tea ceremony and tropical-themed garden wedding reception at his.

I don’t know about you, but I think there’s a certain sweetness about getting married at home that cannot be replicated elsewhere – gorgeous destination included.

Photographs courtesy of Daren Chong Photography.

First, the tea ceremony at the bride’s…

How romantic do these hanging plants look? I think the lantern holders are a subtle yet contrasting touch.

What a great idea! Garden furniture for guests witnessing the tea ceremony: we all know how it can get a little crowded sometimes – with big families and all.

Bonus: Having a backyard wedding means plenty of natural sunlight for gorgeous wedding photographs! Doesn’t the bride look beyond lovely as the sun shines lightly on her?

From the Balinese umbrellas to the mini table centrepieces, from the dreamy cabana to the perfectly manicured lawn – it really all comes down to the details.

Now, onto the groom’s house!

Traditional and tasteful – this tea ceremony set up is simply breathtaking. I love the red curtain drape against the blinds; we all know how harsh the Malaysian sun can be… a tropical garden for sure!

The creative table centrepieces at the wedding luncheon reception had awesome tree bark vases in varying heights.

There’s something undoubtedly sensational about tropical flowers – such a simple and elegant embellishment for a white wedding cake.

Wedding favours are a great way to complement the theme of your wedding and I love this idea of mini potted plants as favours! What a nice touch.

Luscious colours of the flower centrepieces really pop when set up against the deep green hue of the bridesmaids’ dresses.

Congratulations Vincent & Karmen! (P.S: Awesome vintage Jaguar for a wedding car! )

Nary a detail missed nor an element overlooked for your big day - have Nupts & Such wave their magic wand for your wedding, too! Do head on to their website or WGA directory for more information. Happy weekend!

There’s no better time to celebrate your love for one another than on your honeymoon. Yes, you did pledge your vows on the day, but with all the preparation, anticipation and nerves you’d be forgiven for not having soaked up as many sparkles of newly wedded bliss as you’d have liked! Your honeymoon is a gift to yourselves – an opportunity to revel in the joy of your union, with no distractions.

Situated in the Andaman Sea, the Langkawi archipelago boasts more than just beautiful white beaches serenely lapped by the ocean; it also has the Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, which will envelop you in a tranquil haven like no other.

Photographs courtesy of Four Seasons Resort Langkawi.

The Upper Melaleuca Pavilion

Full marble bathroom at the Upper Melaleuca Pavilion

Family Beach House

Flanked by rainforest and cliffs with picturesque views of the sea, the resort has 91 different villas and pavilions lining the shore or nestled in beautiful, tropical gardens. The perfect sanctuary for you and your beloved, there’s nothing like Mother Nature to set the perfect backdrop for those quiet, romantic moments.

Stroll hand in hand along the resort's 1.5-km soft sandy shores

Mangrove safari

The Resort is also the ideal base from which to explore more of Langkawi’s natural surroundings: from long walks on the beach to rainforest treks in search of hidden waterfalls, to thrilling adventures deep into the heart of the UNESCO-protected mangrove forests. The resort offers a unique experience in the form of a 3.5-hour mangrove safari. Accompanied by a naturalist and the wonderful tropics, this safari will educate and enlighten you on the different flora and fauna of the ecosystem, including eagles, monkeys, mudskippers and, if you’re very lucky, otters.

Private dinner under the stars

Back at the Resort, unwind with couple’s treatments in the iconic Spa, campfires on the beach, private cabanas at the Adults-Only Pool or with a private tented dinner under a canopy of stars – all while basking in the heady happiness of being man and wife.

What better way to begin your new life together than at a dreamy destination resort like Four Seasons Resort Langkawi? Head to their website or call +6 (04) 950 8888 for room rates and packages and/or reservations.

(l-r) Versace, Marc Jacobs - Source: www.mylifeisbrilliant.com, www.marcjacobs.com

We tend to be pretty bride-centric here on WGA (obviously!), but let’s shake things up this Hump Day with our second Sticky Situations post by focusing on the guests! Because, really, what is a wedding without the guests? I’m pretty sure all of us could relate because you know, we’ve all been there one at least once or twice before… and then fretted over what to wear.

This month’s Sticky Situations is an age-old wedding etiquette head-scratcher:

What is appropriate to wear to a wedding? I found a totally cute white cocktail dress and I plan on debuting it at a friend’s upcoming wedding… but I’m worried this might offend the bride. Should I wear something else or go for it anyway?

(l-r) Cuchrie et Ochs, Giambattista Valli - Source: www.fashionbombdaily.com, www.beautyisdiverse.com

The response:

Generally, the rule of thumb would be no to wearing white, but these etiquette rules also date back to a very conservative, traditional time where these ‘rules’ were set in place to make sure that nobody else upstaged the bride. It is, after all, meant to be her big day. Some wedding experts believe it’s important to keep up with the times and that wearing white without looking bridal or too dramatic can be allowed because hey, as long as you’re not stealing the limelight, then it could be okay… right?

But, consider this: the spring collection for fashion lines are currently kicking into full gear and the all-white look is definitely in. Imagine if you weren’t the only guest that had a brilliant white dress to wear, too?

Not forgetting, there’s also that wedding trend where the bridal party also wore all-white (The Kardashian sisters and Pippa comes to mind!). This point could work in your favour, unless you get mistaken to be part of the bridal party… (um, awkward!)

So, at the end of the day, it all boils down to the bride herself – she is who you’re worried you might offend, after all.

If you’re close to her, run it by her and if she’s cool with it, then go for it. If you’re not close, then it would be better to play it safe and avoid making a social faux pas. You wouldn’t want to be remembered for the wrong reasons. Besides – tribal prints, florals and pastels are also hot spring trends as well; you can always wear your white dress another time (to an actual cocktail party or a hot first date, perhaps?).

This situation would apply to Asian traditions and etiquette as well, just replace “white” with “black” and you’ll have the same taboo fiasco on your hands. Wearing black is known to symbolize something a lot more sombre/morbid and a lot less joyous. Just remember: the same thing would apply – don’t risk it unless you got the okay from the bride!

P.S Since we’re on the topic of appropriate attire, would you ladies wear a dress that exposes your bra strap to a wedding?

Dear readers, what do you think? Would you wear white to a wedding? If you would, why? We would love to know! If you have any other etiquette questions or dilemmas, do post a question on our Facebook page, Tweet it to us, or even email us! Rest assured, all questions featured will remain anonymous – if you would so prefer. C’mon, don’t be shy!

The majestic Imperial Ballroom makes the perfect setting for a grand wedding reception.

Let’s face it, every couple dreams of a posh and elegant wedding, minus the indecision, stress and hassle. While it sounds nearly impossible, it doesn’t mean it cannot be done! I suppose that’s where wedding planners come in, but if the expense doesn’t  fit your budget, One World Hotel with its team of catering and planning professionals are ready to lessen the load on your shoulders.

Photographs courtesy of WGA vendor One World Hotel.

The Imperial ballroom with a different setting; albeit still elegant and dramatic

Big or small, traditional or modern, dramatic or minimal – One World Hotel has the perfect room to accommodate your preferences with an array of wedding packages. Before you decide which though, let’s decide on the numbers.

For the much beloved couple keen on having a grand and lively wedding surrounded by friends and family, you’ll be glad to know the Imperial Ballroom can accommodate up to 2000 guests. We all know how most traditional themed weddings tend to run a little large.

If you were still hoping for the high ceilings of the Imperial Ballroom but didn’t want to have a wedding reaching gargantuan proportions, then you’re in luck! The ballroom is partition-able for it to suit your numbers perfectly. What a bonus, huh?

What if you looking for something a little cosier? Fret not, for One World Hotel has the Maple and Jasmine Junior Ballrooms for those who prefer a more intimate wedding banquet. Both Junior Ballrooms can accommodate a minimum of 100 and a maximum of 240 guests.

Lovely floral arrangements on the reception counter and all the guest tables, as well as a distinctive centerpiece for the bridal table.

Now that you’ve gotten the size and numbers sorted, what about decorations and the food?

Gorgeous floral arrangements, an elegant stage backdrop and delightful décor – consider these covered too! All you have to do is make a decision to one that would suit your theme and colour palette for the day. Your entrance into the room as man and wife will surely be memorable not only for you, but for your guests as well.

And what is a party without the food? Rest assured, there is the option of a sumptuous nine-course Chinese banquet and a five-tier wedding cake included in the their wedding package.

The bridal suite comes complimentary with any of the wedding packages.

As the festivities end and the joyous celebrations come to a wrap, retreat to the comfort and privacy of your complimentary bridal suite for the night. Romantic, huh?

P.S: If you thought that was all, their wedding packages really have all bases covered – this includes invitations, a guestbook, VIP parking for the bridal car, pre-dinner canapes…

How’s that for not having to worry about detail? If you’re looking for particularly special wedding packages, do get in touch with One World Hotel via their website or WGA directory page; I’m sure they will find the perfect fit for you!

A quick and easy way of doing this is by having a quirky alternative to the traditional guestbook which you can integrate into the decor of your new home easily. Something that you’d be heaps more likely to look at instead of pulling out a bulky, half-empty guestbook (confession: I don’t know about you, but I’m more likely to participate in something fun rather than writing my name in a book!).

Here, we’ve picked the best of the coolest, quirkiest ideas to help get the creative juices flowing when it comes to picking a guestbook alternative:

Source: www.mrs2be.ie

Pieces of the puzzle

When you meet the person you know you want to be with for the rest of your life, it’s like pieces of life’s puzzle has fallen into place – except in the harsh light of day, you often don’t have a picture in front of you to show you how the final outcome will look like. Which makes finding your soulmate even more precious, wethinks!

Drawing on this symbolism, this creative couple got guests to sign their names and write messages on jigsaw puzzle pieces. We can just imagine the cozy nights they would have spent together reading the messages and putting the puzzle together to hang in their living room… how sweet is that!

Shaun & Kate Mallia - Picture courtesy of Laura Ferguson

Typewriter treat

This lovely idea, I got from my journalist colleague’s wedding – he is a journalist, she a researcher. Their lines of work involves plenty of reading and writing, and joining these two elements together, they had guests type in messages on a vintage typewriter. (They also had an amazing wedding cake designed to look like a stack of books comprising their favourite titles, but we’ll leave that for another time!)

Not only did this kitsch typewriter idea lend a lovely air of  vintage romance, their guests had fun handling a typewriter again! If you are an 80s child or older, you’ll certainly remember the days before computer keyboards…

Source: www.mrs2be.ie

Source: www.mrs2be.ie

Fingerprint fancy

Fans of crime scene investigation shows may get a kick out of this – have guests ‘leave’ (get it? GET IT?!) a key identification marker by way of fingerprints on a tree, symbolising the growing of a new family (yours!).

You can get all sorts of hues of inkpads for them to make their mark with, but just remember to have some tissues and hand sanitiser on standby so they may wipe their fingers off. You wouldn’t want grubby multicoloured fingerprints on your dress at the end of the night, would you?

Source: www.greylikesweddings.com

Source: www.greylikesweddings.com

Paint my love

We’ve seen a couple of weddings (erm, my own included) where couples get guests to sign one big canvas with their names and messages. But if you want to add a splash of colour, get a multitude of little canvas pieces instead, colour them, and have guests pick a colour!

Source: offbeatbride.com

Give a hoot

You’d probably know by now how I’m not-so-secretly a fan of rom-com series How I Met Your Mother (even the idea behind it is wedding-and-family-themed, so what’s not to like, really?), so you’d understand how tickled I was to see this cute couple using a blue french horn as their ‘guestbook’.

If you’re a musical pair but horns aren’t your thing, consider using a ukulele, mini-drumset, guitar, or children’s piano – the options are limited only by your imagination!

Source: www.thebridalsolutionllc.com

Picture perfect

Before the days of Instagram, there were actual Polaroids. Have your guests make their own memories on your special day with Polaroid prints. Display them on lines of string at the wedding reception, clip them to a fence (like this!), or stick them into a scrap book. We promise, nothing will make you smile quite like when you look at all the silly, smiling faces of the people you love on the most magical day of your life!

We hope you’ll have fun thinking of and picking a special guestbook for you to look back on many years into your marriage. Best of all, many of these ideas are simple and can quite easily be done yourself!

Conceptualized to suit event needs are entertainment packages from live Jazz Fusion Bands, String Quartets, Solo Performances, Sound systems and much more; all with a wide variety of musician choices – the best that the region has to offer. With Mosaic you just have to sit back, sway with the rhythm and enjoy!

If you were looking to serve a banquet dinner at your wedding reception, why not go all out with style and quality – who said it had to be Chinese/Malay/Asian cuisine? We’ve seen gorgeous tea party receptions by Delicious; why not have a sumptuous meal with the small company of friends and family to celebrate your union?

Dish at Dua Residency (The Delicious Group’s fine dining restaurant) has long established themselves as a connoisseur of steaks in KL, but a new shake-up in their menu has arrived – along with new creative chef and consultant Steve Allen, straight from Claridges in London! (Yes, you read that right – Gordon Ramsey’s Claridges!)

Photographs courtesy of WGA vendor The Delicious Group.

Now feast your eyes (and later, your stomachs) on some of Steve Allen’s creations:

Sautéed scallop, cauliflower purée, turkey bacon and almonds

Seared and marinated tuna, pickled radish with crispy quail egg

Foie gras and smoked duck ballotine with spiced pineapple

As creative chef of The Delicious Group, Chef Allen has introduced 34 new succulent dishes on DISH’s Ala Carte menu: from decadent foie gras and oysters as starters to luxe sides such as the truffled mac ‘n’ cheese! (I’m a real sucker for mac ‘n’ cheese; hands down, the best kind of comfort food!)

Caramel chocolate delice, lime ice cream, raspberries

Tart palette cleanser for you, perhaps?

Char-grilled Black Angus striploin with Charon sauce

What would DISH be without their signature steaks? (Ahh, all these mouth-watering dishes are making me so hungry! *drools*)

Strawberry mousse, granite and jelly with an olive oil ice cream

Yeah, you read that right: olive oil ice cream. (I’m so easily won over by strange and unusual ice cream flavours.) The marrying of flavours and textures in this dessert sounds like a total masterpiece. What a great way to end a meal!

Complements to the chef!

Now, I can describe all of the food’s deliciousness to you, or you could try it out for yourself! Chef Steve Allen will be preparing a 12-course degustation menu with 13 different accompanying wines tomorrow (12th May) at 7pm for just RM99 per head. The aforementioned dishes featured in this post will also be part of this culinary delight. Just in time for the weekend, eh? (And Mother’s Day too!) Call +6(03) 2164-1286 for reservations or click here for more information.

Source: www.italianweddings.wordpress.com

The last time any of us can recall being put in matchy-matchy outfits would’ve been when we were far younger (probably when your parents dressed you and your siblings to match!). Matching bridesmaid dresses were the norm at one point in time – of course, it was the best way to distinguish the bride’s posse.

But I cannot deny the sheer brilliance that comes with the mismatched bridesmaid dresses trend. A trend that doesn’t seem to be dying anytime soon; there are many ways you can play this without it looking bad. It is a tad trickier to ensure that your bridal party will look cohesive, but let’s face it – we all have varying body shapes and it’s only fair you’d want them to wear a dress that suits them well.

Here are some options you can explore:

Source: www.marthastewartweddings.com

Source: www.100layercake.com

Same colour; different shades

The easiest of the lot – your bridesmaids can try out varying hues to the one colour. Remember not to be too liberal, though: at least set out the limitations of the length and material of the dresses. It won’t go well if one bridesmaid has chosen a cotton sundress while another has a sateen cocktail dress. No matter how similar they are in colour, the difference will be too contrasting.

Source: www.twobirdsbridesmaids.com.au

Same colour; different style

What about those dresses that can be tied into varying styles? (Some call these types of dresses ‘the infinity dress’ – what an apt name!) These dresses are a perfect way to have everyone wear the same colour and material dresses but have them styled to suit their body shape.

Floral patterns - Source: www.etsy.com

Same style; different colours and/or patterns

I adore this group of bridesmaids with their floral prints, cute umbrellas and cowboy boots! What may seem as a complete fashion faux pas ended up looking so good when put together. The trick with colours are that you either stick to one or you diversify completely! Note how all of the bridesmaids have the same dress style but owned the dress in their own (patterned) way? (P.S: Did anyone notice the hidden flower girl behind the bride??)

Source: www.abeautifulmess.typepad.com

Same dress and/or colour; different accessories

Ah, the ever beautiful Elsie Larson is so full of colour and her wedding had no shortage of that! She kept the dresses simple but gave her bridesmaids the freedom to dress up their legs with a colour of their choice! It had to go with her colour scheme, though.

Rainbow bridesmaids - Source: www.greenweddingshoes.com

Jewel tones - Source: www.marthastewartweddings.com

Completely freestyle… to fit a theme or palette

Well, all those aforementioned options can be considered “completely freestyle”. Despite these dresses looking completely different from one another, they still look so good when photographed together. That is, the rainbow bridesmaids fit the rainbow theme of the wedding, and all their dresses have a similar lace detail. The jewel tone bridesmaids have varying colours and styles to their dresses but yet complement each other so well! Freestyle but with a subtle detail that ties them all together.

Same same, but different, I say! What do you guys think? Would you open up the possibilities and go liberal with letting your bridesmaid choose her dress?

If you’re after a project everyone can admire and take many, many appreciative photos of, consider a DIY decor project (keeping with the crafty theme, maybe you could even craft-ily rope in minions younger siblings or nieces for menial (tee hee) duties), making it a great way of keeping the family involved.

Here we look at a couple of wedding decor projects for all levels of craftiness. For most of the part, though, they’re pretty simple – we understand better than anyone else how busy a bride-to-be’s life can be!

As a warm-up, here’s a sweet, simple idea from Martha Stewart Weddings: a geometric photo wall.

Source: www.marthastewartweddings.com

The blog suggests using vinyl, but we believe it can easily be done with pieces of coloured paper and BluTack!

Now that you’ve been given a creative poke, here are a few more easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy ideas for you to have a go at:

Source: www.offbeatbride.com

Offbeat Bride’s tutorial for a doily bunting

Paper doilies are very cute and very cheap, making this bunting perfect for beginners, just in case you botch it up–you can keep practicing till it looks perfect!

The Offbeat Bride recommends sewing, which would certainly help keep things in place, but if you aren’t a fan of needles or don’t own a sewing machine, here’s a sneaky tip: use double-sided tape and/or a stapler to secure the doilies to the bunting.

If you like consistency, consider also using the larger doilies as placemats for your guests, or turn them into quirky little placecards.

Source: www.offbeatbride.com

Offbeat Bride’s tutorial for a felt bunting

If you’re a more tactile kind of girl, these utterly adorable felt buntings will not only feel fuzzy on your fingertips, it will make you want to hug everyone in sight!

For a more personalised feel, cut out your and your groom’s initials and sew them on instead, and intersperse them with fuzzy little hearts.

Source: abeautifulmess.typepad.com

A Beautiful Mess’s tutorial for a flower wall

Pretty flowers are an essential part of every wedding, but they can also be very expensive. Paper or tissue flowers are a great alternative to the real deal, and you can re-use them (for instance, have them brought over from the ceremony venue to the reception venue – tie them to the back of chairs, lay them on the ground, or have them as centrepieces).

Practicalities aside, I absolutely adore what blogger Elise did with this amazing flower wall. The riot of colour against the peeling walls look shabby-chic and edgy – it would have also provided plenty of bonding time between the bride and groom!

(On a personal note, Elise’s six-step tutorial for tissue flowers is so ingenious, I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it myself when I was making my own tissue flowers.)

Source: www.100layercake.com

100 Layer Cake’s tutorial for a streamer backdrop

This is another idea so chic, cheerful and cheap I wish I’d thought of it myself. Bright-coloured crepe paper (available at $2 stores practically everywhere in Australia, and possibly stationery stores in Malaysia), a glue gun, a pair of scissors and an old wooden broomstick would be all you’d need.

To top it all off, it’s easily rolled up and stored, so you could use it again and again – for a baby shower next, perhaps?

Pretty, personalised decor is quite easy to do and really satisfying to put together. On that note, let me give you a little peek of what I did for my own wedding:

Floating flowers and paper bunting - Photo: Deep Grey Photography

I made about 100 of these tissue paper flowers (the napkins from Ikea were perfect for the job; I think it was RM9.90 for a pack of 50!) and had my brother and father stick them into the ceiling using paper clips and fishing line!  The paper bunting was a template downloaded from Martha Stewart Weddings.

What other delicious DIY deco ideas have you seen lately? Do check out our first “DIY Delight” post on WGA last month as well for crepe-paper flowers.

(l-r) Walk in the Park, Summer Holiday

I know we’ve discussed alternative headpieces for the bride before: veils, circlets (also known as over-the-forehead bands), feathers and silk flowers… the choices are endless! Though you might be tempted to go down the Carrie Bradshaw route (read: putting a bird in your hair) for dramatic effect, I think nothing says simplicity and elegant chic with flowers in your hair. But what if you wanted to have a dashing mix of the two? Simple floral, yet dramatic?

Here on WGA, we’d like to introduce these gorgeous one-of-a-kind floral headbands: Half/Half Headbands – a Malaysian duo now based in Sydney! Their quirky and eccentric designs definitely put a loud twist to the conventional floral headbands. So, let’s get to know Half/Half a little bit more…

Photographs courtesy of Half/Half Headbands on StyleSOFIA.

Who are Half/Half Headbands?
We are Daphne and Jo – working in magazines and advertising by day; creative partners by night. We love all things pretty, naughty and often say to each other “more is more!”.

What is the inspiration behind creating these floral headbands?
Picnics in the park, music and movies, bloggers and Sydney.

What are 5 words you would use to describe Half/Half Headbands?
Fun, girly, bold and one-off.

Running Up The Hill

Which of Half/Half’s headbands would you recommend for a bride to use to complete her look on her big day?

I would love to see the “Running Up The Hill” headpiece on a bride – it’s a subtle dash of colour and would definitely tick the ‘something blue’ box! The best thing is it’ll be so comfortable you won’t have to worry about it looking ‘right’ the whole day.

This Is What Makes Us Girls

Half/Half Headbands are now available on StyleSOFIA  and we also spoke to Samantha C. from StyleSOFIA about how they came to feature them on their site:

At StyleSOFIA, we’re always on the lookout for creative, independent designers regardless of their background and whereabouts. What we are concerned with is the pure potential of the product designed and how it would fit into the mix of our other products currently up the site. This is something many other stores don’t do; we do not stock a product just because of its brand name. The Half/Half girls have long been friends of mine, and when I saw their creations and found out they were about to release their first collection, I approached them without hesitation and they agreed!

How pretty are these? Bonus: these flowers look like the real thing, and won’t wilt! Click here to shop for some of Half/Half Headbands on StyleSOFIA.