SWEETHEARTS FOR FOUR YEARS, Yasmin and Alex had put aside their dream of marrying abroad when Alex happened to read about a competition to win a luxury destination wedding in Thailand. Without telling his fiancée, he entered the competition, and won!
It couldn’t have been a more fitting option for the globetrotting couple, who relocated to London to explore the world together early in their relationship, and recently moved back home to Australia to start the next chapter of their lives. “Our biggest dream has always been to get married and have a family, and we wanted to start that journey in a truly magical place,” explains Yasmin. “Thailand was one place we hadn’t yet been to together, but it was definitely on our bucket list.”
The prize, provided by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, consisted of two ceremonies: the first, a traditional Thai ceremony held late morning at the InterContinental Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort. A drum parade escorted Alex through the hotel grounds, where he had to pass through four “gates of love”, creating quite a spectacle as he sang, danced and acted the fool in order to win over the gate-keepers and assure them of his love for Yasmin. After the ceremony, the bride and groom were blessed by their guests, who poured water from a conch shell into their united hands.
The second, Western ceremony was held at the hotel just before sunset. Yasmin and Alex sealed their love on a glass platform suspended over the infinity pool, with magical views of the surrounding jungle-clad mountains. The altar was festooned with blush pink and white flowers, flowing chiffon drapes and an eye-catching floral chandelier, creating a dreamy setting for their vows.
The reception dinner was held beside the pool, the décor following the chic blush-and-white theme. Guests enjoyed a three-course meal including exotic seafoods and a showstopper, three-tier red velvet wedding cake covered with delicate flowers. The fun continued as the newlyweds and their guests partied into the early hours of morning.
“I know that some brides may worry that in choosing a destination wedding they may not have access to the same facilities that they would otherwise have in Australia,” notes Yasmin. “To all those brides I would like to say that the wedding industry in Thailand is full of absolute professionals, and they have perfected the art of wedding planning. Our wedding was more than we ever could have hoped for. We were able to incorporate so many elements into the day that we couldn’t have had in Australia and we consider ourselves so lucky to have had the experience we did. Thank you to everyone involved, especially the wonderful people from the Tourism Authority of Thailand!”
The Details:
Wedding date: 10 February, 2017 // Number of guests: 18 // Wedding location: InterContinental Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort, samui. intercontinental.com // Wedding planner: Wedding Idea & The Event // Photography: NARZ Photography // Dress: Morilee by Madeline Gardner // Honeymoon: Europe