Photos courtesy of The Alaya Resort Ubud

Bali these days isn’t only about vacations, but also about creating memories and making important decisions. Bali has become one of the most popular places to get married. The development of hotel facilities beyond vacation services has brought in guests coming for meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition (MICE) purposes.

Getting married is a huge decision for any couple. The celebration has to be special and memorable for a lifetime. Thus, choosing the right venue is often crucial in shaping the whole ceremony. The 2017 Indonesia Wedding Trends Report, which was conducted through a survey of 5,000 respondents by Bridestory, found 25 percent of couples decided to go out of town for their special day. Bali happens to be among the top destinations picked alongside Singapore and Bandung, West Java. Not just locals, travel website Skyscanners wrote that Australians also placed Bali on top of their list of destinations for weddings alongside Santorini, Vegas and Hawaii.

This recent trend has put Bali in a different perspective as the island had always been about honeymoons rather than wedding ceremonies. While outdoor weddings are popular, many still go for the traditional ballroom celebration, mainly because of the rainy season toward the end of the year when weddings are most often held.

Bali has some of the finest wedding venues such as the Alaya Resort Ubud, Hotel Bali Resort, InterContinental Bali Resort. There are also other hotels with special facilities.

St. Regis Nusa Dua Bali, for example, has four different wedding halls, which the bride and groom-to-be can choose from, based on capacity and room set up, on the hotel’s wedding website. The hotel also provides a personal St. Regis wedding specialist, pre-wedding photo tour packages and online honeymoon wishes registry.

At hotels in Bali you can have an outstanding, one-of-a-kind wedding. Head to Uluwatu and find the perfect resort with the perfect view for your special day. Bulgari Hotel & Resort offers a “walk-on-water” wedding ceremony, which is staged in the middle of its infinity pool. The distinctive arrangement of the platform creates an illusion as if the bride and groom are saying “I do” while floating on the water. Want a more private wedding and honeymoon? The Edge by Mesa Hotel and Resorts is a popular celebrity wedding venue, offering cliffside views of southern Bali. Skip the cliff and go for the more elaborate The Sea, The Sky, The Horizon or the Edge Wedding packages, which can accommodate up to 200 guests.

Weddings at Le Meredien Jimbaran mean exchanging vows with a new perspective. The hotel’s Celebration Pavilion is located on the rooftop with an ocean view to share with your 120 guests. The hotel offers different packages from the Simple Chic Wedding, Classic Wedding to the most-wanted Elevated Sunset Wedding, which includes a three-tiered wedding cake, Moet Champagne and couple’s spa treatment.

Celebrations aren’t the only trend in Bali. Most hotels are also geared toward MICE facilities, which lead to higher occupancy rates especially in luxurious hotels in the Nusa Dua area. Beautiful views and secure beachfronts are the main charms for international exhibitions and conferences. According to the numbers released by the Bali Tourism Office, MICE tourism accounts for around 4-5 percent of the total incoming tourists to Bali each year with meetings and conventions being the top type of activities.

Some of the most popular selections are W Bali Seminyak, Conrad Bali, Banyan Tree Ungasan and the Bali International Convention Center (BICC) in Nusa Dua. As a part of The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali, the BICC convention facility has hosted prestigious events such as the 23rd Coaltrans Asia 2017 conference, Third Regional Workshop on Country Safeguard Systems of the Asian Development Bank, Bali Democracy Forum IX and many more. The BICC features 26 meeting rooms, 2,700 square meters of exhibition space, a ballroom that seats 2,500 guests and an auditorium fitting 506 seats as well as a built-in stage.

Nusa Dua might be popular, but the winner of Bali’s Leading MICE Hotel 2017 is located in Jimbaran. The award-winning Intercontinental Bali Resort offers both outdoor and indoor settings with outdoor options between beachfront and garden. Its meeting venue, which has a private entrance and parking lot is situated in a dedicated wing for up to 750 participants. Its ballroom, the pillarless Puri Kencana, fits 600 guests and a permanent stage.

Another popular meeting and conference venue outside Nusa Dua is the Conrad Bali in Tanjung Benoa. Its facilities range from the Pendet, which accommodates 12 people, to the Kecak Ballroom for up to 480 people. Conrad’s Spice room, which fits up to 80 people, is popular not only for meetings but also for intimate weddings as a result of its charming view overlooking the Indian Ocean.

Everything in Bali isn’t always on the grand scale. Seminyak’s Oberoi Hotel & Resort is more about more intimate functions, hosted in a traditional Balinese-style building with carved wooden doors and Balinese art. Up to 50 people in a standing cocktail function, the place is more suitable for private events like product launches and cocktails.

In the end, it’s all about choices. Bali offers endless possibilities for your events, be it a once-in-a-lifetime intimate wedding ceremony or a large corporate gathering. Just like how it is with your vacation.

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