WEDDING ORGANIZERS

| How They Can Help |

These days there are a multitude of wedding organizers on the island of Bali - all tout themselves as experts with lots and lots of experience but, in reality, the majority of them are newcomers to the world of organizing weddings and have limited experience. Many, in fact, have been opened only a few months!

There is currently no government body or association concerned specifically with wedding organizers in Bali and for this reason unlicensed people can get away with operating freely. The down side of this from your point of view, is that there is absolutely no recourse if any such organization or individual disappoints you in any way.

We recommend you exercise extreme caution in making your selection from those on the island claiming themselves as wedding organizers, since the vast majority see organizing your wedding as a way to make a quick dollar rather than as something special they should be totally dedicated to do. Few can offer suitable experience or the required expertise and knowledge to ensure your wedding ceremony goes off without a hitch.

Such organizers may be able to present a wonderful website and some may even be found these days on the larger search engines but remember a website itself does not make an organization professional!

Our research has shown that despite a fairly decent looking website the vast majority of wedding organisers in Bali don't have a license let alone an office, but operate privately from their residence.

The fact that they do not have an office is generally disguised by such organizations in statements such as "we will come to your hotel after your arrival to save you the trouble of having to travel to our office" or, "we are the only company who will come to you for your pre-wedding meeting" and other similar statements.

Since you probably have to travel to your Consular Representative anyway after arriving in Bali, we would suggest that it is not a problem for you to pop in to your organizers' offices on the same day. At least you will then know you are dealing with a professional organization.

The wonderful worldwide web makes it possible for anybody to create a .com name and a website these days but, we at A WEDDING IN BALI .COM urge you to look beyond the site. Look for an address, ask for a license number (a copy if you wish), do they have a company bank account etc., or are they just individuals trying to make a quick dollar?

We strongly recommend you give serious consideration to entrusting the most important day of your lives to an "unofficial" wedding organizer.

We suggest that you make a decision regarding the professionalism of the various
companies you approach based not on their websites, but on other matters such as;

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Whether they have an office to which you may visit when in Bali.
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Whether they offer more than just email for contact.
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Whether they have a bank account in the name of their company. If it is in a personal name or in the name of some other totally unrelated business name then it is probably an account borrowed to receive your funds. Not having a bank account in the name of their company indicates that they do not have a license to operate because a business bank account cannot be opened in Indonesia without the proper company documentation being presented to the bank.

We certainly recommend that you do not send your hard earned money to a personal bank account or any account which appears to be unassociated with the name of the wedding organizer you have selected.

Remember that if something goes wrong when dealing with an "unofficial" operation you have absolutely no recourse in the case of your needing to request a refund for any reason and no way of ensuring your claim is settled.

The issue related to bank accounts and payments is particularly important when you are being asked to send your hard earned money in advance.

It is understandable that payments for wedding services are required in advance - this is an appropriate practice however, we are saying that you must take great care!

If the company is a registered company, their legal name will be preceeded by a PT (Proprietry Limited).

Again we would remind you that A WEDDING IN BALI .COM is not a company which organizes weddings and will never offer to do so.

Likewise we are not opposed to people getting ahead in life by offering this service to you without all they should have to ensure perfection but, we do however, want you to be aware of as many different points as possible before making your decision. This way you can make a totally informed decision based on all the pros and cons.

Having been involved in travel to and within Bali and other parts of Indonesia for some 3 decades however, we are very concerned that a wedding in Bali for every couple who may choose to have one will be a wonderful experience and result in nothing but happy memories for brides and grooms, as well as any family and friends who may join them to celebrate in Bali.

A wedding ceremony is far too important to be allowed to go wrong in any way!

Take our advice and entrust your wedding to a professional wedding organizer.

How They Can Help

So you have decided to marry in Bali!! Congratulations on a wonderful decision!!

Provided everything is handled the right way, we are confident that your decision to marry in Bali will be a decision you'll have no cause to regret.

Now it's time to start thinking :

Will your wedding be a formal, semi-formal or casual style of event? Where is the place most suited to your own special requirements for the type of ceremony and reception you seek? What reliable vendors are available in Bali for things such as still and/or video photography, hair & makeup, catering, music, flowers, etc.? Will you have a buffet or sitdown meal? Will you serve cocktails and canap?s? What is the best schedule to follow? What special gifts can you organize for your guests?

You could spend months researching and still not get to the most experienced and most professional vendors available in Bali - most don't have websites after all and that makes it even harder.

Don't put yourself through it! Engage a professional wedding organizer to do it all for you! You just give them specifics of what you want and they'll give you detailed information on every little item.

A professional wedding organizer will assist the bride & groom from start to finish - in the selection of locations, photographers, florists, caterers, musicians, meals, entertainers, etc. They will make suggestions for decorating, choosing ceremony texts, ensure you meet all the required procedures for having a wedding in Bali and much more. A professionial wedding organizer is someone who will minimize stress.

Unlike other countries, wedding organizers in Bali tend to charge a flat rate to make all arrangements for you and then charge for any additional items you may select over and above your ceremony.

Some may think a wedding organizer is an unnecessary expense - this is not true! It is also the reason some couples will make their choice based on the lowest price rather than on professionalism, experience and solid reputation. It is only when something goes wrong those couples regret their decision to try to save money on this very important service.

Wedding organizers can actually save you money because of the amount of repeat business they give to certain vendors and, they will most definitely provide you with services of quality in each area they organize. A professional wedding organiser will not utilize a vendor who is less than professional because their own reputation is at stake and a wedding organisers' best advertisement is a satisfied couple!