There can be an overwhelming number of questions asked when planning a wedding in Bali, especially if you’re not used to its culture and knowledge of the island itself. The most common questions revolve around the overall price of a Bali wedding to things like if it’s possible for the bride’s cousin to be their photographer at their Bali wedding. Also, if having a planner is the best idea or how to check if your chosen vendors can legally work in Bali.

Below are the answers to the four most common questions asked when planning a wedding in Bali.

How Much does a Bali Wedding Cost?

This is one of the most common questions and is also among the hardest to answer. Weddings, in general, will vary in cost due to numerous factors. It all depends on your choice of wedding venue, vendors and the alcohol and food packages, the number of guests you’ve invited and lists goes on.

Imported things such as pampas grass will cost a lot more than the local green foliage. A three-course sit-down menu is nice and classy, and is also much more costly than a stand-up cocktail menu due to the staffing and equipment needed. Also, offering drinks to 30 people will save you a lot of money than providing drinks for 60!

The best thing to work out first is the budget you’re prepared to spend. Then, make a decision about the Bali venue you love most. Once you’ve confirmed your venue, check out how much does that leave you with? This is the time to think about what you can go without and what can still be negotiable.

Talk to your wedding planner about the budget you have left, and let them know what you have in mind of the theme and feel you want for your wedding. Your wedding planner should then tell you if your budget is realistic or not. If it’s not, they will find an alternative solution or suggest ways to cut out the things you don’t need.

If you want the details, they can also put everything you want on an invoice to see how much you’re over and figure out the things that aren’t crucial for your big day. The cost of a Bali wedding depends on what you want and the number of guests you’re catering for.

If We Cancel Our Booking, Will We Get Our Deposit Back?

This entirely depends on the individual planner and vendors you work with. However, the majority of them wouldn’t allow any refunds.

Whether it is due to a personal reason or not, suppliers need your deposits to secure your date. So once they’ve booked and locked your date, they then have to say no to other requests that book on the same date. Therefore, one reason why it’s non-refundable is that they have saved your date and have rejected other client’s inquiries who may have wanted the same date. This means that if you cancel your bookings, then they’re missing out on their payment.

In addition, deposits are needed for the general running of a company. Your deposit is NOT just for you, as it covers the wedding business overheads such as transport, office rent, facilities and salaries. Therefore, asking your deposit back when it’s already processed in the running and upkeep of a business can be impossible.

One last thing, specifically to the vendors you’ve been working with, such as your wedding planner. They’ve been putting a lot of effort into your event right to the point of your cancellation. Therefore, it’s not ethical to ask for a deposit back on something that’s completed.

Thus, it’s possible to get a wedding recommendation in the case of a cancellation. Most vendors also appreciate and give you credit if you want to help promote their products or use them later.

Is a wedding planner really necessary?

You don’t have to have a wedding planner, but it’s strongly recommended to get one as there also many great reasons to have a planner.

They are your eyes and ears. They will be there when you cannot be, and they truly represent you! They will get you the best deals on Bali wedding packages by negotiating with your vendors, doing the site inspections for you, and giving you seasoned, honest opinions on what to do during the ceremony.

They’ll inform you of the latest payments you need to make and what you should be doing in preparation for your big day. They are the first play you should go to whenever you have any doubts or concerns.

When the day of your wedding finally arrives, you don’t have to do anything except enjoy the day!

They’ll be on standby from early morning to make sure everything is according to your plan. All your vendors should be there on time with the services and products you’ve ordered.

Most villas in Bali today require you to hire a wedding planner to have a wedding. And with all the invoices you’ll be receiving when hiring vendors, it’ll be much easier to get them from one source!

How to pick the right and trustworthy vendor?

A legitimate planner and vendor should be able to provide you with all the proof and documentation of their working visas. The process of registering a business in Indonesia is long and exhausting, so your vendors would happily show you that they are indeed the real deal.

Don’t be afraid to ask, and when a vendor seems to avoid showing the documents and proof, that is the time to be dubious. If they say that it’s coming or that they can’t seem to find it just yet, then walk away slowly but keep the peace as you don’t want to get involved in any legal drama during your wedding process. We hope that this covers most of your most asked questions for planning a wedding in Bali.