Debarati Chowdhury is the writer & editor of Diwas Weddings official blog. She is a well traveled person and loves to write and keep her audiences updated of the latest trends in the world of weddings and events.
Elegance, Style and Royalty Sparks in this Pushkar Destination Wedding !
Pushkar city in Rajasthan is emerging as a popular wedding destination given its history is deep rooted in Indian tradition. Hindus consider Pushkar a holy place as it is the home to the only temple dedicated to lord Brahma in the whole world. Besides its religious popularity Pushkar is also famous among tourists for its fairs, safaris and nightlife.
Construction of palace style hotels has increased the popularity of Pushkar destination wedding. One such hotel is the Pratap Mahal. It is a 5 star hotel situated in the heart of the city. It has a picturesque view of the majestic Aravalli hills and fringed by beautiful dense forest. Pratap Mahal is a great venue options both outdoors and indoors for hosting wedding events. Featured here are pictures from a beautiful wedding hosted at the Pratap Mahal:
Our Team
Diwas is an Indian Wedding Planning & Consulting Company which assists you to plan and present a wedding event that’s beautiful, innovative & highly personal. We are Located at New Delhi, Gurgaon & Kolkata, our services are accessible throughout the country and we are available for travel worldwide.
We pride ourselves on attention to detail and our high quality service. Our dynamic & proficient team believes to a plan a ‘Diwas’ and not just another event by working closely with you and suppliers, so that every moment of your celebration is lived & treasured eternally.
We are honest service providers which is why couples from overseas have trusted us and invested in our services for planning their big day in India and vice versa. We do not believe in building brand by monetizing social media pages or buying out awards. We believe in building relationships and grow organically.
We are specialize in niche destination and luxury wedding planning. Our services are dedicated to create exceptional experiences.
We put our best efforts to turn a couple’s dream wedding into reality, so get in touch and we’ll get the party started!
Have you any suggestions, write to us at diwas.celebrations@gmail.com
Want to Know the Cost of Destination Wedding in Bali?
What is the cost of destination wedding in Bali? Almost 3 out of 5 Indian couples who have Bali under their wedding destination shortlist, have this question. The answer is, a destination wedding in Bali is not- too- expensive. But obviously you have to read this article to know the details.
Bali, popularly known as the island of Gods is an Indian traveler’s paradise. Most of the people of Bali follow a fusion of Indian and local Bali culture and customs which attract Indian couples to celebrate their destination wedding in Bali.
Aisle Project
Photo Courtesy: Rahul Khona Photography
Beautiful black sandy beaches, rugged coastline, splendid hills and cliffs, Bali appeals through its sheer beauty of natural wonders. Surrounded by spirituality all over, the island has an intrinsic peaceful vibe. Additionally, Bali enchants with its arts and crafts and thriving nightlife.
Destination wedding in Bali is gaining popularity due to the luxurious resorts nestled on the edge of the beautiful beaches. Most of the star rated resorts have private spot on the beach for hosting private events. Hotel and Resorts are ready to welcome Indian wedding groups and offer impeccable service. Suppliers for event decorations, entertainment, artiste and manpower are available to serve as per demand and budget. However, it is your wedding planner who guides you to make the right selections and make sure your destination wedding in Bali is a success!
Ayana resort Bali
So, following the vision of a wedding planner, lets comprehend the cost of destination wedding in Bali…
Lets assume that you are a wedding group of 80 to 100 people looking to celebrate a 2 to 3 nights wedding in Bali…
FAVOURABLE WEATHER CONDITIONS
The best time to host a wedding in Bali is between April to October. The weather is warm and dry during this time. However, prices of flights and hotels shoot up during the peak season. But it is worth as outdoor events could be planned with ease.
FAVOURABLE LOCATIONS FOR WEDDING
Beach wedding is the major attraction of Bali. Resorts located at Nusa Dua beach, Jimbaran beach, Kuta beach are popular choices. These locations are within a driving distance of 30mins from the international airport.
Conrad Bali
CURRENCY ACCEPTABLE IN BALI
Indonesian Rupiah is the legal currency of Bali and is acceptable for all purchases and services in Bali. You can carry US Dollars and Indian rupees to Bali and get it exchanged at exchange centers. Although only a few exchange Indian rupees. However, hotels accept payments in US Dollars also apart from Indonesian Rupiah.
TRAVEL AND VISA
There are no direct flights from India to Bali. However there are popular non direct routes from Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and other major cities. The fastest fly time is tentatively around 9hrs. Popular flying time is between 12 to 14hrs including a layover. The main international airport of Bali namely I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport is located in Denpasar, the capital of Bali.
Air Aisa, Viet Jet, Thai Air Asia are airlines which offer cheapest airfares for flights between India and Bali. An average price for a economy class ticket could be anywhere between INR 35K to 55K for a round trip.
Visa is not required for Indians in case your travel schedule is less than 30 days in Bali. You are eligible for a free visa with visa exemption stamp.
AIRPORT TRANSFERS
Once you reach the Denpasar airport in Bali you will find airport taxi or cab or tourist bus options to get to your destination. Taxi will be a comfortable ride for those who carry good number of luggage. Although taxi ride is expensive. Fare is between INR 1000 to INR 1500 if traveling to Nusa Dua or Kuta. You can also hire a local travel agency which can sort airport transfers of your guests. This arrangement is recommended when you are paying for the airport transfers of your guests.
ACCOMMODATION COST
You can select one from the number of 5 star and 4 star beach resorts available to host Indian wedding group. Deluxe, Superior, Garden, Ocean front and Suite are room categories most of the star hotels offer. Check in time is 3pm and check out time is 12 noon Bali time.
Bride suite Conrad BaliDeluxe Room Conrad Bali
On an average the tariff of a room is between INR 15K to 25K/room/night according to its category. Room price includes, accommodation and breakfast for 2 people. Free usage of hotel amenities like swimming pool, gym etc.
Please Note: The price of rooms vary as per season and policy of respective hotels.
Grand Mirage Thalasso, Ritz Carlton , St Regis, Grand Hyatt in Nusa Dua. Conrad, Holiday Inn in Kuta. These are the most picked resorts by Indian groups for celebrating their destination wedding in Bali.
MEALS, BEVERAGES AND LIQUOR
Most hotels offer 60% western/continental food and 40% Indian food. However hotels are open to customize their menu as per the choice of the client.
Meal price for lunch and Dinner varies between INR 2500 to INR 3500/person/meal for a standard menu including starters, salads, soups, main course and dessert.
Non- alcoholic beverage package per person is between INR 1500 to INR 1800 for 4hrs. It includes soft drinks, juices etc.
Liquor, guests can bring in their own, however hotel charges a corkage fee. The corkage fee ranges between INR 50K to INR 80K per day.
Please Note: The price of meals and beverages depend on the customization of menu for each event.
VENUE RENTAL
Most 4 star and 5 star hotels have 3 to 5 venues to cater to various pre wedding and wedding function. Luxurious Ballrooms, Ocean front chapels, Blue water pools, beachfront lawns are few common venue options. However, hotels charge a flat rental for these venues from the client.
Ballroom Conrad BaliChapel Grand Mirage Bali
For Example The Grand Mirage Thalasso offers their Chapel, Beach, Ballroom, Garden for events and charges a flat fee of INR 150K/venue per day.
Few hotels set a minimum revenue for food and beverage and include the venue rental in it.
DECORATIONS
Stage, structure, arches, draping, props, flowers, plants, furniture. Various elements are available for event decorations according to your requirement. However, ambient lighting is also considered a part of decoration. Decoration cost per event shall start from INR 200K onwards.
Aisle ProjectConrad BaliAnvaya Beach Resort Bali
ENTERTAINMENT
Various forms of entertainment are available to amuse your guests throughout the events. You can book a traditional Topeng Dance show. It is a type of story telling of hindu literature in the form of dance-drama. Pendet dance is a great option while welcoming your guests. Fire shows during beach parties. DJ music for after parties. Entertainment will cost you INR 100K onwards per day if you choose all the 3 above.
Photo Courtesy: Rahul Khona PhotographySource
MAKE UP ARTISTE AND PHOTOGRAPHY
For an Indian Wedding a Local Bali bridal make up artiste shall charge INR 20K and upwards for make up and hair of bride per event. Few experienced Bali bridal make up artiste can charge up to INR 40K per event.
Bali wedding Photographers charge INR 50K onwards for 3 to 5 hours of wedding coverage. It includes deliveries of soft copies of photos on a pendrive or digitally. It is their basic package. Bali wedding videographers with drone charge INR 60K onwards for 3-5 hours of shoot. It includes edited video on DVD or on drive.
WEDDING PLANNER
Sourcing a local Bali wedding planner who will be able to pull off an Indian destination wedding is a challenging task and expensive too. Their fee per day will be starting from INR 200K upwards for planning and coordination service.
Choose to hire a wedding planner from India instead who have a handful of experience in coordinating a destination wedding in Bali efficiently against reasonable fee. You may check out our Wedding Planning Fee
Basically, an average cost of an Indian Destination wedding in Bali is anywhere between INR 65Lacs to 85Lacs for 2nights including 100 to 150 guests.
Disclaimer: Hotels and other services in Bali accept Indonesian Rupiah or US Dollars only for purchase. Cost of services are displayed in INR for convenience of our Indian readers. Above mentioned cost are tentative only. Actual cost will be defined during detailing of service requirements for each different wedding.
Hope the above information prove helpful while you start to plan your Destination Wedding in Bali.
Thank you for reading Have you any suggestions, please write to us at diwas.celebrations@gmail.com
Cost Cutting Tips for Planning an Indian Destination Wedding in Thailand!
I am writing this post based on my to date experience in coordinating a handful of destination wedding in Thailand. Due to the advanced availability of travel options, Thailand has become an easy catch for the young working and wealthy millennial crowd. Recent trend has a millennial bride and groom pooling in and funding their own wedding, however keeping it an intimate affair rather than a grand one.
Regardless of the scale of the wedding, a couple always appreciates the assistance of a wedding planner for their advice and helpful tips on budget management and cost cutting wherever necessary. The wedding couple’s who approach me for assistance in planning their destination wedding in Thailand mostly fund their own wedding and look up to my advice to save on the costs, hence here I am writing this post to throw in some ideas in advance for couple’s who are on their initial stages of planning and are looking for some helpful cost cutting advice to plan ahead. Read on…
FAVORABLE WEDDING MONTHS
November to March are best months for celebrating a wedding in Thailand. These are cool and dry months. Outdoor events could be planned with ease. However, price of flights and hotels could be higher during this period but you won’t be able to afford the bad weather of the other months, so stick to the above ones.
SAVE ON TRAVEL
Book your tickets to Thailand at least 1 to 2 months before your arrival date to get a better price. Book through Thai Airways or Air Asia to save more.
Air charters are not cheaper but twice the price of regular air carriers, hence do not waste your time enquiring with charters for group travel. If you are paying for the air fare of your guests, liaise with travel agency who can offer a better group rate on a low cost carrier especially for a group of 100 guests.
CHOOSE WEDDING LOCATION WISELY
Choose between Hua Hin and Pattaya. Both are between 2 to 3hrs driving distance from Bangkok airport. However variety of resorts who serve Indian weddings are more in Hua Hin.
Phuket is an expensive destination, cost of airport transfers, hotels etc are on their higher side, so choose Khao Lak instead which is at 90mins distance from Phuket and houses variety of resorts at a decent price.
AIRPORT TRANSFERS
Liaise a local ground travel agency who will sort end to end transfers according to flight timings of guests. This arrangement could be in place if you are paying for transfers of all guests, however you can skip this part as cab facility at the airport is pretty feasible. Guests can book and pay for their cabs directly.
SAVE ON ACCOMMODATION COST
Acquire a promotional offer on room tariff from your chosen resort for your wedding group. You can skip paying for guest rooms and just book rooms for yourself and immediate family, however the guests can book for their own rooms by using the promotional offer and pay for it themselves.
Look for boutique resorts with 50-60 rooms, so you can buy out the whole resort for the number of days at a negotiated price. Hua Hin has a few of them which cater to Indian weddings. Room Tariffs in these resorts are generally between 3000 to 4500 THB
SAVE ON MEALS, BEVERAGES AND LIQUOR
Breakfast is included in room tariff and generally have a lavish spread at 4 star or 5 star resort. So in case there’s no event during lunch time, you may arrange for a light lunch of live stations and canapes at 500 THB/person instead of a lavish Lunch which shall generally range between 1200 to 2000 THB/person/meal.
If you are having back to back events in a day, buy soft drinks package for whole day instead of per event. Buy 2 barrels of beer from the hotel and they will allow you to bring your own liquor at no corkage fee. You can choose to buy liquor from duty free at the airport however you can choose to buy wine locally, it will be cheaper.
LOW COST DECORATIONS, LIGHTS & SOUND
Events like Haldi, Mehendi, Wedding could be planned outdoors so that most of it has natural backdrop and sunlight. Drapes, props and fake flowers are elements that could be reused. Locally sourced real flowers could be used for rituals etc. Beach side of Thailand is naturally beautiful, minimalist decorations are a great idea.
Wedding decorations have to be sourced from Bangkok as Hua Hin and Pattaya have limited local suppliers.
Bangkok has plenty of local DJs who play great music, however you need the help of your wedding planner to source the correct one for you. A local DJ shall charge 15K Thai Baht upwards for 4-5hrs party.
Lights and sound for each event are between 30K to 50K Thai Baht and upwards.
SAVE ON ENTERTAINMENT/ ARTISTE COST
Choose artists for events wisely, go for Dhol walas for Haldi and Bride and Groom Entry before wedding, generally both of these events are on the same day, so you get to negotiate on price. However Dhol walas are not available in Phuket, so you may choose a local music instead.
For welcome party, hire a belly dancer for a 30mins show and follow it up with a DJ night.
For sangeet, plan performances of family and friends only followed by DJ night.
SAVE ON MAKE UP ARTISTE AND PHOTOGRAPHER
A local make up artiste charges 20K Thai Baht and upwards per look for the bride. You can hire a make up artiste from India instead at a low cost but you however have to bear their travel and stay cost.
Photography and Videography package is priced at 70K to 100K Thai Baht per day for an experienced photographer. You can however choose to hire a photographer from India but need to pay for their travel and stay.
HIRE WEDDING PLANNER FROM INDIA
Local wedding planner shall charge 200K to 300K Thai Baht for full wedding planning and coordination services, which might be on the higher side for couples who are funding their wedding on their own. Choose to hire a wedding planner from India instead who have a handful of experience in coordinating a destination wedding in Thailand efficiently against reasonable fee. You may check out our Wedding Planning Fee
Hope the above information prove helpful while you start to plan your Destination Wedding in Thailand.
Thank you for reading Have you any suggestions, please write to us at diwas.celebrations@gmail.com
Want to Know the Cost of Destination Wedding in Phuket ?
What is the cost of Destination wedding in Phuket ? 3 out of 5 Indian couples have this question. The answer is its similar to a premium wedding in Goa India. However, you may want to read this article for an elaborate description.
Phuket biggest island of Thailand located on its south and sits on the Andaman sea. The white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters makes it an Instagram worthy destination. Additionally, the island offers diving, snorkeling and other water sports for adventure seeking travelers. It is more than just a leisure destination. Every year lot of tourists flock to Phuket to enjoy holidays. It has its own international airport and hence it enjoys tourism in abundance.
Recently, Phuket is mostly sought after for hosting a destination wedding. Indian couples from around the world explore Phuket to host their destination wedding. The island offers you best luxurious beach resorts to cater to the elaborate events of Indian style wedding. So lets comprehend the cost of destination wedding in Phuket:
Angsana Laguna Phuket
Best Time
November to February is dry with medium temperature and is the best time to celebrate a wedding Phuket Thailand
Travel
Phuket has its own international airport and is directly accessible by major cities of India. Regular flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore are available. Thai airways, Air Asia, Indigo and other LCC airlines operate regular flights. An average price per person for a round trip is between 9K THB to 18K THB
Visa
Phuket offers Visa on arrival is available for tourists holding Indian passports. It is easily processed in the airport itself after landing. Visa fee per person is 2200 THB
Free Visa for Indian tourists will be applicable from NOV 10, 2023 TO MAY 10, 2024
Airport transfers
Luxury beach resorts which are popular for hosting weddings are at a distance of an hour from the airport. It will be convenient for a wedding group to hire a shuttle company that provides cabs/vans for smooth airport transfers. A van can accommodate 6pax plus luggage and a cab can accommodate 3pax plus luggage. 2400 THB to 3000 THB is an average fare per way. Vans/Cabs are air conditioned and comfortable for an hour journey.
Accommodation
Most of the Beach resorts in Phuket are of 5 star category and offer super luxurious amenities and facilities. Accommodation rooms and facilities are upscaled in Phuket when compared to a similar Luxury beach resort in India.
Le Meridien Phuket
5 star beach hotel room rent ranges between 9K THB to 15K THB per room per night for 2 adults inclusive of breakfast.
4 star beach hotel room rent ranges between 3K THB to 5K THB per room per night for 2 adults inclusive of breakfast.
Most picked 5* hotels are JW Marriott, Le Meridien, Angsana Laguna, Centara Grand and 4* hotels are Emerald Beach Resort, Graceland Beach resort, Novotel Beach Resort Patong Bay.
Meals
Average meal rate per person for Lunch/Dinner at a 5* is between 1400 THB to 1800 THB for a decently lavish menu for an event. Whereas meals at a 4* may range from 1200 to 1500 THB
Venue Rental
Generally, rental of closed venues like banquet hall, meeting rooms etc are included in meal price. If you are choosing the pool area, lawn area or beach sands for functions then a rental of 15K to 20K THB is applicable. Hotels apply an extra charge for providing flower room/store room which can range from 5K THB to 15K THB per day.
Soft Beverages and Liquor
Buy Soft drinks and Canned Juices at a package price of 300 THB to 500 THB per person for 2-3 hours
Guests can bring their own liquor if they buy the beer from the hotel.
Decorations
Minimal is more!. This mantra is applied while sorting decorations for events. Your Phuket destination wedding cost is minimized if you go for clean and simple decor sets. Use natural elements and the beautiful sea as the backdrop. However, primary cost for any pre wedding function like mehendi or sangeet décor may cost 100K TO 250KTHB and wedding function décor may cost 200K TO 400KTHB respectively.
Entertainment
The most important aspect to engage your guests is Entertainment. You can either keep it regular with DJ music and Thai Folk music or indulge your guests in the entertainment pool by engaging dancers, singers, jugglers, fire shows, magic shows. Make your wedding a talk of the town by planning a thoughtful entry for the bride and groom.
Entertainment costs may likely vary on the options you choose and may cost around 50K THB onwards per function, adding up to your Phuket destination wedding cost.
Please note: Punjabi dholwala and hindu wedding priest is a challenge to find in Phuket. They have to be hired from Bangkok.
Photography and Make Up
Local Photography and Videography services shall cost 150K THB upwards per day. You can also opt to fly in their selected photographers.
For bridal make up and hair, a local artiste charges 20K THB onwards.
Wedding Planner
To ensure that your Destination Wedding in Phuket is a success, hire a wedding planner. The guidance of a vigilant and knowledgeable team is a worthy investment. Not only for best offers/deals, hire a wedding planner for outstanding wedding planning experience.
Wedding planner charges may vary depending on the responsibilities they undertake. Generally, they may charge a percentage of your total wedding budget or a fixed fee.
So, looking at all services above, the cost of destination wedding in Phuket will be tentatively between 2.5 to 3 million THB including accommodation, meals, event services for 80 to100 guests for 3nights at a 4 star beach resort.
If you are considering Phuket as your wedding destination, Talk to Us Follow us for more updates and helpful tips on Destination Weddings.
Spectacular Wedding Reception Decoration at a farm house
Space set up and styling is one amongst many talents of a wedding planner. It is one of the most challenging jobs of a wedding planner to transform a space and beautify it according to the desires of the wedding couple. It is also commendable when a wedding planner surpasses all challenges and delivers a beautiful space to the wedding couple so they can enjoy and cherish their lifetime event. Here’s to one of the spectacular wedding reception decoration:
Our Team
Diwas is an Indian Wedding Planning & Consulting Company which assists you to plan and present a wedding event that’s beautiful, innovative & highly personal. We are Located at New Delhi, Gurgaon & Kolkata, our services are accessible throughout the country and we are available for travel worldwide.
We pride ourselves on attention to detail and our high quality service. Our dynamic & proficient team believes to a plan a ‘Diwas’ and not just another event by working closely with you and suppliers, so that every moment of your celebration is lived & treasured eternally.
We are honest service providers which is why couples from overseas have trusted us and invested in our services for planning their big day in India and vice versa. We do not believe in building brand by monetizing social media pages or buying out awards. We believe in building relationships and grow organically.
We are specialize in niche destination and luxury wedding planning. Our services are dedicated to create exceptional experiences.
We put our best efforts to turn a couple’s dream wedding into reality, so get in touch and we’ll get the party started!
A surreal destination wedding in Lonavala overlooking the Pawna lake
We got introduced to Dipti and Osho by Kirti (Dipti’s elder sister) and just after few conversations, we were on board to plan the wedding. Both Dipti and Osho live in the US and had to plan their destination wedding in Lonavala from far abroad – they visioned their wedding to be an intimate affair with only 40 guests at a cosy venue, they carefully picked every element of the decor to entertainment artists to make up artiste and photographer – almost everything was planned through online correspondence and yes it was planned to perfect!
Below are the glimpses from the 2days celebration: (watch this space for updates on pictures)
Our Team
Diwas is an Indian Wedding Planning & Consulting Company which assists you to plan and present a wedding event that’s beautiful, innovative & highly personal. We are Located at New Delhi, Gurgaon & Kolkata, our services are accessible throughout the country and we are available for travel worldwide.
We pride ourselves on attention to detail and our high quality service. Our dynamic & proficient team believes to a plan a ‘Diwas’ and not just another event by working closely with you and suppliers, so that every moment of your celebration is lived & treasured eternally. We are honest service providers which is why couples from overseas have trusted us and invested in our services for planning their big day in India and vice versa. We do not believe in building brand by monetizing social media pages or buying out awards. We believe in building relationships and grow organically.
We are specialize in niche destination and luxury wedding planning. Our services are dedicated to create exceptional experiences.
We put our best efforts to turn a couple’s dream wedding into reality, so get in touch and we’ll get the party started!
Have you any suggestions, write to us at diwas.celebrations@gmail.com
