wedding | video
THE WEDDING ILENE & ALAN
The Royal Pita Maha Ubud-Bali
When I first receive the inquiry from Alan and Ilene, I have felt that we will be a great team. They communicated everything into detail and very handy to be negotiate with. They decided to take 12 hours service with StayBright and let the Wedding Organizer handle the rest.
We have talked by email for months but never meet actually in person. Thus, the day to meet them for the first time is quite something. I had to meet the bride first. And just as I expected, Ilene is such a sweetheart. She is easy to go with the flow and pose perfectly in front of camera, both directly and by candid. Unsurprisingly, the groom was also a match with our lenses. Such a perfect couple to work with. They hold adventurous souls and very excited for photo tour.
During the photo tour, we had nothing else but fun. The weather was perfect and the light is as just bright as our name. With a little cloud, the sunlight got softer, less harsh and sharp. We love natural light that give amazing effect to our client.
Fast forward to the wedding day, we arrived there by 10 am and had more than enough time to capture the moment for preparation. The wedding took place in Royal Pita Maha, Ubud. We captured the bride preparation and the rehearsal of the ceremony. The groom came by 1.30 pm and directly took photo session with his best men.
There was one moment I could never forget. Ilene said to me that she usually does not look that plump, and told me that she is actually 5 month pregnant, means that they will soon be a parent to a beautiful baby girl. I told her that my first born is also a girl and at the moment, my wife and I are expecting another baby. We congratulated each other and at that moment, I understand why she glows in a different way. She glows grace and happiness at the same time, and it must be the beautiful baby and her happy soul that made it so.
The ceremony commenced at 3.30 pm and everything was beyond beautiful. It took place across Ayung River. After ceremony we had cocktail and had another photo session with the bride and the groom. The couple then welcomed by Balinese men who brought torch, and after escorted to the venue of the reception, they were spoiled by the beautiful Kecak Dance to open the reception.
Oh such a happy couple. They both shed happy tears when delivering their speech. Their family took part in every session and made us crew felt like we attended a wedding ceremony that is no different than a spectacular performance show. They had performances from their talented family members, from their sisters Cook Island dance, their cousins singing Bob Marley, and the beautiful bride performing an item with her mother who had just been cleared to attend after beating cancer. It was magical.
There was a dance that I could not forget. I remembered because even when they currently live in Australia, their family adopted the culture of Samoan. The dance called the Samoan Taualuga. It is a dance performed by the bride in which the village showers her with gifts of money to show their love and appreciation and the called this tradition as “lafo”. The bride will dance first with her mother. Then the groom will join her and all guest will also join the dance. When Samoans celebrate, they celebrate big.
Ilene is one lucky woman to have Alan. Or Alan is the one who is most lucky to have her? I don’t know. I can not decide. All I know is how mesmerizing the day was and how everyone are so keen to come down the dance floor.
This made me challenged, in a good way. The real challenge was to capture every moment of everyone. Because everyone burst happiness, and it gave me such an amazing spirit to dedicate every second to the couple, the family and their amazing friends, that this day will be unforgettable.
The reception was up until 11 pm and ended by the couple releasing beautiful lampions. With a heart full of love, warm hugs, and beautiful prayer, Ilene and Alan will surely have great journey together. There is no doubt about that. I am very grateful to have such a great chance to work with this amazing couple. We wish Alan and Ilene all the best in life.
Much Love, GusDek - StayBright.
