Tropical wedding

The day of the wedding had arrived.  Renee and I got dressed up and headed down to the Ungasan Clifftop nice and early.  I had read a lot about how bad the traffic could be in Bali and I had experienced it first hand when I nearly missed my flight the last time I had been here.  Even on this trip, the traffic we had seen on our first day up to Ubud made us both nervous about being late.  So rather than risk it, we decided to go extra early.  This decision of course meant that there was absolutely no traffic at all and we arrived we ahead of schedule.  We walked around the wedding location, took some photos, and then with nothing else to do Renee played with her phone whilst I got a coffee.

Other guests started to arrive and so we all moved to the lawn which had been set up for the wedding ceremony.  It overlooked the water, the bridal arch looking small with the background of blue stretching towards the horizon and the sky.  The colours of the place seemed a world away from a traditional church and seemed to give everything a life that a wedding should have.

All the guests seated themselves and soon the music began.  The bridal party all entered and smiles were on the faces of everyone.   A close family friend of Alan presided over the wedding and gave the ceremony the formalities required in this casual setting.  The strong breeze which had been blowing calmed slightly for the ceremony itself, and so the bride's veil gentle floated in the air as if that had always been its purpose.  It was a happy affair and the smiles on the faces of the bride and groom beamed towards us all.

After the ceremony, there was some time for all of us to socialise before the reception.  Some decided to relax with a drink, some played games on the lawn, and others decided to look out into the distance from the clifftops.

It did feel like we were living a charmed existence out of a modern fairytale.  Everything looked a little bit too perfect.  Everyone dressed up in their formal attire, walking with glass in hand around the manicured gardens and lawns of the villas.  The blue ocean framed the entire vision we were experiencing.

As the sun set, we made our way to tables which had been set for our dinner.  The winds were a bit stronger than expected and so the tables were moved slightly in from the cliff side.  It wasn't a noticeable difference and it opened up more space on the side for people to dance later.  The bride and groom came in to rapturous applause.  The drinks flowed and the speeches were made.  People didn't seem to pay too much attention to their food and were soon mingling amongst the tables and laughing. 

Soon, no one was seated at their own seat anymore.  It was a truly happy time and as the music started to get louder, more and more people moved towards the dance floor.  It all continued into the early hours of the morning.