You'll be jetting to Bali after you see this jungle villa wedding

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Now here’s a wedding vision we can get behind: rent a luxurious jungle villa in Bali for your closest family & friends to celebrate your joyous & wild marriage to come.

Justine & Travis definitely did the whole “destination wedding” thing right: a spoiling their guests to a unique location, fabulous local food & extensive quality time together. Villa Kalusa was the dream venue for the jet-setting couple, providing everything from jungle views to sweet secret spots for the couple to plan dreamy portraits with talented photographers from Iluminen.

The couple also brought home the most incredible keepsake (find more wedding keepsakes to save here) from their international wedding – their Balinese teak wood wedding altar. Made as a surprise from the groom to the bride, this stunning piece caught our eye from the get-go.

Our Love Story

Travis: Traditionally, when I think of love stories I imagine them full of drama, on the edge of your seat…will they or won’t they…? With Justine, nothing could have been easier, simpler, or made more sense.

We met at work and although I was immediately attracted to her, I thought she was way out of my league. I didn’t want to appear too keen so I tried to play it cool. We got to spend some time together in Singapore and once we got back home I could only hope to see her at work again soon. At the time, Justine was living in the city and I was living on a coastal rural island outside of Melbourne.

During our time in Singapore she had mentioned she was planning to come to the island for a holiday with her mum. I touched base with her, helped her choose where to stay and drew some maps, sharing my favourite things to see and do. While she was down we met up for an early morning swim and we haven’t really been apart since. I still pinch myself and think “really, you chose me?’

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Our Love Story

Justine: I still remember the exact moment we introduced ourselves and shook hands. It wasn’t necessarily an instant earth-shattering spark but I very quickly realised that Travis wasn’t like any other guy I had met. He has such a soft gentle nature and he’s always relaxed which has an instant effect on those around him.

I managed to lose my phone in a taxi in Singapore the morning that we were meeting for breakfast. Travis made friends with a couple of locals sitting next to us and asked them to help by calling the taxi company. I eventually got my phone back but I definitely wouldn’t have been as calm about it if Travis hadn’t of been there.

The first time we caught up outside of work we stopped for a coffee and had a deep chat about relationships and what we wanted from life and the future etc. It was then that I started to fall for him but still wasn’t really sure if he was interested. I told myself that regardless of what happens he would be a good friend to have, lucky for me he’s now my best friend for life.

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The Venue & Style

From very early on we knew that we wanted a small, intimate and personal wedding. We’ve spent some magical nights in Ubud previously so we used that as a starting point for our wedding planning. We did a lot of research and eventually found Villa Kelusa. As soon as we walked through the front gate and saw the view we knew we had found our venue.

For us, being outdoors in nature was the number one priority. We wanted our surroundings to be the showstopper and Villa Kelusa was everything and more. We didn’t really have a theme but we are naturally drawn to organic aesthetics so all we needed were a few flowers from the markets and leaves from the garden for our dining tables, with candles and fairy lights for lighting.

The fire flies were a very unexpected surprise but definitely added to the romance and magic! Our tables, chairs and wedding arch were all wood to blend in with the stunning surrounds.

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The Ceremony Altar

We had originally planned on buying a traditional Balinese wood door to use as our arch and then have it shipped home to install into our new house but we ran out of time. Travis surprised me the morning of the wedding with a small door frame that he had made by the local craftsman in Kelusa so we can still have something in our house to remind us of Ubud.

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Favorite Moments

We loved being part of every detail that made up the whole event. As stressful as it was at times we couldn’t imagine doing it any other way. From going to the local market to choose petals, decorating the tables, lighting candles and hanging up fairy lights. Travis’ best friend even married us so every detail was as personal as it could be. Of course, we couldn’t have done it without our incredible families, friends and vendors who all chipped in way beyond what we asked of them.

The Food

Good local food was our second priority and we are incredibly grateful to Ulekan in Canggu for doing us a huge favour by catering our wedding. They had never done a wedding before and they did such a phenomenal job. Our guests loved the food and some even went into the restaurant the week after to try more of their menu. To have their head chef and familiar wait staff at our wedding was beyond amazing.

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The Photography

And of course, photography rounded out our top three priorities. As soon as I showed Travis Indra’s work it was an instant “Yes” and we quickly arranged to meet the Iluminen team on our next visit to Bali.

Every aspect of Indra’s skills and experience fitted with us and what we wanted from our wedding photographer. He knew exactly what we were looking for and he delivered way beyond our expectations! Everytime we watch footage from our wedding it brings back all of the exact feelings and memories, and you can’t ask for more than that.

Advice to Other Couples

An overseas wedding can be hard to plan without local guidance so I would start with as many websites tailored to that location and then start asking a lot of questions from vendors. They are the ones with all the experience so it’s best to listen to their advice.

Also, try to be flexible otherwise you might be setting yourself up for disappointment and heartbreak. Travis and I created a realistic budget and stuck to it like glue, it just takes a lot of time, effort and research to make sure you aren’t overspending on certain areas or details. We paid for everything upfront so we now don’t have to worry about any debt.

Without a doubt there will be something that won’t go to plan so try not to sweat any of the small stuff, just take it all in and be kind to yourself. The biggest thing I learned from it all, was that on the day in the moment when the music is about to start and you’re about to walk down the aisle, absolutely none of those small details matter, it’s just about the love that you share with your partner and the excitement of starting your lives together. It really is the best feeling in the world.