Balinese Wedding

I had the privilege of attending a Balinese wedding reception up in our friend's village just outside of Lovina, Bali. We were unable to attend the wedding ceremony which took place the previous day, but were so happy to share in their special day for the reception.

We drove up the evening before so we wouldn’t have to drive both there and back in one day. The trip should take about 3 hours, but that evening it took 5. The traffic was absolutely terrible as we tried to make our way through the city of Denpasar. Then in true Indonesian fashion we were on high alert for people and dogs walking across the street at a leisurely stroll, piles of dirt obstructing the lane (or just completely blocking a road as we found out later), and just the typical "Indonesian way" of driving (aka-NOT following standard traffic patterns and rules). 

I also learned a lesson in google maps. Google maps doesn't quite have a grasp of the Indonesian roads. Google maps instructed us to turn down a small road that appears to lead to our hotel. At first we were feeling confident that this was the road...it was made of concrete and not dirt and wide enough for the car to fit, but soon we realized we were driving right out into the rice fields. The "road" was just wide enough for our car with ditches on the side filled with water and rice fields beyond that. Finally Ted stopped the car where there was a small driveway that would give us the ability to turn around. He feared that we would continue to drive and it would be a dead end. We phoned the hotel and his hunch was correct...we were on the WRONG road. The road to the hotel was parallel to this road and looked like it ended further away from the hotel, but in reality to actually went directly TO the hotel. Ted conducted his 3-point turn as I stood guard by the ditches. A few minutes later we arrived safely at our hotel. 

This was our morning view...

So enough of the driving adventures and back to the wedding reception! 

We took this opportunity to wear traditional Balinese dress....

My friend Tess and I

Ted and I

Our photo with the happy couple!

A Balinese Hindu wedding reception seems like a marathon to me that seems to just keep going! It began around 1pm and lasted late into the evening. Food was served buffet style, the gamelan group from the village was playing, and tables and chairs were set up for guests. The reception was like a revolving door where people continued to come at various times as the evening continues on. Unlike in Western receptions that had specific times for various activities, this reception seemed to just be a constant flow of people and the buffet allowed for food to always be readily available!

A view of the offerings for the Gods that were placed there the previous day for the ceremony.

Click here for some music and dance from the reception

On the way home we took a detour off the main road and enjoyed a beautiful and SMALL scenic road filled with small villages that wrapped through the mountains. Breathtaking views, cool crisp air, and the occasional fear of being hit by oncoming traffic when a car or motorbike whips around a blind curve on a road that just barely fits two vehicles. I’m so glad I wasn’t driving!